[kgr]

Scoring: MP

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You play ACOL with weak NT
The bidding goes (opps silent):
1♥-1♠
2♦-3♣
3NT-4♥
4NT-5♣
5♥
====
3♣: 4th suit Forcing (GF here)
4♥ after 3♣: strong
4NT: RKC for ♥
5♣: 3 or 0 aces of 5

Do you bid or Pass?

[pclayton]

Well, typically using RKCB you are foisted into another push if you hold 3 or 4 keys. Here, the K♦ is a pretty big card, so I'd try 6♦ to show that card, and also deny the K♠ and the K♣.

I'm not crazy about a system that I have to withhold trump support with A-K 5th until the 3rd round, and temporize with xxxx and the 4th suit in the meantime.

Can't you make a direct raise with this hand in your system (Splinter? Jacoby? whatever?) Seems this would lead to a simpler auction.

[the hog]

I agree with the above post. Bidding 1S on xxxx when I have 5 card support for partner in a GF hand is very ugly. Will partner ever believe that you have 5 card support? I doubt it. Also in a strong auction partner will greatly over value any S cards in his hand.

If you are playing 100% traditional Acol with no forcing raise for pd - Swiss, 2N, or 3N, then I would temporise with a 2C bid. At least you are showing a suit that has a control in it. (I would not splinter with a stiff K.)

Re your question, you bid 6H. Your partner's bid is a sign off opposite 0 KC and you have 3. 6D is a better bid in a regular partnership. Playing with a pick up partner it might only serve to confuse.

PS. Sorry to be pedantic, but the correct name for the system is Acol, not "ACOL". It is not an abbreviation or an acronym for anything, but rather the name of the street in which the bridge club where the system was developed was located.

Ron

[luke warm]

agree with the others... the only, in my mind, justification for bidding spades is to keep the ops from bidding them, but here that seems needlessly cautious - you should be planning on slam anyway... i agree with richard, 2♣ seems like the bid (unless you have some other way to show gf support hand)

and to me this is an obvious 6♥ bid (or 6♦ as phil says, showing that K), after partner asked then signed off (thinking, obviously, you would correct to 6 with 3 keys)

this is a tough hand even in 2/1, cause of the ♦K... i'd be tempted to splinter with that card anyway

[the hog]

"i agree with richard"

Jimmy, are you trying to insult me? The name is Ron. Richard is that other guy...., you know, from Beowulf. (Maybe Free or I should change our nicknames to Grendel).



RON, (as in later).

[luke warm]

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH... hell i KNEW that... a thousand apologies, like i said in another post i had a helluva day... just hope i don't call my wife what's her names name

btw if you're still here RON (he he), klinger's playing vugraph on bbo

[kgr]

---

1♥-1♠
2♦-3♣
3NT-4♥
4NT-5♣
5♥
====
3♣: 4th suit Forcing (GF here)
4♥ after 3♣: strong
4NT: RKC for ♥
5♣: 3 or 0 aces of 5
I was not playing with my regular partner. 5♥ did end the auction. I thought to bid something else then 5♥, but I was too confident that partner would go on with 3 aces.
=> This is a good rule?:
If you have not bid extremely strong and partner bids RKC then you continue to 6 with 3 or more aces (of 5).
=====
With regular partner would certainly bid 6. After 6 ♦ I would go to 7.
We also play fit showing jumps.
3♣ showing 12-15 pts with no singleton
3♦ Showing 12-15 pts with any singleton.
2NT is limit or 16+ with no singleton
3NT is 16+ with any singleton.
(points are distribution pts)
.... not sure what we would choose here.

[inquiry]

kgr, on Aug 6 2004, 09:08 AM, said:

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Well, others have pointed out the folly of hidding five card support and bidding a four card suit to the X's. Let;s assume you have 2NT as a forcing raise, the bidding would be relatively straight forward...

1H - 2NT (game force, heart fit)
4D - 4N (4D = second suit, five cards or longer)
5H - 5S (5H = two key cards plus queen of heart)
5S - 6C (5S = looking for grand slam, a sixth trump? A sixth diamond? A king?)
7H - Pass (6C = king of clubs)

7H = I can count 13 tricks. 5H + 1S + 2D + 2C + 3D ruffs. If you had a sixth heart or sixth diamond, you would have bid the grand anyway, but you choose to show the club king as that card may or may not be entirely useful.