[hrothgar]

Red v Red, you hold

♠ AKQxx
♥ x
♦ AKJx
♣ AKx

You decide to open 2♣

Partner bids 2♦ (GF, temporizing)

You rebid 2♠ and partner raises your to 3♠ (The raise to 3♠ denies a hand suited for some kind of picture jump)

What's your bidding plan? Assume that you are playing relatively standard methods here (no spiral scans, no asking bids, nothing that you wouldn't expect a random flight A player to understand without significant advanced discussion)

[gwnn]

erm 4♥ wtp?

[awm]

It seems likely that I'm going to have to just blast something at some point here. The problem is that partner's third round controls (or lack thereof) in the minors are going to be really critical.

Anyways, I'll try a 4♣ cue. I'm willing to blast 6♠ eventually if it comes to that, on the assumption that partner's 3♠ shows a half-decent hand (partner could've bid 4♠, or could've showed less than GF initially). The really tough part will be finding seven if it's there. I'm expecting a sequence like:

4♣ (cue) - 4♥ (cue)
5♣ (cue, plus a ♦ card) - 5♥/5♠
6♦

Hopefully this will tell partner that:

(1) I have ♣AK for my two cuebids of clubs
(2) I have ♦A and probably ♦K since partner's refusal to cue diams doesn't deter me
(3) I have really good trumps, since I didn't bid RKC or 5NT as a trump ask

If partner has ♥A + two of ♥K/♦Q/♣Q we should be able to get to a grand slam here. If 6♠ doesn't make, I'm unlucky I guess. If partner can't find a 4♥ cue over 4♣ then I'm just blasting 6♠ (obviously we have an ace missing).

[whereagles]

We should have a slam, so 4NT seems ok. If pard shows an ace, I'll follow-up with 6♦ to see if he can cooperate for a grand with the ♦Q.

[kenrexford]

Ugly.

Presumably 4♠ would be a "Picture Jump" of the kind that says "minimum." So, 3♠ must show something extra. However, two Queens (the minimum) would work fine.

Wasted hearts would not.

A difficult problem, as no cues help. A non-cue would be nice, though. I'd probably bid 3NT and hope for a signoff, after which I would bid more.

In the end, I think you have to handle this hand with the plan of bypassing game, even though the five-level might not be safe.

[Cascade]

whereagles, on Feb 26 2008, 07:54 AM, said:

We should have a slam, so 4NT seems ok. If pard shows an ace, I'll follow-up with 6♦ to see if he can cooperate for a grand with the ♦Q.

Only trouble is we might need the ♣ Q as well.

[Cascade]

I don't know of a standard way to find third round controls.

I might cue-bid forever and see if partner ever thinks he has good stuff. I doubt that he will be able to realize he has enough with ♥ A and two minor queens though.

[Apollo81]

Assuming we're playing fast arrival then I am forcing to 6♠. I'll bid 4♣ and if pard can't bid 4♥ then I will bid 6♠ directly, otherwise keep cuebidding.

[mike777]

As a non expert I start with 4D, over 4H will try 6C. I expect to miss the grand.

Now my true expert partner will need to look at her hand and figure out why the heck I (nonexpert) did not rkc(4nt) over 3s or 4h and ask for queen of trump or specific kings(5nt) .

I think partner really has the tough hand on this auction. I think partner has the tough decision on trying to figure out just what the heck I I(nonexpert) am looking for and what I(nonexpert) cannot be looking for since I did not 4nt or ask for specific kings.

????

AKQxx
Void
AKxx
Akxx

????

AKQxx
Void
AKxxx
AKx

[Fluffy]

I would like to do something to encourage a diamond lead, but I don't see what can I do.

I'd just bid 4♣.

[mikeh]

There is a school of thought that suggests bidding 4♦ here, followed by 5♣. The idea is that when the second cue is logically 1st round, but you bypassed it earlier,the first cue was a suit in need of help, something like our diamonds here. I don't play that and so would bid 4♣, but I'd like to play it here

[cherdano]

I like the following treatment here: 3N is a slam try that asks for cues. Any new suit is natural.

So I would bid 4♦ and then 5♣ over a 4♠ sign-off.

[jchiu]

gwnn, on Feb 25 2008, 06:39 PM, said:

erm 4♥ wtp?

That's probably the last cuebid that I would consider. Unless we have specifically discussed and agreed serious 3N, I'm putting 4♣ on the tray and waiting for the real problem to come next round.

[gnasher]

cherdano, on Feb 26 2008, 04:50 AM, said:

I like the following treatment here: 3N is a slam try that asks for cues. Any new suit is natural.

So I would bid 4♦ and then 5♣ over a 4♠ sign-off.

Me too.

[whereagles]

mikeh, on Feb 26 2008, 03:20 AM, said:

There is a school of thought that suggests bidding 4♦ here, followed by 5♣. The idea is that when the second cue is logically 1st round, but you bypassed it earlier,the first cue was a suit in need of help, something like our diamonds here.

That's interesting, but I fear it might complicate control-showing sequencies a lot. Still, something to think about with a pet pard.

[helene_t]

If 4♦ is obviously natural and not a cue-bid, I do that. Otherwise just blast 6♠. I am not interested in 7♠ but maybe in 7♦.

[hrothgar]

For what its worth, here's the complete deal

♠ Jxxx
♥ AJxx
♦ xx
♣ Qxx

♠ AKQxx
♥ x
♦ AKJx
♣ AKx

As folks can see, 7S is a pretty nice contract

We had not difficulty finding 6S however, we couldn't find an intelligent way to reliably find the Grand.

[helene_t]

7♠ is nice but not cold. A diamond may get overruffed although the chance is somewhere near 5% I think, maybe less depending on trump spots.

If one of North's hearts were a diamond I don't think I would want to be in 7.

[whereagles]

Yeah, it's pretty nigh impossible for a natural system to be able to dig out the value of the diamond singleton.

Piece of cake for relay bidding, though. TSR '2 steps up' gets shape right at the level of 3♠, I think, after which it's a matter of 3 relays to cherry-pick the top cards, including the very important SPADE JACK

[Fluffy]

Finding out there is no diamond loser is easy, just use RCKW, and bid 6♦ after partner's response. Problem is how to find about ♣Q.