[hrothgar]

Simple enough looking hand, but of such stuff dreams are made...

MP. Weak field. Good partner.
South is dealer

Where do you want to play? What's your auction playing very basic 2/1 GF

---

[mikeh]

I want to play in 6N in mps but would be happy enough to reach 6♥ in most fields

As to how to get there, the first 3 calls are obvious, but over S's 2N rebid it is all about methods. Any decent pair has an agreement about how to show various hand-types over a 2N rebid.

For me, my preferred method is for N to transfer to hearts, to show the 5th heart, and to then bid spades, to check back for the possible 4-4 fit, forcing to game.

Opener would bid 4♥ (4m would be a cuebid agreeing spades, and 3N would be denying 4 spades and 3 hearts).

It is then up to N whether to make a try. It is close, especially at mps and even more so when one considers that the bidding to that point will make a club lead probable.

South should certainly drive to slam if N peeps over 4♥. The shape is terrible but the purity of the hcp...literally nothing but Aces and Kings...makes this a maximum. With another J, I would have opened 2N, since to call our 3 Aces and 2 Kings 18 hcp would reveal only that we don't know much about this game.

[monikrazy]

Can go either way on opening 2N or 1D as south. My 2N range is 19-21 so upgrading would be normal but not mandatory (knr has this 18.85). I wouldn't anticipate rebid problems.

So the two possible auctions are:


1D - 1H
3N - 4N
6H

or

2N - 3C
3D - 3S (smolen)
4H - 4N
5C (14) - 6H


note: even though opener is supposed to rebid 2N with 18-19 balanced i just upgraded my hearts and unwilling to risk settling for a partial.. the downside to this bid is responder knows i can have 2 or 3 hearts

[Zelandakh]

Given very basic 2/1:

1♦ - 1♥;
2NT - 3♠;
4♥ - 5♦;
5♠ - 6♥ seems reasonable.

While I also like transfers over a 2NT rebid, I do not think these come into the remit of the OP.

[kenrexford]

Whichever way you go, Opener has to make a super-accept, IMO. If he does not, Responder should not go to slam, largely because he needs a super-accept that is not made. Opener should make the super-accept because he has a primed-out hand that is undervalued once a fit is known.

Consider Z's auction, where he rebids a simple 3♠. IMO, 4♥ by Opener is wrong. Opener should have the ability to make a "flag" bid here. A "flag" would be to bid 4♣ to super-accept hearts or 4♦ to super-accept spades. Thus, Opener should bid 4♣ to super-accept, and THEN Responder should move forward. If Opener can super-accept but does not, Responder should live with 4♥ making an expected 11 tricks.

Consider, then, M's transfer auction. Opener has no reason to lurk with a simple 3♥ call. Even if Responder was attempting to sign off at 3♥, Opener has a ridiculously good hand contextually. If Opener breaks the transfer, he has a super-acceptance, and this is a super-acceptance, IMO. My option is a "T 3NT" call, showing support with an honor and all Aces-and-spaces (or attached Kings) outside. After this, Responder moves. Without this, 3♠ is right, but this gets messy. I agree that 4m should be a cue for spades, but only because I would have super-accepted the heart transfer with a hand that would now want to cue in support of hearts or would now want to flag. Thus, Opener does box himself into a 4♥ forced underbid. I think the context makes Responder under more pressure to pass than Mike sees.

[gszes]

mikeh, on 2014-March-09, 17:46, said:

I want to play in 6N in mps but would be happy enough to reach 6♥ in most fields

As to how to get there, the first 3 calls are obvious, but over S's 2N rebid it is all about methods. Any decent pair has an agreement about how to show various hand-types over a 2N rebid.

For me, my preferred method is for N to transfer to hearts, to show the 5th heart, and to then bid spades, to check back for the possible 4-4 fit, forcing to game.

Opener would bid 4♥ (4m would be a cuebid agreeing spades, and 3N would be denying 4 spades and 3 hearts).

It is then up to N whether to make a try. It is close, especially at mps and even more so when one considers that the bidding to that point will make a club lead probable.

South should certainly drive to slam if N peeps over 4♥. The shape is terrible but the purity of the hcp...literally nothing but Aces and Kings...makes this a maximum. With another J, I would have opened 2N, since to call our 3 Aces and 2 Kings 18 hcp would reveal only that we don't know much about this game.

I use the same method but for me opener would super accept over 3d (they do not have to worry about having a broke partner)

[Zelandakh]

kenrexford, on 2014-March-19, 11:55, said:

IMO, 4♥ by Opener is wrong. Opener should have the ability to make a "flag" bid here. A "flag" would be to bid 4♣ to super-accept hearts or 4♦ to super-accept spades.

I agree with this and it has come up on BBF before. It just does not fit with the conditions in the OP.

[ahydra]

1D (or 1C) - 1H
2NT - 3C (checkback)
3H (MAX w/3H) - 4D (diamond control, no club control)
4S (got a club and spade control) - 4NT (RKC)
5D (1 or 4) - 5S (ask Q)
5NT (nope) - 6H

(edited to make North captain, since South is the well-defined hand)

Should North convert to 6NT at matchpoints? I think it's a bit dodgy because he can't know about CAK opposite. With just one stop, on a club lead declarer might need to get the clubs away on pointy suit winners after drawing two rounds of trumps.

ahydra

[hrothgar]

FWIW, here's the auction that partner and I produced
(It has some relevance to the lying about Stayman thread)

1♦ - 1♥
2N - 3♣
3N - 4N
6H - 6N

3♣ was checkback
3N denied 3 hearts or 4 spades
4N was quant
6H was choice of slam

[Winstonm]

My simple method would be:

1D-1H
2N-3C (checkback)
3H-3S (cue showing some interest)
4C-cue bid showing agreement with slam try-4D
4S-(would bid 4H with Jxx or xxx of hearts)-4N
5C-6H

[Zelandakh]

Winstonm, on 2014-March-20, 08:12, said:

My simple method would be:

1D-1H
2N-3C (checkback)
3H-3S (cue showing some interest)

I take it you play that 3NT shows 4 spades then?

[Winstonm]

Zelandakh, on 2014-March-20, 11:08, said:

I take it you play that 3NT shows 4 spades then?

Had I interest in finding the 4/4 I would have bid 3S over 2N. I try to keep it simple. Opener can confirm a slam try after 3S with 4C accepting hearts or 4D accepting spades.

Not great but playable.

[kenberg]

Can my clone and I find 6NT? Maybe.
1♦ 1♥
2NT 3♥
4♣ 4NT
5♣-4♦
5♥. ?

Maybe
5♥ 5♠
6♣ 6NT
No, not 5♠, bid 5NT you numbskull. Then South bids his K. After which North pretty much knows South's hand. He can do as he wishes, presumably 6NT. But I will leave the original 5♠ up for amusement.

I know 3♥ over 2NT is not what most do. I don't play so often that I have a lot of detailed agreements so, after 2NT, I like 3♣ and 3♦ to show ♣ and ♦ respectively. Minor suit slams pay well even at mps. This leaves 3♥ as natural and forcing. The 2NT bidder has either 2 or 3 hearts and acts accordingly. His 4♣ denies four spades (bidding 3♠ shows four spades) and accepts hearts. Then we do 1430 RKC.

It appears to me that it is pretty important for North to be "The Decider". After he finds out that 15 points in the South hand are in the four keys he tries to see, missing the ♥Q, where 12 tricks are coming from if hearts produce only four. That JT in spades is starting to look pretty good as a back up plan.4+4+2+2 seems to add to 12.And 3+5+2+2 definitely adds to 12 if hearts come in. South can never be aware of this feature.

[Zelandakh]

Winstonm, on 2014-March-20, 11:21, said:

Had I interest in finding the 4/4 I would have bid 3S over 2N. I try to keep it simple. Opener can confirm a slam try after 3S with 4C accepting hearts or 4D accepting spades.

I am not so sure Opener can ever advance with 4♣ here because you have to bid 3♠ with 4-4 majors. And Opener has presumably already denied 4 hearts.

[kenberg]

It seems clear, to me at least, that if South's ♥9 is the ♠9 then we want to be in spades. So there has to be a way to check for both.

I recognize that my rather simple-minded approach has limitations but I have found it pretty workable. After 1♦-1♥-2NT you can easily construct hands where we belong in game in one major or the other, slam in one major or the other, slam in diamonds, and even, although unlikely, slam in clubs. I don't doubt that a well-developed checkback system caan handle all of this, at least I have been told that it can, but I think it needs more, or at least different, features than are needed after 1♦-1♥-1NT.

Anyway, for this hand my natural approach works fine. After 2NT-3♥ we find a heart fit if there is one and we find a spade fit if there is one.

After we find the heart fit, we still have to decide on strain and level. Suppose after the 4♣ the auction, with different hands, had gone 4♣-4NT-5♣(four keys)-5♦-5♥ (no ♥Q)-5NT-6♥(no side king, which is quite possible when South already has shown three aces and the King of trump). Thjen I think we want to be in 6♥, not 6NT. The hands may be:

---

Suppose a club lead. 12 tricks will need some very good fortune in NT. 6♥ is no piece of cake either, but the chances are better. Rise with the ace, diamond ot the King, ♥A, small t ♥K. If the suit splits 3-2 and the Q does not come down, the expected situation, throw clubs on top diamonds, cash the spade ace and lead a spade to my Jack. If it holds, I am making this. Not great, but not horrible, and possibly the ♥ falls under my AK. Not likely, but could happen.

As I see it, with the double stops in the actual hand we can afford to try 6NT. Club lead (for example) taken, ♥K, run the ten. If it loses a club comes back and you go after the spades. If spades don't work either you are going down. It's truew that those in 6♥ are going down also, but you are going down more Too bad, but probably worth it at mps.