[ahydra]

Two crazy hands from the club last night.

First a one-loser hand:

North: ♠6542 ♥62 ♦10 ♣AQ10964
South: ♠AQ9 ♥AKQ98 ♦AKQ82 ♣---

How would you bid this? (IMPs, NS vul, North deals, opps stay silent)

Spoiler

Our opps bid 2C (standard GF)-3C (good clubs); 3H-3S; 6S and I (East) unmercifully doubled with my 5 spades to KJ and 5 hearts to J, 3 down for 800. Team-mates fared a little worse in 6H-4 but thankfuly weren't doubled by East.

And an 18-count slam. Can you get there as NS after West opens 2H (weak) and East raises to 4H?

North: ♠AK93 ♥9652 ♦9 ♣8642
South: ♠Q7652 ♥--- ♦85 ♣AKQ1075

Spoiler

At our table opps bid (2H)-p-(2NT OGUST)-3C; (3H good hand weak suit)-p-4H-all pass. There then ensued much arguing between N and S when they saw they could make 6S...

ahydra

[Quantumcat]

ahydra, on 2012-September-15, 09:04, said:

North: ♠6542 ♥62 ♦10 ♣AQ10964
South: ♠AQ9 ♥AKQ98 ♦AKQ82 ♣---

1♦ 1♥
1♠ 2♦
3♣ 3♦
3♥ 3♠
3NT

1♦ = exactly 4 spades, 8+HCP (rule has been known to be bent with a nice suit like this one)
1♥ = 10+ any shape
1♠ = less than 9 controls and not 10-11 balanced
2♦ = transfer, sign-off or gameforce
3♣ = I would rather play 3♣ than 2♥ if you have a sign-off
3♦ = I have a gameforce and I also have diamonds
3♥ = well if I have to choose one or the other
3♠ = come on I'm reeeaaaally interested in slam (♠ values)
3NT = Please leave me be
Pass = Pard did not accept the transfer, meaning he has small doubleton heart at best. He probably does not have the king of spades and/or three or four diamonds, which would make him inclined to co-operate after having rejected a couple of tries already. No fit (and possibly no entry to pard's clubs) will make it hard to find 12 tricks.

ahydra, on 2012-September-15, 09:04, said:

North: ♠AK93 ♥9652 ♦9 ♣8642
South: ♠Q7652 ♥--- ♦85 ♣AKQ1075

Probably we would not get to the slam, South would probably overcall 5♣ and play there. If it had only been a 3♥ raise though, South would bid 4♣ michaels, North might bid 5♥ (I have some heart losers - spades only logical trump suit for this bid), and South would bid 6♥ (maybe the info will allow pard to bid seven) and North quickly bids 6♠ being worried about his 5♥ bid in the first place.

[han]

The first hand is difficult. We would bid open 2D (multi) and rebid 3H (5-5 hearts and diamonds). Now responder should perhaps bid 3NT.

After 2H-..-4H I don't think anybody will get to slam. Your south was in a very timid mood though.. first overcalling 3C and then passing. I would have bid 3H or 4C immediately, but if I started with 3C I would surely bid 4S next.

[phil_20686]

On the second hand, if south overcalls 5C, north might raise. I am pretty unsure, but it feels like people don't overcall 5C without a pretty good hand. Unlike if south overcalls four spades, in which case north has a clear pass.

PS: on hand one I would bid:

1h-1s
3d*-3h *=55 GF
3S-3N

and then I am not sure what would happen. No way is south passing, when as little as Kxxx xx xx Axxxx gives you good play for 7N. Hopefully it would go something like 4c-4h AP, but I might not be that restrained with my 55 24 count.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Hand 2 ... is Leaping Michaels ON over the Ogust-2NT ? If so, 4C-jump shows strong (5/5)+ in the blacks. At least you will get to game, but I doubt slam.

[Fluffy]

First hand if I don't play kokish:

2♣-2♦
2♥-3♣
3♦-3♥
3♠-3NT
4♦-4♥

hand doesn't look that good when we have to play a 5-2 fit and partner's long suit is clubs. Having to car of ♠Q9, and 4th round of both red suits now the hand is not that strong.

Second one I like the plan of bidding 4♠ as south over 4♥ and run to 5♣ if doubled

[mike777]

first one:

P=2C
2D=2H
3C=3D
3S=3NT
P

[Zelandakh]

Here's my equivalent of a 2♣ auction for Hand 1. Treating the North hand as a positive with clubs looks best. Once partner shows long clubs and no red suit fit, the South collection should not be rated too highly:-

1♣ = 15+ nat/bal or 18+ any
... - 1♦ = 0-8 any
1♠ = unbal GF or 18+ 3-suited
... - 2NT = 6-8, good clubs
3♣ = relay
... - 3♥ = spade fragment, no heart fragment
3♠ = diamond fragment?
... - 3NT = no

On Hand 2, Fluffy's plan looks reasonable. We had a similar hand here a while back where Justin described 4♠ from South as "just what you do" or something similar. (Of course he will probably reply saying this one is completely different.) It is obviously easier after a 2NT response but missing 18hcp slams is hardly something to get into an argument about!

[JLOGIC]

Zelandakh, on 2012-September-17, 03:51, said:

On Hand 2, Fluffy's plan looks reasonable. We had a similar hand here a while back where Justin described 4♠ from South as "just what you do" or something similar. (Of course he will probably reply saying this one is completely different.) It is obviously easier after a 2NT response but missing 18hcp slams is hardly something to get into an argument about!

Heh, I don't remember that but that pretty much sums up how I feel about the hand.

[JLOGIC]

phil_20686, on 2012-September-15, 09:52, said:

On the second hand, if south overcalls 5C, north might raise. I am pretty unsure, but it feels like people don't overcall 5C without a pretty good hand.

Yes, if 5C was overcalled I think the other hand should raise. This goes against my usual philosophy of not bidding slam on this type of auction, but really you need so little from partner if you make the reasonable assumption that partner has a heart void. I mean, xx --- xxxx AKxxxxx is a pretty good slam lol*. There might be some issue with the 3rd round spade loser, or being off 2 aces, but I think it's overwhelmingly likely you make slam. 4 small hearts and 4 small trumps is just the nuts to go with AK stiff which is also obv the nuts.

I agree with you that over 4S it is a clear pass, and like I said I would overcall 4S.

*- of course partner is unlikely to have this hand, but having 7 clubs and a heart void is very likely when we have 4 small hearts, 6430 would often double, so it just shows how little we need for slam opposite that.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

#1 Pass (1) - 2C (2)
2D (3) - 2H
3C - 3D (4)
3H (5) - 4D (6)
4H - pass (7)

(1) Since we are red vs. green, no 3C opening
(2) I dont like opening 2C with 2-suiters, but 25HCP are 25HCP
(3) waiting, the suit is good, but only one KC, so no 3C
(4) 5-4 possible
(5) secondary support, forward going
(6) SI - denies club honor
(7) hopefully I find the pass on the table

[ArtK78]

I understand that slam turned out to be very bad on the first board, but I don't think that 6♥ is the worst contract I have ever seen. It requires some favorable red suit breaks - 4-3 diamonds and either 3-3 hearts or 4-2 hearts with the spade finesse on. The possiblity of a doubleton JT of hearts adds a little extra to the chances of making. You can also handle 5-2 diamonds if the J9 is doubleton - another small additional chance. Certainly not a slam I would want to be in if I could see both hands, but the big hand needs so little to make slam it is hard to justify not getting there.

I would not criticize my teammates for getting to 6♥. 6♠, on the other hand, was kind of silly.