[Wackojack]

♥

Scoring: IMP

E S W N
2♠ p p 3♠
p 4♥ p 4♠
dbl p p 5♦
p ?

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You are playing Lebensohl and Leaping Michaels. Questions:

1. Would you bid 4♥ after partner's cue bid of 3♠ which you take to be asking for a stop?
2. When partner bids 4♠, what kind of hand is he showing?
3. Would you raise to 6♦?
4. How would you show partner a powerful 0175 shape?

[MFA]

1) I would bid 3NT.
2) I would assume a very strong 1-suiter.
3) Pass would be terrible. The question should be more like if we are worth a grand slam try. But I'll settle for 6.
4) 4♠ and 4NT are both for the minors in the first round, 4♠ being the stronger. One can pull 5♣ to diamonds to show shapes like that.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

#1 if 3S asks for a stopper, I show the stopper, i.e. I bid 3NT
#2 slam try for hearts, most likely shortage
#3 no, bid 5H, 5D denies a club control
#4 either show both minors via 4NT or forget about the 5 card
suit, i.e. double followed by bidding diamonds at a appropriate
level

With kind regards
Marlowe

[helene_t]

Partner shows a monster with diamonds. I think I try 6♦. I have an ace and some trump support, after all.

I would have bid 3NT over partner's 3♠. If I didn't have a spade stopper, I would have bid 4♣. 4♥ shows 7.
´

[mikeh]

When partner asks if you have a stopper, and you do... bid 3N. Even if he is void, so long as spades are 3=6, and they rate to be given LHO's pass, they can never take more than the first 3 tricks in the suit, so you have a stopper.

As it is, when partner bid 4♠, he has an enormous hand, but I disagree that it is clear what kind of hand he has.... I would need to know, for instance, what an immediate, balancing 4♠ would be.

When 4♠x'd came around to him, he had options.. he could have redoubled, or bid 4N.. both of which would, in my view, reveal a 2-suiter... the distinction is not something I have ever discussed with partners. With a massive 7=5, for example, he'd show the 2-suiter and then pull clubs to diamonds.

So I think 5♦ is the huge one-suiter.. and I would raise.

I agree with Helene, in that if we had, for example, the same hand with a spade suit headed by that non-stopper, the 'x', I would have bid 4♣.. it is almost good enough to insist on game... but not quite.

[barryallen]

I feel you have to have an understanding of what the 4♠ bid represents? To me this looks to be asking partner to define his hand further, why not go straight to 5♦ with a massive ♦ hand and no interest in ♥? But too counter that, what possible hand can partner have in ♥ to bypass 4NT, when known to be missing the ♥A? The only thing that makes any possible sense to me would be a very strong ♦ hand, ♠ void and looking for first round control in ♥ and ♣.




Interesting point regarding playing in 3NT. If you receive a ♠ lead from 10xx and a small ♠ return, who would get that right?