[han]

Walddk, on Sep 18 2007, 03:35 PM, said:

He can't have those cards, Han. He bypassed 3NT (serious).

Yes he can, my partner can. Bidding 3NT shows serious extras, KQxxx Axxx Axx x is not enough, especially not when partner has shown clubs.

I do agree with you that partner is not likely to have those cards, and I guess you are right that the risk of going down in 5S is larger than the risk of missing a making slam.

[Echognome]

As it happened, the hand was:

Scoring: IMP

1♠ - 2♣
2♥ - 3♠
4♦ - 4♠
All Pass

---

It happened to make 12 tricks.

[han]

So looks like you had a good auction to a good spot.

[Echognome]

Hannie, on Sep 18 2007, 04:51 PM, said:

So looks like you had a good auction to a good spot.

Yeah. Just thought it an interesting hand. It felt a bit like 2♣ was a psych. It certainly doesn't have the high cards normally promised for a 2/1.

[jdonn]

Echognome, on Sep 18 2007, 08:05 PM, said:

It felt a bit like 2♣ was a psych. It certainly doesn't have the high cards normally promised for a 2/1.

You had a hand that is obviously worth a game force, so you made a game forcing bid in your seven card suit. You psychers are ruining the game!

[Walddk]

Echognome, on Sep 19 2007, 03:05 AM, said:

Hannie, on Sep 18 2007, 04:51 PM, said:

So looks like you had a good auction to a good spot.

Yeah. Just thought it an interesting hand. It felt a bit like 2♣ was a psych. It certainly doesn't have the high cards normally promised for a 2/1.

Who cares about high cards? You make slam 78% of the time opposite as little as

♠ Kxxxxx
♥ Axxx
♦ xx
♣ A

The only problem with responding 2♣ followed by spade support is that opener may not show ♠Q to a keycard ask (5♦ = 3) and 5♥ "do you have trump queen?", simply because he can't be certain that responder has four spades.

Give opener one spade less and you do not want to bid slam.

1♠ - 2♣
2♥ - 3♠
4♣ - 4NT
5♦ - 5♥
??

Opener will now deny ♠Q whether he has five or six spades, unless 3♠ is agreed as four, 2♠ as three. I doubt that many have that agreement.

2♣ with the example hand is just common sense. If anyone thinks he/she doesn't have a game force opposite 1♠, his/her judgement can only be described as poor. There is no guarantee that even 4♠ will make, but you can't stay out of game with that hand.

Roland