Slam-going auction

[MickyB]

1♠:2♣

2♠:3♥

4♣:4♦

4♥:4♠

 

What would you expect for responder's bidding, and what is the status of 4♠?

 

Edit: Playing 2/1 GF, sorry forgot to say that.

[655321]

Strong hand, most likely 4 hearts (could be a manufactured suit), 6 clubs, controls in diamonds and spades.

4♠ is not an offer to play, it is a cue on the way to a bunch of clubs.

 

It is not clear why partner is cueing 4♠ instead of asking for keycards - perhaps his clubs are solid and he wants to hear about second round ♦, perhaps the response to show no keycards is 5♦. Doesn't matter; once he has bid 4♦, clubs have been set.

[helene_t]

We are playing 2/1, right? Otherwise responder would have a problem showing slam interest with spade support. But OK, in that case he should probably have bid 4♠ over 4♣, or, with a stronger hand, accept that clubs are trump, planning to correct 6♣ to 6♠.

[andy_h]

3H looks like a 6-5 hand, or some sort of 1435 hand that has no D stopper but even with that sort of hands I think I'd tend to bid 2NT anyway since 3H takes a lot of room. 4C sets clubs, 4D-4H-4S are all cues to follow. 4S could be an ace, or stiff king, or maybe even Q(x).

[kenrexford]

Obviously, if you have been on BBF for a while, you will know that this question is loaded and likely to yield a multitude of responses, depending upon any number of pre-cue variations and cue variations, key card agreements, and the like.

 

For me, FWIW:

 

1♠ = spades, opening strength

2♣ = GF, could be a fragment if spade support

2♠ = six-card suit

3♥ = clubs real, no spade fit, heart feature/fragment+; poss'ly NT probe

4♣ = no diamond NT help, club fit

4♦ = LTTC; seems to be checking for a diamond shortness control

4♥ = Cheapest (and only) out-of-focus major, so RKCB (1430) for clubs

4♠ = 1 (or 4) KC's.

 

I'd expect Responder's hand to look like:

 

♠Q ♥KQJx ♦xxx ♣AQJ10x

 

Weird, though.

[jdonn]

I play 3♥ promises either 5-6 or concentrated 4-6. Everything through 4♣ is natural. then cuebids. Normally I play responder cuebidding opener's major is NF, but when he has bid all the other suits already I don't think that should be the case. I think responder cuebids 4♠ here when his hand is mostly keycards, it will often be better for opener to bid keycard in that case since he knows how good his spades are.

[Codo]

Obviously you should have an agreement :o

 

With that I would play that 4 Club is RKCB for Clubs and 4 Diamond shows 1 or 4 4 Heart asking for the queen of clubs and 4 Spade shows the queen and the king of spade.

 

Another idea would be to show a control and in this case 4 Spade is a cuebid too.

I would hate to play this treatment, but this is what I would suspect in the MBC.

 

Obviously you can use 4 Spade as an LTTC and asking for a spade control too.

Who knows.

[Gerben42]

1♠ natural

- 2♣ natural GF

2♠ minimum with ♣ or 6 cards

- 3♥ must have slam interest, partner skipped this suit

4♣ I have a minimum with ♣ fit

- 4♦ Cuebid

4♥ Cuebid (not a singleton in pds suit)

- 4♠ Cuebid

 

I'm still going to try and get partner play Kantar's RKC, then 4♦ would be RKC and 4NT replaces the ♦ cuebid.

[gnasher]

1♠ natural

- 2♣ natural GF

2♠ minimum with ♣ or 6 cards

- 3♥ must have slam interest, partner skipped this suit

Is that really playable? What is responder supposed to bid with xx AKJx xx AJ9xx ?

[han]

I play 3♥ promises either 5-6 or concentrated 4-6. Everything through 4♣ is natural. then cuebids.

Ditto.