An auction

[han]

1S - (p) - 1NT - (4D)

Dbl - (p) - 5S - (p)

6C

 

How about that! What does it mean?

 

Please construct a hand that is consistent with your meaning of the bid.

[Cascade]

Which bid?

 

1NT or 6♣?

 

Or did you mean 1NT was forcing?

[rogerclee]

♠AKTxx ♥Ax ♦A ♣KQxxx

 

and

 

♠QJx ♥KJx ♦xxx ♣AJxx

 

maybe.

 

I think double is just extras with no other suitable call, and 5♠ is a 3-card LR with little if any diamond waste. 6♣ seems like a grand try which is at least 5-4 and probably 5-5 (can't be 6-5). This seems more useful than asking for second-round club control to me.

[han]

Which bid?

 

1NT or 6♣?

 

Or did you mean 1NT was forcing?

I'm sure you can figure out what 1NT was. What do you think 6C was?

[Cascade]

Which bid?

 

1NT or 6♣?

 

Or did you mean 1NT was forcing?

I'm sure you can figure out what 1NT was. What do you think 6C was?

Whoops I actually meant to write 5♠ or 6♣?

 

Ok so 1NT is forcing.

 

We double on any very strong hand except those that are so distributional that we would not like it if partner passes.

 

5♠ - well we can't have this auction after 1NT - but our general agreement is that this sort of jump is just any invitate to a Slam. I am not sure that it can specifically show or deny a club control. Since I think 5♦ would just be general slam interest with a choice of places to play and without a primary fit for spades.

 

We also play 5NT as RKCB.

 

That leaves 6♣ as a choice of slams - perhaps 5-5 or a grandslam try and showing a control but unsuitable for an ace-ask so maybe a very strong 5=4=0=4.

 

All of this would change if you think that Double shows four hearts or something else specific.

 

I honestly have no idea what expert standard would be or any other standard in this sort of auction. It is actually a very difficult problem when cue-bidding (slam or grand-slam exploration) starts at this level (or one level lower for a small slam).

 

Say 6♣ is a cue-bid then after the auction ...

 

...  5♠

6♣ 6♥

6♠ ...

 

responder cannot tell whether opener needed the first round diamond control for grand-slam or extra values.

 

There is the option of using 5NT as some sort of artificial switch. But as I said above we use this as RKCB when we were unable or did not use RKCB at a lower level. That makes some Grands easy to bid but can leave an ambiguity when we have the wrong hand for RKCB.

 

I have no idea what the solution is just what the problem is.

 

I don't think it is right with this little space to be offering a choice of slam. It seems right to me that there is more utility in exploring a grand than exploring alternative denominations. More questions ...

[mike777]

Well my best guess is:

1) 5s=bid slam with second round d control I have some max invite with 3 spades but poor D.

2) 6c=grand try, natural. Looking for something.....?

3) will bid 7 with ace or King of clubs....will bid 6h with A or K of h........if none I may just bid 6spades.

[han]

1) 5s=bid slam with second round d control I have some max invite with 3 spades but poor D.

I agree with your description but of course the 1NT bidder can't demand opener to bid 6.

[han]

OK so no responses to this question and no consensus. either. This was my hand:

 

AK98x

Kx

x

KQJxx

 

Do you agree with my double of 4D? What do you bid over 5S?

 

And finally: what would you do if partner bids 4H over your double?

[mikeh]

I think you had a tough call over 4♦. I suspect I would pass: I do not have a hand that would have jumpshifted, so I really don't want to force to game. Double will either make it your lead or force to game.

 

It seems to me unlikely that partner will be passing this out if he holds a hand that either makes game a good bet or makes defending doubled the best action: for example, if partner reopens with a double I will know that he lacks 3+ spades and that, while we may be missing 5♣, the odds are in favour of defending.

 

If he has a limit raise, then, unless it is extremely soft, he should bid 4♠, which would work well opposite your hand, and, when you have a minimum.. .well, preempts work.

 

Having doubled, and having heard 5♠, the question has to be whether slam makes... I assume he denies 4 card spade support, so 6♠ is a bad bet, on this auction, opposite Qxx AJxx xxx Axxx, as an example.

 

However, 6♣ looks remarkably good :)

 

The good news is that he will probably understand 6♣ any time he is looking at the club Ace... you can hardly be trying for grand when he is looking at that card, and (we hope) the heart Ace as well.

 

And it is very tough to construct a 5♠ hand on which he lacks either Ace... I mean, 5♠ has to show a good limit raise with no wastage... so QJx AQJxx is the best I can come up with in the majors.... QJx AQJxx xxx xx? QJx AQJxx xxxx x?

 

Neither of these (nor any similar construction) look like 5♠ to me.

 

So I like the 6♣... but I would be leery about some partners misunderstanding its meaning. I think it SHOULD be an offer to play 6♣.. the good news is that even if he pulls to 6♠ (probably by bidding 6♥ along the way), we might have a play.

 

Had he bid 4♥ over my double, I have to pass: any other call is just too risky for me to even consider.