[Echognome]

Scoring: MP

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Your auction goes:

2♣ (1) - 2NT (2)
3♣ (3) - 3♠
3NT - ?

(1) 10-14 hcp, 5+ clubs (generally rule of 19 as minimum)
(2) Game Forcing enquiry
(3) 6+ clubs, pretty much denies a 4 card side suit

3♠ showed a 5 card suit and we were obviously in a game forcing situation. Have you had enough when you hear 3NT or are you worth one more try? If you do make a try you can bid 4♣ to agree clubs, you can try 4♦ if you fancy trying for a 4-3 fit, you can try again in spades, or you can bid a quantitative 4NT.

[whereagles]

Pass. Typical hand for slam visions that end up the wrong way.

[Free]

Poor continuations after 2♣ lead to such problems (is p minimum or maximum? this is important from time to time!), and since we're in a misfit situation I'll just pass.

[mike777]

geez if I cannot pass on this one, when can I?

[pclayton]

Can I back into 4N after a natural 4D? Or would 4D be construed as kickback? If pard tries 4H, I'll try 4N. I'll pass 4N and 5C, but will make a move over 4S or 5D.

Pard seems to be some odd 6331 (w/o s's), 6322 or some random 7 bagger.

Anyway, this feels like a system fix in the making.

Why don't you use 2D as the ask instead of 2N?

[Echognome]

It probably is a system fix. We kept 2NT as the ask since we play a similar 2♦ bid and didn't want too many asymmetries given that the lifespan of this system is for the rest of this week only. (note that in our usual system, both of these hand types would be bid through 1♣, but that is not allowed while we play in acbl-land.)

As per whether we could back out into 4NT, the answer is yes. We play Minorwood as opposed to kickback, so 4NT is ALWAYS denying slam interest after 4 of a minor.

To answer Free's point, we probably could come up with slightly better methods after our 2m openings, but I'm not too fussed as the hands are fairly well and narrowly defined. I can find out whether partner is min or max by inviting slam and am I so worried to play in 4NT rather than 3NT when I know we have around 28 combined? If partner opened super-light, then that's his problem not mine.

[Fluffy]

2 kings and semi-solid clubs will bring easy 12 tricks, the problem is we have no way to find it out, and anything else will lead to poor slams. So I would pass.

[luis]

Diffcult problem but I think that if 4NT is quantitative I will try 4NT there're many hands where slam is cold for example:

Kx
xx
xx
AKQJxxx

or:

Kx
Kxx
xx
KQJTxx

So I bid 4NT with hand #1 and #2 it's easy for pd to bid 6♣ and I correct to 6NT to rightside the contract when pd has something like #2

This can be wrong but I don't really like to pass 3NT.

[pbleighton]

I agree that you need a system fix to distinguish min and max. In this auction I pass.

Peter

[flytoox]

I vote for 4N. If clubs can run, we are counting 9 sure tricks and we need one finesse to make 4. IF clubs cannot run then pd need a side suit entry in that case either 4N makes or 3N goes down as well.

I agree 2N as game force inquiry is not a good treatment.

[cf_John0]

Almost no slam,I'll pass!