[CSGibson]

I have a hand evaluation/auction planning question. You do not have complicated or extensive agreements with partner - you are playing 2/1, invitational jump shifts (not forcing), a standard Jacoby 2N, and standard limited splinters. Your cue-bidding agreements are italian style (A or K below 4N). Partner is moderately conservative, but is a very good flight B player.

Partner opens 1♠ second seat all red.

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What's your best option to explore slam?

[Hanoi5]

If my partner likes clubs we're on an excellent path, so I'll bid that suit and later support spades.

[mike777]

old discussion here on the forums show clubs first or show 4 card sp first.

We are told pard does not open on crap and we have a 5 loser hand so 2nt first for me.

Will be hard to stop short of slam.

I mean give pard a nothing hand such as:


Qxxxx..AKxx...xx...AX

and we expect more.

[bigbenvic]

My partners always have wasted values on these type of hands!

I'll start with clubs, and when I bid 3♠ hopefully he can show a club card and a cueing we will go. If he just bids game over 3♠ then I will pass, but with a little sigh :-)

[SteveMoe]

2♣ then 3♠ invites control bidding - and we'll learn if partner can contribute anything in ♣.
4♥ splinter at first appears more direct but I lack 2nd round control in ♣ and if partner has ♠Q ♥AK ♦Q ♣K we wouldn't mind being in slam even after a ♦ lead. Partner won't know that hand is good and will likely reply 4♠ (♥ duplication) leaving us short key information.

[Zelandakh]

Playing 2/1 it seems best to start wth 2♣ and support spades later, especially if you are playing it Fred-style (with a 2NT response as a balanced GF). Playing my system I would show a splinter raise too strong for a direct splinter by starting with 2NT (3♣ is my Jacoby-like raise). There are pros and cons to both approaches that have been discussed several times.

[Fluffy]

we need to know what partner has in clubs, you need solid agreements if you want to find out if partner has ♣xx or ♣x after 2♣ start, it is not stupid to start with jacoby and later do cuebids, but that creates other problems such as partner having ♣Ax(x) where you lose ♣K and a sie ace, as oposed to ♣Kx where you only lose ♣A.

With solid agreements I think best is 2♣+2♠. Starting with 2♣+3♣ will make it very hard to stop in 4♠ or 5♠ after blackwood so also has flaws.

Finally if all is flawed there is always the option to start with 2♦ and at least avoid the most dangerous lead