[han]

Kxxx
xxx
J10xxx
x

AQJ9
AKJ
Ax
AKxx

Hands as strong as the south hand are often tough to bid using sayc or 2/1. Any suggestions for a good auction to 6S?

[cherdano]

I don't play Kokish relay myself, but I guess I should:

2♣-2♦ (waiting)
2♥ (relay) - 2♠
2NT (balanced 25-27) - 3♣ (Puppet)
3♦ (have a 4cd major) - 3♥ (4 spades)
4♣ (cuebidding for spades) - 5♣
5♦ - 5♠
6♠

Up to 4♣, this looks automatic. The next bid seems to be the key point of the auction. Is responder worth a 5♣ cue bid? I find it hard to construct a hand where 5♠ is too high, so I think he should. Then South can count 11 tricks (top tricks plus 2 club ruffs
plus at least one king in responders hand) with one or two finesse chances for a 12th, so I don't think he will let the bidding stop at 5♠.

Of course, North was a bit lucky here that South could read his 5♣ cue as shortness.

Bidding is so much fun when you can see both hands, isn't it...

[the hog]

Uh, excuse me! Do you really want to be in 6 on this hand. You appear to have a H and a D loser and if trumps break 4-1 the hand will be totally unmanageable. You need to set up the Ds in the Nth hand as a dummy reversal. If they are 4-2 where are your entries? No S pips were given. 4S for me thanks!

Ron

[pbleighton]

"4S for me thanks!"

Yes.

27 hcp, 8 card fit, no good source of tricks, only one singleton.

Don't worry about missing slams like this.

Peter

[cherdano]

pbleighton, on Feb 9 2005, 10:23 AM, said:

"4S for me thanks!"

Yes.

27 hcp, 8 card fit, no good source of tricks, only one singleton.

Uh, I count 30 hcp...
Anyway, please correct me if I am wrong, but I think you can first test for diamonds 3-3 and spades 3-2, and if this does not work you can fall back on the heart finesse. Which makes it certainly above 50% (though not by much).

Arend

[whereagles]

Well, here's an "attempt" at 6♠, with natural bidding.

2♣....2♦
3NT..4♦ <-- only if responder is feeling lucky. Otherwise pass.
4♠....5♠ <-- natural raise. 4NT would be natural, misfit.
6♠

[Free]

My first thought was also: what?? 6♠?? But after looking closely at the hand, it's quite manageble. You discard a ♥ on ♣K, and you ruff the rest of your losers. Even if they lead trumps, you still have trumps and entries enough.

Anyway, I still wouldn't want to be in 6, there's too much which can go wrong.

[pbleighton]

"Uh, I count 30 hcp..."

Looked again, and I count 23 + 4 = 27.

30 if you include distribution (singleton),
which is usually not enough.

There are good slams that have 27 raw hcp.
They usually have an outside source of tricks,
and/or more than 8 trumps.

Peter

[Free]

pbleighton, on Feb 9 2005, 03:01 PM, said:

"Uh, I count 30 hcp..."

Looked again, and I count 23 + 4 = 27.

30 if you include distribution (singleton),
which is usually not enough.

There are good slams that have 27 raw hcp.
They usually have an outside source of tricks,
and/or more than 8 trumps.

Peter

South hand is 26HCP...

4 A = 16
2 K = 6
1 Q = 2
2 J = 2
-----------
total = 26

[pbleighton]

26, yup. I'm getting very sleeeepy...

Peter

[Yzerman]

If North hand held the 10 of spades, double dummy I think 6S would be reasonable. Even if the 10 of spades is not in the north hand, you have some chances to score baby heart ruffs (although would require 4/4 clubs and play of hand would require proper timing). Count your tricks;

5 winners in aces and kings (AK hearts, AK clubs and A diamonds)

Hence 7 winners from the trump suit will produce 12 tricks.

IF the north hand held the 10 of spades the ONLY lead to defeat this contract would be trump lead (which is likely). In the event that a trump is lead, and continued you would still have a remote play for 12 tricks.

Is this a decent slam, yes I believe its decent. Would I want to be in this slam? Yes, I believe that the pressure this hand applies to the defense, and the chances afforded to make this make the risk/reward a worth while contract (while the actually risk/reward of bidding 6 is not worth it, the fact you apply pressure to opponents increases your risk/reward). Bidding to 6S puts an EXTREME amount of pressure on the opponents to defend, and even if this contract does not make there is a lot to be said to applying pressure to the defenders to defend accurately under pressure as often as possible.