[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-October-21, 09:42, said:

---

We play fast arrival

I am not sure what fast arrival plays a role here?
As it is, most would play 3C as either a hand with SI or a unbal. hand, that does not want to play NT,
that wants to send a warning, that NT needs stopper in the other 2 suits.
3C is gf, and why you have to blast to 4S killing space without enabling p to clarify, what his intention was,
is beyond me.

If you want to go scientific, you could agree to play 3S as setting clubs, any other suit as setting spades, with
max, and 3NT as showing a hand with the red suit well stopped.

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-October-21, 09:35, said:

Oh my goodness. I am always bidding game.
I'm dipping my toes in for slam.

If you find p with 14HCP and AKQ in hearts, good luck, opp. you may have fast discards,
but maybe they cash their diamonds winners first.
Obv. I would not expect a hand with 18HCP, having announced to be playing 14-17, I fail
to see a reason to downgrade, I rather upgrade.

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-October-21, 12:27, said:

And is 2S variable?

yes, if you mean could partner have a super accept?

[jillybean]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-October-21, 12:33, said:

I am not sure what fast arrival plays a role here?
As it is, most would play 3C as either a hand with SI or a unbal. hand, that does not want to play NT,
that wants to send a warning, that NT needs stopper in the other 2 suits.
3C is gf, and why you have to blast to 4S killing space without enabling p to clarify, what his intention was,
is beyond me.

If you want to go scientific, you could agree to play 3S as setting clubs, any other suit as setting spades, with
max, and 3NT as showing a hand with the red suit well stopped.

You're correct, fast arrival does not apply here. 3C says we have SI, however, I always have SI. 4♠ does not exist.
Let's leave scientific for now.

[DavidKok]

For me 3♣ can be COG, but that is not too relevant here.

More generally, when we have a super shapely hand, the probability of partner having wasted values increases. Firstly because there are more candidate suits for wasted values (hearts and to some extent diamonds). Secondly because the opponents aren't in the bidding, and if they have length and a lot of honours they might, so there is a negative inference (the lack of competition on this auction is a serious red flag!). Thirdly from simple vacant spaces - we are missing more hearts and diamonds, so partner on average holds more of them.

I advocate strongly upgrading with unbalanced opposite balanced, as we can now count on tolerance or support for all our long suits. This is also a big part of why I am so strongly opposed to folding in (a wide range of) semibalanced hands into my NT ladder. However, here we must apply the opposite skill: visualise what hands partner can hold, especially under some assumption of wastage in the red suits, and see if we can meaningfully get partner to cooperate on the hands where we want to be in slam but sign off on those where we want to be in game. I think the probabilities are too lopsided, and not in our favour. So game it is.

[jillybean]

Yes, yes. When the opponents come into the auction, I can better place partner's values.

wasted values and vacant spaces

[akwoo]

jillybean, on 2026-October-21, 12:16, said:

Doesn't this hand have some play for 6 ppposite ♠AKxx and AKQ in the minor suits ?

Some play, yes. Better than a finesse, maybe barely. And that's a fairly specific hand.

[jillybean]

 akwoo, on 2026-October-21, 13:36, said:

Some play, yes. Better than a finesse, maybe barely. And that's a fairly specific hand.

And this is why we have cue bidding?
I do concede, it was clearly another lack of reason, hopefully momentarily.

[mikeh]

The problem with showing a slam try as responder is that you know you’re looking for a super hand with virtually nothing in hearts (although the heart ace is fine IFF he also has the diamond ace).

But he doesn’t know that you’re slamming on an 8 count with your trump suit bring 5 to the Jack. Yet again we have posters who think they’re in complete control of the auction when in reality opener is allowed to think about what you’re showing and to act accordingly. Since there is no way he’s picturing you making a diameter modding the AKQ of spades and the KQ of your second suit, he rates to get you too high. So I sign off in game

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2026-October-20, 17:24, said:

---

Late to the thread, difficult day.

Love your previous coming out on nebulous 1NT and now 14-17, have you been reading TNT?

[mike777]

 pescetom, on 2026-October-21, 15:34, said:

Late to the thread, difficult day.

Love your previous coming out on nebulous 1NT and now 14-17, have you been reading TNT?

I have heard of nebulous clubs
I have heard of nebulous diamonds
Now nebulous 1NT? 😊 😁 I feel old.

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2026-October-21, 15:42, said:

I have heard of nebulous clubs
I have heard of nebulous diamonds
Now nebulous 1NT? �� �� I feel old.

You have been missing (or misreading) many recent discussions about NT openings with shapes that are neither truly balanced nor 5332.
I can send you a contentious document if you like

[pescetom]

Having said that, I already fail to understand why West opened 14-17 with what looks like a decent 18, at least to me after a hard day of bridge and various.

As a rule, it's hard to recover from that and I soon learned never to risk it (have a stern talk with CHO if they think differently).
As it happens, that error helps and any rational auction will stop below slam anyway, but I prefer to go off the rails rather than let lunacy like this go unnoticed or feel justified by a fluke result.

[jillybean]

I don't understand the 1NT opening, unless it was a miscount. I've asked the question and am now focusing on my bids.