To Slam Or Not To Slam?

[zasanya]

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=sxxhxdaxxxxckj109x]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

North my P opens 2♦ a 3 way opening. I relayed with 2♥.P bid 3♠ showing 20-24 hcp 4-4-4-1 shape ♣ singleton.I checked for controls with 4♣ He showed 7 controls with his bid of 4♥.

So the question is knowing his 20-24 hcp;4-4-4-1 shape and singleton ♣;and 3A+1 K OR 2A and 3K should I bid slam?

[matmat]

hmmm

i assume by controls you mean A=2, K=1 (as opposed to, say, A=3, K=2,Q=1).

 

anyhow

p either has AAAK or AAKKK;

this leaves 5 to 9 or 3 to 7 hcp left in their hand

 

if i have a way to check for the diamond queen, or to further clarify the control structure i might look for it. barring that i might just blast 6d and hope for the best

[kenrexford]

It seems rather strange to have what appears to be a thought-out system and yet have no way to establish the focus suit until this level. I sense a flaw here. As simple a fix as having Responder set the trumps while asking controls seems intuitively better, enabling showing the internal Queen as one more control. Thus, for instance, if 4♦ had been the control ask and had agreed diamonds, instead of a general 4♣, partner's response would be either 4♠ (7 without the diamond Queen or 6 with the diamond Queen) or 4NT (8 without or 7 with), which helps, I would think.

 

On a guess basis, I'm hoping that his 3-9 missing points includes the diamond Queen, diamond Jack, or something, mostly because I want to maximize the big-boy experience of leading a small club toward my hand. Too much fun.

 

Oh wait!!! Partner opened 2♦! Damn. That ruins the fun. It is no longer a bling card toward my hand! Then again, perhaps partner leads small toward his 9 in and anyway... No -- as sexy as that might be, it seems anti-percentage.

[whereagles]

I think it's normal to bid a slam here.

[Free]

Yes, slam

[Finch]

It seems rather strange to have what appears to be a thought-out system and yet have no way to establish the focus suit until this level.  I sense a flaw here.  As simple a fix as having Responder set the trumps while asking controls seems intuitively better, enabling showing the internal Queen as one more control.  Thus, for instance, if 4♦ had been the control ask and had agreed diamonds, instead of a general 4♣, partner's response would be either 4♠ (7 without the diamond Queen or 6 with the diamond Queen) or 4NT (8 without or 7 with), which helps, I would think.

 

On a guess basis, I'm hoping that his 3-9 missing points includes the diamond Queen, diamond Jack, or something, mostly because I want to maximize the big-boy experience of leading a small club toward my hand.  Too much fun.

 

Oh wait!!!  Partner opened 2♦!  Damn.  That ruins the fun.  It is no longer a bling card toward my hand!  Then again, perhaps partner leads small toward his 9 in and anyway...  No -- as sexy as that might be, it seems anti-percentage.

I hate to find I agree with Ken on a matter of system, but what he says makes sense...

 

The most common way I used to play this multi (before I stopped playing 4441s in the multi) was that after the rebid of the suit below the singleton (so here, 3S showing a singleton club)

 

- a bid of the singleton suit is an "end-signal", asking partner to bid step 1 after which you will sign off

- a suit bid agrees that suit as trumps and acts as a control ask of your choice (we used to play it as RKCB followed by spiral responses)