[Stephen Tu]

You hold Kxx x - AKQJ98765. Favorable vul imps. RHO opens 1d. Your call?

Anyone have methods to ask for aces after RHO's opening? What should 4nt mean by default?

[EricK]

Perhaps you can bid 3♦ nominally asking partner to bid 3NT. Then (assuming opps remain silent), partner will either bid 3NT in which case 4♣ should show a hand interested in slam with solid ♣; or he will bid something else, in which case 4♦ will show a hand with solid ♣ and first round ♦ control. If opps bid more, the whole thing becomes even murkier than it already is.

I'm not sure what an immediate 4NT is, but I don't think it should be ace asking.

[Fluffy]

I'd start with 3♦ also, but at MPs I would consider passing 3NT.

[gszes]

I actually play 4d as exclusion blackwood but the last time
I saw a hand like this where it was useful was over 3 years ago
and who knows how many hands (and I still have no good
other option for 4d) on that hand I got to 6h making 6 btw
partner had 1 ace. 1c 4c 1d 4d 1h 4h 1s 4s are all exclusion
for me until someone comes up with a better solution.

Since we cannot use what we don't have I guess my best guess
is

5c

We have little to no defense and we are safe vs ops vul games
at the 5 level. Since there is no rational way to get us to 6 it seems
reasonable to bid a game we think can make and preempt our
opponents at the same time. The nice thing about 5c (vs 3d and
more bidding) if the opps hazard in at the 5 level we have no
trouble at all leaving in a penalty x from p since we are promising
no defense. Going the other way we would have huge problems
leaving any penalty x in because we are showing a much stronger
hand.

[Stephen Tu]

Maybe I should mention 3d wasn't an option since we play that as natural preempt (perhaps more common here in U.S. than other countries playing 4+/5+ 1d openers/4-cd major systems).

Other table made a very questionable takeout double then punted 6c after partner bid 4h over a preemptive diamond raise. I just tried 5c over 1d since my partnership hadn't really discussed any of the possibilities here.

[Fluffy]

I prefer 2♣ than 5 to keep some options open, but it could backfire when they find a large fit.

double is ludicrous, just imagine playing 1[♦ double lol, partner scores 5♦ tricks and they still make

[the hog]

Just bid 5C on this. Looking for 3NT MPs or not, is silly imo.

[Zelandakh]

Fluffy, on 2013-August-05, 07:51, said:

I'd start with 3♦ also, but at MPs I would consider passing 3NT.

That will be fun to play on a heart lead when partner brings ♠AQxx, ♥xxx, ♦AKJx, ♣xx. I do not really see how asking for aces directly over 1♦ would help us here - partner shows 1 or 2...and now what?

[RMB1]

Zelandakh, on 2013-August-06, 01:13, said:

I do not really see how asking for aces directly over 1♦ would help us here - partner shows 1 or 2...and now what?

There is a strong case that ace asking on the first round should be for specific aces - like an opening 4NT - I think that is what some have assumed here.

[Zelandakh]

RMB1, on 2013-August-06, 01:22, said:

There is a strong case that ace asking on the first round should be for specific aces - like an opening 4NT - I think that is what some have assumed here.

I see. And after a 5♦ response? Or a response showing 2 unspecified aces? Or a response of 6♦+ showing ♠A and ♦A? On the other side, perhaps a good hand for a 3NT specific ace ask...

[Fluffy]

Zelandakh, on 2013-August-06, 01:13, said:

That will be fun to play on a heart lead when partner brings ♠AQxx, ♥xxx, ♦AKJx, ♣xx. I do not really see how asking for aces directly over 1♦ would help us here - partner shows 1 or 2...and now what?

But since opening leader has ♠KJxx ♥AK ♦Qxxxx ♣xx I make 11 tricks beating the field in 440