[pclayton]

The long road to St. Louis began last night with NAOP qualifying.


A. Brian opens 1♠ as dealer and RHO comes in with 4♣. You look at:

Scoring: MP

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What is your strategy? 5♣ is some sort of spade raise. Would your pard automatically cue a red suit control here? Even if your cues show Aces or Kings, do you think 5 red should be the ace?

B. White on red

LHO opens 1♠, Brian overcalls 2♥ and RHO bids 3♦. Your hand:

Scoring: MP

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C. White / White

Pard opens 1♣ in 3rd and RHO (the client) overcalls with 1N. You pass and LHO (the pro) bids 2♦ (transfer). pard competes with 2♠ and RHO tries 3♥.

Pass, double or 4♣?

Scoring: MP

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D. White / White

You open 1♠ in 3rd and Brian bids a SF 1N (denies a fit, but can be up to a bad 12). A 2♦ rebid by you does promise 4.

Scoring: MP

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[awm]

A. I don't see any other options besides 5♣. I think cuebidding an ace is mandatory here. Cuebidding a king may not be, but with both red kings I think partner should normally cue.

B. 4♥. This is not the right sort of hand to try to show the clubs. The tough decision will be what to do after 4♠ or 5♦ comes back to me, but perhaps this will not happen or perhaps partner will double in front of me and save me the choice.

C. Double. Always double the client. With so many heart cards I don't think 4♣ is a particularly good idea.

D. 2♦. This hand seems likely to play better in 2♠ than 1NT opposite many flattish 6-10 point hands from partner. And the values are sufficient that if partner rebids 2NT it should be okay. If partner has a weak doubleton in a round suit passing 1NT could be disaster (and we could be cold for a large number of diamonds).

[mike777]

1) 5C seems clear, may miss the grand.
2) 4H. As usual giving up on slam after the opp open at the one level.
3) I bid 2c over 1nt.
4) 2D seems clear, I can understand passing 1nt if you move some of my s hcp into clubs.

[HeartA]

1) 7S (I feel like gambling today)
2) 3S
3) 4C
4) pass.

[mikeh]

1. 5♣... an immediate 6♣ has its attractions, but it is not clear that we'd be sure we were on the same wavelength. The main worry is that our ♠ are so good that partner may be reluctant to commit to the grand... if he bids 5♦, I bid 5♥ and then 6♣ over his 5♠ signoff... will force him to own to the ♥ king if he lacks the ♦ King... and if he bids 6♦ over 6♣, now 6♥, with a good partner, should fetch 7♠ if he has Qxxxx Kx AKxx xx as an example... I am trying for grand with nothing in ♦ and missing the ♥K, I must have good trump.


2. It's a tossup here, but I am not bidding any number of ♥. My choices are some number of ♣, intending to bid ♥ next, or a bid of some number of ♠ to get the ♠ switch if partner wins the 1st ♥ on lead against some number of ♦. The fact that I am on opening lead dissuades me from bidding ♠... that, plus the chance that rho is going back to ♠ later and I don't want to expose partner's Qxx or Jxxx. So I bid 5♣, intending, if possible, to bid 5♥ later, involving partner in further decisions. Heck, this could easily be a slam hand... give partner xxx AKxxxx x Kxx and everyone has their bid.

3. Maybe I don't play enough bridge against bad players, and maybe I play too many imps, but I am not doubling.... AQ9 opposite partner's stiff and LHO's red two suiter is NOT enough even against a weak player. I am going to bid 4♣, and I will double 4♥, altho I am not sure I'm beating it... I'm leading a ♠.

4. Pass... could be wrong, but playing this in a 4-3 ♦ fit is no path to a good score, nor is a 5-2 ♠ fit going to work well. My main worry is that they may knock out the ♥A, but maybe they can't or won't.

[bid_em_up]

pclayton, on Aug 2 2006, 12:52 PM, said:

The long road to St. Louis began last night with NAOP qualifying.


A. Brian opens 1♠ as dealer and RHO comes in with 4♣. You look at:

Scoring: MP

♠	Txx
♥	AQ9
♦	T9x
♣	JTxx

 

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D. White / White

You open 1♠ in 3rd and Brian bids a SF 1N (denies a fit, but can be up to a bad 12). A 2♦ rebid by you does promise 4.

Dealer: North Vul: None Scoring: MP

♠ KQJTx ♥ Ax ♦ Q7xx ♣ Jx

#1. Why wouldnt he cue a red suit control? You did create a force at the 5 level after all. In all praticalilty, I intend to bid at least 6S unless he denies a diamond control by bidding either 5H or 5S.

#2. 5H. Thats about as high as I am willing to go.

#3. This one is tough. Why isn't 3♠ listed as an option? Partner certainly sounds as if he is at least 4-6 and I would usually him to be 5-6. I would venture 3S if it is at all plausible in your system that he is 5-6. If it is not, 4C.

#4. If a 2♦ bid here promises 4♦, whats the problem? Thats exactly what I have, describe the hand. And I think 2♠ will play just fine opposite a doubleton....

[awm]

My concern about showing the clubs on hand B is the following pair of hands:

xxx
AKxxxx
AQx
x

xxx
AKxxxx
Ax
Qx

On the first hand 6♥ is virtually cold and 7♥ has some play. However, partner will tend to down-evaluate this hand on hearing about my clubs. After all, he has a singleton opposite my "suit" and a wasted diamond queen.

On the second hand, 6♥ has virtually no play on a (not unlikely) diamond lead. However, partner will be excited on hearing about my clubs as his club queen is promoted and he has "all working cards."

Generally I don't like "fit-showing" bids on ace-empty.

[mikeh]

awm, on Aug 2 2006, 03:33 PM, said:

My concern about showing the clubs on hand B is the following pair of hands:

xxx
AKxxxx
AQx
x

xxx
AKxxxx
Ax
Qx

On the first hand 6♥ is virtually cold and 7♥ has some play. However, partner will tend to down-evaluate this hand on hearing about my clubs. After all, he has a singleton opposite my "suit" and a wasted diamond queen.

On the second hand, 6♥ has virtually no play on a (not unlikely) diamond lead. However, partner will be excited on hearing about my clubs as his club queen is promoted and he has "all working cards."

Generally I don't like "fit-showing" bids on ace-empty.

Your first hand is unlikely... you are giving the opps only 22 hcp for an auction that essentially forces to game, and of that 7 of their hcp are in their short suits, while the 3♦ bidder, who will be light on values on this setup has a poor (altho maybe long) suit.

More importantly, no number of ♥ by you, below 6, is getting you to slam... is partner going to really upgrade that ♦ holding???? Or that ♠ holding?? So I wouldn't worry about missing slam on the first hand.

On the second, you have been clever (not in a devious sense... astute might be a better word) with your ♣ holding, but even here you need a ♦ lead to give you a problem and the odds surely favour a ♠ lead? And, of course, you retain the somewhat optimistic assessment of partner's hcp. My example was based on a 10 count opposite, leaving the opps with holdings somewhat more likely in term of their bidding.

Finally, I was NOT intending 5♣ as fit-showing.. I want to show a long suit and then I will depend on the opps to allow me to show the ♥ suit...at the 5-level if possible but if it goes 5♦ on my left and 5♠ on my right, I am probably bidding 6♥.

[neilkaz]

A) 5C seems routine to me, noting that I love my hand and that PD should Q any 1st or second round control in D next if he has one !

B.. 4H and then if opps bid 4S I'll bid 5C and hope PD can figure it out.

C) I'll double the client and hope to set them 2 trick. I would have bid 2C over 1NT here. I don't think 4C has all that great play and 4C may lead to 5C I fear.
If they go -2X, we should be near a top.

D) 2D for me, I am 54 and these spades can certainly stand a correction back to a 52 fit.

So how did you and Brian do in this event ?

.. neilkaz ..

[adhoc3]

A: 6♣ heading to grand clearly. 6♣--6♦---6♥---7♠ possible.

B: 4♥. But guess the problem isn't over. After opps bid 4♠, if pard not double, I'll bid 5H and hoping it will make. I think it's not necessary to show clubs. Pard know it.

C: 4♣. Double on their 4♥. Pard have shown 64 or 65 hand. He's competing with shape, not hcps. Double on 3♥ could be tough for him.

[pclayton]

Here's what happened. You make not agree with my barbarian ways.

1) I bid a subtle 7♠. I'm really concerned about a diamond lead and any club cues increase this danger. I'm not criticizing 5♣, but I was not at all confident that I would ever find out what I needed to know on this hand.

2) I tried 5♥. Are you really ever selling out to 4♠ on this hand? They misjudged and bid 5♠. Brian was sitting on a 5 card stack and we slaughtered it.

3) Yeah I doubled too. Brian was just making noise with 2♠ on AQxx, Jx, xx, KQxxx. What a silly bid and I don't blame myself for the -530.

4) Here's the most eduactional hand for me. I passed thinking I had a great hand for NT; with my nice spade suit and certain entry.

I gave the hand to Larsen and Itabashi afterward. They both thought that 2♦ was pretty clear, since 5-4's want to play in a suit and a 5-2 spade fit was a very likely landing spot.

Pard actually had: xx, QTxx, KJxx, Qxx. They defended well by leading and cashing clubs after the A♠ was dislodged and leading a heart before the A♦ got knocked out. Many tables were +110 in diamonds or spades.

I think if you pass 1N, you are hoping for a hand like: x, Kxxx, xxx, Axxxx. Possible, but anti-% I think.