Posted 2008-March-20, 15:57
For one thing, 2N by west on the 3rd round is hideous
When one uses 4SF, it is important to tell opener WHY you used it, as soon as possible. Here, we used 4SF because we have a big hand AND club support.
Let partner in on the joke... bid 3♣ over 2♥
1♥ 1♠
2♣ 2♦
2♥ 3♣
3♠ 4♦
4♥ 4♠
4N 5♦
5♥ 7♣
is a plausible auction, in which 4N is NOT keycard, but shows a hand that is too good to just bid 5♣. This allows responder to show the ♦K (having already shown the spade K and the diamond A). This in turn allows opener to show the heart K, having already cued the heart A. And in turn this tells responder that his heart Q is golden, and partner cannot possibly make these calls with bad clubs, so grand has to be reasonable....
I could see responder bidding 5N over 5♥ to be on the safe side, and now opener would bid the grand.. responder cannot possibly be hoping for A AKxxx xxx AKQx.. that hand would jump shift over 1♠, and opener has shown the spade A and the heart AK, so responder cannot be looking for 3 top trumps... yet is still looking for grand.. so KQ has to be good enough
Most players don't trust themselves, or partner, to bid slams, let alone grand slams, without keycard..
1♥ 1♠
2♣ 2♦
2♥ 3♣
3♠ 4♦
4♥ 4N (if keycard)
5♦ 5♥
5N 7♣
5♦ 0/3 keycards; 5♥ asks for the trump Queen, 5N shows the trump Queen, with a side King that cannot be shown below 6♣... responder knows which King it is, and so has an easy 7♣ call.
There are other sequences plausible as well: but they all entail SETTING TRUMP as early as possible.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari