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IMP problem


hrothgar

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Red v Red, you hold

 

AKQxx

x

AKJx

AKx

 

You decide to open 2

 

Partner bids 2 (GF, temporizing)

 

You rebid 2 and partner raises your to 3 (The raise to 3 denies a hand suited for some kind of picture jump)

 

What's your bidding plan? Assume that you are playing relatively standard methods here (no spiral scans, no asking bids, nothing that you wouldn't expect a random flight A player to understand without significant advanced discussion)

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It seems likely that I'm going to have to just blast something at some point here. The problem is that partner's third round controls (or lack thereof) in the minors are going to be really critical.

 

Anyways, I'll try a 4 cue. I'm willing to blast 6 eventually if it comes to that, on the assumption that partner's 3 shows a half-decent hand (partner could've bid 4, or could've showed less than GF initially). The really tough part will be finding seven if it's there. I'm expecting a sequence like:

 

4 (cue) - 4 (cue)

5 (cue, plus a card) - 5/5

6

 

Hopefully this will tell partner that:

 

(1) I have AK for my two cuebids of clubs

(2) I have A and probably K since partner's refusal to cue diams doesn't deter me

(3) I have really good trumps, since I didn't bid RKC or 5NT as a trump ask

 

If partner has A + two of K/Q/Q we should be able to get to a grand slam here. If 6 doesn't make, I'm unlucky I guess. If partner can't find a 4 cue over 4 then I'm just blasting 6 (obviously we have an ace missing).

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Ugly.

 

Presumably 4 would be a "Picture Jump" of the kind that says "minimum." So, 3 must show something extra. However, two Queens (the minimum) would work fine.

 

Wasted hearts would not.

 

A difficult problem, as no cues help. A non-cue would be nice, though. I'd probably bid 3NT and hope for a signoff, after which I would bid more.

 

In the end, I think you have to handle this hand with the plan of bypassing game, even though the five-level might not be safe.

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As a non expert I start with 4D, over 4H will try 6C. I expect to miss the grand.

 

Now my true expert partner will need to look at her hand and figure out why the heck I (nonexpert) did not rkc(4nt) over 3s or 4h and ask for queen of trump or specific kings(5nt) .

 

I think partner really has the tough hand on this auction. I think partner has the tough decision on trying to figure out just what the heck I I(nonexpert) am looking for and what I(nonexpert) cannot be looking for since I did not 4nt or ask for specific kings. :)

 

????

 

AKQxx

Void

AKxx

Akxx

 

????

 

AKQxx

Void

AKxxx

AKx

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There is a school of thought that suggests bidding 4 here, followed by 5. The idea is that when the second cue is logically 1st round, but you bypassed it earlier,the first cue was a suit in need of help, something like our diamonds here. I don't play that and so would bid 4, but I'd like to play it here
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There is a school of thought that suggests bidding 4 here, followed by 5. The idea is that when the second cue is logically 1st round, but you bypassed it earlier,the first cue was a suit in need of help, something like our diamonds here.

That's interesting, but I fear it might complicate control-showing sequencies a lot. Still, something to think about with a pet pard.

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For what its worth, here's the complete deal

 

Jxxx

AJxx

xx

Qxx

 

AKQxx

x

AKJx

AKx

 

As folks can see, 7S is a pretty nice contract

 

We had not difficulty finding 6S however, we couldn't find an intelligent way to reliably find the Grand.

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Yeah, it's pretty nigh impossible for a natural system to be able to dig out the value of the diamond singleton.

 

Piece of cake for relay bidding, though. TSR '2 steps up' gets shape right at the level of 3, I think, after which it's a matter of 3 relays to cherry-pick the top cards, including the very important SPADE JACK :P

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If opener knew about the Jxxx of trumps then the auction:

 

2C - 2D

2S - 3S

3NT - 4H

4NT - 5C

5NT - 6C

6D - 7S

 

would do it.

 

3NT = asks for cuebid

4H = cuebid, denies club or diamond control.

4NT = keycards

5C = 1 or 4

5NT = yeah I know and I know you don't have minor kings but I'm interested in a grand anyway.

6C = club queen.

6D = third round diamond control?

7S = Yes!

 

Maybe a serious partnership would be able to distinguish beteen the various grand slam tries, namely 5H, 5NT and 5D followed by 5NT. Perhaps the last would ask for extra help in trumps.

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You can't find out about 3rd round control in s and 3rd round control in s. So I think I'd settle for 6.

Huh?

 

Over 3 3NT serious.

4 - 4NT

5 - 5NT

6 - 6

7

 

4 is a cue, denies minor suit cue.

6=Q

6 ask for 3rd round control, 7 show doubleton .

 

EDIT: Didn't read further before posting, Han and I are in agreement I see.

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As you know my preference is for relays (for which this is easy), and I DID read the OP but very old-fashioned ROmex would also do the job:-

 

2C strong 2H (2 controls - hence must be HA)

2S natural 3S (no shortage, something extra to show)

4D ask similar to Epsilon 4S (3rd rd control)

5C similar ask 5H (3rd rd control)

7S and before you ask whether this could be 3-6-2-2 with too much work to do, a suit so good is excluded (it must be headed by A at least in this instance)

 

Asking bids are well-suited to strong two type auctions, or alternatively multicueing after controls are known so that you force responder to cue 3rd round controls....

 

Obviously in both cases it is a much easier auction because the agreed suit is S, providing room while if the trumps suit was say D, the auction would be far more tenuous for all except relay systems.

 

Hence it has long been my contention that relay systems gain enormously for minor suit slams and grandslams which are rarely hinted at in other methods or just "unbiddable other than by punt" for those others...

 

regards

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