What now? (bidding problem)

[kenrexford]

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sakqhdakjxxxckxxx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

As dealer, you open 1♦. As a neat aside, this happens to show real diamonds, meaning 6+, or 4+ with a stiff or void somewhere.

 

LHO overcalls 1♥. Partner bids 1♠ (promising 5+, but with 6 she'd jump to 2♠ with most 8-11 hands). RHO bids 2♥.

 

What is your plan here?

[keylime]

I'd lie a smidge, if you have the agreement that in this auction 4 ♦ is fit showing for spades. The AKQ is very nice to offer pard. I think this helps pard's hand evaluation to for competition, slam try, etc.

 

I don't like double here for t/o. If we do that, a reraise of even 3♥ puts pard under some pressure when they aren't knowing of more of your hand.

[mike777]

3h seems ok for now, second choice is 4h.

[Free]

Doesn't 4♣ fit showing show the hand better?

[Foxx]

We certainly are about to put down a good dummy, although partner is going to have a ton of heart losers to deal with if she isn't able to get the diamonds going. This is a hand with which we want to show, not ask, because I doubt we have a good way of divining J109xx as opposed to 8xxxx.

 

At any rate, bidding 3♥ followed by 4♠ looks like a sound plan.

[kenrexford]

I also thought that showing was better than asking, as a club slam or a diamond slam might be superior. It turns out that 6♠ is hopeless but that a minor slam makes. The obvious problem is repeated hearts if partner holds Jxxxx or worse (as she did).

 

I opted 3♥. This was doubled by LHO (thank you). Partner held:

 

[hv=s=sjxxxxhkxd10xxcqjx]133|100|[/hv]

 

Assuming a 3♥ call, doubled, is there a route to 6♦? Does an alternative route get us to 6♦?

 

By the way, the field of five tables played 6♠ three times, making once, 4♠, and one in 4♣ (us, for reasons best left to the imagination).

[whereagles]

I would bid 3♣, and follow up with 4♠. Should show about my shape and strength.

[kenrexford]

I though about 3♣...4♠, but doesn't that sound like 3055 rather than 3064?

[sfbp]

I like 4♥. What more can they do to us? I'm happy to outbid them in spades or diams leaving a question mark only about clubs, since this 4H ought to show a void.

[mike777]

I also thought that showing was better than asking, as a club slam or a diamond slam might be superior.  It turns out that 6♠ is hopeless but that a minor slam makes.  The obvious problem is repeated hearts if partner holds Jxxxx or worse (as she did).

 

I opted 3♥.  This was doubled by LHO (thank you).  Partner held:

 

<!-- ONEHAND begin --><table border='1'> <tr> <td> <table> <tr> <td> Dealer: </td> <td> ????? </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Vul: </td> <td> ???? </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Scoring: </td> <td> Unknown </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td> <table> <tr> <th> <span class='spades'> ♠ </span> </th> <td> Jxxxx </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='hearts'> ♥ </span> </th> <td> Kx </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='diamonds'> ♦ </span> </th> <td> 10xx </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='clubs'> ♣ </span> </th> <td> QJx </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td>  </td> </tr> </table><!-- ONEHAND end -->

 

Assuming a 3♥ call, doubled, is there a route to 6♦?  Does an alternative route get us to 6♦?

 

By the way, the field of five tables played 6♠ three times, making once, 4♠, and one in 4♣ (us, for reasons best left to the imagination).

1d=(1h)=1s=(2h)

3h=(x)==p==p

xx=p==4d(3nt?)=seems possible?

 

 

You may just blast at some point into 6d assuming, if partner rebids 4d, partner has something outside of spades, hearts and diamonds or just play in 4spades if partner rebids 3nt?

[whereagles]

I though about 3♣...4♠, but doesn't that sound like 3055 rather than 3064?

There's not much of a difference in that case, since you'll be poitning out the essential: spade support, short hearts, 54 or better in the minors.

[Robert]

Hi everyone

 

I supect that a cuebid followed by 4S would be best for a pair that ended this auction with a 4C bid. Better a slight underbid in the 'correct' game than a vastly inferior 4-3 contract of 4C.

 

I do use a 4D bid to show powerful 6-4 hands with very good diamonds. The AKQ of spades with a known 5+ card suit opposite is a nice holding 'unless' we have to trump hearts with high trumps and partner does not hold the J109 or J10 of spades.

The problem is that you do not have a 6-4 hand and you do have control(void) of the enemy suit.

 

Do not use advanced bidding with a partner 'if' they might not understand your bidding. A 4S bid after the 3H cue would have produced a much better score than 4C.

 

Regards,

Robert

[kenrexford]

The auction to 4♣ was ...3♥-X-3NT-P-4♣-all pass. This clearly cannot be passed, but partner is a developing player, and mistakes like this are cherished as learning events.

 

The interest in the hand is for ideal partnership auctions. The auction proposed by Mike777 looks intelligent; when 3♥ is doubled and (should be) passed to Opener, a XX clarifies the void and allows intelligent discourse. However, I'm not sure if Responder will see the value to a one-cover-card holding. Perhaps the end result will be a practical 4♠ per force of judgment. When diamonds do not cooperate (it took a finesse against the 3-1 split), 4♠ is ideal.

 

Give partner a second cover, perhaps Qxx of diamonds, and we're talking after Mike's auction. Add in solid at the middle in spades (J109xx), and visualization might get a decent 6♠ on even stiff queen of diamonds.

 

Thanks for the analysis.

[bid_em_up]

I see no reason to do anything other than to continue to bid the hand naturally with 3♣.

 

I am not certain that I really want to play this hand in spades at this point, as you will be forced to ruff immediately with a spade honor, and think that I will be better placed later in the auction by describing my hand naturally.

[Fluffy]

Don't like to show shortness when I cannot ruff, I would prefer to bid 4♦ if that showed fit but that's probably not the case, so 3♥ looks more like it.

 

It seems hard to find 6♦ at IMPs, but at MP its just something not worth to try.

[Robert]

Hi everyone

 

Bid by a fair partnership, 1D-(1H)-X*(=spades)-(2H)-3H-p-3NT-4S all pass

 

Is there a reason that the other pair with 'eleven' hearts never bid above the two level?

 

I do not understand responder moving towards slam with a likely wasted heart King while holding a couple of queen/jacks. It takes 'looking' at both hands to 'see' that the slam might depend on a 'winning' hook.

 

Would you bid the same holding the heart Ace(your first round heart control) and lacking the diamond Ace? Now you are off two cashing Aces, so responder moving towards slam holding the same 'exact hand'(and the exact same bidding) would now be seen as making a big overbid.

 

When you were 'thinking' about bidding 3C...4S, did the idea that a 3C bid over a (2H) raise was 'NOT' forcing. Some(many?) bidders on this forum have recently bid at the three level with 14+ HCP and some shape.

 

Regards,

Robert

[kenrexford]

The thought about 3♣ is not so far off base. Sure, it is probably not forcing. However, it is also unlikely to be passed, by partner and by the opponents, when game makes.

[bid_em_up]

The thought about 3♣ is not so far off base. Sure, it is probably not forcing. However, it is also unlikely to be passed, by partner and by the opponents, when game makes.

I dont see how anyone could consider that 3♣ in this auction is not forcing. Partner has made a free bid (over 1♥) and you have introduced a new suit at the 3 level when you could have passed 2♥ or raised to 2♠.

 

How can it not be forcing to at least 3♦?