[Coelacanth]

IMPS, short matches

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Some questions about this sequence:

Would you have bid 4♥? Any consideration of Dbl, 3NT, or anything else?
What hand type does partner have for his 5♦ bid?
Is 5♦ forcing?
What call do you make?

[mcphee]

Choosing the best bid is not always easy and this hand does pose some problems. The hand is quite offensive and will take a lot of tricks if partner does hold 4H, which is not a 100% requirement for the t/o dble. I like to use a responsive dble over 3S usually a hand with 2 places to play, when partner bids 4D I can comfortably bid H now having told the other hand I also have some C.

With the bidding you gave I would assume 5D was a cue bid in support of H, if not we need to have a talk.

[ArtK78]

mcphee, on 2011-April-22, 08:34, said:

Choosing the best bid is not always easy and this hand does pose some problems. The hand is quite offensive and will take a lot of tricks if partner does hold 4H, which is not a 100% requirement for the t/o dble. I like to use a responsive dble over 3S usually a hand with 2 places to play, when partner bids 4D I can comfortably bid H now having told the other hand I also have some C.

With the bidding you gave I would assume 5D was a cue bid in support of H, if not we need to have a talk.

Maybe we should have a talk.

To me, the 5♦ bid is natural and strong - too strong to overcall 3♦ (which is quite strong). Technically, it is not forcing, but opposite a hand that could freely bid 4♥ over 3♠ it is almost forcing.

If this bid is not natural, what is partner supposed to bid at his first opportunity on:

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Ax
AKJTxxx
KJxx

Does he really have to bid 3♠? This is a very good hand - really too strong to overcall 3♦ but not so strong as to demand game opposite a balanced 6 count (unless it is the right 6 count). Overcalling 4♦ is not an available choice for most players as that shows diamonds and hearts.

It makes sense to me that 5♦ is strong and natural. With a big hand with hearts that wants to look for slam over partner's 4♥ call, the big hand can cue bid 4♠.

By the way, don't ask me how you are supposed to get to 6♣ on the example hand that I provided.

[ggwhiz]

ArtK78, on 2011-April-22, 09:32, said:

By the way, don't ask me how you are supposed to get to 6♣ on the example hand that I provided.

Easy. I'm bidding 6♣.

If pard was cuebidding for hearts, so am I. If pard has your example hand we are there. If pard doubled on a 1-suiter he better make 6♦ or we will need to have that talk.

Either way(s) I win the post-mortem, the prime objective.

[Coelacanth]

The first two replies are interesting. I was sure that my partner's bid was either a cuebid in support of hearts, or natural and to play. Unfortunately, I didn't know which.

If you think that partner's bid is natural and NF, you have a clear pass, I think.

If you think that partner has made a cuebid supporting your hearts, what call do you make? 6♣ seems normal if you deem this hand slam-worthy after partner's sequence, but do you? If not, you retreat to 5♥, I suppose.

If you don't know what partner is doing, what's the best bid to cater to all possibilities? Or, to rephrase that question, what's the best bid to avoid a disaster?

I figured that if partner was cuebidding and I bid 5♥, he would either pass or raise. If he didn't have hearts and wanted to play in diamonds, I figured he'd take me back to 6♦. Of course, when I rebid hearts, he thinks I have a ton of hearts.

Partner's actual hand was ♠x, ♥Ax, ♦AKQJxxx, ♣Kxx. He passed when I bid 5♥; this contract was not a success. 6♦ will make if clubs are 3-3; I'm not sure if they were.

[Fluffy]

Partner obviously is bidding a natural 5♦ he cannot miss both ♠ and ♣ controls.

The better the level of your partner the more likelly this is a cuebid and not natural. Good players do not double with 1 suiters over preempts if they can avoid it. Partner's double was wrong, he has just a good 3♦ overcall.

I'd rather bid 3NT with your hand, for example LHO could easilly be 1-4 in the majors and 4♥ will be a bad contract then. Q108x in RHO's suit is very NT oriented holding, making often 2 tricks in NT, but often zero in a suit contract.

[jdeegan]

6♣
Pard has the world's fair with solid ♦ or ♦ and ♣. On the auction, I have extras so 6♣ it is.