[rogerclee]

r/w IMPs

void AQxx 876x AJ8xx

1D 1S X 2S
P 4S ?

2S = weakest possible raise
1D is standard, 4+ unless 4432 exactly.
No good/bad 2N

[rbforster]

4N at these colors, so partner will bid our minor suit fit.

[Bbradley62]

Double. Take your plus score at IMPs. It's not at all clear that you have 5m.

[jjbrr]

4nt for me

[Jlall]

I don't understand 4N rather than 5D. What shape does 4N usually have? I guess we cater to partner being 4-4 in the minors, but if he 1 more diamond than club I expect him to always pick clubs which is obv terrible (3343 for instance). I also don't really want partner to play in hearts when partner is 4-4 in the reds which I think I will after 4N and not after 5D.

I would just bid 5D, I'm a little worried about missing 6 but whatever, maybe partner will kick it in if he has the nuts with 3 low spades and good trumps and controls. I can't really semi-bluff and bid 6D because my trumps are so bad and they won't save with good trumps.

[whereagles]

no way I'm sellin' out. 5♦ or 4NT or whatever... definitely not pass

[Phil]

5♦ but I'm not that bullish about making it or even making 6. A little spade duplication and a weak NT across may not be enough.

Pard did pass 2♠ after all.

[Siegmund]

I think I like 4N better than 5D, given the suit quality, even though it'll more often be 1-4-3-5 or 0-4-3-bad6 than 0-4-4-5.

I certainly like either bid better than I like defending.

[MarkDean]

I think the original double was bad, I would have made a forcing diamond raise.
The opps are white/red and have 9+ spades, do you think they are going to let you play 4H? If not, it does not really matter what suit we are competing in. This will also tell partner we have a good hand immediately, and will let him have a penalty double available in some auctions: he might have a stack, and with two aces, I am happy to defend.

Having doubled, I would now bid 5D.

[jdonn]

The original double was automatic. You prepare for a competitive auction by showing your xxxx of minor suit support? They don't (even nearly) always bid 4♠, just bid your hand. And yes 5♦ here.

[pooltuna]

rogerclee, on May 1 2010, 01:46 PM, said:

r/w IMPs

void AQxx 876x AJ8xx

1D 1S X 2S
P 4S ?

2S = weakest possible raise
1D is standard, 4+ unless 4432 exactly.
No good/bad 2N

well the only call I would not consider is pass. Give partner's inability to make a call or X over 2♠ I am inclined to accept whatever plus I can get with an X

[MarkDean]

jdonn, on May 3 2010, 12:11 AM, said:

The original double was automatic. You prepare for a competitive auction by showing your xxxx of minor suit support? They don't (even nearly) always bid 4♠, just bid your hand. And yes 5♦ here.

You prepare for a competitive auction by showing the suit you have at most an 8 card fit in instead of the one you have at least an 8 card fit in?

[Jlall]

I know it's unlikely but partner CAN be 4432. It is more likely than usual when the auction starts this way and we have this hand I bet.

You are also screwing yourself any time partner has 4 hearts and the opps are not bidding 4S. Even if they bid 4S a massive 75 % of the time that partner has 4 hearts (I doubt they do), are you willing to get to 3N or 5D twenty five % of the time that the opponents don't bid 4S and partner has 4 hearts? You could just go down in 5D cold for 4H. It seems silly to me to risk these 2 things.

[mikeh]

Whether one bids 4N or 5♦ should, imo, depend on partner's style with 4=5 in the minors. If he routinely opens 1♦ with 4 good diamonds and 5 mediocre clubs, or does it without any need for diamonds to be better than clubs, it is usually going to be right to find clubs: it will be embarrassing and potentially fatal to reach our 4-4 diamond fit rather than our 5-5 club fit.

The corollary is that opener should bid 5♣ only with 4 card support if he could easily have 5.

Opposite me, 5♦ is clear.

And, it appears that we may have discovered yet one more reason for opening 1♣ on 4=5 minors