[microcap]

You get dealt this interesting collection in third hand. Another pleasant surprise is when partner opens 1♥! RHO passes.

What is your first bid and your plan?

Scoring: IMP

---

[hotShot]

We have a great fit in a major so there is no need to talk about my diamonds.
But we need to know about wasted values in the black suits. If partner has to much of them this could even endanger 4♥.
So telling about my shortage in ♠ is the first step to game,slam or grand.

[Gerben42]

I bid 4NT. Basically the level at which we play depends only on the number of key cards partner has.

2 --> 5♥
3 --> 6♥
4 --> 7♥ (at MP I would like to know if he has some ♦ so I might bid 7NT)

only 1 KC --> maybe opps make 4♠

[inquiry]

I don't bid 4NT as I don't play 1M-4NT as keycard blackwood (if i did,that would be my choice). Typically, I make a 2/1 then raise with this pattern, but what I want to know is about keycards. So I will very uncharacteristically start with 2NT planning on a 4NT rebid unless partner signs off in 4♥ (In which case I think we will be missing at least two of the unseen 4 keycards).

So for me 2NT followed by 4NT... forced by system.

[BillHiggin]

4N would be ok IF it were RKC. It is vanilla Blackwood - you must use some forcing raise first (by most standard agreements) to turn on RKC.

I choose to bid 2D (game forcing), then support hearts, then pull out the RKC cannon. The choice here is mainly based on a habit of showing a raise with a side suit as a source of tricks. But that is not so critical when I have a hand that clearly calls for captaincy.

Beginning with Jacoby 2N (or whatever flavor of forcing raise you agreed on) followed by RKC also works. It might be better if it gives partner a chance to show a diamond void now (diamond void and 2 key cards would be an embarassing response issue with RKC).

Pick a splinter seems poorest - key cards tell the story.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

4NT, I will get all informtion
I need from the answers.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[inquiry]

On a really, really bad day, your partner will hold,

KQJ
JT9xx
Jx
KQJ,

and on a bad day,

KQx
JT9xx
x
AQx

And if we cn come up with hands with ZERO and ONE keycard, it might be possible to draw us some with two where they have teh ace of trumps and can manage one or two diamond ruffs... to go with their two quick tricks.

So what I am suggesting, is that while the consensus is to bid 4NT as RKCB either immediately or after a forcing raise of some sort, the five level is not all that safe. I can imagine after a 0 or 3 response with the first hand or a 1 or 4 response with the second hand, a cautious 5♥ should be bid. With 3 (or more) keycards, Opener is not allowed to pass this 5♥ bid.

[microcap]

inquiry, on Feb 21 2007, 08:46 AM, said:

On a really, really bad day, your partner will hold,

KQJ
JT9xx
Jx
KQJ,

and on a bad day,

KQx
JT9xx
x
AQx

And if we cn come up with hands with ZERO and ONE keycard, it might be possible to draw us some with two where they have teh ace of trumps and can manage one or two diamond ruffs... to go with their two quick tricks.

So what I am suggesting, is that while the consensus is to bid 4NT as RKCB either immediately or after a forcing raise of some sort, the five level is not all that safe. I can imagine after a 0 or 3 response with the first hand or a 1 or 4 response with the second hand, a cautious 5♥ should be bid. With 3 (or more) keycards, Opener is not allowed to pass this 5♥ bid.

But on a better day, you will have 13 cards in the second hand! LOL

BTW, hand 1 is a 1NT for Rex and me so that does make it simpler for us, though not strong NT pairs.

[Fluffy]

blackwood (as you call 4 keycard bw) is not part of my system, so 4Nt is good enough for me

[jdonn]

I would just respond 4NT now, regular blackwood. A minor concern is I will mention in passing is I am worried about the opponents getting together for a save in a black suit if I bid 2NT first to set up keycard. But my real reason is that the combination of the opponents leading the wrong black suit on the tons of hands where partner has AK/AQ of one and no ace of the other, and of us not losing a trick to the king of hearts if we are missing it (maybe partner has 6 to the ace, 7 to the ace, 6 off the A-K splitting 1-1, or most likely simply a finesse) convinces me to just take a chance.

Of course since I am going out on a limb somewhat, I would have no problem with partner bidding 2NT first so he can bid keycard next. But hey, take a chance

[dake50]

4NT and grand slam force if 3A, even Malowon 6C.

[microcap]

I am surprised at the number of responses for 2♦, which i think is clearly wrong. This hand will be declared in ♥, and I think you are much better off supporting with support immediately.

At the table, I bid 2NT Jacoby, with my next bid planning to be 4♠ kickback for key cards. I can sympathize with the 4NT bidders, which I believe to be regular Blackwood.

But I forgot to factor in those pesky opponents, who bid 3♠ after me. Rex bid 4♠ kickback, then RHO bids 5♠. Then I forgot we were playing DOP1 and cost us tons of imps >

In the other room, he splintered 3♠, which had the salutary effect of preventing opps from bidding it! They cruised into the easy 6♥.

[goobers]

Wait, how would they fail to bid spades if it was splintered? Wouldn't it have been bid more readily?

[the hog]

I think anything apart from 2D is clearly wrong. 2D is a standout.

[microcap]

At the colors, opps threw in a lead directing 3S bid. Over the 3S splinter, he really didnt have enough to bid 4S as there is no certainty opps have a slam at that point. After all, he was looking at the Ace of Trump! The other table could have doubled the 3S bid but didnt.

Hog, what is your reasoning?

[the hog]

Firstly anyone who decides to splinter is foolish. What are you going to splinter in? Why bother splintering?
4NT even IF KC is flawed. What if pd has Kxxxx Axx xx Axx. Slam is ok but not great. I play it as BW not KC btw.
A 2D bid allows for easy development of the auction. If the opps don't interfere, I can set H, follow up with serious/frivolous or whatever and explore. If they do intervene, the would have done so anyway, and I'll decide what to do when I see the level they bid at.

[whereagles]

We ONLY need to know keycards. If I have some sort of gadget that enables me to ask for keycards below 4NT, I'll use it. If not, I'll just bid 4NT and hope for the best.

Not the safest of auctions, I agree. But sure is the clearest of all and if pard happens to have the keys we need, we're in excellent shape to bid 5, 6 or even 7♥.

[bid_em_up]

microcap, on Feb 22 2007, 04:14 PM, said:

I am surprised at the number of responses for 2♦, which i think is clearly wrong. This hand will be declared in ♥, and I think you are much better off supporting with support immediately.

At the table, I bid 2NT Jacoby, with my next bid planning to be 4♠ kickback for key cards. I can sympathize with the 4NT bidders, which I believe to be regular Blackwood.

But I forgot to factor in those pesky opponents, who bid 3♠ after me. Rex bid 4♠ kickback, then RHO bids 5♠. Then I forgot we were playing DOP1 and cost us tons of imps >

In the other room, he splintered 3♠, which had the salutary effect of preventing opps from bidding it! They cruised into the easy 6♥.

And I think 2N is clearly wrong. But I am not a fan of bidding Jacoby 2N on distributional hands and realize that others may have no problem with it. To each their own.

Splintering 3S may work, but then again, maybe its the club shortness that would get partner excited.....so splintering with two stiffs isnt an option for me either.

2♦ is game force. Thats all you need.

Second choice would be 4N......and I think it should be RKC. But I always treat ambiguous 4N bids where no suit has been explicitly agreed as agreeing the last bid suit. I can't really think of a good reason for 1M-4N not to agree the major....but I suppose somebody has one.

[Fluffy]

The_Hog, on Feb 23 2007, 09:17 AM, said:

What if pd has Kxxxx Axx xx Axx. Slam is ok but not great.

Partner opened 1♥, not 1♠, if he has majors reversed I think slam is very good.