[Siegmund]

Here is a hand which gave people lots of trouble at the club today (I was lucky enough to be sitting North and just got to watch my opps land in the 5-1 spade fit.)

Scoring: MP

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What's your preferred auction, playing something standardish? (And if you want to open 1♠, please also comment on how you see the auction going if you had started with 2♣, since for better or worse that was the more popular choice at the table.)

[gwnn]

no i don't like my auction sorry

[ONEferBRID]

1S - 1NTF!
3D - 3NT

[pooltuna]

ONEferBRID, on Dec 23 2009, 10:05 PM, said:

1S - 1NTF!
3D - 3NT

What a horribly simplistic auction!!!! Of course it is the same one I would probably have.

[jonottawa]

Another possibility?

2C-2D
2S-3C
3D-4N
P

[aguahombre]

Same as Oneferbrid. Learned a long time ago not to open 2C with this type of hand..it is one-sided bridge, when I should be trying to describe this hand to pard.
Does someone fear 1S will be passed out, and that will be bad? When I have a 2 suiter, someone will come in. If they don't, we could easily still get a good result.

[gwnn]

mine was the same as jonottawa's, but I'm not terribly proud of it, since responder has only Kxxx in the unbid suit. on the other hand he has only x and Qx in the bid suits and a lot of strength so where is he going to go?

[P_Marlowe]

Hi

#1 I prefer a 1S opening bid, you have a 2-suiter, and it is usually better
to start with bidding your suits, than to open 2C

#2 Assuming, I opened 2C

2C (1) - 3C (2)
4C (3) - 4H (4)
4NT (5) - 5C (6)
Pass (7)

(1) semi forcing, Benjamin style, i.e. the auction can stop on the two level
(2) natural, a reasonable 6 card suit, QJT is sufficient to qualify for reasonable
(3) Not perfect, but the Ace should be sensible support, and you have a 6-1 fit,
... and oh (!) Kxxxxx does not qualify for reasonable
(4) cue, showing the king or Ace, diamond shortage still possible
(5) RKCB for clubs
(6) 0 or 3, obviously 3
(7) You know, p does not have the king of diamonds, i.e. unless p has a diamond
single, you know, you will need the diamond finesse, but a diamond shortage
with p makes your hand weaker, you know also, that you will have a trump
looser, but if you want to bid 6C - go ahead

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Cyberyeti]

2♣-3♣
3♠-3N
4♦-5♣
P or 6♣ to taste.

[mike777]

I dont get you guys who bid 3c over 2c....never, this is not close.


If you choose to open 2c then:



2c=2d
2s=3c
3d=3nt

[mcphee]

1S 1N
3D 3N

Good luck to those who elect to open 2C. If partner should open 2C I would never dream of bidding 3C as a positive response when I know nothing of partners hand. It is generally a better idea to wait and let the strong hand tell what they have first. Players are in a rush to tell partners they have a strong hand rather than consider an auction that will tell what they have. .

[Fluffy]

1♠-1NT
3♦-3NT (3♦ =5-5 at least)
4NT-pass


I think west is worth 4NT rather than pass

[mtvesuvius]

Fluffy, on Dec 24 2009, 08:47 AM, said:

1♠-1NT
3♦-3NT (3♦ =5-5 at least)
4NT-pass


I think west is worth 4NT rather than pass

I'm with Fluffy here... I don't think this is a pass of 3N. Either 4♦ or 4N, but since I think 4♦ is more distrubutionally oriented, I'm bidding 4N.

[cherdanno]

If you really think this hand is too good for 1S -> 3D -> pass, then you should open 2♣. No reason to force us to play 1S or 4N.
But imo passing 3N after 1S 1N 3D 3N is clear.

[aguahombre]

cherdanno, on Dec 24 2009, 08:54 AM, said:

But imo passing 3N after 1S 1N 3D 3N is clear.

OP says it was at the club, where it is doubtful whether anyone has the tools to investigate slam sanely.

Partner heard my opening and jump shift, and thinks we don't belong in slam. I have an extra Jack and a pretty nice spade suit, but I don't expect a diamond fit with my partner. If the other pairs stumble or blast into the perfect slam, oh well. Content with 3NT and the hand might be awkward in more.

[nigel_k]

2♣ opening is fine on strength and 1♠ doesn't really save space if you're going to jump next anyway. I wouldn't feel good passing after 1♠-1N-3♦-3N which makes a 2♣ opening better I think. Also it's more likely tio go all pass when you open 1♠. I'm all for heavy one level openings with 5431 types especially with a five card minor but this hand has a lot of playing strength and two five cards that you will probably be able to show below 3NT. So definitely a 2♣ opening.

I prefer to just bid 2♦ on most hands (or a 2♥ positive which doesn't take up space) and let the 2♣ opener describe so would not give a positive here. If I did play a method where I'd bid a 3♣ positive on this, then it would be a good enough suit to play opposite stiff Ace so you might find 6♣ on these cards. Of course you'd still have to make it.

After that, I would bid:
2♣-2♦
2♠-3♣
3♦-3♥
3NT-4NT
P

[Siegmund]

Thanks all for several alternatives which are better than what most people came up with over the table.

That last one, 2C-2D, 2S-3C, 3D-3H, 3NT, possibly 4NT, is probably closest to what my reg p and I would produce.

[Fluffy]

2♣ with 2 suiter? do people really think this is an option?

2♣-3♣
3♠

doesn't seem to save space

2♣-(3♣)-pass
3♠

doesn't save space


2♣-2♦
2♠-3♥
4♦

doesn't save space

And preemptives can be worse than that.

[gwnn]

all things being equal it is not very good to open 2♣ on a 2 suiter but this 2 suiter is just a touch too strong for me. I don't think it's a big deal though. I'm surprised you feel so strongly about it Gonzalo.

[ONEferBRID]

Perhaps the pair might get to the Diam slam after Opener insists on showing he really is at least a 5-5:

1S - 1NTF!
3D ( GF) - 3NT
4D

Remember the 2 other recent threads where the 3D jump-bids were on 4 card suits:
K x x x and Q x x x .

Still, slam seems less than 50%