[ajm218]

1)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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2)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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Do you agree with my bidding? We had no agreement if i showed my cheapest control or just first round after 3♥. What does p have? What does he want?

3)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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1♠ was 5+

4)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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1♦ was 4+

5)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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6)

Scoring: IMP

1♥ (2♦) 2♠ (3♦)
4♣ p ?

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[Jlall]

1) 4H. I am not making any slam move, so it's just a question of which major to bid. Seems pretty close, 4S could go down losing the HA, a diamond, and 2 ruffs, or 2 diamonds and the HA and a ruff. Also some chance of 5-0 spades. 4H could go down if partners hearts are not that great especially if he gets tapped and hearts are 4-1. However given all of our HCP and their diamond bidding it seems unlikely partner has bad hearts unless he has 6-5 (in which case he could stretch a lot to bid 4C). A lot of the 5-5 hands he would just pass 3D with. I am also not worried about them being able to kill the spades and it be necessary, we have a spade and club entry and possibly the HJ entry.

2) Over 3N I think you should just bid 4N keycard for hearts planning to follow with 5N. It is important for your hand to take control, because if partner shows the CK you can bid 7, and since you have already shown your SK partner can bid 7 when that's all he needs also (after 4N 5N). It is not possible partner doesn't have a diamond control after 3N. If he had no D control and had a club control he would have bid 4C, and if he had no control in either minor he couldn't have a 3H bid and would bid 4H anyways. It is possible he bid 3N with both minor suit controls to avoid preempting you out of a club cuebid.

Obviously you were hoping for 4C-4D-4N, but since you don't need the diamond cuebid from him you risked.

Also the way I play 3H asks for aces first, and if you have no ace but a king you bid 3S (3N shows the spade ace). 3H should be reserved for hands with a specific goal in mind opposite a certain cuebid, and an ace and a king should be able to force to the 5 level opposite that so you can bid in natural order (4C then 4S). Most hands that bid 3H should care whether you have an ace or a king. Not everyone plays this way and bids 3H much more often than me, in which case bidding 1st/2nd round controls equally is probably better.

As for what to do now, I'm not sure. Could partner have AQx AKQTxxx Ax x? Could he have Ax AKQTxxx Ax Kx? I suppose if he has this hand he is supposed to bid 6C asking for third round control. With the SQ, CQ, or DK you will know you have an extra trick so you can bid 7 (and there is no hand you can have where the CQ is better than one of the other cards). How about Ax AKQTxxx AQx x? I guess that is a valid construction and 7 is bad. This also shows why we can't just bid 7 with the CK and nothing else, which means 6C should show the K and not the Q.

If we have complete faith in partner I think we cannot bid 7 with just the CQ extra. If he has the CK 5N was a bad bid.

3) The question is which is more likely 5C making and 4S down, or 4S down and 5C making? When partner has 2 keycards we can make 5C barring a spade ruff, but might go down in 4S. For instance if partner has Kxxxx xxx Axx xx playing in 4S on a heart lead ruffed in dummy is a disaster. When partner has only 1 keycard, it is possible 4S makes and 5C goes down but generally only when partner has 6 spades with good spots and even then it's dicey. The most likely example of 4S making and 5C going down is when partner also has a heart stopper to stop the tap, as well as 6 good spades. They key is our hand cannot stand repeated taps. I would definitely bid 5C.

4) That heart ten and matchpoint scoring are very tempting... Mark me down for 1N because I'm willing to compete to 3D over 2H, and if they don't bid 2H partner is likely to have 4 of them in which case 1N will often score better than 2D I think. The best advantage of 2D is that we can sell out after bidding it since partner is involved in the 3 level decision. We are also better placed if they compete heavily (like if we need to bid 4D over 3H). Maybe this 1N bid is too greedy. I really want 120 lol.

5) This hand is not as great as it looks. We need 2 keycards from partner for starters, and even then we are not close to home (a fifth heart would be a big help though). Asking for a 5th heart and 2 keycards or some spade help + 2 keycards is a lot, and there is no safety at the 5 level if we find out we're missing 2 keycards. Especially as we are likely to get a bad split in trumps. 4H.

6) Finally an easy one. What on earth could you bid but 3C, showing a game forcing hand with hearts and clubs not strong enough to open 2C...perfect!

[Codo]

1. 4 ♠

2. I do not agree and had bid 4 NT over 3 NT, expecting this to be RCKB.
I have no idea what 5 NT is, but I bid 6 NT.

3. 5 ♣

4. at mps 1 NT for sure.

5. WhI would like to show this hand with 4 Diamond, but the ugly 4 Club bid makes this impossible. I try 4 Heart. Would 4 NT be RCKB? Would 4 Spade show a heart fit and a control? No sureness, just questions, so I take the low road.

6. This is allmost everywhere a clear and easy 3 club bid.

[benlessard]

1- 4S. I think slam is possible but 4D would be COG rather than a denial cue or a LTTC. I think the chance that we discard H on the club are better than the chance we suffer a H ruff in 4S.

2- 3H show a solid suit in my book (unless its 4M+Lm) and (a very good hand esp if you play namyats) so its a 6 or 7 hand bid so i would RKC and ask for the C king.

5Nt by partner should ask for extras (cannot be PAS here). Ive already showned 2 black cards, with 2K and a Ace 7 is clear so ill bid 6C and he should understand that its the Q.


3- 5C but i think 4S is close. Partner can easily have 6S or a H stop and only 1key.


4-1Nt , even if the H run 1Nt might score better than 2D.


5- 4H We are red so 4H mean we hope to make it facing any 6-8 pts. If partner got 2Key and extras he will move on even without a C control

6- 3C WTP.

[ONEferBRID]

1) After falling in love with 6 tricks in Spades:
   5♠! ...asking for at least 2nd Rnd Ctrl of Diam
   Replies ( moderate version ):
   pass = don't have it
   5NT = protected  ♦K ( 6NT next )
   6♦ = ♦ void ( 6♠ next )
   6♠ = singleton Diam

6) 3♣... wtp

[gnasher]

I'd bid 5♠ on the first one. x KQxxx Ax KQxxx or x Axxxxx x KQJxx or x AKxxxx x KQxxx isn't much to ask for.

I think this denies a diamond control, but doesn't require partner to bid slam whenever he has one. With the same hand but with a diamond control, I'd bid 4♦ followed by 5♠.

[Hanoi5]

5♥
6NT
4♠
2♦
4NT
3♣

According to Justin my only good answer was the easy last one.

[ajm218]

I'll post details of the other hands later but I thought hand 6 was a WTP

My partner (a good junior international) only rebid 2♣ though... (maybe it was the event - a poor standard local duplicate or something else) anyway - we didn't have trouble getting to slam opp KJ98x xx Qx KT9x when i invited.

[nigel_k]

1. 4♥. I'd like to do more but there are too many possible losers to go beyond game. The most likely way game fails is if they get ruffs, therefore 4♥ instead of 4♠ as we are likely to have more of them.

2. 6♥. Agree with the people who said keycard over 3N. It would have to be very clearcut for me to show a king when I only have the queen and here it's not.

3. 4♠. I think they make the same number more often than clubs plays two tricks better.

4. 2♦. We are better placed if there is further bidding and it may play better than 1N even if they pass.

5. 4NT. May be wrong but I just hate being pushed around.

6. 3♣. I'm curious about what choice was made at the table leading to this hand being here.