wyman

It's a hand that would bid an immediate double negative over 2C if one were available. Pass in responder's seat is GF. [The same goes over 2C (X): XX is a bust, and all other bids are GF.] At least that's the "normal" treatment. But as others have said, you'll need to size up partner. edit: and to be clear, I'll pass and hope for 5-6 tricks against 3Dx.

I agree that P is not forcing over 4H, but over 5H I think it is, and I think I'd have to double holding 4 hearts and a semi-bust here.

hmm, I guess it's early and I haven't had caffeine yet. :) lol @ me Ok, let me think this thru out loud. I think pass is 100% forcing, so X obviously has no interest in pushing forward. I am slam-suitable with heart length opposite partner's expected void, Axx of diamonds, and a source of tricks in spades, so I'll still pass, but for a different reason. Thanks for the sanity check.

My meta agreements (and I obviously have no idea whether or not they apply, but if I'm guessing, so is P) would suggest that X is takeout oriented and pass is forcing (I think it's pretty clear I don't have hearts here). If I X, I'm worried that I'll hear 6C and now I have to decide whether to scramble. I'll pass and plan to pass partner's impending double. If he bids on his own, I hope he'll find dummy suitable.

+1 to TOX

lol

Uh, 2H is from another planet, but I also don't really expect to beat this.

I don't have an 11 count here. They are working off a max of 15 combined points. Partner is suggesting shortness in diamonds (hence tolerance for hearts), RHO didn't jump (which suggests hearts are breaking). I'm on lead and can draw 3 trumps in one go, likely in their 4-3 fit. After that, we'll start on diamonds. I am looking for 800 or more here. edit to note that partner is not forced to defend. If he has a LR in diamonds and wants to bid on, he's still free to do so.

I don't like 4S as I need little from partner to make slam viable. On the other hand, I don't have enough defense to double. My heart shortness suggests that this will not pass out after I overcall 1S, so I'll start with that.

Me too. And 2H is not forcing, the logic being that with a good enough hand to make a forcing call here, you could just ax 1N. Plus, with nearly 30 points accounted for in two of the hands, you're more likely to hold a hand that wants to bid a NF 2H than a F 2H.

I don't see where I'm assuming 2 hearts, nor why 4H is last train-ish. We "agreed" that 4C is slam-positive for clubs. Now opener makes a 4D cue. Under what conditions is a 4H call by responder reasonable? Should he bid 4H with, say AKxxx/xx/xxx/Qxx? KJxxx/Qx/xxx/Kxx? AKxxx/x/xxxx/Qxx? QJxxx/x/KQxx/Qxx? QJxxx/Q/Qxxx/Kxx? KQxxxx/--/Qxxx/Kxx? ... i.e., 4H should be control showing I think, per the discussion above. If not, I've misunderstood the general sentiment. So, if that's the case, can the control be shortness, or is it better to reserve this cue to show a fitting (top) honor?

I would have smashed 1H as north. Partner apparently wants to play this hand for penalties, and we have 25+ HCP. I'll start with AKx of hearts.

It's going to be pretty hard for responder to make a move over 4H missing 3 aces. I feel like it's bad bridge for a hand this control rich to leap to 4H in this auction. [notwithstanding the point that it's bad bridge to have bid this slam :)]

N screwed the pooch by opening 1H. Once he does that, he needs to j/s into 3C. He has a 3 loser hand ffs. 3D is not fsf in this auction imo, opener and responder are both limited! 100% north.

Pass over 2D, 3S over 3D

Ok, so there's near unanimous agreement that 4H is a cue. I'm convinced as well, and I guess we just live with those times when responder has to take a position and bid 4H (over 3H) with a ratty hand with Qx of hearts and 3 clubs. So, (2b)? What say you? By my count, we've got 1 vote for "yes, it can be shortness."

4D is not kickback. Opener has shown a 6-5, so he's either 2506, 1516, or 0526 unless he's got more extreme shape. 4D is slam interest and a cuebid, so you can rule out 0=5=xx=6. And yes, Mike, Lebensohl is pretty irrelevant. But I failed to post "not playing kickback" and I've already been asked about that, so I was just trying to include as much info as possible. And Mike, I'm not sure on which side of this coin I fall, but my thought in favor of 4H being passable was "what would R do with QJxxx / Qx / xxx / xxx?" [the trade-off you point out]

1D (1S) 2C (3S weak) 3N (P) 4C (P) 4D 2/1, 4C is slammish with clubs Is 4D a cue or suggesting diamonds might be a better place to play? In a recent discussion, the following were brought up: "If 4D is natural, that would make it impossible for you to cue-bid in the suit in which you are most likely to hold a control." "3N bidder is under a lot of pressure. KQx / Qx / KQJxxxx / x?"

2/1, Lebensohl over Reverses 1C 1S 2H 2S 3H 4C 4D 4H (1) 4H Passable? If yes: (2a) Does this necessarily show Hx? Or is xx fine with a suitable hand? If no: (2b) Can this cue be shortness?

So I don't know if it's kosher to post hands from BW on here, being that it's subscription-based and all, but I assume many of you get it anyway. I'll spoiler the hand in case you are gonna be all "damn, dude, I haven't looked at that one yet," and the topic description didn't dissuade you. [hv=pc=n&w=sa642ha964da83cq7&e=sjthqj52dk6cak532&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=p1dp2c(GF%2C%20nat)p2h(denies%205+%21d)p3hp3s(Q)p4c(Q)p4d(Q)p4np5d(30)p6hppp]266|200[/hv] No agreements about serious/frivolous, so 3N would be a suggestion to play. edit: well, tried to spoiler, but that resizes the image to where we'd need an electron microscope. edit2: not the world's worst slam. Kxx/Kx in the slot and clubs 4-2, but still one I'd rather not be in. edit3: err, and the H10...

Maybe all the GIBs defending 3S were contemplating the EV of psychology.

I would open this, but I passed KJ98x / K109xxx / xx / -- in first seat at MP the other night.

I am a simple man and will start with 1C.

I'm not saying 4H is wrong, but if partner has ♥KQx and the ♦A we make 7, so that's a reason not to bid 4H. And it sounds like he doesn't have the world's most robust spade suit, so this is not unlikely. And to boot, a small slam may only hinge on the ace of diamonds if partner has ♥xxx or ♥Hx. And we might make 6D but go down in 4H! I kind of like 2N. When we find a replacement for pard and have cleaned up at least most of the mess (those cards are super dirty anyway, whatever), I can make more noise. 2N should be 2 places to play, neither of which is spades (I think), but I think the auction gets ugly after partner's expected 3C. What am I supposed to do? 4D? Am I sure that shows this hand? Yuck. If I know LHO is going to run, I'm happy to dbl and then cuebid. But I don't know that at the table, and I think it's unlikely that we will beat 1430 in 1Nx, as that will require 13 tricks (and then we could get 2210. Man this is a good problem. I'll try 2N and 4H. No I'm not sure that partner won't think that I have both minors and am splintering for clubs. But I've gotta do something.

4N = "Blackwood , 4+H, 4+S..."