[rogerclee]

IMPs, r/w

x Ax KQJxxx AKxx

1D (2D) 3D (P)
?

Partner is aware that 2D showed the majors but they had to ask. Partner is a complete beginner (does not play stayman/transfers) and will take anything you bid as natural/to play.

[hanp]

5D.

[jdonn]

6♦, in fact I'm worried about missing 7 given the conditions.

[fred]

4C

No rush to guess how many diamonds to bid. Besides that, it is easy to see how we might belong in 6C.

[Edit]Sorry - did not read the part about partner being a beginner when I made this post.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[rogerclee]

Fred, I was wondering if you could comment on how strongly you prefer 4C to 4S (or anything else), since I would have bid 4S with a partner who would understand that as a slam try with spade shortness.

[fred]

rogerclee, on Feb 6 2010, 01:03 AM, said:

fred, on Feb 5 2010, 05:12 PM, said:

4C

No rush to guess how many diamonds to bid. Besides that, it is easy to see how we might belong in 6C.

[Edit]Sorry - did not read the part about partner being a beginner when I made this post.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

Fred, I was wondering if you could comment on how strongly you prefer 4C to 4S (or anything else), since I would have bid 4S with a partner who would understand that as a slam try with spade shortness.

I prefer 4C quite strongly because we could belong in clubs and, unless I bid 4C, it is not realistic to hope to play in clubs. The opponents relatively silence makes this less likely than it would be in they had bid more.

Against some opponents the silence might be reasonably seen as a warning sign that partner rated to have a lot of his high cards in the majors.

I also don't like 4S because it is bulky. 4C offers a lot more room to maneuver.

It may be partly a personal thing - I guess I have a general preference for bidding length instead of shortness in auctions like this one.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[PhantomSac]

fred, on Feb 5 2010, 08:18 PM, said:

I prefer 4C quite strongly because we could belong in clubs and, unless I bid 4C, it is not realistic to hope to play in clubs.

Strongly agree with this.

[neilkaz]

I prefer 4♣ if playing with an experienced PD, but under these conditions I just will ask for aces with Blackwood. I doubt a beginner pd has junk for his 3♦ raise so I will try a slam if he has one ace, stop in 5♦ if he has none and ask for kings if he has both.

[pooltuna]

neilkaz, on Feb 7 2010, 11:46 PM, said:

I prefer 4♣ if playing with an experienced PD, but under these conditions I just will ask for aces with Blackwood. I doubt a beginner pd has junk for his 3♦ raise so I will try a slam if he has one ace, stop in 5♦ if he has none and ask for kings if he has both.

Yep the convention with the responses every beginner knows (not the same as knows how to use properly).