switch in action

[hanp]

As dealer you pick up Axx K KJxx K1098x, IMP pairs.

 

1C - (1S) - 2D (showing 5+ hearts, 8+ points)

2H - 2S

2NT - 3C

3D - 3S

4C - 4D

??

 

Do you agree with your auction so far?

 

If you can live with it, how do you continue?

[manudude03]

I'd give up on grand. I bid 4NT* and bid 6C unless partner shows 1 key card (we are playing 1430 right? If we are playing 0314, then I bid 4H.

 

* the way I play it, 4C shows no desire to play in NT, so 4NT cannot be quantitative.

[Fluffy]

4♥, partner loves to bid slowly, why don't please him?

[ONEferBRID]

It seems here that most think RKC is for wimps.

Didn't 3C agree Cl in a GF auction ( set by the 2S! cuebid ) ?

 

Opener with no 2 quick losers in any side-suit should go RKC immediately after 3C.

And do it with Minorwood ( 4C ) in a GF auction.

 

That way you can stop in 5C ( or even 4NT if partner allows it ) when you are off 2 Aces ( even with 03 14 ).

[pooltuna]

assuming the bidding intent below is as I understand it, then check for necessary controls.

 

1C - (1S) - 2D (showing 5+ hearts, 8+ points)

2H - 2S assuming 2->GF

2NT - 3C 2NT-> minimal ♥ supp but ♠ stopper;3♣->♣slam try

3D - 3S 3♦->qbid; 3♠->qbid

4C - 4D 4♣->more info pls;4♦->qbid

[karlson]

I'll confess that I'm not entirely sure what's going on in this auction. Firstly I would think 3d would have been a much better description of our hand than 2n. Now we're at this point in the auction and we're still not sure if partner has stiff spade or stiff diamond, if I read it correctly. The opponents' failure to raise suggests that it's stiff diamond, but it's always difficult to trust this, and if partner's spades were Kxx he wouldn't be quite so eager to give up on NT. Even opposite a stiff diamond slam could have some play though.

 

In any case, I have a heart card and partner may still be able to take control. So I bid 4h. I think partner can likely infer that I have the ace of spades at this point anyway, given that I bid 2n but not 3n. So I'll pass 5c if that comes back. I don't think he's very likely to bid 4s and I don't see how I can have a problem over any other bid.

[JLOGIC]

I'll confess that I'm not entirely sure what's going on in this auction. Firstly I would think 3d would have been a much better description of our hand than 2n.

I think 2N is a very good bid.

 

For starters you want to play NT from your side in case partner has stiff Q or Jx. I guess if partner has Jxx you need to play from partners side, but you won't get their from his side anyways after 3D, hes not just gonna bust out 3N.

 

Secondly, 2N allows partner to bid 3C. This is very good for you as you've established that you have a club fit at the 3 level. If you bid 3D partner might not know whether to go past 3N or not, when you bid 2N-3C you for sure know you can go past 3N. You can also have a smoother auction than 3D-4C would be. Yes some things about this auction are ambiguous, but it will be way more ambiguous after 3D when trumps are not agreed yet.

 

For instance, what if you want to play hearts? After 3D it will be difficult to show your spade stopper and your heart feature. After 2N-3H you can easily bid 3S, but after 3D-3H you have to guess to bid 4H yourself when you haven't shown a spade stopper yet. Partner might bid 3H on 6 pretty mediocre hearts with no spade stopper over 3D when 3N is best, so that's not great imo.

 

Third, if you belong in diamonds it should be easy enough to get there after 2N, partner will bid 3D. EZ game.

 

Fourth, if you are going to just play in a routine 3N, you'd rather have not shown your diamonds. It will make the defense much harder for them. Maybe they will even try a sneak attack diamond lead instead of a spade from KJ or something. Stranger things have happened.

 

I'm not sure I understand your concerns about the actual auction

 

Also I think 4C is a very good bid in the auction given.

[JLOGIC]

I think partner can likely infer that I have the ace of spades at this point anyway, given that I bid 2n but not 3n.

Would you not bid this way with Qx(x) of spades?

[karlson]

I can't really argue with your points about the siding, it just seems so counterintuitive to grab the NT wth Axx.

 

My main concern is that I think that the secondary fit in diamonds will be the main determinant of whether we should be in 4h or 5c over 3n as well as whether we can make a slam. You're right that bidding 3d will not allow us to show other features -- if the fact that we have the HK and not small stiff is what partner needs to bid 4h, then I lose (I will bid 3n over 3s). Obviously not particularly unlikely.

 

I think that the club agreement at the 3-level is not all that important. It's true that it allows our hand to go past 3n knowing about the fit, but in practice being so limited we're probably not going to do that unless partner suggests it again. Partner on the other hand knew about the club fit already (and in fact 3d instead of 2n shows more clubs, so he is even safer) and after 3d he should certainly be able to know if he's willing to go past 3n.

[JLOGIC]

I see your points except the one that being limited we cannot go past 3N after partner bids 3C. As far as I'm concerned once 3C has been bid, we are never playing 3N with this hand, we have a fabulous hand for slam if that's what partner was thinking when he bid 3C, and we also have a good hand to play 5C and avoid 3N if that's what partner was thinking.

[hanp]

Thanks for the responses.

 

Partner has J9 AQxxx Ax AQxx so as you can see 7C is very good, but it is not easy to get there unless one of the two bids RKC. I am a little disappointed that there was very little discussion about the problems that 4H can create.

 

Should partner bid blackwood over 4H, even though he doesn't have a spade control? Should we perhaps bid 4NT RKC after 4D, or are we not good enough? Should we perhaps bid 4S instead, so that partner knows we have a spade cue?