Blast or Plan Ahead?

[kfay]

A10 AJx KQxx AKQJ

 

partner opens!!!

 

1♠-? let's say you bid 2♣

2♥-?

[mike777]

I will risk 2nt.

[Fluffy]

I'd never blast, partner could easilly be void in diamonds and we have no hurry.

 

if 2NT is forcing try it, 4♣ over 3M to investigate the possible void and check keycards.

[Echognome]

I don't see the rush here. I'm glad to be playing 2/1 and just bid 2NT to hear what partner has to say.

[jdonn]

I think people should be more specific. If you bid 2NT and partner bids 3NT, ok if you bid 4♣ say partner bids 4♦. How will you find out what you need to know from there?

 

I think I would just bid 2♠ now because it's so cheap that partner's next bid (the way I play) will tell me about most of his shape. Then I can bid keycard for spades and if we have them all find out about the heart cards next. Of course I will place it in notrump at the end. I will miss a grand opposite Qxxxx KQxx AJx x I suppose but I can't think of a better plan.

 

To me 2NT is a reflex action but is only good if you are willing to bid quantitatively somehow later, which I'm not.

[whereagles]

4N+6/7N

[Pict]

4N+6/7N

Just think of all the wrong turns this avoids.

[jdonn]

4N+6/7N

Just think of all the wrong turns this avoids.

Not having any clue what suit it is for, if any, is a wrong turn!

[billw55]

4N+6/7N

Just think of all the wrong turns this avoids.

Not having any clue what suit it is for, if any, is a wrong turn!

I thought that if any doubt, it is for the last bid suit. Here hearts seems clear to me.

 

I suppose 2NT - 3NT - 5NT is also a possible sequence.

[Fluffy]

I think I would just bid 2♠ now because it's so cheap that partner's next bid (the way I play) will tell me about most of his shape. Then I can bid keycard for spades and if we have them all find out about the heart cards next. Of course I will place it in notrump at the end. I will miss a grand opposite Qxxxx KQxx AJx x I suppose but I can't think of a better plan.

You will have problems finding the 6th spade, if you are doing this I believe you are better bidding 3♥ now. First because ♠Q gives you one trick, but ♥Q gives you 2, but also because playing 7♥ is also very good opposite some hands prodcing a ruff in our hand.

[jdonn]

I think I would just bid 2♠ now because it's so cheap that partner's next bid (the way I play) will tell me about most of his shape. Then I can bid keycard for spades and if we have them all find out about the heart cards next. Of course I will place it in notrump at the end. I will miss a grand opposite Qxxxx KQxx AJx x I suppose but I can't think of a better plan.

You will have problems finding the 6th spade, if you are doing this I believe you are better bidding 3♥ now. First because ♠Q gives you one trick, but ♥Q gives you 2, but also because playing 7♥ is also very good opposite some hands prodcing a ruff in our hand.

Find me a hand where 7♥ is good but not 7NT.

 

Also I will learn about his 6th spade. If he bids 3♠ he has it, if he doesn't then he (probably) doesn't.

[Fluffy]

agh, missed that <_<.

 

But still there are some hands with diamond void.

[jdonn]

I admit I hadn't thought of diamond void. But over 2♠ partner bids 3♥ with 5-5 and then if we have the mechanism to discover which void he has after blackwood we can bid 7♥ anyway.

[cherdanno]

Josh I think a bigger problem with your plan is that opposite 5-5 in the majors, you will want to know about he ♥K not the ♠K. Well I guess you mentioned a similar hand in your first post, but the difference is that if partner has 5-5, we can easily find such slams after bidding 2NT.

 

At some point in my life I had the agreement that over 1S 2C 2H 2N 3N, the bids 4C and 4D are slam tries in hearts and spades, respectively. With these agreements I would think 2N is superior, otherwise I think it may be close.

[kenrexford]

I like the idea of raising spades (2♠), because I personally will find out all sorts of info on the way to 6NT or 7NT, like how good his major honors are.

 

I might, for instance, hear partner bids 3♥, which for me would show the King and Queen of both of his majors, with no minor controls. Then I just blast 6NT.

 

Similar cues would likely help when a grand becomes possible.

[MarkDean]

I don't get the title to this thread. If one were to blast, what contract would s/he pick?

[kfay]

Nice contribution, MarkDean!

[gwnn]

he asked a question. wtp?

[MarkDean]

Ok, kfay, I will be more explicit. I would plan ahead.

 

Well maybe not that well actually. At the table, I would have bid 2NT, but I think jdonn makes a compelling case that agreeing a suit is more likely to get you the info you need (although I might choose hearts).

[cherdanno]

Ok, kfay, I will be more explicit. I would plan ahead.

 

Well maybe not that well actually. At the table, I would have bid 2NT, but I think jdonn makes a compelling case that agreeing a suit is more likely to get you the info you need (although I might choose hearts).

The problem with agreeing hearts is that it won't give any new distributional information. (Clearly you would like to know whether partner has 6 spades, or whether he has 5 hearts.)

[hanp]

OK I'm planning ahead. I will bid 2NT.

 

Suppose partner now bids 3D.

 

I will bid 3H

 

Suppose partner bids 4H.

 

I will bid 4NT.

 

Suppose partner now bids 5S.

 

We have 12 top tricks and 13 if diamonds are 3-3. Also, partner must have at least another queen. The diamond jack would be enough, the spade queen would some extra squeeze chances, the spade queen-jack would make it a good 7NT. I don't see how 7H could be better than 7NT.

 

I bid 7NT.

[jdonn]

Suppose partner bids 3NT at any point and you have not agreed a suit?

 

Cherdano had a point about agreeing spades and nothing seems perfect (unless I can bid 2♠ promising just a doubleton and use something like 4♦ to agree hearts later if desired, perhaps) but if you bid 2NT and partner bids 3NT either then or over a minor suit by him and something by you, I just don't see how to recover. And that seems quite likely to happen.

[Fluffy]

whatever 2NT-3NT-4♣ means it is very clear to em that a subsequent 4NT bid will be forcing being some sort of keycard.

[jdonn]

whatever 2NT-3NT-4♣ means it is very clear to em that a subsequent 4NT bid will be forcing being some sort of keycard.

For what? Whatever partner bids next? What if he bids 4♦, what will you do and what is he supposed to do over that?

[Fluffy]

whatever 2NT-3NT-4♣ means it is very clear to em that a subsequent 4NT bid will be forcing being some sort of keycard.

For what? Whatever partner bids next? What if he bids 4♦, what will you do and what is he supposed to do over that?

4♦ sounds like an acceptance of clubs, he will probably show 1 keycard over 4NT and now we can bid 5NT so he can blast 7 himself with ♠KQJxx for example.