[mr1303]

S: Q1076
h: AKQJ853
D: k
C: 4

Partner opens 1S.

Deliberately left vulnerability and form of scoring off.

My question is: do you think it more likely to be successful to use a scientific method, which will tell you what you want to know (but is easy and therefore likely to be common vs punting directly (either 6 or 7, spades or hearts)

I'll tell you the full details later.

[Cyberyeti]

The only thing I seem to want to know is keycards, but there is not 5 level safety, Axxxx, x, QJxx, KQJ, so let's take it slowly, it is also possible that the slam should be played in hearts, Axxxx, xx, AQJ10, xx makes a slam in hearts but not in spades most of the time.

[DavidKok]

There's little downside to taking it slow. If we want to blast, we can always do so next round (or are you worried about partner jumping past 6♠ over our response?). We retain all our options by bidding slowly, but get a better chance at finding out the right level and strain. So 2♥.

[mw64ahw]

Take it slow don't give up on the grand
2NT is an option as is 2♦ if you play Ambra style.

[helene_t]

I am not sure how we can find anything useful below 4NT when all we really need to know is the number of keycards for spades. So you might want to take the gamble that p either has 2+ keycards, or we have a winning finesse against ♠K.

But maybe we play traditional first round control bids, in which case we could find out if we miss both minor suit aces, or even any two aces if partner raises hearts.

Bidding fast may increase the chance of stealing a trick, if opps have a minor suit ace to cash but fail to lead it. Then again, I am not sure how I would bid this fast. Direct 4NT is usually basic Blackwood, and 2NT is often played as asking for a singleton. Neither is particularly useful.

[DavidKok]

helene_t, on 2024-July-16, 04:37, said:

I am not sure how we can find anything useful below 4NT when all we really need to know is the number of keycards for spades. So you might want to take the gamble that p either has 2+ keycards, or we have a winning finesse against ♠K.

But maybe we play traditional first round control bids, in which case we could find out if we miss both minor suit aces, or even any two aces if partner raises hearts.

Bidding fast may increase the chance of stealing a trick, if opps have a minor suit ace to cash but fail to lead it. Then again, I am not sure how I would bid this fast. Direct 4NT is usually basic Blackwood, and 2NT is often played as asking for a singleton. Neither is particularly useful.

Don't throw in the towel so quickly. Even with these methods if partner shows short hearts and then later shows a diamond control, we'll know it is the ace. Also if partner is staring at ♠AK or one of those with another ace, they might well bid more enthusiastically than without those cards, so we might find about 5-level safety by taking the slow route.

[thepossum]

To me that is a Soloway 3H etc - can I do Soloway 3H after 1S??
or is it just a simple 2H game force then more

From my understanding after a Soloway 3H opener bids 3S then responder bids 4C to show a splinter - I still am yet to master Soloway sequences - and what happens next

Apologies I just checked my system and you can't do a Soloway after 1S - as you were

[mikeh]

Hoping for a raise of a 2H response made me laugh. Sure, it might happen but surely our shape suggests that it’s improbable. More to the point….many expert pairs (and I know this isn’t the expert forum) use 1S 2H 3H 3S as a cuebid, not support, so now keycard is in hearts and we won’t know about the spade king at a convenient level, unless he has 3 aces.

I bid 2N, even if forced to play basic J2N, which few good pairs use…there are several far better schemes. It’s not great, because players think that AKxxx xx xxx Axx is a 4S bid over 2N….and now slam may be missed because opener might hold Axxxx xx QJx KQx and we lack 4 level safety.