[TheoKole]

An interesting bidding problem happened to me last night on BBO.
How would you bid this hand after your partner opens 1NT?

♠ A
♥ Ax
♦ AK10xx
♣ QJ98x


North's hand was:

♠Kx
♥KQJ10x
♦QJx
♣A10x


In hidden text below is our action with the explanation for the bids:
NO PEEKING before answering!


Our action went

Spoiler

------------------N---------------------------S

1NT--------------------------------2 ♠ (Minor suit stayman)
2NT (no 4 card minor)----------3 ♥ (Cuebid)
4 ♣ (Better ♣than ♦)------------4 ♦ (Better ♦ than ♣)
4 ♥ (Cuebid for ♦)----------------4 ♠ (Cuebid for ♦)
4NT (Ace asking for ♦)-----------5 ♣ (1 or 4 Keycards)
7NT---------------------------------Pass of course

I was mainly interested for descriptions of other systems for slam bidding.

Have fun

Theo

[mr1303]

Keri handles this quite reasonably

1NT 2NT (transfer to clubs)
3C 3D (both minors, GF)
3NT (both majors stopped) 4D (slam try)
4H (1st/2nd round control) 4NT (RKCB)
5C (1/4 key cards) 5NT (asking for extras)
7D (knowing that partner has the A of hearts helps) 7NT (if 7D is there, 7NT must be there as well)

[Al_U_Card]

I play kickback for the minors, so

1NT-2NT (xfr to D)
3D - 4C (good C and slam try)
4D-(confirming D as trump, 3+ but no A or K of D) (4H/S whb Q-bid in support of Clubs)
4H (kickback 1430 for D)
4S (1 Key for D)
4NT (Q ask)
5H (Q with HK but no CK)
6NT (cant bid 7 without the CK,,,,;-((

[Blofeld]

There's always 1NT : 7NT for the blind optimists.

[I'm a Keri user, so bid this the same way as Mark]

[Echognome]

No one up for a transfer to spades? Then make forcing bids until you get partner to bid 7♠ and "correct" to 7NT. You might get doubled this way.

[mikeh]

TheoKole, on Oct 12 2005, 03:19 AM, said:

I was mainly interested for descriptions of other systems for slam bidding.

How about relay stayman: a very powerful method: this is a home-grown method that only 3 players use, but it is amazing for slam bidding:

1N   2♣
2♥   2♠
2N   3♣
3♠   3N
5♣   5♦
5♥   5♠
6♦   7N

2♣: relay
2♥: 4+♥, not 4♠
2♠: relay
2N: 5♥
3♣: relay
3♠: 2=5=3=3, 4 controls
3N: relay
5♣: ♥Q, ♦Q, at least one of the A/K/Q in ♣ and ♠, ♥K, no ♦K
5♦: relay
5♥: no second (top 3) honour in ♣
5♠: relay
6♦: ♥J, ♦J, no ♣J
7N: knows partner is Kx KQJxx QJx Axx

Unfortunately, the relay does not ask about 10's

So dummy cannot quite claim before the opening lead.

Systeme notes available at a modest price (ok, free): its greatest success was staying out of a grand with a combined 37 hcp, missing only the QJxxxx of ♣, with responder knowing the exact shape and hcp and knowing that there was no way to avoid a a ♣ loser.

[mike777]

Relay bidding may get you there.

I am unimpressed by the 3H cuebid or the 5nt asking for extras bidding in Kerri.

[han]

mikeh, on Oct 12 2005, 11:04 AM, said:

How about relay stayman: a very powerful method: this is a home-grown method that only 3 players use, but it is amazing for slam bidding:

Perhaps this version of relay stayman is only played by 3 people, but relay stayman is quite popular in my hometown in the Netherlands (or at least was among some young players before I left).

[mikeh]

Hannie, on Oct 12 2005, 11:24 AM, said:

mikeh, on Oct 12 2005, 11:04 AM, said:

How about relay stayman: a very powerful method: this is a home-grown method that only 3 players use, but it is amazing for slam bidding:

Perhaps this version of relay stayman is only played by 3 people, but relay stayman is quite popular in my hometown in the Netherlands (or at least was among some young players before I left).

I am not claiming that only 3 people have ever played a relay stayman I meant only that the particular version I use was home-grown. All relays will share some common features, and properly designed ones, even more. For example, in the extended relay 'engine' I used in one partnership, the structure was designed using fibonacci principles, and I read awhile ago that Rodwell used the same mathematical approach in some of the meckwell sequences.

[mike777]

Can we try it playing 14-16 nt? buddy emailed me this:


"Kickback is SO wonderful on hands like this:


1H 2D
3D 3S We always raise with 3 card support, and no extra length elsewhere; must cue 3S, 3H would reset trumps & cant ace ask w/o club control
4H 4NT Opener is all controls and trump fillers with a strong source of tricks so slams a heavy favorite unless off two key cards: 4NT shows 1 or 4
7NT Has to be four, So there must be 13 tricks.

or

1H 2D
3D 3S
4C 4H Alternatively, opener can cue bid back with 4 clubs (although I think he oughta kickback himself); Now responder can ace-ask
4NT 5C 4NT shows 1 or 4; Responder now asks for the trump Queen
5H 5NT 5H shows the queen and the heart King ; 5NT marks time giving opener room to show more, really hoping opener can bid 6C to show that king.
7NT Since responder didn't sign off, he must have all the missing kepy cards, and again, opener can count 13 tricks.....

responder was hoping opener might have: xx Kxxxx QJx AKx but won't be disappointing with what really happens!!

Dont you just love Kickback??"

[Free]

Woops nvm, nice hands!

[luke warm]

TheoKole, on Oct 12 2005, 03:19 AM, said:

An interesting bidding problem happened to me last night on BBO. How would you bid this hand after your partner opens 1NT?

♠ A
♥ Ax
♦ AK10xx
♣ QJ98x

North's hand was:

♠Kx
♥KQJ10x
♦QJx
♣A10x

ok, you've heard from keri (which i *sorta* like), now here's truscott/rosenkrantz which is sorta like mikeh's (which looks very nice)

1nt : 2d - game force
2h : 2s - 4+, relay
3h : 3s - 2533, cab
4c : 4d - 4 controls, spiral
4s : 4nt - top heart, no top diamond
5nt : 7nt - top club, top spade, 2 of top 3 hearts, diamond Q, no other top club

responder needed to find out if 3 of the controls were in clubs or not.. he can almost tell what opener has before it's played

[Winstonm]

1N-2S* Puppet
2N*-4C** *Forced **5/5 minor slam try
4D-4H
4N-5C
5D-6D
7N

[Impact]

The key the hand is for the 2-5-3-3 hand to be making the decisions as that is the hand which knows hte H are solid and will provide a parking space for the C - assuming that you can find out that it is the CK, as opposed to CA which is missing.

Opening a strong club with relays it is easy; paradoxically if I opened a strong NT my methods over NT would allow opener to take control if the responding hand was weaker (ie not good enough to insist upon slam) but with the actual responding hand I would be reduced to relaying out opener's hand, and just have room to find the HJ which makes 7NT good.

For those interested:
if vul
1C 2S (5+C 5+D)
2NT ® 3C (short S)
3D ® 3H (1-2-5-5)
3S ® 4NT (7 controls)
5C ® 5H (no CA/K or CAKQ!)
7NT counting 13 tricks


n/v
Pass (16+/0-4) 2H
2S 2NT
3C 3D
3H 4S
4NT 5D
7NT same meanings

If forced to use a 1NT opening bid:

1NT 2C (Stayman)
2H 2S ®
3C (5332) 3D®
3H (2-5-3-3) 3S ®
4C (4cont) 4D ®
4S (no DA/K or AKQ) 4NT ®
5NT (CA,SK,HQ,DQ no CQ) 6C (R for HJ at this stage!!)
6S (HJ, DJ) 7NT naming each Honour card except the 2xT!!

note with about a responding hand distribution for any slam invitational minor 2-suiter, I use descriptive methods by responder which allow opener to signoff in NT or M if fragment, relay (if responder shows 5+5+), engage in dialogue with different degrees of strength and fit.

eg 1NT -3H/S = minor 2-suiter ostensibly 54 with fragment in bid M but GF only slam invitational at best
1NT Stayman and then 3rd cheapest non NT bd shows 5+5+ minors with GF/slam invit

When slam is "certain" proceed by relays.

this structure is influenced by playing weak NT but a truism is that balanced opener needs information to decide on whether slam is good opposite a distributional hand which is invitational, but the degree of information usually needed to determine grandslam almost always works better on Q & A rather than dialogue in such auctions (eg here the solid suit and missing K in side suit which can be discarded...)

[civill]

1NT opening with good 5 card major is rare, and then only [1NT-7NT] is the best.

[Fluffy]

Take it easy:

1♥-2♦
2NT-3♣
3♦-3♥
4♣-4NT
5x-5NT
7NT