Loading ...even crazier hand
Justin and Sherry arrived this morning and we headed into battle in the top bracket of the Tuesday-Wednesday KO with our 17,000 combined masterpoints. We played a pair of three-ways this afternoon and evening, managing to survive them both and rumor has it we play Steve Robinson’s team tomorrow in the semi-finals. Anyway. Check this out: I picked up :S: AKQJ9x / :H: AQTxx / :D: void / :C: Qx and partner opened 1NT.
As of Friday of last week, we play Puppet Stayman over 1NT and 2NT, one distant implication being a change to the 1NT - 3M bids — where they used to show singletons, now we’re playing them 5-5 in the majors, invitational and forcing. So over 1NT, I bid 3 :S: and partner bid 4 :D: which I didn’t realize at the time set Spades. 4 :H: is probably clear over 4 :D: but what’s right over the 4 :S: I expect partner to bid?
January 16th, 2008 at 7:55 am
As 4D and 4H are q’s 4 spades the 5S over 4S should ask for 2nd round club control. Hard to believe partner won’t have that card but it is possible as pard might open IN on xxx, kj, akqjx, jxx. You are still safe in 5S
January 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am
A very interesting hand and in the context of the auction I agree with Stan that 5S is best. If partner has the ace of clubs they should bid 6C and u could then bid 6D. If they should now bid 6H you can bid a grand.
Some other ideas.
Meckwell plays that 5 of a minor following a Texas bid is exclusion keycard. They also play something even more interesting. A 2 level transfer followed by a 5 level bid shows exactly 5 of the suit they transferred to and they are responding as if opener had bid RKC for that suit.
On this hand I might have bid 4H Texas followed by 5D exclusion. If partner bids 5H showing 1 key then I can bid 6D asking for specific kings. If they bid 6H then I can pretty much count 12 tricks - 6S, 5H and 1 club and partner has only shown 7 points. The possibilities of a 13th trick are endless so I will bid 7S.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Since I didn’t know at the time that 4 :D: set Spades as trump (and 4 :C: would have picked Hearts), I spent a lot of energy trying to construct NT hands … decided partner could certainly have something like
:S: xxx
:H: Kxx
:D: AKQx
:C: Kxx
I was worried that 4 :H: would have been to play, so I decided my only safe cuebid was 5 :D: … certainly that was going to get me somewhere. Partner jumped to 6 :S: .
Still didn’t bid the grand. I think partner gave me all the clues, even if I didn’t know about those corresponding club and diamond calls.
On to the semis …
January 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Having read Bob’s response, maybe I mis-understood. I thought 4D accepted spades and was a Qbid. If 4D is just “spades are trump (infering 4C would set hearts)” - then the auction proceeds differently. Some of the tools mentioned by Bob would be wonderful to play at that point.
IF 4D is just “spades” and not a Q, then 4H is clearly a Q and over 4S perhaps a different sequence would ensue. However, I cannot imagine a signoff from partner at that point (which would imply no aces?). No way the strong NT has a hand without an minor suit Ace that won’t include the needed club King and Heart King.
The problem is that finding enough bidding room to bid the grand opposite the magic holding - Hrt King and two minor suit winners (A,A or club AK)
January 17th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
The peanut gallery has a view here. Claude and I play 2 Diamonds over 1NT shows both majors, any strength (and some other uncommon things too)Now opener bids 2 Hearts with equal or better Hts, and 2 Spades with longer Spades.
Over 2 Spds, 4 Diamonds is a splinter and, when followed by B/W confirms a void.
Over the 2 Heart response, we can ask for the number of Hearts (3 Clubs)and proceed from there. In the rare instance where he has 2-2 majors, we respond 2 NT.
Our actual auction might go 1 NT, 2 D, 2 Spd, 4 Dia, 4 Hts, 4 Nt, 5 Clubs; showing 1 and now 5 Hts, asking for Heart controls. He could show Kx, xxx, xx, Kxx etc. At that point we would be nearly a lock to bid the grand.