[ochinko]

3NT, then running back to 5♦ after the expected double. I'm not sure how this would work against really strong opponents but it's worth to try.

I guess 2♦ was natural and weak, not multi.

Petko

[luke warm]

since they may yet end up in lho's spades, i'll bid 4c... i plan on bidding 5 or even 6 diamonds, and if their suit ends up being hearts nothing has been lost by my lead directing bid

[mike777]

2NT

Second choice 5D now.

Great issue against very strong opp.

[the hog]

6D against strong opposition. Anything less gives them too much room.

[awm]

I'll go with 5♣. I'm certainly planning to compete at least to the five level so may as well bid it right off. Partner should read this as a diamond raise to the five level with club cards, but even if not, 5♣ undoubled will be a fine result and I'll run back to diamonds if they hit it.

I'm not convinced that competing to the six level is right -- if partner has a singleton club (say 3361 shape) then the opponents may not even be making a five-level contract and are certainly not making a six level contract -- and 5♦ is making most likely. It would be embarrassing to jump to 6♦ only to find that it's one down and opponents couldn't make five of anything.

Bidding clubs preempts the auction, gets partner off to the likely best lead, and leaves open the option for partner to take the sacrifice over 5-major if holding a double minor fit.

The various psych options (2M, 3NT, 2NT, etc) are unlikely to be particularly effective against good opposition. Better to jump the auction to the five level and let them guess.

[fred]

Since the chances of you being on opening lead should the opponents end up playing the hand are excellent, bidding clubs at any level as a lead-direct has very little appeal for me (especially considering that if you bid 5C, for example, your LHO might appreciate you giving him a chance to bid 5D).

If you bid 5C with the intention of eliciting partner's judgment with respect to bidding 6D over 5H, that is another story. However, I doubt there are many people who have the agreement that this is what 5C means. Even for those who do, it's not like bidding 5C on this hand will make it easy for partner to judge what to do.

In my experiences "psychs" like 2NT, 3NT, 4NT, and any number of spades do not work out very well (especially against good opponents) when you have a hand like this. They tend to just ignore you, cuebid your suit, and appreciate all the extra room you have left them.

So I would just bid some number large number of diamonds.

If you bid 5D then LHO is likely to bid either 5H or 6H and, in my opinion, you will be faced with another tough call in either case. Furthermore, if they bid 5H and you decide to bid 6D, you will have created yet another nightmare for yourself. If you think that you are just going to keep bidding diamonds forever no matter what, maybe the best course of action is to bid 7D immediately. Sometimes this actually works!

If you decide that you will always bid 6D, but not 7D, perhaps you are better off just bidding 6D right away. This approach (versus 5D then 6D) probably makes it less likely that you will buy the contract at 6Dx, but it increases the chances that your opponents will bid a bad 6H.

To summarize, I think there is a lot of be said for bidding as high as you are willing to bid, and then keeping quiet. This is a very hard problem in my view.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[pbleighton]

6D, and I won't repeat Fred's arguments

Peter

[Fluffy]

5♦ because that's the most I can make and I am not afraid that they bid 6 since I don't think they will make it for sure (of course they can, just that I doubt it is a cold slam).

If they bid 5M I will bid 6.

[pbleighton]

"part 2.

Whether you psyche or not lho ends up driving to 6H. Do you bid 7D?"

No. If I was willing to bid it, I would have done so directly. It's close, though.

Peter

[pclayton]

If you want to psyche; psyche a call that takes up some room, like 4N. 4♠ looks a little odd, but it might work out.

I kind of like a direct 6♣ - fitted; with a hand that would otherwise bid 6♦.

[the hog]

Jlall, on Apr 4 2005, 10:57 AM, said:

part 2.

Whether you psyche or not lho ends up driving to 6H. Do you bid 7D?

No. I originally bid 6D to make them guess. They guessed! We shall see whether they guessed correctly. Nv vs vul I might take out insurance, but not here.

[whereagles]

Jlall, on Apr 4 2005, 12:57 AM, said:

part 2.

Whether you psyche or not lho ends up driving to 6H. Do you bid 7D?

I wouldn't have that problem because I would have bid 7D the 1st round

[Fluffy]

I already said I am happy if they play 6, if partner has a king, and it is not ♣K (he won't find the lead), we can beat this one.

Regardles of 6♣ being a fit bid or not, it is rather obvious that partner will bid 7 if he has ♣Kxx, so even if not intended to, it will work as a fit bid in the end.

[Walddk]

Upside down world. I agree with The Hog! 6♦ is my bid. Let the opponents make the last guess, but don't give them more than one chance. My intention is not to save over 6 of a major. When I bid 6♦ I have decided that I will defend and hope that opps guessed wrong if/when they bid 6♥.

Roland

[whereagles]

Roland, aren't you weary that pard will have, say

xxx
xx
AKxxxx
xx

and 6H is cold? Even if you give pard the spade K, it's a good shot 6H will make and 7D is 3 down.

In terms of probabilities, this means you'd need around 2-to-1 odds that 6H doesn't make to gamble letting opps play it. I'm willing to bet their 6H slam is at least as good as 50%, and that would make a 7D save a good bet... if you see what I mean with all the mess I wrote... LOL.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Apr 3 2005, 09:13 PM, said:

6C is a fit jump?? What do you do if you want to bid...6C? Also you now allow them a 6D bid on your left so they can have more room to investigate 7. Also they are much less likely to bid 7 off the club ace now. I totally agree with Fred here, against strong opps just bid some number of diamonds and don't get fancy. That applies the most pressure on the opps. You aren't even going to be on lead (well you are VERY VERY unlikely to anyways) so I'm not sure what bidding clubs will accomplish except getting pard, the preempter, to dive (yeah right) over 6H. All psyches and club bids give them cuebids.

Sure; 6♣ is fitted (well, ask Kokish for HIS reasons if you don't like mine).

---> I can't ever remember when I've wanted to bid 6♣ here. Besides, 3♣ is forcing.

----> Don't you want pard's input for taking a sac in 7? Apparently this is the crux of the problem. Give pard the ♣Kxxx and the rest in ♦'s, and the sac looks mighty good. But somehow get pard a slow major suit trick, like QJx, and we might be beating 6.

---->6♣ has nearly all the same preemptive value as 6♦.

If I can telepathically communicate posession of the club Ace, I would feel much more confident about my monkey's ability to lead one. And its likely that he will be on lead.

[Walddk]

whereagles, on Apr 4 2005, 09:52 AM, said:

Roland, aren't you weary that pard will have, say

xxx
xx
AKxxxx
xx

and 6H is cold? Even if you give pard the spade K, it's a good shot 6H will make and 7D is 3 down.

Anything is possible, but I will have to make a decision, and mine is to let them guess at the 6-level. I may even get it for 6♦X. If they decide to bid 6♥ I will defend and hope that we have 2 club tricks or 1 club and a slow trick in a major.

Even 7 could be on for them. I will not give them another chance by bidding 6 first and then one more for the road. 5♦ could work equally well, but once I have made one bid, I will stay out of it.

If I bid 6♦ I will surely be on lead if they take over, so I don't need 6♣ as lead-directing

Roland