[SimonFa]

2/1, IMPS

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I think North was marginal for the RKCB bid but in their defence the honour points are concentrated and he has the HT.

In practice I suspect that South (me) would have gone on if North had bid 4H so we would have been in slam anyway so this more about hand evaluation than ATB.

As always thanks in advance,

Simon

[TylerE]

Is anyone should bid RKC on this hand it is South. BIdding RKC with a suit apparently uncontrolled is not usually a winning move. This is totally aside from N completely overbidding his hand. Playing standard, 4♣ is not mandatory, and thus having shown mild extras, N has an auto 4♥ over 4♦, since there is no spade control to show. At that point S should probably hit the brakes on the hand. Without a lot of extra trump the crossruff is unlikely to be a winner, and it's pretty obvious that you don't have 12 tricks on strength.

[inquiry]

I am guessing slam went down which is why you are looking for a way to stay out of it. But really, it doesn't look like a bad slam at all. If the ♠ king is in front of ♠AQJ, surely the slam is very reasonable (cash club ace, duck a club, ruff a club high). You get 5♥, 3♠, 2♣, 1♦ and 1♣ ruff. It would take a 7-0 club split or 5=0 trump to defeat the slam. So let's call that a 50% slam. If the spade finesse is offside, you still have chances (for example 3-3 clubs), that gives you 2♠, 5♥, 1♦, 4♣, and 1♣ ruff == you don't get 13 tricks because you lost the ♠ hook. Even some 4-2 club splits with the ♠K offside work (with East having the two clubs).

The way to stop is for North to rebid 4♥ over 4♦ since he has nothing else to show (This assumes his 3♣ and 4♣ has already announced some extra values. South without "good" hearts might give up. However, I see nothing terribly wrong with the final contract. It is where I would like to be on these two hands.

[TylerE]

Inquiry, the "problem" I have with that line is doesn't the auction go the same with AQxxx of ♣, which makes the slam quite a bit worse? Or stiff ♠ and ♦ xx?

[ArtK78]

The hand as presented is a very good slam. Even with AQxxx of clubs in the North hand it is not a terrible slam. You need one of two finesses and some handling, or both finesses and only a little handling.

I would want to be in slam on the hand in the OP, and I would not be ashamed to be in slam if the North hand held only AQxxx of clubs (although I would probably want to avoid it, but it is close).

As for the bidding, the 4NT bid was aggressive. Having already bid the hand in a very strong manner and cue bidding the ♣A, North can sign off pending a further move by South. After all, North has xx of spades and cannot consider slam without South having a spade control. South can make another move over 4♥ (presumably by bidding 4♠) and then North can continue, either with RKCB or by a further cue bid.

Once South moves over 4♥, slam will be reached. And that is probably true whether North has AKxxx of clubs or AQxxx of clubs.

If South had the ♥K95 instead of the ♥K65 slam would be almost a certainly.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Cue bidding 1st Rnd Ctrls first crowds the auction for eventual RKC .
If you played Italian ( " mixed " cue bids ) -- 1st or 2nd Rnd Ctrl -- up-the-line , then partner would know you have NO ♠ Ctrl when 3S is by-passed over 3H .

Edit: I'd still be in slam, though, but South would be doing the asking .

This post has been edited by TWO4BRIDGE: 2013-June-18, 13:38

[gszes]

first dont berate yourselves too much this is hardly the
worst slam i have ever seen and that's with the doubleton
club in south 1 actually would have been better. The
concentrated values of the N hand make this hand
significantly better than the hcp would make it seem.

1h 2d 3c 3h 4c 4d 4h 4s 4n 5c 6c asking p to bid 7 with
club honor 6h. as stated by tylere do not use 4n unless
you know all suits are controlled. Keep up the good work
and remember that this is a game of %. If the only games
or slams we bid are 100% we are huge underbidders.
That means a lot of games/slams we bid will go down
that does not mean they are bad games/slams especially
at imps:))))))))))

[mike777]

I would not only be in the small slam I would have at least looked for the grand and subsided in 6 when south denied outside kings.

For me north has extras

If this is one of your worst bid hands, you are winning quite often.

[ahydra]

I think I agree with those saying N should just bid 4H over 4D. He's shown a little more by cuebidding, and without spades stopped now he can let South take control.

ahydra