[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

(3♠) - 3NT - (Pass) - 4♣
(Pass) - ? - (Pass) - 4NT
(Pass) - ?

---

You are playing with a well-known BBFer.

You've certainly not discussed this sequence.

Fill in your two calls.

As a bonus. Guess partner's next call.

[helene_t]

Zhao/Zhong play 4♣ as a transfer to hearts. You can sign off in 4♥ or invite slam with 4♦. Dunno if a well-known BBFer would make that up. Whatever 4♣ is, 4♥ can't be very wrong.

I'm inclined to passing 4NT, but in order to get the bonus I have to bid something. I show two aces plus the queen now. Even if hearts are trump, my heart length may make it up for the queen. Besides, if two aces without the queen would be 5♥, that might sound like a 6-card hearts.

Partner's next call is a very enlightening 5NT

[mike777]

1) pass over 3s.....expect partner to be short in spades.
2) expect partner to reopen with x, nv, with any 9-10 hcp

[Codo]

1. 4 Heart, no need to decide yet if 4 Club was stayman, two step transfer or natural. 4 Heart was the right bid with Hearts in the first case and a cuebid in the second.

2. 5 Heart to show 2 KCs.

[kenrexford]

Start 4♥. No problem yet.

Follow up 5♥. No reason to get suspicious.

After partner's 5♠ call, which is the most troubling case, I'll bid 5NT, planning to pass 6♣. That's my guess for the bonus.

The trouble with my guess is that I might have a second bonus question, and yet the problem does not hint at this. But, that might be too leading. So, I'm predicting a hidden "bonus #2" and grabbing those points immediately.

I'm not redoubling, though.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

4H, what ever this may mean, it may even be
the answer to Gerber, for all I know.
Do I know, if the BBFer hates Gerber?

Pass, we may miss slam, but 4NT may be the last
making game, if he was interested in a heart slam,
he may have bid 5H.
Do I know, if the well known BBFe belongs to our high
teck group or does he belong to the naural crowed?

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: Having read the bonus question, ... I request an
undo.

[Halo]

Stayman and RKCB so 4H and 5H.

I just wish I was confident about how he continues with 4 spades instead of 4 hearts. Luckily I have got two aces as well as two key cards.

[pclayton]

1. Either 4♦ (A. the minimum balanced variety of a 3N overcall - OR B . accepting the club transfer) or C. 4♥ - answering stayman.

2. Pass is I think the meaning is 1A or 1B. Answer keys if I think the answer is "C".

I think stayman would be the default choice with a random expert. I'll answer aces.

I think my agreement with you is A.

The bonus answer isn't relevant if I pass 4N, so I must have bid 5♥. My unkn0wn partner must have bid something like 6♦.

[helene_t]

If 4♣ is Baron, 4N means "I was hoping for a 4-card ♦. I suggest 4NT now". 4♣ as Stayman would not occur to me.

Guess I've been playing too little with well-known BBFers and/or I haven't had this sequence often enough

Btw, I would not have bid 3NT. I'm less confident in p's reopening than is Mike777, but I do want more trick-taking potential for a 3NT bid.

[Echognome]

So funnily enough, I just took 4♣ as natural. My partner alerted it as "Stayman, Gerber, or Natural."

So I bid 4♥ as a cuebid showing a hand suitable for a club slam. Partner bid 4NT, and now I answered two keycards with the Q of trumps. Now partner was on the hotseat, because he was on the wavelength of most of you thinking that I probably had been showing hearts. So he bid 6♥ and now I realized he wasn't interested in a club slam after all. So I passed us there.

Partner tabled x KQTx AT8xx Axx

This was a good slam that just happened to fail when KQx of diamonds was offside (in the preemptor's hand).

[mike777]

Echognome, on Nov 6 2007, 01:20 PM, said:

So funnily enough, I just took 4♣ as natural. My partner alerted it as "Stayman, Gerber, or Natural."

So I bid 4♥ as a cuebid showing a hand suitable for a club slam. Partner bid 4NT, and now I answered two keycards with the Q of trumps. Now partner was on the hotseat, because he was on the wavelength of most of you thinking that I probably had been showing hearts. So he bid 6♥ and now I realized he wasn't interested in a club slam after all. So I passed us there.

Partner tabled x KQTx AT8xx Axx

This was a good slam that just happened to fail when KQx of diamonds was offside (in the preemptor's hand).

ok since no one asked I will, why is pass over 3s not an option, reasonable choice, here?

[gwnn]

mike777, on Nov 6 2007, 08:31 PM, said:

Echognome, on Nov 6 2007, 01:20 PM, said:

So funnily enough, I just took 4♣ as natural.  My partner alerted it as "Stayman, Gerber, or Natural."

So I bid 4♥ as a cuebid showing a hand suitable for a club slam.  Partner bid 4NT, and now I answered two keycards with the Q of trumps.  Now partner was on the hotseat, because he was on the wavelength of most of you thinking that I probably had been showing hearts.  So he bid 6♥ and now I realized he wasn't interested in a club slam after all.  So I passed us there.

Partner tabled x KQTx AT8xx Axx

This was a good slam that just happened to fail when KQx of diamonds was offside (in the preemptor's hand).

ok since no one asked I will, why is pass over 3s not an option, reasonable choice, here?

because partner will pass out many hands that give solid play for game?

[mike777]

gwnn, on Nov 6 2007, 01:45 PM, said:

mike777, on Nov 6 2007, 08:31 PM, said:

Echognome, on Nov 6 2007, 01:20 PM, said:

So funnily enough, I just took 4♣ as natural.  My partner alerted it as "Stayman, Gerber, or Natural."

So I bid 4♥ as a cuebid showing a hand suitable for a club slam.  Partner bid 4NT, and now I answered two keycards with the Q of trumps.  Now partner was on the hotseat, because he was on the wavelength of most of you thinking that I probably had been showing hearts.  So he bid 6♥ and now I realized he wasn't interested in a club slam after all.  So I passed us there.

Partner tabled x KQTx AT8xx Axx

This was a good slam that just happened to fail when KQx of diamonds was offside (in the preemptor's hand).

ok since no one asked I will, why is pass over 3s not an option, reasonable choice, here?

because partner will pass out many hands that give solid play for game?

Many? really?

partner is going to reopen with just a little something and shortish spades.

[Echognome]

I think Pass is an option over 3♠. We certainly have enough length that we know partner will strain to reopen. There's a good chance we will take 4 trumps on this hand as well.

[Apollo81]

Jlall, on Nov 6 2007, 09:28 AM, said:

Agree with 4H then 5H. Looks like partner bid stayman then keycard to me.

ditto

[han]

Wow, it looks like every single hand we played made it into an entertaining thread Matt. I think partner is bidding 6H next.