[Elianna]

all white. You hold x xxx Axxx QJTxx.

Partner is dealer.

Bidding is:

2♣ (2H) P* (P) *=positive
2♠ (3♣) x (p) (no agreement on what this double means)
5♠ (P) ? (no agreement on what 5♠ means)

What does partner want, and what do you bid?

Your partner is not a beginner, she is quite competent (but not world class). Your opponents are also solid, but not scary.

[Fluffy]

I must confess that I have no damn idea of what he is up to.

ok, lets assume he understood our double correctly as penalty.

He didn't pass so IMO he doesn't have 2 clubs or more.

5M is normally used for showing lack of control in opponents suit, since it cannot be in clubs (he would pass 3♣?). I assume it is in hearts

Surprising, but I am gonna pass.

[Winstonm]

I don't see it as a particular type of ask but a general, do you want to bid 6 type ask - and my answer is no, I don't.

[Jlall]

No clue what is going on but I have an ace and it's not in clubs so I guess I'll bid 6. There is no hand I would bid the same way that partner has bid it.

[cherdanno]

The double is penalty. I would also bid 6♠ since I have an ace. I hope partner isn't asking for good trumps

[jjbrr]

6♠, glp.

[pooltuna]

Elianna, on Oct 21 2009, 07:07 PM, said:

all white. You hold x xxx Axxx QJTxx.

Partner is dealer.

Bidding is:

2♣ (2H) P* (P) *=positive
2♠ (3♣) x (p) (no agreement on what this double means)
5♠ (P) ? (no agreement on what 5♠ means)

What does partner want, and what do you bid?

Your partner is not a beginner, she is quite competent (but not world class). Your opponents are also solid, but not scary.

well partner seems to be asking for 1st or 2nd round control of ♥ or more likely ♣ or he is asking for ♠ help ...fortunately you have none so I pass

[gnasher]

I don't know what he wants, but I'm pretty sure I haven't got it. I've already shown a positive, apparently, and I now know that I have less than what I've already shown. In addition, I have control in neither of their suits.

[Elianna]

Thanks all. I actually held x xxx Axxx KJTxx, and felt that bidding 6S was easy.

As partner's hand was AKQTxxxx - KQJx x, she made 6S easily.

I posted the hand I posted as I felt it was consistent with the bidding, slam was just as good, and I might not have bid 6S with that hand. I think with even five little clubs I would have bid the same way up to the point of 5S, where I would have passed.

Not looking to pick on partner's bidding, just curious what others would have done.

[cherdanno]

I don't think the 5♠ bid is terrible, but your partner' hand should just bid 3♠ over 2♥, setting trumps and letting the cuebidding again. Then you could easily bid slam over your 4♦ cue, and easily avoid slam if you have the ♥A instead.

[Elianna]

cherdanno, on Oct 22 2009, 05:32 AM, said:

I don't think the 5♠ bid is terrible, but your partner' hand should just bid 3♠ over 2♥, setting trumps and letting the cuebidding again. Then you could easily bid slam over your 4♦ cue, and easily avoid slam if you have the ♥A instead.

I know.

I am not looking to see what partner did wrong, just wondering if my judgment on a more marginal hand aligned with others'.

I posted partner's hand because I know that I personally like to know the end result of hands posted as Qs on this forum.

[Jlall]

gnasher, on Oct 22 2009, 05:39 AM, said:

I don't know what he wants, but I'm pretty sure I haven't got it. I've already shown a positive, apparently, and I now know that I have less than what I've already shown. In addition, I have control in neither of their suits.

Why do you have less than what you've shown? An ace is huge compared to kings, and you don't have the ace of clubs which is the suit partner is often void in, you have the ace of the "good" suit probably.

I don't see how partner can drive to the 5 level on a hand that goes down if we just have wastage in clubs since that is our minimum hand (and a likely hand at that when we X clubs) unless he can make it.

[gnasher]

Maybe we're using different terminology? I'd expect "positive" to mean something like an ace and a king. This is worth rather less than that.

Anyway, if all that partner wanted to know about was ♦A, he could have bid 3♠-3NT-4♣ or 3♠-4♠-5♣ to force me to cue-bid it.

[cherdanno]

gnasher, on Oct 22 2009, 10:46 AM, said:

Maybe we're using different terminology? I'd expect "positive" to mean something like an ace and a king. This is worth rather less than that.

Anyway, if all that partner wanted to know about was ♦A, he could have bid 3♠-3NT-4♣ or 3♠-4♠-5♣ to force me to cue-bid it.

Aha!. I would take "positive" as at least a K or so, i.e anything worth a game force.

[gnasher]

Don't you use the term "semi-positive"?

[Jlall]

gnasher, on Oct 22 2009, 11:19 AM, said:

Don't you use the term "semi-positive"?

I've never used that... actually I've heard that in strong club auctions. I always thought positive just meant an A, K or QQ

[aguahombre]

Rather than figure out what how positive "pass" is, we just define how negative the "double" would be. It is very negative--like a second negative in the old style.