[jillybean]

Hi,

We are just back from Anacortes and the S-S-Sectional, our first time at a (live) tournament – what a blast!

We played 3 x24board sessions in the 0-199’s. The first session was a complete shambles, I reneged not once, not twice but three times, we made verbal bids instead of using the bid boxes and generally made a complete mess of it. In the second session we came 1st in our section and 2nd overall, in the third session we came 1st in our section and 3rd overall.

Plenty of interesting hands of course – here’s one where I thought the wheels had completely fallen off but we ended up in the right contract, we do need to review how we got there.

How would you bid this playing basic SAYC with RKC - you don’t play 4sf or nmf, your opps pass.

Scoring: MP

---

[Blofeld]

How about:
1♦ : 2♣
3♠ : 4♦
4♥ : 4♠
4NT : 5♠
7♣
?

[jillybean]

sorry thats even more confusing than the auction we did have

[luke warm]

i think mine would be

1d : 1h
3c : 4c
4d : 4s
4nt : 5s
7c

[han]

Hey Kathryn, I'm so glad to hear that you both enjoyed the tournament. And such good results on your first time, congrats!

I think Blofeld's auction is ok. 1D-2C is of course a normal start. His 3S is a splinter showing 4-card club support and a singleton or void in spades. Most people (who have discussed this kind of auction) would play 3S as a splinter. There is no need to jump with spades, as 2S would be forcing and natural.

However, most people are not very excited about splintering on a void, and this hand has another flaw: it is so strong that you will never accept a sign-off by partner. Perhaps a better start is 1D-2C-4C. Partner will cuebid 4S, and then you can bid blackwood and get to 7C. (of course, the diamond queen is a very useful card that you would never find using blackwood).

[pbleighton]

1D-1H-3C-4NT-5D(3)-6C.

Sorry, but that is what would have happened at my table, with "basic SAYC" prescribed.

To tell you the truth, missing 30 point grand slams with 9 card fits doesn't bother me.

Peter

[FrancesHinden]

Not unreasonable:

1D - 2C
5NT (GSF) - 7C

[pclayton]

I like (without any bells and whistles, i.e., standard neanderthal):

1♦ - 2♣
4♣ - 4♠
5♦ - 6♣
7♣

[Double !]

I suspect that you got a good board just for bidding 7C. If so, Well Done!

Anyone for getting to 7NT on this hand? Only needs 3-2 diamond break.


DHL

[jillybean]

---

Here is the full hand, makeable contracts were 5NT, 5♥, 6♦, 7♣
We did get to 7♣ more due to luck and sheer force than good bidding. (it was still sweet

We were lucky and should not have bid 7♣ by our methods, I was interested in how others would have bid it using minimum agreements.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

... you should look at 4sf, it is basic stuff.

One possible way, would be

1D - 2C (1)
4C (2) - 4S (3)
4NT (4)- 5S (5)
6C (6)

(1) you are strong enough to bid 2H over 2D,
so show were you live
(2) natural and forcing, you know you have play
for 6C, but you are looking for 7C
(3) Cue, 1st or 2n round control, not necessarily
add. values
(4) After the cue, one could give up, i.e. bid 6C direct,
since partner holds wasted spade values
and if partner is really strong he maybid 7C over 6C
(5) 2 Key cards + the Queen
(6) Bid 6C, if you want to play it safe, bid 7C if you hate
missing a grand, I dont know, how you can find out
that there is no diamond looser, maybe via 5NT, but
then you will play 7C also in the case, that partner
holds xxx in diamonds and the King of spades.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: I am pretty certain that in the 0-199 6C will already score about average.

[keylime]

Since you're in the i/n division, any making slam is bound to be average plus.

However, we want to be in grand on these cards:

♠
♥ AK5
♦ AK6532
♣ KJ73

♠ A6
♥ 7432
♦ Q8
♣ AQ1094

1D - 2C
3S* (splinter) - 3NT* (spade control, forward going)
4D - 5C (hearts are not good)
5H - 5S
5NT (pick a slam) - 7C

Once you hear pard show the big hand with spade shortness, you're not stopping below 4NT. Pard is not going to pass 3NT because you failed to bid spades at turn 1 and with that great diamond suit he/she is bidding on.

[inquiry]

Simple...

1D-2C
4S-4N/5C
5D-5NT
7C

Explain...

4S = exclusion RKCB (3S being splinter)
4N/5C = one key card outside of spades
5D = queen ask
5N = queen plus a useful card on this auction (and not heart k or I bid 5H), must be diamond queen (partner woudl never think heart queen useful).
7C enough...

[kgr]

1D-2C
3D-3H
4C-4D
4NT-5S
7C
3D: GF and 6cD
3H: 5+C; 4H and 12+
4C: 6cD, 4cC
4D: Control (A, K or Q) D
5S: 2 Aces and CQ

[bid_em_up]

FrancesHinden, on Jul 9 2006, 01:36 PM, said:

Not unreasonable:

1D - 2C
5NT (GSF) - 7C

Of all the listed sequences, for what is supposed to be a Beginner/Intermediate forum, this one is the most reasonable, logical and achievable. West should be able to see all the side losers being covered, the only real key is how many of the top three club honors does partner hold?

(What is all this talk about "Exclusion Keycard", and how many beginner/intermediates do you know that play it?! Or 3N showing spade control and forward going after a splinter?!! Come on!! )

I agree with Dwayne (keylime) that in a 199'r game any slam making is liable to be a good result, but the above auction should get you to the right slam 99% of the time. Even for the fancy folks, sometimes simpler is better.

[P_Marlowe]

bid_em_up, on Jul 10 2006, 04:09 PM, said:

FrancesHinden, on Jul 9 2006, 01:36 PM, said:

Not unreasonable:

1D - 2C
5NT (GSF) - 7C

Of all the listed sequences, for what is supposed to be a Beginner/Intermediate forum, this one is the most reasonable, logical and achievable. West should be able to see all the side losers being covered, the only real key is how many of the top three club honors does partner hold?

(What is all this talk about "Exclusion Keycard", and how many beginner/intermediates do you know that play it?! Or 3N showing spade control and forward going after a splinter?!! Come on!! )

I agree with Dwayne (keylime) that in a 199'r game any slam making is liable to be a good result, but the above auction should get you to the right slam 99% of the time. Even for the fancy folks, sometimes simpler is better.

Hi,

I am not sure, that GSF is a convention
that a 0-199 should need to know.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mikeh]

I am a fan of Frances' suggestion, and GSF is a bid that I suspect a lot of B/I players know, even if they have rarely seen it. Jillyb, let us know if that is true

It makes great sense: at worst we will be on a 2-2♦ fit if partner has the dreaded xxx, and even then, she may hold something like Axx Qx xxx AQxxxx

If GSF is too out there, then splinters and cue bids with special meanings will be way, way out there: I would not have taken the auction 1♦ 2♣ 3♠ 3N as anything other than natural!!! KQ10x xx Qx AQxxx... I'd be bidding 3N at the speed of light and it wouldn't occur to me to do otherwise.

So for the non-gsf's amongst us, I go with or close to Hannie's sequence

1♦ 2♣
4♣ 4♠
4N etc

BTW, I know that many beginners persist in responding to 1♦ with a 4 card major even with gf hands and longer ♣, but that is such a horrible error that we should never seem to endorse the approach in any post where we are asked for a basic bidding system: by having an experienced player say that he or she would use it, it endorses a fundamentally flawed auction.

[jillybean]

I am loath to disagree with Mike - I don’t use GSF or even know what it stands for. Im guessing it asks partner to bid 7 with something extra. I doubt many B/I’s would know/use this either.
I am familiar with splinters and cue bids but not in this partnership.

I would not be at all surprised to see people (non experts of course!) bidding a 4 card major here. I can clearly remember the night school bridge teacher telling us “always bid your 4 card major – you don’t want to play in minor games” I stuck by these 'rules' for a long time, terrified my partner would pass anything else.

[neilkaz]

You're playing basic SAYC, so I guess that excludes splinter, but you can take over control of the hand anyhow.

1D-2C and now your only question really is 6C or even 7C, so go directly into 4NT RKC and you here 5S (2 keys+Q of C).

Now it is just a guess as to whether 6C or 7C. But first, I bid 5NT to ask for kings and if PD shows me one, (has to be K of S, I'll take a chance on 6NT since, I cannot imagine that we cannot take 12 tricks after losing a D (assuming we must lose 1).

I prefer this route, trying for 6NT since PD will respond 6C with no kings and I'll pass.

Also, after 5NT (guaranteeing all keys, and flashing the grand signal, PD is free to bid 7C) This isn't likely with her hand, but perhaps PD has more stuff.

So my bidding goes with BASIC SAYC, goes, 1D-2C-4NT-5S(RKC)-5NT-6C-P. I missed a grand, unless PD takes a shot that I have the K of D.

[helene_t]

1♦-2♣
4NT-....
7♣