[jonottawa]

Scoring: IMP

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Auction A

1♦ P 1♥ 1♠
3♣ P 3♦ P
3N P 4♠ X
5♣ P 6♦ Float

Auction B:

1♦ P 1♥ 1♠
3♣ P 3N P
4♣ P 4♦ P
4♠ P 6♦ Float

[kenrexford]

I'm not sure either is perfect, at least for me.

On the first, everything seems fine until the 3NT call. Opener has had a good start. Seems like a 3♠ call to me. 3NT also shows the spade value, of course, but this looks like a 3♠ call to me. Either way, the continuation by Responder of 4♠ seems OK. When this is doubled, I think South can redouble. Normally, this would show first-round control. However, I think it can show "the other honor" when partner has already shown one. There aren't two Aces, and showing the missing King seems right, especially after already bidding 3NT. As Responder, I would have expected QJx, and having bid my hand out fairly well, I don't understand the slam bid. I would have expected South to have QJx-void in the majors, which looks bad. Had South redoubled, in contrast, the auction would look fairly good.

On the second, I understand the 3NT call. That's the only major questionable call. Everything else looks fine, as far as it goes.

However, what I don't get is why South never gets to use RKCB. All South needs to know, once slam is pursued, is whether North has two Aces and the club Queen.

If 4NT is RKCB, then after 4♠ by Responder on the first, or after 4♦ by Responder on the second, Opener could hear about the two Aces, enough for slam, with a call of 5♥. A 6♣ call should then invite the grand slam if Responder has the club Queen. He lacks it, but he could very well have had it.

Of course, the actual auctions work fine, as Responder could simply bid 6♣ in either auction rather than 6♦ with that card, so I suppose that everything worked out well.

[jonottawa]

I don't like saying more, since I have a rather strong opinion, but I think it's fair to say that the key bids to evaluate are:

4♠ by North on A

and

4♣ by South on B

I'd argue that these are the two bids that pretty well dictated the outcome and I'm wondering if people would consider them both 'normal'. If I'm wrong in focusing on those 2 bids, however, other pov are, of course, welcome.

[Phil]

I like "A". The North player seems to have a better picture of the controls than in "B".

B is OK, but I think the South player is bidding his hand twice.

[Fluffy]

I fail to understand the logic behind the 4♠ bid. 4♥ looks like the bid (maybe Frances plays this as natural, but I doubt it).

I also fail to understand what was north thinking on B when he bid 3NT, he really deserved to be left there.

[kenrexford]

The 4♠ bid was made in the context of a partner who made a GF after assuredly showing diamonds and assuredly showing spade values. Responder has two Aces, which is perfect. 4♠ nailed the description, IMO.

4♣ was bid by an Opener who just found out that partner has spade values and something interesting. He's looking at a 3-loser hand. I think Opener is well worth one more call.

[gnasher]

On B, I think South's 4♣ was very optimistic. He deserved to find himself in 5♦ opposite QJxx QJxxx xx xx.

On A, I think North was right to move over 3NT: he has two aces, three-card support and a useful doubleton. I'm not sure what he should have bid, but 4♠ seemed to work well.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-April-25, 17:25