[thepossum]

Dear all

Was I just unlucky here or was there a way with cue bids to reduce the risk and stop in 5. I wanted to check kings better but a small redistribution of trumps gives you 6 Maybe I should have bid 4S or 4NT over 3S. It would have been better if I had been the asker in Blackwood, maybe after 3S??

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regards P

[The_Badger]

Very, very unlucky in my opinion. The trump break (4%) plus lack of kings just dooms this contract from the outset. I'll let the commentators who have expertise of robot bidding to advise you further, but the one bid that I'm not keen on is 3NT - though your options could well have been limited given GIB bidding - as how does the robot know you have at least 2 card support for ♠s and is quite happy to press on towards slam without that knowledge? You would open 1♦ with a 1444 shape hand and 18-19 so you could have all 4 keycards, but 6♠ or 6NT is a dire contract with this distribution needing a lot to go right.

On the actual hand make the two queens into the ♥K and 6♠ is a great contract. I believe many pairs would also end up in 6♠ with the above cards.

[hrothgar]

Auction looks fine to me.

[Tramticket]

I'm not familiar with the Bot's methods. But surely 2NT showed a balanced 18-19? Arguably you are worth an upgrade to 20 and a 2NT opening.

If 3NT is an offer to play in 3NT, then I don't understand the bid. You want to play in spades and you should raise to 4♠, or better still, cue bid a club control. But I've already admitted that I don't play GIB's methods, so maybe 3♠ sets trumps and 3NT is some kind of Good/Bad slam try? If this is the case, then you are certainly top end for your previous 2NT bid and your bidding looks fine.

I think that the Bot over-valued its hand.

[gordontd]

I would have cue-bid 4C rather than bidding 3NT, but that would just make it more likely to reach the poor slam. I think the bot has done too much bidding, perhaps because of overvaluing the shortage in your suit.

[pescetom]

thepossum, on 2018-November-29, 22:41, said:

Was I just unlucky here or was there a way with cue bids to reduce the risk and stop in 5. I wanted to check kings better but a small redistribution of trumps gives you 6 Maybe I should have bid 4S or 4NT over 3S. It would have been better if I had been the asker in Blackwood, maybe after 3S??

You were certainly unlucky, but I think you could and should stop in 5.
If you had asked Keycards after 3S you would have been able to stop in 5NT (ask Keycards, then the Q, get 5NT reply denying Kings), but I don't believe it would be right to ask - partner only forced you to game, and having already limited your hand you have no reason to push beyond that, it's a crude move that could well take you too high.
I think the right bid here is to control-bid 4C, and I don't agree with gordontd that this would just make it more likely to reach the poor slam - any disciplined control-bidding should stop in time, although I've no idea how GIB would bid. Here partner will probably control-bid 4D, but then bid 4S after your enthusiastic 4H. At this point you are probably still not going to stop, but if you control-bid 5D then he is going to bid 5S at which point you give up. Or if you play Turbo then you are going to bid 4NT at which point he knows that either we are off 2 keycards or you only have 4HCP remaining to cover 3 missing kings, so he lays down an ominous 5S.

[rmnka447]

Your bidding was fine.

Just a bad break.

[thepossum]

Dear everyone

Thankyou for all your comments

Regards P

[akwoo]

Your bidding was fine. The bot was an idiot.