[ewj]

Scoring: IMP

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You open 1♠, LHO bids 3♦ weak and partner bids 4♦.
Strong NT, 5 card majors....are you worth anything more than 4♠. Would you consider 4♥ if you hadn't agreed it as anything special?

[hotShot]

Holding ♣K and ♥Qx you don't have any extras, you hardly have your opening. The ♦Q is also not helpful.

4♠ is the only bid to consider now.

[gnasher]

If I hadn't agreed 4♥ as anything special, I'd expect it to be interpreted as a cue bid.

If 4♥ were Last Train, I think it would be an overbid, assuming that 4♦ doesn't promise more than a high card raise to game. It's all very well picturing AJ9x Axxx x Axxx, but partner might move with something rather less suitable than that.

[Codo]

Pd may even move anway with Andys hand, he can see that I have zero first round controls outside diamonds.

I would need a least KQT9xx,Kx,Qxxx,A to make another move.

[brianshark]

I'm undecided. On one hand you have a minimum, length and wasted values in your LHO's suit and no aces. On the other hand, you have a 6th spade, all your honours except for the ♦Q are still working. (Unlike others, I think the ♣K and ♥Qx are very useful values if partner has the aces required for slam.)

Assuming we play 4♥ as a general slam try rather than specifically a cue, I'm still going to bid 4♠, but if partner has 3 bullets and the heart K (or a ♦ void instead of one of those) it's not hard for him to picture you with what you have and make another slam try, in which case I will co-operate.

[Edmunte1]

The hand has some pluses and some minuses. The pluses are 6th spade and 6-4 shape, with reduces the number of losers in rounded suits. The big minus is the low number of controls and the low number of usefull hcp's.

Even if you play 4♥ as LT, bidding 4♥ with that hand will more often lead to a negative score rather than to a positive one. Just remeber 4♦ doesn't promise ♦ shortage or tons of HCP's.

[dicklont]

4♠
To make a slam partner must look at 3 aces or 2 and a ♦ void.
If that is so he'll know what to do.
For now I'm happy when 4♠ makes.

[mtvesuvius]

ok... Take a look at this 5 point hand that we opened ...

K♣ is wasted, Q♦ is wasted, Q♥ is wasted.

Partner has to have some outside values, but it would take an awful lot to make slam. I think this is a fairly easy 4♠, and with anything that we can make slam opposite, partner will bid again I would hope. Also... What if partner has Kx♦?

[bid_em_up]

mtvesuvius, on Mar 5 2009, 10:21 AM, said:

I think this is a fairly easy pass,

I don't think partner is going to enjoy playing 4♦

[Codo]

bid_em_up, on Mar 6 2009, 12:44 AM, said:

mtvesuvius, on Mar 5 2009, 10:21 AM, said:

I think this is a fairly easy pass,

I don't think partner is going to enjoy playing 4♦

Our trump support is sufficent and we won't get doubled, nice spot.

[H_KARLUK]

4S / No Ace -- Partner still may pull with 4N if needs.

[mtvesuvius]

bid_em_up, on Mar 5 2009, 10:44 AM, said:

mtvesuvius, on Mar 5 2009, 10:21 AM, said:

I think this is a fairly easy pass,

I don't think partner is going to enjoy playing 4♦

LOL, typo... I fixed it now