[nickf]

Scoring: Butler Pairs

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Playing a strong club system, you have relayed to find partner holds:

xx
Hx
Hxxx
Hxxxx

where H = 1/3 honours. You also know he holds 7 slam points where Ace=3, King=2 and Queen = 1.

Partner's last bid was 5D (which finally showed the honour in C,D,H but none in S and denied a second club honour ie he cant have AK, AQ or KQ)

What now?

nickf
sydney

[Cascade]

Presumably you also know something about partner's high-card point strength.

Did partner open and you relay?

[nickf]

Pd opened 2C, natural, 10-14, 15 very rarely. Thes rest was a relay auction.

The problem is given the relayer knows partner holds either:

xx
Ax
Kxxx
Kxxxx

OR

xx
Ax
Qxxx
Axxxx

what should he do now?

nickf
sydney

[Free]

You play a relay system to bid slams on distribution. Hope ♦ break or p has ♦Q and ♣A Our ♠ loser will go on a 3rd ♥, 6♦ for me

[Blofeld]

6♦ feels 'obvious'. Sure, it might go down, but I'm happy being in it opposite one of the possible hands and unhappy not being in it opposite the other.

[nickf]

Free, on May 3 2006, 08:13 PM, said:

You play a relay system to bid slams on distribution.  Hope ♦ break or p has ♦Q and ♣A    Our ♠ loser will go on a 3rd ♥, 6♦ for me 

right, this is the nub of the problem.

you expect the field to be in 3NT (usually), so if diamonds don't break and you stay in 5D, already you're beating those that stopped and failed in 3n on a likely spade lead.

So do you gamble on pd having xx, Ax, Qxxx, Axxxx which I think makes slam pretty cold, or bid slam opposite xx, Ax, Kxxx, Kxxxx which requires a 2-2 diamond break or take a pretty sure plus position in 5D ?

I think passing 5D is the best bet.

nickf
sydney

[FrancesHinden]

If partner has AKK slam needs diamonds 2-2 or singleton queen. On top of that, if there is singleton queen we need either the CA onside or the hearts 3-3; if diamonds are 2-2 we need either hearts 4-2 or the CA onside. If partner has the 109 of diamonds we also make if diamonds are 4-0 the right way, hearts 3-3 and the CA is onside (a bit obscure so I shall ignore that one).

That makes slam slightly under 50%, I think.

Ignoring 4-0 trumps for the time being, If partner has AQA, slam needs either diamonds to play for 1 loser + if they are 3-1 either hearts 3-3 or 4-2 with CA onside, or diamonds to play for no loser + hearts 4-2 or CA onside.

That makes slam more better than 50% than it was worse than 50% on the first layout I think. So if both layouts are equally likely, we want to be in slam as it's better than 50%. But not that much better, so it's not a hugely big deal either way.

[david_c]

Who would be declarer in a diamond contract? This might make a difference to the likely opening lead.

[FrancesHinden]

nickf, on May 3 2006, 12:00 PM, said:

you expect the field to be in 3NT (usually), so if diamonds don't break and you stay in 5D, already you're beating those that stopped and failed in 3n on a likely spade lead.

So do you gamble on pd having xx, Ax, Qxxx, Axxxx which I think makes slam pretty cold, or bid slam opposite xx, Ax, Kxxx, Kxxxx which requires a 2-2 diamond break or take a pretty sure plus position in 5D ?

I think passing 5D is the best bet.

If you've already decided the answer, why did you post the hand?

Maybe it depends on the quality of the field, but I don't entirely see why they will be in 3NT which looks to be the worst of the possible games, particularly at IMPs.

Matchpoints would be tricker: more insane people will play 3NT, but against that I'll only be equalling or losing against a 4H contract which will much of the time will make 10 or 11 when we are making 11 or 12.

[kfgauss]

I pass, as 5D is decent and even with the AQA hand, slam isn't so good on the likely spade lead.

Andy

[joshs]

nickf, on May 3 2006, 12:19 AM, said:

Scoring: Butler Pairs

---

Playing a strong club system, you have relayed to find partner holds:

xx
Hx
Hxxx
Hxxxx

where H = 1/3 honours. You also know he holds 7 slam points where Ace=3, King=2 and Queen = 1.

Partner's last bid was 5D (which finally showed the honour in C,D,H but none in S and denied a second club honour ie he cant have AK, AQ or KQ)

What now?

nickf
sydney

Maybe I am missing something but it sounds like partner has the HA and either:
a. DQ and the CA
b. DK and the CK

In both cases 5D is a great contract, 6D is under 50%, and 3N is worse than 5D....


Pass

[luis]

Pass and switch to a natural system if that is all I got after the relays.

Luis