[jillybean]

Dealer: North Vul: NS Scoring: IMP

♠ Q985 ♥ KQT4 ♦ Q3 ♣ AT7

West North East South

 -     2NT   Pass  ?  

Partner opens 2nt in first seat, how will you bid this?

[ochinko]

There must be a catch here, but I am not able to see it. Stayman, then either 6M or 6NT. I won't fret much if we'd missed a grand.

[mcphee]

I start with stayman, if partner responds either major, I now bid the other major to show a balanced slam try and later force my way to 6. If partner responds 3D no major I settle for 5NT, pick a slam.

[kenrexford]

After 2♣, whether Puppet or Stayman, Opener does something. What is that?

[P_Marlowe]

Assuming you have sensible agreements in place:
Stayman, if partner showes a major, make a forcing raise
of the major (bidding the other major), followed by RKCB.

If you dont have the option to create a forcing auction, than
simply bid 6NT.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

ochinko, on Apr 17 2009, 03:57 AM, said:

There must be a catch here, but I am not able to see it. Stayman, then either 6M or 6NT. I won't fret much if we'd missed a grand.

How much will you fret, if they cash AK of trumps?

Not likely, but can happen.
If you have the option to avoid this, it may be worth
trying it.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[petergreat]

West North East South

- 2NT - 3♣


Case 1: 3♦

- 3♦ - 6NT.


Don't fret about it. If you really do lose two tricks count yourself unlucky.

Case 2: 3 major.

Then bid 6 of the major. You don't need to broadcast your aces to the opponents.

Unlikely to miss a grand: You have 33 - 35 points combined (assuming 2NT 20-22) and balanced hands.

[jillybean]

Dealer: North Vul: NS Scoring: IMP

♠ Q985 ♥ KQT4 ♦ Q3 ♣ AT7

West North East South

 -     2NT   Pass  3♣
 Pass  3♥    Pass  ?  

6♥ now? 6nt may be the better contract, how do you decide?

[jillybean]

..

[Old York]

I bid 6♥ , (maybe after 1 round of cue bids then rkcb)

6NT may play better if partner is maximum, but you might need a ruff if partner is minimum.

Tony

[hrothgar]

jillybean2, on Apr 17 2009, 07:45 PM, said:

Dealer: North Vul: NS Scoring: IMP

♠ Q985 ♥ KQT4 ♦ Q3 ♣ AT7

West North East South

 -     2NT   Pass  3♣
 Pass  3♥    Pass  ?  

6♥ now? 6nt may be the better contract, how do you decide?

Hi Kathryn...

I'd be very surprised if 6N ended up better than 6♥. In order for 6NT to be better that 6♥, we need to have

12 tricks available in NT BUT
two losers in a Heart contract

This essentially requires either

1. The defense is able to score a ruff
2. Partner's 4+ card Heart suit is SO weak that we're worried about two trump losers

Let's answer these in turn

1. With two flat hands facing one another, I'm not going to worry much about the ruff. No matter how good my bidding methods are, I'm not going to get much information about the opponents distribution. In theory, if I were playing some very specialized methods I MIGHT be able to figure out that I have 12 top tricks in NT. In practice, I'd I'm playing those types of methods, I wouldn't have opened 2NT to begin with...

2. As for the two trump loser hand... The strength of my heart suit and the fact that partner has 4+ Hearts (and thus, tends to deny 5+ cards in some other suit) makes is extremely unlikely that NT will produce more tricks that Hearts.

Partner's hand isn't going to have a long source of tricks outside hearts. Therefore, he rates to have the same Heart loser in either NT or Hearts

[JLOL]

stayman then 6N if no major suit fit, 6M if we have a fit.

When partner bids hearts I'm really not worried that I should be in NT, over spades it's more likely.

[jillybean]

Thanks all,

The auction was;
2nt:3♣
3♥:6♥

6♥-1 after a 5-0 trump break, my pard and I didnt know if we should have
been in 6N. Other tables were in 6N=

[the hog]

They misbid Kathryn. :-)

[jillybean]

The_Hog, on Apr 17 2009, 07:49 PM, said:

They misbid Kathryn. :-)

That makes a nice change

[Old York]

Many tables would bid 2NT-6NT, but this is technically inferior (especially at Imp scoring). Perhaps the 6NT bidders thought they were playing matchpoints?

You can consider yourself very unfortunate to find 5-0 trumps, hopefully next time you bid 6♥ you will be able to ruff a loser, and thus beat the 6NT bidders (scoring a top at MP)

Tony

[kenrexford]

Out of curiosity, what was partner's hand?

[jillybean]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     2NT   Pass  3♣
 Pass  3♥    Pass  6♥
 Pass  Pass  Pass  

[mikeh]

jb: as one of the earlier posts suggested, it is common advanced+ practice to use a non-jump bid of the other major, after a major response to stayman following a strong 2N opening (including a 2n rebid after 2C) as showing a slam try (usually balanced) with a fit in opener's major.

Now, opener has a minimum, weak trumps, and flat distribution so might well slow things down... but responder is driving to slam and has a balanced hand with stuff in all suits... so IF you have a 5N pick a slam gadget available, and most B/I's won't.... then I can see, for example, opener rebidding 4♥ and responder bidding 5N... yes we could be off the AK spades, but that is highly unlikely... you have to bid SOME slam with 13 hcp

Now opener has an easy 6N because he has such a flat hand.

But, this requires two non-B/I agreements... I wouldn't worry overly much about this result...chalk it up to bad luck.

I think it foolish to have South unilaterally bid 6N...

[spotlight7]

Hi:

Meckewell plays that a bid of 6 of a suit directly under the agreed major offers a choice of six suit vs 6NT.

Not a common agreement in the BI section.

Regards,
Robert