[bearmum]

inquiry, on Jan 26 2006, 12:53 PM, said:

Dealer: West Vul: None Scoring: IMP

♠ A7 ♥ KJ9872 ♦   ♣ A8543

BPO-007B West  North East  South (4♠) - 5♦ - (PASS) -   ? Can there be a right answer to this tough one?

This hand is now open for discussion.

I don't think there's a "right" answer as 6 or 7 something COULD be on for us BUT I assume BBO advanced 4♠X is for penalty? (as I can't find anything contracting it )

SO with this hand I would PASS as I would not like to penalise a P who courageously bid a SOLID 7 card (or an 8 card semi-solid) ♦ suit

If we miss slam -- just say "NICE 4♠ bid opps" and take my lumps

[whereagles]

5NT for me, hoping pard will take this as pick-a-slam.

Better to play in the right strain, even if at the wrong level.

[bearmum]

whereagles, on Jan 27 2006, 12:11 AM, said:

5NT for me, hoping pard will take this as pick-a-slam.

Better to play in the right strain, even if at the wrong level.

even tho 5♦ MIGHT be the right strain AND right level ??? (JOKE all)

[Blofeld]

bearmum, on Jan 26 2006, 08:53 AM, said:

BUT I assume BBO advanced 4♠X is for penalty? (as I can't find anything contracting it )

I was certainly assuming that this double would have been takeout.

[FrancesHinden]

Blofeld, on Jan 26 2006, 03:31 PM, said:

bearmum, on Jan 26 2006, 08:53 AM, said:

BUT I assume  BBO advanced  4♠X  is for penalty? (as I can't find anything contracting it  )

I was certainly assuming that this double would have been takeout.

Is it relevant what double would have been?
Once partner has 7+ diamonds, he's not very likely to double whatever he's got, I would have thought.

[Al_U_Card]

I will expect pard to have a solid 8 card suit and the A of H so, 6NT for me.

[Walddk]

Al_U_Card, on Jan 26 2006, 03:59 PM, said:

I will expect pard to have a solid 8 card suit and the A of H so, 6NT for me.

Really? So he has lost his senses if he bids 5♦ with:

♠ x
♥ Ax
♦ KQJ109xxx
♣ KQ

or something similar?

Roland

[hrothgar]

Al_U_Card, on Jan 26 2006, 05:59 PM, said:

I will expect pard to have a solid 8 card suit and the A of H so, 6NT for me.

Has partner ever overcalled 5♦?

[Al_U_Card]

Just a feeling thing. It seems we should be in slam and 6NT is reasonable and also avoids the Lightner double opportunities.

[pclayton]

hrothgar, on Jan 26 2006, 04:58 AM, said:

I suspect that some kind of Lebensohl/Rubensohl type treatment would work well here.  We could use 5♥ as a marionette to 5♠ and differentiate between "direct" and "indirect" sequences.  Direct sequences (an immediate) 5♠ or 5NT bid would assume Diamonds as trump.  Indirect sequences would be directed at exploring other strains.

It would be interesting to see if any established pairs use similar methods

Richard, Mars called, they have a partner for you in the inter-galactic open pairs.

........................................

I voted for 5♥. Raising to 6♦ on a void is absurd. If pard is looking at 7 or 8 solid, he can rebid them himself.

If pard has heart tolerance, I expect 5N pick-a-slam. If pard has a side club suit, I would have expected 4N. Ergo, pard should expect a 5 card club suit when I bid them over 5N.

5♥ really should be forcing, but have you discussed this with your pards?

[luis]

hrothgar, on Jan 26 2006, 03:26 PM, said:

Al_U_Card, on Jan 26 2006, 05:59 PM, said:

I will expect pard to have a solid 8 card suit and the A of H so, 6NT for me.

Has partner ever overcalled 5♦?

Yes my pd once overcalled 5♦ over 4♠ with KQJ ninth. I had Qxx, Kxxxx, Ax, Axx and decided to bid 6 which was impossible to make but the defense lost his way and pd made the doubled impossible slam for +1540. (Pd's hand was: x,Qx,KQJTxxxxx,x) they lead the club king, pd winning, pd played a low heart from Qx towards the K, they stepped in with the hA and decided pd had a spade void so tried to cash a club, pd ruffed, cashed the hQ, drew 2 trumps ending in dummy and discarded the spade on the heart K.

[Walddk]

pclayton, on Jan 26 2006, 04:44 PM, said:

5♥ really should be forcing, but have you discussed this with your pards?

No, and is it worth the effort? How often will a situation like this come up? To stay in your world of galaxies: once in a blue moon!

Roland

[Al_U_Card]

hrothgar, on Jan 26 2006, 10:26 AM, said:

Al_U_Card, on Jan 26 2006, 05:59 PM, said:

I will expect pard to have a solid 8 card suit and the A of H so, 6NT for me.

Has partner ever overcalled 5♦?

After having played about 150,000 hands so far,(in this life) and having had 4S opened on my left about 150 times, I can't recall pard ever doing that so I am expecting a nice hand for his call.......

[mikeh]

I am with Frances. Sure, it is a complete guess, but this does not make it any the less a legitimate bridge problem. I voted for 5♥ because it opens up the maximal number of possibilities.

Pass is right if but only if 5♦ is your best contract. It may not be. It may, in fact, be the only rational spot that fails, if RHO holds a nasty ♦ surprise (and does not double the only contract he can beat).

5♥ may be wrong, but it keeps the door open to 6♦ or 6♥ or (very very unlikely) higher spots: imagine hearing a 5♠ cue by partner over 5♥?

So while we cannot say where we want to end up, we do know that passing commits us to one contract while bidding offers several possibilities, and each possibility has more or less the same chance of being right.

In my view, bridge logic strongly indicates a 5♥ bid as being (and here comes the expert's favourite 'f' word) the most flexible.

[HeartA]

FrancesHinden, on Jan 26 2006, 03:25 AM, said:

x
x
AKJ109xx
KQxx

6C

This last hand is (almost) impossible. parnter would bid 4NT instead of 5D.

[42]

whereagles, on Jan 26 2006, 03:11 PM, said:

5NT for me, hoping pard will take this as pick-a-slam.

Better to play in the right strain, even if at the wrong level.

*hehe* I wait long enough and there is already someone who found the right words for my thoughts...
I also chose 5NT. At least we will not die as chicken...

[mikeh]

HeartA, on Jan 26 2006, 11:47 AM, said:

FrancesHinden, on Jan 26 2006, 03:25 AM, said:

x
x
AKJ109xx
KQxx

6C

This last hand is (almost) impossible. parnter would bid 4NT instead of 5D.

4N would not even occur to me or, if it did, I would shake my head at the absurdity of the bid and make the normal 5♦.

Why is 4N wrong?

Because, for most players these days, 4N shows a 2-suited takeout: not a minor suit takeout. Partner is supposed to bid on the basis that you could have any of the 3 possible combinations. He will bid 5♣ with 2=5=3=3, for example. He will bid 5♣ with 3=6=2=2. I doubt that you would enjoy a 5-level contract in violation of Burn's Law of Total Trump

And, as a second point, 7-4 hands are not generally considered as two-suiters. But change the hand to 1=2=6=4 and my point about NOT bidding 4N remains valid

[whereagles]

bearmum, on Jan 26 2006, 02:17 PM, said:

whereagles, on Jan 27 2006, 12:11 AM, said:

5NT for me, hoping pard will take this as pick-a-slam.

Better to play in the right strain, even if at the wrong level.

even tho 5♦ MIGHT be the right strain AND right level ??? (JOKE all)

If diamonds is the right strain, pard will rebid 6♦

[luke warm]

i voted for 5♥ and had no idea what to do...

[Winstonm]

I voted to pass. Partner's bid indicates a 1-suited hand anywhere from 6331 to who knows - he was under pressure to make a call and perhaps my cover cards will offest the trump losers.

Winston