[clayniac]

A good player was a partner of mine at the club today, we were east/west and had some big hands, 4 biddable slams, but one should not be bid, and we didn't bid it. We bid two of the three others, but want to know how to bid the missed one and how to get to a grand on one other. Playing 2/1 and 30-14 with this partner, but no other fancy conventions like kickback, exclusion, minorwood. However, you can use whichever bidding tools you like in your responses,
Believe it or not this was an average board for 4 spades making seven. You pick up: ♠ AKTXXX, ♥ void, ♦ KX, ♣ AJ9XX
Partner opens 1 ♥ bidding goes (silent opponents): 1 ♥-1 ♠-1 NT- how to procede? (scroll down for opener's hand please)

opener: ♠ QJ, ♥ KXXXX, ♦ ATXX, ♣ KQ

Missed grand-we got to 6 nt for a good board, but belongs in a grand:
You pick up: ♠ KT9X, ♥ AKX,♦ KQJX, ♣ TX
Partner opens 1 ♦ and bidding procedes (silent opposition) 1 ♦-1 ♠-3 ♣!! how do you get to a grand? at matchpoints do you want to be in 6 nt, 7 ♦ or 7 nt? (scroll down for opener's hand please)


♠ AQ, ♥ 9X, ♦ A9743, ♣ AKQX

Thanks all, Patsy

[inquiry]

Board two
1D = 1S
3C = 4D
4H = 5C
6C = 6H
7D = 7N

4D = rkcb for ♦
4H = 3
5C = asking bid
6C = KQ of clubs
6H = asking bid
7D = no diamond queen

Did partner jump to 3C with SA, H nothing, DA CAKQ? of course not.. he must have club jack or spade queen, so bid 7NT.

[kenrexford]

The second seems easy -- RKCB for diamonds, however you get to that point and preferably with a 4♥ call, works.

the first is difficult, but a matter of planning and partnership trust. After 1NT, I'd bid 3♣, GF with 5-5 pattern. If partner cannot agree spades here (he cannot) and bids 3NT, I'll continue with a 4♦ call.

This must show, IMO, 6-5 pattern and be a cuebid in support of my own suit, spades. I also must lack two top honors in clubs and be slammish. (With 6-5 and fewer values, I could bid 4♠ now or some other option earlier.) Opener and partner holds three covers in my suit, the added value of the spade Jack, and a side Ace. Knowing that I am missing all of this and am slammish, he should move.

I'm not sure about the grand here (locating it), because it is late.

[Robert]

Hi everyone

Board 2

1D-1S-3S-4H*=RKC(playing 'Kickback' and 4130 in my methods)
4NT*=Three
5H*=shows all Keycards present 'plus' trump Queen, trying for seven
7C*=Meckwell style bid, offers choice of NT or 7D. Spade Queen plus AKQ of clubs must be 'golden' cards.
7NT

Board 1.

1H-1S-1NT-2D*=XYZ convention, game forcing
2H*=waiting bid
3C=nat. suit
3S=two card 'delayed' support
4C*=cuebid
4D*=cuebid
maybe a relay method gets to seven, I would 'stop' in six spades.

How did you end in 6NT? It does not 'look' right. You know that you are missing a 'cashing' Ace. If you know about the eleven 'solid tricks in the black suits, why not play seven spades? If you do not 'know' about the eleven 'solid tricks' in the black suits, 6NT appears to be quite a gamble.

Inquiry

Isn't a 7D reply to 'deny' the diamond Queen a tad bit high since diamonds will either become trump or will be 'needed' to run the diamond suit for 7NT.

Regards,
Robert

[inquiry]

The first one I would open 1NT, not 1♥. Having opened 1♥, the bidding might go..

1♥ - 1♠
1NT - 3♣.........note 1NT is an underbid, which is why 1NT opening is best
3♠ - 5♥......3♠ Hx or xxx support for ♠, 5♥ exclusion keycard
6♣ - 6♦
7♠

After one partner has shown a two suiter and the other a balanced hand (which 1NT and 3♣ showed), RKC is six keycard, so here exclusion 5♥ is five keycard. 6♣ shows two keycards (♠A+♣K) plus the spade queen (the higher of the two suits), 6♦ ask for the other queen, and a positive response is to not signoff in 6♠

This is a little double dummy bidding for iwth 9 red cards, the 3♠ is less than likely.. but try, 1NT-2H-2S-3C-3NT-5H and the remaining auction is the same as above.
Also note, 3♣ is always huge two suited for me, otherwise xzy with 2♦ GF. 3♣ never includes heart support which allows exclusion if you want to try it.

[kenberg]

The first one seems by far the tougher. I suppose you ended in 6N because you were unable to show the heart void. If partner is convinced you are heartless he may well decide that 7S makes whenever 6N does and bid it. The following sounds more or less possible to me:

1H 1S
1N 2C (nmf, better clubs than diamonds)
2D 3S (six cards, forcing)
4S 5C more stuff, club control)
5D 5H (hopefully it's clear this is a void rather than an ace but...)
6C 7S

Since one hand can't bid 7S w/o knowing of the heart void and the other is worried about solid clubs, I think it's tough to get there. This hand goes to the optimists, I doubt many pairs can get to a 7S contract that they would bet their life on before the dummy comes down.

[Codo]

Hand 1:
My bidding had proceed:

1 ♥ 1 ♠
2 ♦ 3 ♣
3 NT 4 ♣
4 NT 6 ♣

Well not the top spot, but my "reality", I would never find out about QJ of spades, but 3 NT sounds like Kxx in Club, so I would ask for KCs in Club and be happy, that he shows two with the queen. So 6 Club has a fair chance.

Hand 2:


1 ♦ 1 ♠
2 ♣ 4 ♦ 1.2.
4 ♠ 5 ♥ 3.4.
5 ♠ 5 NT 5.6.
6 ♣ 7.

1. I strongly disagree with 3 Club in 2/1, this is gameforcing and these 17 HCPS are not strong enough for a gf opposite a 6 HCP responder. If my pd would bid 3 Club, there is no way to stop before you reach 7 NT anyway.

2. RCKB for diamonds. I would strongly recommend to add 4 ♣/4♦ as Keycardc for this suit, just because it is too high to bid 4 NT for that purpose.

3. I play 41/30, so pd has 3 or no ace. As he cannot have zero (he needed to have QJ, QJ, xxxxx, KQJx to have something near an opening and I doubt that this is an 2/1 opener), I would ask for kings to look for the grand.

4. 4 NT and 5 ♦ had been to play, 5 ♣ asking for the queen of D, so I have to bid 5 HEart to ask for kings.

5. K of Spade. 6. 5 NT? anything else?
7. K of Clubs.
So at this point you know, that PD has Ax,xx,Axxxx,AKxx. He may have 3-1 in the majors, but this is no problem, you always have 4 tricks in the majors, 5 Diamonds, two clubs and two club ruffs. 7 Diamond is safe.

[Codo]

inquiry, on Nov 26 2006, 11:25 PM, said:

The first one I would open 1NT, not 1♥. Having opened 1♥, the bidding might go..

1♥ - 1♠
1NT - 3♣.........note 1NT is an underbid, which is why 1NT opening is best
3♠ - 5♥......3♠ Hx or xxx support for ♠, 5♥ exclusion keycard
6♣ - 6♦
7♠

After one partner has shown a two suiter and the other a balanced hand (which 1NT and 3♣ showed), RKC is six keycard, so here exclusion 5♥ is five keycard. 6♣ shows two keycards (♠A+♣K) plus the spade queen (the higher of the two suits), 6♦ ask for the other queen, and a positive response is to not signoff in 6♠

This is a little double dummy bidding for iwth 9 red cards, the 3♠ is less than likely.. but try, 1NT-2H-2S-3C-3NT-5H and the remaining auction is the same as above.
Also note, 3♣ is always huge two suited for me, otherwise xzy with 2♦ GF. 3♣ never includes heart support which allows exclusion if you want to try it.

Hi Ben:

Exclusion in pds suit is possible if you had been able to find the spade fit before and had been sure, that pd does not look at QJ, AKxxx,QJx,Qxx which makes 6 Spade at most a 50 % shot. And he can have much worse hands.

To open 1 NT with QJ, Kxxx, Axxx,KQ seems to be a major sin, as you does have two flaws: A five card major and a 2542 shape. And I don´t have any sympathie for 1 ♥ 1 ♠ 1 NT either. Do I really want to play NT with a club lead?
I think 2 ♦ is the much better describtion.

[Echognome]

I think the first one is very tough to get to slam. Partner has shown what looks like a 2=5=3=3 minimum hand and I don't disagree with the bid. both QJ and KQ tight are typically downgrades. It just happens that they fit both your suits. I think I would start with a 3♣ bid showing 5-5 in the blacks and a GF hand. (But this somewhat depends on your agreements) Now this minimum hand looks a lot better as everything except for the ♥K looks like it's working. Still, this hand has limited itself and it will be somewhat tricky to get to slam.

On the 2nd hand, I would simply bid 4NT over 3♣. You will hear about the 4 keycards and can explore from there. As much as people want 4♦ to keycard, I'm sorry it simply isn't. The poster clearly said they weren't playing that, so let's be a bit practical here.

[Fluffy]

I must admit first one I might miss even 6. If partner is not clever enough to show 3 ♠ with QJ bare I might end in 3NT

1♥-1♠
1NT-3♣
3NT-p

1♥-1♠
1NT-3♣
3♠-??

, even on this sequence it is hard!, mabe I should had started with 3♠ hehe

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

your first board

1H - 1S
2D (1) - 3C (2)
3NT (3) - 4C (4)

(1) 1 NT may well be better, but I prefer
to bid my shape
(2) 4th suit, asking for further description
(3) club stopper, no 3 card spade support
(4) natural and forcing, the club stopper
is great news, the at most spade doubleton
as well
=> 6C

With your given seq.

1H - 1S
1NT (1) - 2C (1)
3NT (3) - 4C (4)

(1) NMF
(3) max., no 3 card spade support
(4) natural and forcing, responder "knows"
about a 5-3 fit in clubs
=> 6C

your second board

after 3C simply bid 4D natural and forcing
RKCB and subsequent King Ask will do the job.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

Codo, on Nov 27 2006, 05:37 AM, said:

<snip>
1. I strongly disagree with 3 Club in 2/1, this is gameforcing and these 17 HCPS are not strong enough for a gf opposite a 6 HCP responder. If my pd would bid 3 Club, there is no way to stop before you reach 7 NT anyway.
<snip>

Unless I miscounted, this is an
19HCP opener.

With kind regards
Marlowe