[mikeh]

At matchpoints, all white, LHO deals and opens 2♠, which your partner doubles.

You have a hand that has some unusual features:

AK98 3 KJ109842 6

Your call and your plan (not surprisingly, the opps have nothing to say for the foreseeable future).

Methods: simple lebensohl: thus 3♦ would be constructive but nf.

You have no way to establish diamonds as trump and then keycard... frankly, I am not sure if such a method exists... if anyone has one, please feel free to post it

This recent flurry of postings is because I played almost half a Regional this past week: the most I have played in a Regional in more than 2 years.

[JLOL]

Start wtih 4D see what happens. Hopefully I get to bid 4N next.

[Phil]

4♦.

Pard no doubt bids 4♥ and we'll spend most of the dinner hour discussing how he thought my 4♠ bid agreed hearts

[se12sam]

3NT. Why not?

[Mosene]

If 4d is 100% forcing then 4D otherwise - not sure, maybe a gambling 6 diamonds.

[mtvesuvius]

What's bidding 2NT then 4♦?

Maybe starting with 3♠ may even be best, but anyway... I like an immeadiate 4♦ I guess.

[ArtK78]

My first thought was to just bid 3NT, perhaps influenced by the form of scoring.

But it takes so little to make 6♦ (or even 7♦) that it seems right to commit our side to at least 6♦. Just shooting out 6♦ makes some sense, but I prefer to cue bid first then bid 6♦. That may be enough to get partner to bid one more if he has the magic hand - 4 diamonds with A A A. Even 3 diamonds to the Ace is likely to be enough if partner has another trick besides his aces. AQx of diamonds along with the rounded suit aces and a singleton spade allows me to ruff out my small spades with the A and Q of diamonds.

I may be fooling myself that partner will bid 7♦ if he has the right cards, but I don't see anyway of asking for them absent some agreement that a 4NT or 4♣ bid over the double is ace-asking.

A few random thoughts - what does 2NT Lebensohl followed by 4♦ show? Or, for that matter, 2NT Lebensohl followed by 4NT? What is 4NT directly over the double?

[jdonn]

se12sam, on Apr 20 2009, 12:38 PM, said:

3NT. Why not?

Because slams and grand slams score a bigger bonus? If you are going to simply guess at the contract right now then 6♦ is abundantly clear, not 3NT.

[gnasher]

ArtK78, on Apr 20 2009, 10:00 PM, said:

what does 2NT Lebensohl followed by 4♦ show? Or, for that matter, 2NT Lebensohl followed by 4NT? What is 4NT directly over the double?

Some play 2NT then 4♦ as forcing, and a direct 4♦ as a stronger invitation than 3♦ (or vice versa). I like to use the extra sequences to show 5+ diamonds and four hearts.

I've never discussed a delayed 4NT. I suggest that one of the 4NT bids should be both minors, and the other should be natural.