andy_h

Pass now, I've done enough.

Opener didn't find out about the SK, hence 6C. That's true, I forgot about the jack of clubs. On second thoughts I think over 5H, both 5S and 5NT should both be grand tries revolving around the diamond suit since opener will never need to bid 5S asking about spades. That way responder should have a fair idea on what kind of diamond suit opener has.

5♣, partner should know we are 6-5 given our absence of a michaels cue bid. Our hand is pretty good with our AKAK and I can't bare to not bid with a potential double game swing that could be involved in this deal.

1D-1S 2C-2H 3C-3NT 4C-4H 4NT-5C 5D-5H 6C-6NT 2H=4th suit GF 3C=Waiting, can be 1354 4C=5/5 invite 4NT=RKC 5C=1 5D=Q ask (grand try) 5H=CQ and HQ 6C=No more to say (Would bid 5NT last train asking about diamonds if holding x Ax AQxxx AKxxx) 6NT=Responder knows opener, having slam interest with 4C should have a minimum of x Ax AJxxx AKxxx)

4D

I like bidding my suits so 1♦ then 3♣ on the 1st one. I'm willing to sacrifice the information leakage in exchange for potentially better slam bidding or I even welcome the opponents to interfere with hearts so they push us from a failing 3NT. The sharp cards and the good suit is just too good to pass up. On the second one I would rebid 2NT.

2♣, don't find it a problem at all. Partner usually has less than 4♠ and 0-2♥ so I fancy myself in a 2m contract which should play heaps better than 1NT.

I'll be there too but unsure if I'll play or not. Who should I ask if they need any bbo operators (if there is coverage)?

Think I would get to 3NT too. If South decides to (oddly) pass 2S then my auction would be passed out - doubling with the North hand is too crazy for me.

No, not even close.

Prefer 2♣ to be natural as you'd like to bid it even with (14)53 hands. Haven't thought about using 2♣ artificial but I can see myself trying to use 2♥ as something artificial.

X. Happy if partner passes and happy if partner takes it out. Hopefully we are playing 2NT as two places to play.

First ever bid at the game level is to play.

Can I do a big splinter via 2NT?

100% is a bit of an overbid? 3343 is possible or maybe a bad 4cM or maybe the opponents play inverted minors on for a passed hand and so more hand types would come in. Otherwise I agree with 2♦.

1NT. If partner bids 2C (which should contain 5332's) I'm bidding 2D.

I don't look at it that way. For a 5♦ call partner needs 8-9 tricks in hand to justify it we have either 2 or 4 so we rate to make anywhere between 10 and 13 tricks. I think you are forgetting that the opponents are on lead. We may have between 10-13 tricks but we may also have 2 losers off the top. If partner has Kx in both black suits that would contribute 2 spade tricks and 4 club tricks but that is of no use to him if a heart is led. Putting it another way, if partner has Kx in both black suits (6 tricks from the black suits), that means if partner has ♦AQJxxxxx producing 7 diamond tricks, does that mean we have 13 tricks? Edit: Sorry, gwnn was faster and shorter.

Picture/fit/concentrated jump, whatever you want to name it.

Partner bid 5♦ on the assumption that our negative double showed some ♠ and ♣ cards and we have a lot more that he should have expected. Do you not think he is bidding to make? IMO he was and missing 2 black aces I find it very unlikely that he has ♥ losers. Yes I have mentioned and agreed (refer to my second post) that we have more than a minimum negative double. I believe that partner's 5♦ bid is a bid that will maximise our chances of making a game and if not preempt LHO of a low level rebid. By maximising I mean partner might be hoping we have the ♠A to lead a club up to his king, or maybe partner is hoping we have more than 0 diamonds so diamonds could either break or maybe he can take a finesse (with his AQJ-8th). We don't need many face cards for partner in order for game to make (which is your point yes) but that does not assure a heart void with partner or a singleton heart and solid diamonds. If you looked at the example hands I've given, you do not need much from partner in order to make 5♦ but 3NT might be going down (and partner did not want a dreaded auction that begins with 2♥ - remember this is an unestablished partnership). However we cannot be sure that we are not off 2 red losers as the opponents are on lead and we do not have a single diamond to provide partner with a hopeful diamond break or a diamond hook. Also, you reckon partner has no heart losers, missing 2 black aces and has a solid (or near solid) diamond suit? If that's the case then why did partner not bid 2♥, jump to 4♦ and then keycard?

This would be a non-problem if 3♦ was pass or correct but I have a feeling it's an inv+ raise in spades...kfay?

I don't quite buy the argument that "because partner is a good player therefore they must have a heart void". First of all we don't even know what partner think of us like if they trust to know if the auction will go smoothly if they started with a 2♥ cuebid. 8(+) card minors are well known to be tough hands to bid because there are many options available (5m opening, 1m-5m, 1m-2m-4m, 1m-2m-5m, 1m-3m-4m, 1m-3m-5m etc), so could partner not be making life simple? Given the actual hand, could they not have bid the same way with Kx x AKxxxxxx Kx or maybe a 9 card suit of Kx K AQJxxxxxx x? We're also informed that the partnership has not played much together so that argues more for simplicity.

Sorta like a picture jump with 6+S (usually 7 I think) and 3H.

I think this is a bit of a guess since apparently partner can't make any artificial game forces. We also don't know what 3♥ by partner would be (splinter agreeing spades?) and also what 4♦ would be (6♦4♠? long diamonds?) I don't quite regard this hand as "I could have a lot more values than I have so therefore I raise", but it's the meaning of 5♦ that creates the uncertainty. For example is it the likes of K x AKJ10xxxx Kxx or -- xx AKQxxxxxx Kx or KQx -- AKQJxxx Kxx. I agree that we do have a few aces up our sleeves, but if we have a heart loser and partner's diamonds are long but not solid then slam isn't looking so good.

Totally agree with this.

Pass, I fear two losers in the red suit(s).