[helene_t]

5♦.

[the hog]

4NT pick a minor. 5D is far too unilateral.

[ceeb]

to find the best slam. Possibly that means the one that goes down the least, but this hand is so much stronger than it need be -- and of aces, at least, surely we have enough.

Start with 4NT, takeout but of what definition I'm not sure. Partner will bid up the line
though.

Over 5C, I want to give partner another chance to choose diamonds. 5D (to be followed by 6C) has two downsides: 1. Partner might pass when we belong in 6 (but also we might belong in 5, so that is perhaps an acceptable risk), and 2. partner assuming I have definitely the red suits might jump to 6H. I doubt that 5S or 5NT will send the right message. So I'd bid 6C.

I take your point about "huge edge." Against opponents are sure-footed with this hand, I'm going to lose.

-- Charles

[pclayton]

4N and pass 5 minor. I think we have a lock spade loser so we need to pick up the rest of the hand for no losers. Pard is probably some (2) 344.

Even if pard has a perfecto like xx Axxx xxx AQxx there a fair chance clubs are 4-1.

[Impact]

Actually, a lot depends on the meaning of partner's double.

Assuming it is semi-classical responsive, there is a very good argument that your best bid now at this UNFAV vul is an invitational 5D (basically the disparity between your suits is too great for C to be used for slam purposes: reverse the minor Honours so DKxxxx and CAKQx and 4NT is the right bid).

The problem with 5D is that while partner should read it as invitational to 6m, it doesn't sound like it -AND if he has to make any close decision he will look at his questionable trumps and pass.

For that reason I will bid 6D at this vul.
Tactically, this wins if they decide to sacrifice, and realistically to find out whether partner has the right minor suit Honours to make 6C is ambitious in the same sense that fans of Yes, Minister and Yes Prime Minister would hear a decision described by Sir Humphrey as "courageous".

If you accept the likelihood that partner has a doubleton S, no great length in a side suit, your strongest suit for slam is D - so getting lucky with the right C cards is just a crapshoot (to redress the balance for the US-oriented).

By contrast you will win in D almost every time partner has the DJ, and now it is just a question of whether you have a discard for C on H or run C (or squeeze LHO opponent between C & H).

Sure you MAY have 2 top losers but what has partner doubled on:
surely 2 bullets and a working Q is needed as minimum??? You hold virtually all the other significant Honours in the suits excluding S.
If he knows you will stretch to double with shortage he MUST have serious values to double, and in real life he won't have an excuse to raise (ok he will be tempted if he holds 3A) but that applies equally from 5 to 6.

Damn the torpedoes....6D at the table anyway (and I am usually a scientific bidder but there just is no sensible process to extract the RIGHT information when one of your suits is SO strong).

Prepared to be ridiculed (but equally convinced of the pragmatism of my bid),
Regards,

[pclayton]

A delayed 5D (after 4N) doesnt show a slam try. 4N shows 2 places to play and 5D over 5C shows the reds.

[Codo]

I had choosen 6 ♦ before reading all the arguments and Impact convinced me even more that this is right in the long run.

[helene_t]

pclayton, on Jul 2 2007, 09:10 AM, said:

A delayed 5D (after 4N) doesnt show a slam try. 4N shows 2 places to play and 5D over 5C shows the reds.

hmm .... my dbl already implied 3 places to play. Would 4NT followed by 5♦ now show 1543 or 1453, then? Probably more like 1543, with 1453 I might just bid 5♦ since my initial double already emphasized hearts. I might have overcalled 3♥ with a really good 5-card hearts but not with a 5-card diamonds if I also had four hearts.

It makes sense but I'm afraid many partners would see it as a slam try. 4N followed by 5♥ over 5♣ would surely be a slam try. What about 4N followed by 5♥ over 5♦ ?

[Free]

5NT

[Halo]

5D

I assume with this kind of hand that spades is -300, diamonds is a sound game, and when I have doubled and pulled partner's double, I think he may well bid six when he is good with two aces.

There are strong players willing to play in 5C, so I need to think over why I would not do that.

[Fluffy]

4NT then pass.

[Edmunte1]

In my opinion, 4NT should show a good hand intrested in playing more on this sequence, showing a 17+ hand and singleton spade. With a weaker hand and 5m+4♥ and spade shortage i would have bid my longer minor (5♣/5♦). On other sequences 4NT shows just 2 places to play, but now our shape is confined by our first double.
So let partner decide, bid 4NT and pass his decision.

[nige1]

Jlall, on Jul 1 2007, 11:38 PM, said:

Imps We vul ♠ x ♥ K Q x ♦ A K Q x x ♣ K x x x.

I believe being good at these type of hands will give you a huge edge over your competition.  2S on right, X by you, 4S on left, X by partner (cards), pass on right, your plan?

IMO 5♦ = 10, 6♦ = 8, 4N = 7, _P = 6, 5N = 5, .
Passing may be right but may be disappointing if partner has a lot of red cards
Having read other posts, I've changed my mind. Originally I thought you should bid 4N, (2+ places to play). But even if partner prefers ♣, if he has 3 or more ♦ then that may well be a safer trump suit. A typical hand for partner:
♠ J x x ♥ A x x x ♦ J x x ♣ A J x

So I now think the choice is between 5♦ and 6♦. Should you bid a slam?

• The arguments against are that you expect bad breaks, you need lots of specific cards. and you don't want to punish partner for enterprise
  
• The argument for is that you may make or prompt a phantom sacrifice IMO prospects of the latter are better than of the former

IMO it's just a guess that I always seem to get wrong but settling for game is the middle of the road action

[pbleighton]

4NT.

Peter

[han]

Very difficult, I can see arguments for 4NT, 5D, 5NT, 6D and 4NT followed by 5NT over 5C (would that show the minors with a serious preference for diamonds?). And even though everybody is bidding, pass may be a winner too but it seems too deep at these colors.

I'm bidding 4NT and 6D over a possible 5D. I'm not bidding 6D directly because I'm too worried that out fit is not good enough.

[mike777]

4nt and pass.