[hanp]

Kxxx
KQxxx
x
Jxx

p - 2NT
3D - 3H*
3S - 4C
??

2NT showed 20-21 HCP. Partner's 3H denies a good hand with 3-card heart support. 4C is a cue for spades.

Your choices incude 4D (slam interest) and 4H (retransfer). Your choice?

[P_Marlowe]

5D, which should be a splinter.

If p bids 5S, I will pass.

With kind reards
Marlowe

[dake50]

is D-short good or bad? How high do we bid to show what may be key, may be duplicated? Short needs to be shown second on slam tries --at least often. Partner not liking hearts, is strong clue to skip this slam.

[Simplicity]

Lets play 4♠, pard doesn't have ♥Axx and 11 tricks dont look secure opposite some hand pard may go on with.

Also seems odd 4H is retransfer when we bid the suit naturally but w/e

[Cyberyeti]

4♦, I want to know if partner has the A♥, slam is a long way away if he doesn't.

There's just about room for him to have AQJ10, xx, AKxx, AKx although I'd treat that as 22-23, but on a diamond lead and another diamond when in with the A♥, if he doesn't have 2 diamond winners, I may not be able to get back to the long heart if he's lacking the ace, and if he only has one club winner , a club lead might well make this ZP.

AQxx, Ax, Qxxx, AKx with a J or Q for frostiung would look much more promising.

So 4♦, follow up by passing 4♠, blackwood over 4♥, and if partner has Qxxx, Ax, AKJx, AQx and it turns out I can't make 5 then c'est la vie.

[Free]

4♦ lets see if partner has ♥A.

[kenrexford]

FWIW, I would add another option of 4♠ as some sort of slam move also.

[Free]

kenrexford, on Sep 23 2010, 01:42 PM, said:

FWIW, I would add another option of 4♠ as some sort of slam move also.

4♠ probably has the meaning of the original 4♥ bid (that's how I play it anyway, so cuebid or LTTC).

[pooltuna]

Free, on Sep 23 2010, 07:30 AM, said:

4♦ lets see if partner has ♥A.

this

[jdonn]

Is 4♥ really a retransfer? We bid spades already.

Anyway I think I'll just bid keycard now, he already showed interest in slam so I see no reason to wait. If he shows 3 then denies the queen I'm going to bid 6♣ which should show this exact shape (after a queen ask and denial further bids must be natural instead of tries for a grand, but I can't have a void in diamonds and bid keycard). Hopefully either 6♣ or 6♥ will make in that case and we can get to the right one.

[kayin801]

jdonn, on Sep 23 2010, 08:51 AM, said:

Is 4♥ really a retransfer? We bid spades already.

Anyway I think I'll just bid keycard now, he already showed interest in slam so I see no reason to wait. If he shows 3 then denies the queen I'm going to bid 6♣ which should show this exact shape (after a queen ask and denial further bids must be natural instead of tries for a grand, but I can't have a void in diamonds and bid keycard). Hopefully either 6♣ or 6♥ will make in that case and we can get to the right one.

I guess I'd further ask the difference between a direct KC and a re-transfer and then KC, but that's probably irrelevant.

I like 4♦ over 4♥, if that is what Han is asking, seems cooperative and it'd be nice to see what p does after that before completely committing.

[hanp]

Oh I'm dumb, of course 4H is not a retransfer. So you can bid 4D or 4H as cues.

[kayin801]

hanp, on Sep 23 2010, 10:15 AM, said:

Oh I'm dumb, of course 4H is not a retransfer. So you can bid 4D or 4H as cues.

pooltuna said:

QUOTE (Free @ Sep 23 2010, 07:30 AM)
4♦ lets see if partner has ♥A.

this

This then

[mikeh]

I'd bid 4♦, and over 4♥, 4♠.

This hand, with indifferent spades and no heart Jack (hence we probably need to ruff a heart to establish the suit) is worth a try but not in my view, a force. 4♦ lets him know that I am interested.

He should drive to slam with good spades and controls, which is when I want to be there.

AJxx Ax KQxx AQxx is a hand that should, in my view, cue 4♣ yet pass 4♠ after 4♦.

AQxx Ax Axxx AQx is a hand that drives to slam after a try.

I'll miss some, but I won't reach many that have poor play.

[hanp]

Quote

AQxx Ax Axxx AQx is a hand that drives to slam after a try.

That's what happened, but partner had AQ10x Ax AQx Axxx. With the minors reversed the slam is not nearly as good.

[Phil]

Would 4♠ over 3♠ say 'I hate my hand' or is 4♣ just systemic to agree spades?

Anyway, 4♦ for now, and I'll bid 5♥ over last train. The passing the buck will end soon.

[jdonn]

hanp, on Sep 23 2010, 01:22 PM, said:

Quote

AQxx Ax Axxx AQx is a hand that drives to slam after a try.

That's what happened, but partner had AQ10x Ax AQx Axxx. With the minors reversed the slam is not nearly as good.

Our diamond shortness could be the key to the hand but we have no way to show it (I think 5♦ over 4♣ is exclusion anyway). Relay system one time? Still I think that slam is fine to be in, though better if partner could have played it. Come to think of it, why didn't we stayman then smolen? I guess we were stuck playing puppet stayman, one more reason not to play it.

[hanp]

5D would not be exclusion but would be a splinter (rule: no exclusion after 2NT openings). Perhaps not a bad idea here.

We don't quite play puppet Stayman (3H would show 4 or 5, 2NT would show 4-4 in the majors) but we don't play Smolen either. I am sure though that you would be less able to show your hand after 2NT - 3C - 3S than after 2NT - 3D - 3H - 3S.

[whereagles]

Technically pard will have on average like 4 or 5 LTC losers, opposite our 7. That means 11 or 12 tricks, so it will depend on the degree of diamond wastage.

Thing is, I'm not sure we can disentangle it with control bids. So I'd probably bid 4♠ and that's it.

[ONEferBRID]

Side issue.
There seems to 2nd way for Responder to show 4/5 ( or 5/4 ) in the Majors and that is with ( Regular ) Stayman first ( 3C!).... followed by Smolen ( or 3M= 5 cards if no Smolen ) when Opener denies a 4 card major w/3D .

Would one way show the slammish hand and the other way game only ?