[trolley813]

Hello all! This is my first post on BBO forums (I'm not so experienced bridge player as well), so I likely did something wrong. I appreciate any notes to that.

Today I've played a training hand with robots online (unfortunately not on BBO) and had the following hand (I was South):

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The bidding was as follows:
North: 1♦ (as usual, 12+ HCP, no 5-card major, 3+ diamonds)
South: 2♥ (intending to show 9-11 HCP with a long suit, at least the explanations provided (meaning shown upon pressing the bid button) say so. But I suspect that North might understand it as strong jump (16-18 HCP), however it may be not the case)
N: 2NT (14-23 HCP, game forcing)
S: 3♥ (6+ hearts. My thoughts: "Well, I have nothing except hearts, and my black suits are too weak to bid 3NT. If you have stoppers in them, welcome.")
N: 4NT (Blackwood 3014 (non-RKCB), asking for aces)
S: 5♦ (showing 1 ace)
N: 5NT (ask for kings)
S: 6♦ (1 king. I expected that North will pass now)
N: 7♦

A very, very risky grand slam which could be disastrous. But the trump distribution with defenders was favourable (2-2 and the king being onside (with East)), so we managed to make it! (East lead the 10 of clubs, I took it with the ace and immediately led the queen of diamonds. When His Majesty (the king of trumps) showed up, I took with the ace and led the 3 of diamonds to the jack, then ruffed a club and the grand slam was made). 2210 points and +16 IMPs.

Full hand:

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[Cyberyeti]

3♦ not 3♥, you have a diamond fit, although N has gone berserk launching into blackwood. I think 6♦ may have shown the ♦K which is why they bid 7♦ (specific K ask rahter than how many).

[trolley813]

I was afraid that 3♦ could get info a misfit. Since I'm using 5-card majors, an opening bid of 1♦ could indicate as few as 3 diamonds (and 2NT does not show a long diamond suit).

P.S. As far as I can see, 5♦ (or even 6) is makable in this particular NS layout even with unfavourable trump distribution (since at least one of the ♦K and ♦10 can be successfully finessed, and the remaining trumps are enough to ruff).

[Cyberyeti]

trolley813, on 2020-October-16, 09:22, said:

I was afraid that 3♦ could get info a misfit. Since I'm using 5-card majors, an opening bid of 1♦ could indicate as few as 3 diamonds (and 2NT does not show a long diamond suit).

P.S. As far as I can see, 5♦ (or even 6) is makable in this particular NS layout even with unfavourable trump distribution (since at least one of the ♦K and ♦10 can be successfully finessed, and the remaining trumps are enough to ruff).

If you start with this sort of 2♥, partner will not expect 4 diamonds, Axx is about as good a holding as you're likely to have

[smerriman]

If 2♥ simply shows 9-11 HCP with a long suit, that's a rather odd use of the bid. You have 1♥ to show that hand; normally a bid that takes up so much bidding space needs to be much more tightly defined (eg many would play it as promising diamond support as well as the hearts). Otherwise you're making it harder for both of you to continue bidding.

This hand is also a good reason why you should play RKCB; the diamond king is too valuable to not find out about until the 6 level.

[Cyberyeti]

smerriman, on 2020-October-16, 13:25, said:

If 2♥ simply shows 9-11 HCP with a long suit, that's a rather odd use of the bid. You have 1♥ to show that hand; normally a bid that takes up so much bidding space needs to be much more tightly defined (eg many would play it as promising diamond support as well as the hearts). Otherwise you're making it harder for both of you to continue bidding.

This hand is also a good reason why you should play RKCB; the diamond king is too valuable to not find out about until the 6 level.

It's arguably more tightly defined than a 5-8/9 WJS which can equally start with 1♥ that some people play

[smerriman]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-October-16, 13:45, said:

It's arguably more tightly defined than a 5-8/9 WJS which can equally start with 1♥ that some people play

Agreed, but I strongly dislike that system too Every time a partner tries that type of weak jump shift, I always seem to have the opening hand where I wish they hadn't.

By a passed hand there simply seems no need.

[Cyberyeti]

smerriman, on 2020-October-16, 14:40, said:

Agreed, but I strongly dislike that system too Every time a partner tries that type of weak jump shift, I always seem to have the opening hand where I wish they hadn't.

By a passed hand there simply seems no need.

By a passed hand, this doesn't really exist, I'd have opened 1♥, if you play a 6-10 weak 2, you should play it too weak for that if you're going to use 2♥ for single suiters.

[smerriman]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-October-16, 15:20, said:

By a passed hand, this doesn't really exist

Yup, that's why I'm rather surprised it existed for the OP - unless it really did promise diamond support and they missed that in the description, which'd somewhat help explain why it was so keen on diamonds.

(In fact, given they said the 3♥ bid showed 6+ hearts, that probably implies 2♥ showed 5, which is an even stronger suggestion this was a support jump shift).

[johnu]

smerriman, on 2020-October-16, 16:08, said:

Yup, that's why I'm rather surprised it existed for the OP - unless it really did promise diamond support and they missed that in the description, which'd somewhat help explain why it was so keen on diamonds.

(In fact, given they said the 3♥ bid showed 6+ hearts, that probably implies 2♥ showed 5, which is an even stronger suggestion this was a support jump shift).

Or maybe just an example of Occam's razor. The other site's robots are about as good as GIB so there are a lot of mysterious bids.