[keylime]

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

1H only promises four!

[EricK]

Which hand is dealer on hand 1?

What is your NT strength on hand 2? i.e. can opener have a balanced minimum opening with only 4♥?

[paulg]

keylime, on Aug 6 2006, 04:34 AM, said:

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

1H only promises four!

1NT (14-16) 2♣
2♦ 2♠ (relay)
3♣ (5 clubs) 3♦ (relay)
3♥ (2=3=3=5) 4♦ (rkcb for clubs)
5♣ (2+Q) 7♣

Looks like you should be able to establish hearts (by discarding one on the spade) even when the ♥Q is not held. Too difficult to find the ♣J.

Quote

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

Double seems fairly normal, so is probably wrong.

[badderzboy]

keylime, on Aug 6 2006, 04:34 AM, said:

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

1H only promises four!

Hand 1 1♥-2♣-2♠rev -3♦4sf
4♣4513 or better no D stop -4NT-5♦(3/0)-5NT-6♥(2)-7NT its pairs


Hand 2 dbl too wtp?

Steve

[hrothgar]

Hand 1: (South dealer)

Step 1 = show shape

1♣ - 1♦ (1♣ = strong, 1♦ = GF)
1♥ - 1N (1♥ = relay, 1N = balanced or 4441)
2♣ - 2N (2♣ = relay, 2N = 5332 or 4333 with clubs)
3♣ - 3♦ (3♣ = relay, 3♦ - 2335 shape)

Step 2 = ask for control

3♠ - 4♥ (3♠ = RKCB for Clubs, 4♥ = 2+ Club Queen)

Step 3 = placing controls

4♠ - 5♣ (4♠ = CAB in Hearts, 5♣ = Qxx or AKx)
7N

Hand 1: (North Dealer)

Step 1 = show shape
1♣ - 1♦ (1♣ = strong, 1♦ = GF)
1N - 2♣ (1N = minimum 1♣ opening, balanced or 4441, 2♣ = relay)

rest of the auction proceeds same as before

[Winstonm]

Hand 1:

1H-2C
2S-3H
4C-4D
4N-5S
5N-7C
P


Hand 2:

1H-3C-X

[neilkaz]

Hand 1, regardless of whom is the opener, it shouldn't be hard in natural systems to get to 7C.

Hand 2..OK..I'll bite and make a negX.

[hrothgar]

Hand 2:

Negative double seems clear.

The opps bid 3♣. There's plenty of room to show your club stopper

[inquiry]

Scoring: hand 1 don't know


1♥ - 2♣
3♣ - 3♥
3♠ - 4NT
5♣ - 5NT
7NT - Pass

---

Vanilla 2/1 GF

2♣ = game force with 5+ clubs
3♣ = club support, tends to be extra values
3♥ = two suit trump agreement
3♠ = cue bid
4NT = two suit RKCB
5♣ = 0 or 3 key cards (Kantar RKCB response, opener shows 0-3, 1-4 when asked)
5♠ = asking bid in spades
6♠ = KQ of spades
7NT (MP) = 5H + 3S + 5C + 1D.... at imps, 7C would be "safer" as you may survive a 4-1 heart split.

Scoring: hand 1 don't know


1♥ - 2♣
3♣ - 3♥
3♠ - 4NT
5♣ - 5NT
7NT - Pass

---

Vanilla 2/1 but using ETM victory methods over 1NT (new methods, see www.bridgematters.com for details).

2D = transfer to hearts, lots of possible hands
2NT = Both majors (4-4, 5-4, 4-5) with a singleton or void
3C = tell me short suit/hand type
4C = 4S, 5H, short D, club cue-bid
4D = cue-bid (here has to be ACE as reponder known to have shortness
4NT = six card keycard (two suiter opposite balanced)
5S = two, plus lower queen (heart queen)
6C = asking bid in clubs, grand slam try
6D = Queen clubs (could just bid 7NT over club asking bid)
7C = pick slam
7NT = (at imps, would pass 7C)

For Hand Two, just use negative double, this is the type of han it was invented for.

[akhare]

keylime, on Aug 5 2006, 10:34 PM, said:

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

1H only promises four!

Playing our FP system:

#1:

P - 1♣ ;14+ any - Artificial 11+ GF
1♠ - 1N ; min bal. hand - Relay
2♥ - 2♠ ; 4+ ♣ - Relay
3♣ - 3♦ ; 2-3-3-5 exactly - Relay
3♥ - 3♠ ; 4 controls - DCB start
4♣ - 4♦ ; ♣ control, either AK of ♥ or nothing - DCB
4♠ - 4N ; ♦ control; either AK of ♠ or nothing - DCB for Qs
5♠ - 7♣/7N ;Q of ♣, ♥, ♦, no Q♠

#2:

There must be something special about the hand, but X (negative) seems normal.

[keylime]

Hand 1 as it was bid:

1C (strong, artificial) - 1S (hearts or 11+ bal)
1NT (asking) - 2C (hearts)
2H (Beta control ask) - 3S (seven)
4C (CAB in clubs) - 4H (second round control)
5C (Repeat CAB in clubs) - 5H (KC)
5NT (Grand slam force) - 7H

Hand 2:

It was MPs, red on white, and playing a 4 card canape method I didn't know if a negative double was the "best" call. I also thought that likely 2 of my kings were potentially dead to LHO. Maybe a pass is a sheepish call from me admittedly.

Note: I really did enjoy opening 1H on 9875 of hearts.

[inquiry]

I am far from impressed with your precision (strong club) aucton. Let me see if I can express why.....

1) 15 hcp, if precision, would be a slight bid light... but perhaps you allow as few as 15

2) I don't like a minimum hand using asking bids. Whatever your strong range is, this 15 hcp hand has to be a minimum. So I don't like the beta control asking, etc. Having said that, I either don't like 3H being Beta asking bid -- unless it agrees 100% hearts will be trumps. You didn;t mention. Also, I don;t like that you never found out (could you) that partner has only 5 hearts? Could he have 6? 7? more?

3) over 5H, if responder had S-AKQJ H-Axxxx D-K C-Kx (same seven controls) you may play 6H with 5C, 3D, 1H and 4S off the top. I am assuming here 5NT was GF after agreeing hearts

4) I don;t like 7H as the accept of GSF. I prefer 7C so partner can place the contract at the seven level. Take this hand for example, 7C is safer than 7H and if responder wanted 7H he can correct it.

5) After 7H, you know your partner has SA, HAK to five or more, club king, and either spade king or diamond King. Either way, you have 13 apparent tricks in notrump. And if hearts split poorly, in 7NT, you have a chance for a heart spade squeeze or diamond hook, of diamond-heart squeeze or doouble squeez, etc, but 7H is toasted....

Having found a lot to be critical of, getting to grand slam is very good. I think you get to grand just fine without asking bids after north opens a focring 1C and south has a monster lilke he held. It is surprising to see the "weak hand" asking all the questions. In the long run, the approach you took here will cause problems (weak oopnenr taking control wihen soo much information is needed to get anywhere).

[keylime]

Ben,

Pard and I had a lengthy discussion about the 1C opening. If memory serves, his exact hand held the jack of spades additionally, and we were white 1st chair.

I personally was surprised to have had the better hand.

The methodology is admittedly one-way unlike KLP where if I had opened the North's 1C hand would have had South captain the auction. It is a very different beast.

[luke warm]

keylime, on Aug 5 2006, 10:34 PM, said:

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

1H only promises four!

hand 1:

1c : 1h (9+ with 4+ ♥)
1s : 1nt (♥ & ♠)
2c : 2h (4♠, 5+♥)
2s : 2nt (high shortage)
3c : 3d (4513)
3h : 4s (7 controls)
4nt : 5s (top ♥, ♠, ♣, no top ♦)
7h - responder is known to have AK 4th spaddes, AK 5th hearts, K 3rd clubs).. 7nt is more than possible, but i'm not sure it makes if one of my two 8 card suits breaks 4/1 (or 5/0)

hand 2:

x

[FrancesHinden]

If South were dealer on the first hand, I'm fairly certain I would end in 7NT at IMPs or matchpoints. I'm happy with the matchpoints spot, but 7NT by the DAQ is worse than 7C although better than 7H (it's not that 7C "may survive" a 4-1 heart break, 7C has its 13th trick via a diamond ruff in the dummy).

I play two different systems with regular partners, but tha auction would be much the same. Unusually for me, it would also include RKCB but only because we're looking for a grand, not a small slam...

1H 2C
2S 3H
4C 4D
4S 4NT
5C/5D 5NT
...

1H = natural, 5+
2C = system 1: natural, 9+, F2H. System 2: nat FG
2S = system 1: 16+ FG, system 2: nat 45 no extras
{system 1 it is responder who has the extras; system 2 it is opener}
3H = nat 3-card support
4C = cue (even as a first-round cuebidder, the K in partner's suit counts)
4D = cue
4S = cue (both openers have extras, just one has more than the other)
4NT = RKCB
5C = system 1: 0/3 5D: system 2: 0/3
5NT = interested in a grand, what do you have in the way of kings
only now do they diverge:
system 1: hasn't got a huge amount to spare, shows 1 king and responder can count 13 tricks and bids 7NT
system 2: 7NT (masses of spare values)

[Apollo81]

keylime, on Aug 5 2006, 11:34 PM, said:

From the Silver Spring Sectional, any method permitted:

Hand 1.

xx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Hand 2, comp bidding.

1H (3C) ?

KQxx
xx
Kxxx
Kxx

1H only promises four!

#1)
N deals: 1NT-2c*-2d-3s*-4h-4s*-5h-7NT
*Stayman, Smolen, Kickback

S deals: 1h-2c-2s-3h-4s*-5h-7NT
*Kickback

No fancy methods needed.
-Noble

#2)
Insta-double, no matter what it means.

[sfbp]

keylime, on Aug 5 2006, 08:34 PM, said:

Jx
Q9x
AQX
AQJxx

AKQx
AKxxx
x
Kxx

Purple Precision (std + greek asking bids)
1♣ 1♥
1NT 3♣ (beta, 6th step =7 controls)
3♥ 4♣ (gamma, 3rd step, = HHxxx exactly, H = A/K/Q). ♥ is now agreed.

Now we know we are missing only 1 KING, we cannot be missing an ace since we have 4 (2 aces) + 7 (pard's response) = 11 controls.

We are now certain of small slam, can we bid grand? If he has KD, no.

4♦ 4NT (epsilon, 3rd step, second round control, singleton or King)
5♦ 5♥ (repeat epsilon, control is by shortness not K)

Now we know he has the K♣, and the AK of ♠ (or he wouldnt have 7 controls) in addition to the AK of ♥.

So the only thing now is a 4-1 trump split. He might convert 7H knowing that we have 35+ points as it seems impossible my bidding 7 is based on a void. Diamonds, i would have never have asked in diams. Spades it matters not.... clubs now I cannot have 16 points if missing all the club honours, there's nothing left.

(ie the most he can have with a club void is
Jxxx
QJ10xx
AKQx
-
which adds to 13 HCP)

So....
7♥

I admit it, i'm never getting to 7C but do I really want to?

[kenrexford]

I am a bit confused by the natural auctions starting with 1♥ from South.

The first four bids are obvious: 1♥-2♣-2♠-3♥.

Now, the uniform move is 4♣-4♦. This part confuses me. I would expect that a failure by Opener to cuebid 3♠ (a strange move with A-K-Q) should get North to sign off after the 4♣ cue, expecting two spade losers.

My auction after 3♥:

Opener: 3♠ (two of top three honors)
Responder: 3NT (Serious)
Opener: 4♣ (A/K/Q of clubs)

At this point, two possibilities exist, depending upon a tactical choice.

Option #1:

Responder: 4NT (1430 RKCB)
Opener: 5♦ (3, no Queen)
Responder: 5NT (we have all the keys, anything else?)
Opener: 6♠ (Yes, the spade Ace)
Responder: 7♣ (Is this better?)
Opener: Pass

Option #2:

Responder: 4♦ (tactical "LTTC"
Opener: 4♠ (A-K-Q of spades)
Responder: 4NT (1430)
Opener: 5♦
Responder: 6♣ (choice)

At MP, Responder bids 7NT at the point where he bids 7♣ at IMPs.