[jdonn]

KT AK9xx Jx Kxxx
AQJxxxx Qxx Q Qx

1♠ 2♥
2♠ 3♣
3♥ 3♠
4♦ 4♥
4♠ 5♣
5♦ 5♥
6♠

1♠ opening limited to 15
2♥ forcing to game
2♠ promises 6
Otherwise everything through 3♠ was natural then (purportedly) cuebidding.

Comments? Blame? LOLs?

[mohitz]

No blame. Just unlucky both Aces were offside.

[Fluffy]

its just another case of my suit is the fit, yours is cuebid.

I think south should pass 4♥

[Hanoi5]

5♦ is the incorrect bid.

[ONEferBRID]

Seems to be a case where "real bridge players don't use Blackwood" and this is where it gets you.
I don't have too much of a problem with the early part of the given auction, but since the cuebids are "mixed" ( 1st or 2nd Rnd Ctrl... ) then you need RKC to sort it out.
When you do use RKC in a "double fit" auction, you also need a "rule" as to which suit is trump... normally the "highest" suit ( unless you have agreed to 6-Ace RKC ). Also, I think it a good idea for a king-rich hand to go RKC :

1S - 2H! ( 2/1 GF I presume )
2S - 3C ( why not 3S ?? )
3H - 3S
4D! - 4NT ( RKC for Sp )
5D ( 1 key ) - 5S

KT AK9xx Jx Kxxx
AQJxxxx Qxx Q Qx

1S - 2H! ( 2/1 GF )
2S - 3S
4D! - 4NT
5D ( 1 key ) - 5S

[gnasher]

The problem might have been caused by doubt about what trumps were, and possibly also by ambiguity about how strong each hand was.

I think 4♦ should set spades as trumps. In that case, I think 5♣ was a clearcut error. Hands where Keycard is the answer aren't as common as people seem to think, but on this hand it does look the right move if you're going to make one. 5♣ isn't going to tell you whether you're opposite ♣xx or ♣Qx.

There are other places where North might have bid differently: he might have raised spades immediately, or after 3♥ he might have set hearts as trumps so as to protect ♣K. However, I don't think not doing either of these was an error.

I'm not sure whether South's actions after 5♣ were right or not - it depends what sort of values he'd already shown with 4♦.

[whereagles]

This is a structural problem, caused by responder not realizing he's playing precision. Opener is limited and he had like 5 chances to end up the bidding in 4M and missed them all.

Still, 5♦ didn't help either.

[hanp]

Opener bid well, LOL at north.

[helene_t]

Responder needs to ask for keycards. He is captain, he has both major kings so doesn't care which kings can't be found by rkc, and he is the first to know that all suits are controlled.

Don't understand 5♦, though. Opener should sign off here IMHO.

[bid_em_up]

wtf is 4♦?

Opener has a terrible opening hand and should just bid 4♠ (imo).

[mikegill]

I blame North primarily, for his 5♣ bid. I think in a controls-based cuebidding style, 4♥ promises a club control since partner bypassed that suit. So, South knows all the suits are controlled, that North cooperated with a slam try, and yet he still signed off in 4♠. North does not exactly have extras for a 2/1, so it seems clear he ought to pass.

That being said I would never cuebid 5♦ as south - cuebidding twice on a singleton seems like a gross distortion. In fact, I probably would have signed off in 5♠, since my hand really isn't very good. Surely on this bidding the dQ has almost 0 HCP value, and I already tried for slam once based on my extra spade and good placement of singleton. However, if North had just passed 4♠ then I wouldn't have been in this situation.

[pooltuna]

Both for not having a clear agreement on the meaning of 4♥ & 4♠. North for not using Blackwood to check for aces and opting instead for 5♣. South for re-qbiding ♦ instead of just bidding 5♠

[cherdanno]

bid_em_up, on Jun 29 2010, 08:17 AM, said:

wtf is 4♦?

Opener has a terrible opening hand and should just bid 4♠ (imo).

Uuuuh - opener has quite a good hand given that he is limited. Not even cueing 4♦ would be criminal. Yes it's effectively a 11 count (AQJxxxxx Qxx x Qx) but WHAT AN 11 count! ♠K ♥AK and ♣A is all he needs for slam to be cold.

[billw55]

cherdanno, on Jun 29 2010, 08:34 AM, said:

WHAT AN 11 count! ♠K ♥AK and ♣A is all he needs for slam to be cold.

Only four specific cards, all of them aces and kings? Rarely am I blessed with such a perfect dummy.

re: the OP - blame to both, for reasons already stated.

[hanp]

Are people really suggesting that opener shouldn't bid 4D? I agree with Arend that that would be criminal. All opener has shown at that point is 11-15 HCP with a 6+ spade suit and heart tolerance. Responder has shown a doubleton spade. Responder has no idea that opener's spade suit is nearly as strong. Moreover, opener has a diamond control and two well fitting queens. I think this is really quite a good hand, and I think that opener did perfectly by bidding 4D and then 4S.

Once opener signs off with 4S and responder forces opener to guess, I think it is quite reasonable to bid 6 based on the excellent spade suit and heart queen. Saying things like

Quote

Rarely am I blessed with such a perfect dummy.

is way off. Opener has really limited his hand and responder is pressing and pressing, why shouldn't opener expect a good dummy? Of course responder could have made this much easier by asking for keycards (or easier: by passing 4S).

[kgr]

pooltuna, on Jun 29 2010, 03:31 PM, said:

Both for not having a clear agreement on the meaning of 4♥ & 4♠. North for not using Blackwood to check for aces and opting instead for 5♣. South for re-qbiding ♦ instead of just bidding 5♠

Agree with this.
 
5♦ cue after first cueing 4♦ should by 1st round control.
Or was 5♦ last train for ♥? But then he should pass 5♥.
=> I really don't understand 5♦

[Apollo81]

All of the bids up to/including 4♠ seem pretty obvious. I agree with responder not passing at this point but I'm not sure whether I'd bid 5♣ or 5♥. I would have bid 5♠ over 5♣ with opener's hand. Having already bid 5♦, opener has an obvious 5♠ bid over 5♥.

[hotShot]

I don't like a 4♦ bid that can be a mixed cuebid or shortness.
But still it must set ♠ as trump suit.
If that is the agreement, than it did not cause the problem.

But what is 5♦?

[CSGibson]

5♦ is taking some potshots, but I sort of admire the bid, personally, as it is the best way to find out if partner can cue-bid the K of hearts. Without that cue, you'd just be guessing. I recgonize that it might also have some other problems (ie, partner now takes control after you've shown diamonds)...

[aguahombre]

helene_t, on Jun 29 2010, 07:11 AM, said:

Responder needs to ask for keycards. He is captain, he has both major kings so doesn't care which kings can't be found by rkc, and he is the first to know that all suits are controlled.

This is right; and the detractors of 4♦ should look at North's hand and realize the bid made it possible for North to take over.

After 4♦, North can ask for aces (doesn't matter in this case, but this is a six keycard auction). North finds out two are missing and signs off in a major.