Evaluate your hand

[kenrexford]

Well, clean up the mess, then. :)

OK.

 

Rosenkranz is right in one respect. IF the cuebidding style is such that you MUST cuebid Aces-first, up-the-line, and only then may you cuebid the King in partner's suit, and if you only cuebid 5♣ with the spade King (not sure how that has been shown yet) or if 6♣ asks specifically for that holding, then the auction makes sense.

 

There are so many problems, though. I'll focus on the one, however, that made my head explode.

 

When one makes calls that have GT or ST double-meaning potential, one should try to have a general feel of consistency between them. This style did not, in the slightest.

 

As an example. If, in a sequence, 3♦ asks for something, that "shows" a lack of values there. All subsequent auctions should retain that general feel -- weakness, hole, denial, etc. This protects the auction when partner does something unexpected in reaction to your call (like jumping to 4♥ as a splinter).

 

Thus, consider this 3♦ call. If it shows values for game, but may later prove to show valuers (control) for slam, these are consistent. If it shows a hole (like xxx) for game (HSGT), and if it later is deemed a "denial" cuebid (denying a control if slammish), these are consistent. When it shows either xxx if a GT or the Ace if a ST, the inconsistency yields confusion and heads exploding.

 

This hand is a lot easier if Rerponder bid 3♣ instead of 3♦. Opener likes that card and splinters, suggesting (1.) good clubs, (2.) a stiff heart, (3.) good spades, and (4.) no diamond control. RKCB follows and the grand is reached. Note that a splinter after 3♣ (filling in Opener's suit) is more appealing than after 3♦ (which seems to deny filling in clubs).

 

But, to each his own.

 

I don't use a general approach of denial cues. However, I do like to retain denial meaning to a "proven" cue when the auction later becomes slammish. So, for instance, I would expect 4♥ to suggest slam interest but confirming that the 3♦ HSGT was a HSST (a denial cue), seeking diamond shortness for slam purposes. If I could force partner to bid 3♠, then I could have this switchie-cue style. How do I know, however, what to intelligently do if partner makes a slam try like 4♥? Is he showing a diamond control? Must I later clarify what I held?

 

This auction may not illustrate the problem all that well. However, there are auctions where one person makes what sounds like a game try or notrump probe only to find out that partner was secretly planning to launch his own slam try. If a call may be based on weakness or strength, this turn of events leaves an inability to resolve the problem effectively. If that problem exists in some auctions, I want consistency across the board, for memory's sake.

[blackshoe]

Hm. Food for thought.

 

This hand evaluation thing isn't as easy as some experts make it look. :)

[skjaeran]

Heh. Okay. So far the bidding has gone (never mind what folks here want to bid ;) ):

 

1♣-(P)-1♠-(2♦)-2♠-(P)-3-♦-(P)-3♠

 

Opponents are not bidding any more. Responder now bids 4♥. What's going on? How do you evaluate your hand now (you're opener, remember)?

Obviously 3♦ was an advance cuebid. My hand is great now and I'll just RKCB.. In my cuebidding methods a grand shouldn't be possible, but with an unknown non-Norwegian partner I'll not rule it out.

[han]

Let me just point out that the 4♥ splinter would have worked out really well. Opener can abuse RKC and ask for the club queen and everybody is happy.

[Fluffy]

Ha, thanks for noticing my joke Phil :).

 

Though as bridge player I'm more American than Dutch I think, and what is more important, bridge or passport?

I didn't take the joke, I actually though you became american.

 

Doe it mean you will never agree with me again? :)

[cherdano]

They really recommend 3♠ in the book after 1C 1S (2D) 2S 3D? This looks very weird! And a bad example for making their point, because after 6♣ the hand is worth a grand slam partly because we underbid earlier, not just because the hand's value increased on the auction.

[jdonn]

Let me just point out that the 4♥ splinter would have worked out really well. Opener can abuse RKC and ask for the club queen and everybody is happy.

Ask for club queen eh? And on what hand do you not want to be in the grand opposite a 4♥ bid with 2 keycards and no spade queen?