[thepossum]

Half the field found 3NT and half were in 6D-1

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I thought my bidding was reasonably accurate. 5D would have been acceptable I guess in IMPs, and I admit I would have considered slam after appropriate exchange of information on controls. I accept from the letter of the points, if I downgraded my stiff Jack maybe I overbid slightly but it seemed too good for 2D. These little things mean the difference between 3 and 6 level contracts

At least I briefly visited the correct contract on the express train to slam

[Douglas43]

Matchpoints are a bit of a swine when looking for a minor suit slam because of the dreaded 430 or 460 by the pairs who stop in 3NT. If I had pushed on as North I would have tried a cue bid 4♥ though.

[smerriman]

You went wrong in assuming you went wrong. Sometimes you make normal bids, the robots make dumb bids, and you get a bad score because some other humans made dumb bids first.

[helene_t]

You bid correctly. If anything I would have considered 3NT instead of 3♦, but the robots almost never pass 3!d so playing with a robot I think 3♦ is clear.

As for North's options, 4♥ as cue for diamonds, as Douglas suggests, would be nice but I don't think 4♥ means that.

If North bids 4♦ you will now bid 5♦ (there's a case that 4NT should be natural at pairs but probably it isn't) and if you were playing Italian control bids, that would deny a black suit control (you don't show a stiff in partner's suit), but playing first round controls as the robots do, I don't think there's any way to avoid the slam.

The slam is not terrible, by the way, as the spades can be established if they don't find the club lead, and you don't really want to play 5♦ at MP anyway.

[mw64ahw]

For me the hand is a touch on the weak side for 3♦ with all those Qs & Jacks, but I understand the bid with a self-sustaining suit.
The issue arises because the North Robot is impatient and expects a slightly stronger hand for 6♦.

I guess that bidding 2♦ results in 3NT for the better score

[pescetom]

helene_t, on 2022-August-18, 03:30, said:

As for North's options, 4♥ as cue for diamonds, as Douglas suggests, would be nice but I don't think 4♥ means that.

If North bids 4♦ you will now bid 5♦ (there's a case that 4NT should be natural at pairs but probably it isn't) and if you were playing Italian control bids, that would deny a black suit control (you don't show a stiff in partner's suit), but playing first round controls as the robots do, I don't think there's any way to avoid the slam.

Forgetting robots, in an Italian control-bid scheme North would bid 4♦ (not 3♠) as a forcing raise over which South would control bid the singleton in spades. However they then continue, they will stop in 5♦ (or maybe 4NT natural at MP).

[thepossum]

mw64ahw, on 2022-August-18, 04:27, said:

For me the hand is a touch on the weak side for 3♦ with all those Qs & Jacks, but I understand the bid with a self-sustaining suit.
The issue arises because the North Robot is impatient and expects a slightly stronger hand for 6♦.

I guess that bidding 2♦ results in 3NT for the better score

I always get concerned that a 2 level rebid risks being passed

I think people went straight to 3NT and didn't risk anything going wrong - sorry just checked. Quite a few people went via 2NT, quite a few straight to 3NT and only one braved 2D

[mw64ahw]

thepossum, on 2022-August-18, 19:41, said:

I always get concerned that a 2 level rebid risks being passed

I think people went straight to 3NT and didn't risk anything going wrong - sorry just checked. Quite a few people went via 2NT, quite a few straight to 3NT and only one braved 2D

Yep 2NT is a better bid over 1!S

[pescetom]

mw64ahw, on 2022-August-18, 21:01, said:

Yep 2NT is a better bid over 1♠

Even with a human partner too IMO, it's a quacky hand that wants to be declarer in NT.