[ahydra]

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Weak NT, 5cM. The HA was offside so 6D was down 1. Edit: MPs and they led a club.

I think we both got a bit of last-hand syndrome on this one. Is the West hand worth 1S? Is the East hand worth 6D? ATB as usual please.

Thanks,

ahydra

[TWO4BRIDGE]

1S - 2D! ( 2/1 GF )
3H! jump ( splinter for ♦ ) - ?? now East knows of wasted values in ♥ and maybe puts the breaks on in game.

EDIT: Of course slam is about 50% ( ♥ Ace onside ) .

[Cyberyeti]

TWO4BRIDGE, on 2012-May-26, 08:36, said:

1S - 2D! ( 2/1 GF )
3H! jump ( splinter for ♦ ) - ?? now East knows of wasted values in ♥ and maybe puts the breaks on in game.

EDIT: Of course slam is about 50% ( ♥ Ace onside ) .

It's better than 50% by the matter of them having to lead a club, trump and A♥ are both also possible, it's worse by virtue of trumps 3-0 offside.

No blame, happy to be in this or not, it's a very obvious 1♠ opener.

I'd have been inviting the grand in case partner had Kx, xxxx, Axxxx, Ax

1♠-2♦
4♥(exclusion)-5♦(2 without)
5♥-6♦

[ggwhiz]

I've been in much worse slams (today already).

I don't like splinters and would probably slow things down with a 3♦ bid instead of 5♦ but given some of the slams I've been in lately I would certainly get to this one.

[mikeh]

1♠ is entirely reasonable....what alternatives are there? Pass seems misguided, and a weak 2 is plain silly. 4♠ is probably the only remotely rational alternative yet risks playing in the wrong strain at the wrong level.

5♦ seems a bit weird to me. Yes, it gets across the general nature of the hand....W must be weakish in hcp and freakish in shape, but so what? Why does W have to place the contract? Maybe grand is cold, but unbiddable after 5♦. Maybe the partnership belongs in spades...? Why not a simple 3♦, which is forcing, and await developments.

I wouldn't splinter....I really don't like splinters on voids when partner will think it is a stiff, especially for slam purposes. Absent the heart A, he'll think we have a sure heart loser, and adjust his sights accordingly.

As it was, it was a good slam: it is probably cold on a non club lead, and even with the club lead, it is 50%.

[SteveMoe]

I think the jump to 5♦ is misguided - just give East 3 good spades to see why (3=2=5=3). ♠ are still in the picture after partner's 2♦call. I like the 3♥ splinter a bit more than the possible 4♥ exclusion bid because ♠s are still alive and I need to know if partner controls ♣. With a ♣ control the exclusion bid is a no brainer - however I have many partner's who forget that the level above a splinter bid is exclusion RKB.

As for a 1♠ opening bid on this hand, I would choose that over 2♠ and pass - all HCP are working in the 2 suits. I owe partner 1/2 QT. 65 shape pays that debt nicely.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

SteveMoe, on 2012-May-26, 22:33, said:

- however I have many partner's who forget that the "level above a splinter bid" is exclusion RKB.

Side issue : When ♥ are trump, Meckwell uses 4S! as kickback-RKC and 4NT as voidwood ( Excluding ♠ )

Analogously, when ♦ are trump, 4H! may be kickback-RKC and 4NT could be Voidwood ( Excluding the kickback suit, ♦ ). I don't know if they play it that way, but I do know some, if not many, here play 4H! as kickback .

EDIT ( Addition ) :
For example, in a recent thread [ http://www.bridgebas...-club-openings/ ] , Cyberyeti ( in post # 3 ) where ♣ are agreed as trump, he says 4D! = kickback and 4NT! is Exclusion ( Excluding the kickback suit, ♦ ).

This post has been edited by TWO4BRIDGE: 2012-May-27, 14:59