[Poky]

IMP. All vul.

1♣ 3♠ pass pass
Dbl pass:

What means now responder's:
- 4♠
- 4NT
- 5♣?

And what will you rebid on each of these bids holding:
♠Jx
♥Ax
♦AK
♣AKTxxxx?

[mr1303]

I've never had a hand where I wanted to cue-bid 4S after a pre-empt, when I didn't have enough to bid on the first occasion, similar with 4NT

5C might be something like an 8 count with 4 clubs to an honour.

On the given hand, I would double 3S, and correct 4D or 4H to 5C. I'll pass 3NT

[inquiry]

Ok we can eliminate the hands were partner had a ♠ stack and made a trap pass (After all you did reopen with a double so with those hands he would have passed).

I also find it hard to believe that 4♠ would be a void and club fit, he could have bid that instead of passing, and that would give the opp 11 spades and they didn't try anything more than 3♠.

So having eliminated the obivious. I think 4♠ and 4NT must be conveying some specific information about final contract options. I doubt the option is to play in hearts, for what partner would force us to play in 5♥'s, when they could bid 4♥ and if we run, rebid 5♦ with a red two suiter, for instance.

So the only two options left are these bids are somehow related to trying to give us a choice between clubs and diamonds, or trying for slam. So, 5♣ is to play, showing support but not enough to raise to 4♣ ealier. I would pass 5♣

So is 4♠ and 4NT both suggestions for diamonds but williness to play in clubs? Could they both be club support with (4♠) and without (4NT) a spade contro;/ What kind of hand can partner have to invite slam and not be able to bid directly over 3♠. I think five or six diamonds, singleton spade, and four clubs... with as little as something like ♠x ♥xxx ♦Qxxxx ♣xxxx 6♣ is on ice. So over 4♠, I am going slamming, maybe grand slamming using whatever slam convention I ahve to investigate controls. Basically, I want to know partners spade control quality. In a pinch, I might bid 5♠ here as exclusion key bid, asking for seven with first rouind control, but prefereably, 4NT is ace ask... (NOTE if partners spade control is the king, we need to bid 6NT, not 6♣, so have to consider that too.

Over 4NT, I can only assume partner has a great hand, but lacks a spade control. Somethiong like ♠Qx ♥KQJ ♦QJxx ♣Qxxx. As much as I would like to bid slam, we have two spade losers on the top. I bid 5♣.