[Miron]

Scoring: IMP

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How will you bid this one? Please no crazy gadgets, just some ordinary 2/1 or precision or if you like wspolny jazyk.

There are two options (depends how much are the opps aggresive):
1. the opps pass all the way
2. the RHO (east) will bid hearts on the first opportunity, no other bidding on their line (say 1♥ or 2♥ most probably not 3♥)

[hrothgar]

5♦ - 6N

Please note: The 6N bid could fail SPECTACULARLY. Given the preempts that I make, its entirely possible that partner doesn't have the King of Diamonds.

I like 6N because it right sides the contract. I would much rather have a Club or Spade lead into the North hand than through it. I suspect that this is worth more than the risk of getting cut off from the Diamonds. I could be wrong though...

[FrancesHinden]

If you are disciplined with your pre-empts, P- 2NT - 6D.
If you are not entirely disciplined, 4D - 6D (I don't think it's worth a 5D opening)

[Codo]

My bidding had started with:

pass (1♥) X (pass)

and than I had sit and thought, if 2/3 ♠, 2/3♥ or 3 to 6 ♦ had been the right bid.
I think, I had bid 3 ♥ asking for a stopper. Pd should make another move with 4 NT, showing the extras and I can bid 6 Diamond somehow, but this is not convincing at all.

After any opening bid like 3,4 or 5 Diamonds, slam is easier, but I would never preempt with this hand in 1. or 2. seat, so this won´t work...

If the opps pass thorughout, I can bid
pass 2 NT
4 ♦ 4 ♠
6 ♦

4 Diamond is KC for Diamonds in this case.
Of course, if you switch H and C in pds hand, slam is no good, but I cannot bid it better under the given circumstances.

[jdonn]

I think a 5♦ opening is absurd. These are the hands that go for numbers when the opponents can't make diddly squat. The suit isn't even that great, let alone the defense against majors.

Whether south passes and north opens 2NT, or responder opens something like 4♦ (very realistic, although still extreme risk of going for number against nothing), someone will just have to guess if you aren't playing any crazy gadgets.

In my methods, and if we have south pass first, I would bid

2N 3♣
3♥ 4♦ (promises slam interest)
Then opener's rebids are 4♥ says he doesn't like diamonds, 4♠ shows a fit there, and 4NT+ are keycard answers saying he likes diamonds. I think with all those controls he will say he likes them so 5♣ 0/3, and then responder will surely guess to bid 6♦. I have no way to find 7 if north's king is spades instead of clubs.

[FrancesHinden]

hrothgar, on May 23 2006, 01:39 PM, said:

5♦ - 6N

Please note: The 6N bid could fail SPECTACULARLY. Given the preempts that I make, its entirely possible that partner doesn't have the King of Diamonds.

I like 6N because it right sides the contract. I would much rather have a Club or Spade lead into the North hand than through it. I suspect that this is worth more than the risk of getting cut off from the Diamonds. I could be wrong though...

I agree you'd like to right-side the final contract.

However, the risk is not just (or not mainly) getting cut off from the diamonds but of not having all the suits double-stopped. Give partner a singleton spade and the queen of clubs, or even the current hand (6NT on the spade finesse, 6D cold) and you get the idea...

[mikeh]

I doubt that I could bring myself to pass as south... and if I were to open, my only choice would be 3♦. While possession of the ♠ suit would make traditionalists shudder at my bid, this hand screams for initial action: there is only one partner to preempt and two opponents.

I would take comfort in being red: my 1st seat red preempts at imps are sound, altho this is about as sound as I would ever want to be.

Then the pressure is on North: I think that N should forget about 3N... because 5♦ ought to be safe, and maybe safer than 3N if I lack the ♦K or Q.

4♣ by North would be (modified) keycard, and S's 4♠ bid would show 1 keycard with the ♦Q. Now I think that North signs off in 5♦.

Had I been able to bring myself to pass, N opens 2N and South makes a mild slam try in ♦... and I suspect that North, with a minimum count and poor ♦ (in context, especially opposite a hand that could not open a weak 2♦ or 3♦) will make whatever bid discourages slam... see jdonn for a useful treatment.

It is not clear what North should expect by way of ♦ after S passed: did S pass and then make his slam try on long, weak ♦ with chunky cards outside, or on this kind of offshape hand. If the former, then N has to shut it down: S could have a ♦ suit of Qxxxxxx... if the latter, then maybe, just maybe, North can take a call...but I doubt it.

What should S bid over a negative move? I think he should bid 5♦, rather than accept 4N... after all, if N has Jx ♦, there is no assurance that the ♦'s can be accessed: North need not hold AKx of ♠.. now N can infer that S has a good, long ♦ suit and a weird hand... so just maybe N can raise.. but I doubt it.

[whereagles]

I think it's pretty obvious to open 3 or 4♦ on the South hand.

Even if you're from the "never preempt with a side 4-card major" brigade, you should realize the diamonds will be next to worthless in a spade contract, so you might as well dump all eggs into the diamond basket.

[mike777]

5d=6d

I cannot see opening only 3-4 d with a 7-4 hand guys.

[mikeh]

I cannot open 4♦ in my methods: my preferred method is 4♦ shows a solid unspecified major, worth about 8-9 tricks, my backup method is that it shows a solid or near solid ♠ suit, worth 8-9 tricks.

And wild horses could not persuade me to open 5♦ on this hand.

3N would be my 4-level minor preempt, and that is remotely possible: it wouldbe my choice if I had to bid and I were not vulnerable.

I actually think pass may be (by a slim margin) the best call for S, but I strongly suspect that I could not bring myself to utter that word with this hand.

[jdonn]

Move a spade into clubs

QTx xx KQTxxxx x

And wouldn't everyone open 3♦? Vul, even that is a bit risky (you know you wouldn't be happy if it went p p X p p p)

Moving the card back into spades is very unlikely to improve your offensive strength by TWO tricks, and really it would have to be more than that anyway since a double of a 5 minor opening is left in at least 85% of the time. Considering that with the expected strength around the table 11 11 11 the opponents won't even have game the majority of the time, you are just volunteering yourself for a big penalty with no justification at all. Even undoubled, down 2 or 3 when you might have gone plus is very bad when vul.

Heck even if I opened just 3♦ and it happened to go p p X p p p, I would expect to be going for 500 or 800, and on a bad day it could be worse. I maintain that 5♦ is completely absurd. 4♦ is extremely aggressive, but I can live with it due to the 4270 shape.

[jdonn]

mikeh, on May 23 2006, 12:37 PM, said:

I cannot open 4♦ in my methods: my preferred method is 4♦ shows a solid unspecified major, worth about 8-9 tricks, my backup method is that it shows a solid or near solid ♠ suit, worth 8-9 tricks.

And wild horses could not persuade me to open 5♦ on this hand.

3N would be my 4-level minor preempt, and that is remotely possible: it wouldbe my choice if I had to bid and I were not vulnerable.

I actually think pass may be (by a slim margin) the best call for S, but I strongly suspect that I could not bring myself to utter that word with this hand.

I disagree Mike. Much better to go for 1100 against a partscore or 1700 against a game than to get on the bad side of a bunch of enraged wild horses.

[mikeh]

jdonn, on May 23 2006, 12:40 PM, said:

I disagree Mike. Much better to go for 1100 against a partscore or 1700 against a game than to get on the bad side of a bunch of enraged wild horses.

Enraged???

I had hoped merely for nice, quiet wild horses... you, know... a few neigh-sayers

If they are enraged, then I think that I am saddled with the unbridled aggression of at least 5♦... it be-hooves me to go for 1100 or more... and maybe I will stampede the opps into error.... or am I only going to stirrup more trouble than I can rein in.

[foo]

mikeh, on May 23 2006, 12:47 PM, said:

jdonn, on May 23 2006, 12:40 PM, said:

I disagree Mike. Much better to go for 1100 against a partscore or 1700 against a game than to get on the bad side of a bunch of enraged wild horses.

Enraged???

I had hoped merely for nice, quiet wild horses... you, know... a few neigh-sayers

If they are enraged, then I think that I am saddled with the unbridled aggression of at least 5♦... it be-hooves me to go for 1100 or more... and maybe I will stampede the opps into error.... or am I only going to stirrup more trouble than I can rein in.

lol... Ouch, Blech, Groan, Ick, etc...


Folks, meet Attila The Pun.


...Oh, and S should pass that pile of disaster-waiting-to-happen unless GOP is a passed hand...

pa-2N;3C-3H;4D
{6+D w/ Slam Interest. Also Minorwood 1430 here in my partnerships}

-4S;6D or 6N