Posted 2024-May-25, 11:10
I’d be disappointed in our methods if I didn’t know which suit or suits have 4 cards.
Without the auction, my options are sort of meaningless. But if, in response to 4N, he’ll bid 4 card suits up the line (I’m inferring that we’re in a notrump scenario of some kind and it’s expert standard to bid up the line if not passing a quantitative 4N in most sequences), I’ll definitely bid 4N, missing slam opposite 15 (probably for the best) and driving to slam otherwise, hoping for 6C or, unless he’s already denied spades, 6S but settling for 6N otherwise.
This hand is pretty good. It’s definitely worth more than 16 hcp. That spade Jack may be huge and those spot cards often add another fractional trick in terms of valuation.
In fact, I’m slightly more worried that 4N will miss a decent, though usually not cold, slam than that we’ll get too high if he moves over 4N. If I were allowed only to choose between slam and no slam, I’d pick slam. But 4N gets the nod because on a lot of 3=3=3=4 hands, 6C is safer.
Picture Axx AKx xxx KJxx. Yes, maybe he passes 4N although he shouldn’t….6 controls makes this a slam acceptance….but you can see that 6C is a claimed on 3=2 clubs while in 6N, you have no semblance of a 12th trick.
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