Slam bidding problem

[whereagles]

For those who can't be bothered to solve complicated card-play problems :unsure: (like me, lol), here is a nice bidding one

 

Imps, strong tournament. NV and you hold

 

♠ ATxx

♥ AK

♦ KQJxxx

♣ x

 

You pard

1♦ 1♥

1♠ 2♣

3♦ 3♠

4♣ 4♠

...?

 

2♣ = 4th suit forcing for 1 round

3♦ = good 6-4, around the 16-17 mark

3♠ = game-forcing raise, slam interest

4♣ = control

 

What do you bid now?

[flytoox]

Pd has no DA, not sure if spade suit is good enough for trumps. Perhaps you can jump to 6D ask pd to pick a slam? Pd will pass with some d spt, but with good spade he will bid 6s.

[joker_gib]

4 NT RKCB to ask for the 3 cards needed for slam ♠KQ and ♣A

 

Partner has all his values in ♠ and ♣ !

[Chamaco]

If the sequence guarantees a 4 card spade suit, I bid RKCB.

 

If it does not, I'd much rather have used XYZ, which would have saved 1 level of bidding.

[mr1303]

4S here is denying a heart control. Not really a problem, since you have the AK. It also denies the diamond ace, since he would cue-bid that.

 

So I bid what I think I can make: 6S. If he doesn't have the ace of clubs, that leaves him with at most KQJx QJTxx x KQx, not really enough to start making slam tries on.

 

I'm going to place him with those holdings in the majors, but something like AKx of clubs.

[joker_gib]

4S here is denying a heart control. Not really a problem, since you have the AK. It also denies the diamond ace, since he would cue-bid that.

 

So I bid what I think I can make: 6S. If he doesn't have the ace of clubs, that leaves him with at most KQJx QJTxx x KQx, not really enough to start making slam tries on.

 

I'm going to place him with those holdings in the majors, but something like AKx of clubs.

Well, you have the RKCB to verify all cards so why jump to 6 ?

[Fluffy]

The only way to play 6♦ is to bid them now, otherwise partner will think of it as some kind of asking bid on the suit.

 

I will still bid 4NT though.

[Rebound]

I'd go against the grain and pass, except that the title is "slam bidding problem", so it's RKB instead.

[pclayton]

Well we are off the A♦, but slam still has to be close to gin.

 

I think I'll go 5N, pick-a-slam. I can't unilaterally bid 6♦, since pard could have a stiff or even a void. Starting with 4N makes signing off in 6♦ problematic. Further, as long as I'm going to blast, lets consult partner. Perhaps he can show good spades, a 6th heart, or diamond tolerance.

 

There are death hands like: Kxxx, Qxxxx, x, AQx, but I pay off to these.

[whereagles]

I'd go against the grain and pass, except that the title is "slam bidding problem", so it's RKB instead.

"Slam bidding" also means staying out of those which have no play :lol:

[EricK]

Well we are off the A♦, but slam still has to be close to gin.

 

I think I'll go 5N, pick-a-slam. I can't unilaterally bid 6♦, since pard could have a stiff or even a void. Starting with 4N makes signing off in 6♦ problematic. Further, as long as I'm going to blast, lets consult partner. Perhaps he can show good spades, a 6th heart, or diamond tolerance.

 

There are death hands like: Kxxx, Qxxxx, x, AQx, but I pay off to these.

This hand isn't a "Game forcing raise, slam interest" is it?

 

I agree with bidding a pick-a-slam 5NT if we have it available though.

 

Eric

[pclayton]

Well we are off the A♦, but slam still has to be close to gin.

 

I think I'll go 5N, pick-a-slam. I can't unilaterally bid 6♦, since pard could have a stiff or even a void. Starting with 4N makes signing off in 6♦ problematic. Further, as long as I'm going to blast, lets consult partner. Perhaps he can show good spades, a 6th heart, or diamond tolerance.

 

There are death hands like: Kxxx, Qxxxx, x, AQx, but I pay off to these.

This hand isn't a "Game forcing raise, slam interest" is it?

 

I agree with bidding a pick-a-slam 5NT if we have it available though.

 

Eric

It depends how you differentiate between 3♠ and 4♠ here. If its a fast arrival auction, then slam should be cold. If 3♠ is a non-descript raise and 4♠ is a picture jump, then slam can't make (but the auction is impossible in this context, since we hold the AK♥).

[hrothgar]

For those who can't be bothered to solve complicated card-play problems :lol: (like me, lol), here is a nice bidding one

 

Imps, strong tournament. NV and you hold

 

♠ ATxx

♥ AK

♦ KQJxxx

♣ x

 

You pard

1♦ 1♥

1♠ 2♣

3♦ 3♠

4♣ 4♠

...?

 

2♣ = 4th suit forcing for 1 round

3♦ = good 6-4, around the 16-17 mark

3♠ = game-forcing raise, slam interest

4♣ = control

 

What do you bid now?

Good grief! What do you need to reverse and bid 2♠ on the second round?

 

In this case, it worked out well since partner has invited slam opposite an unbalanced 12 count. Given that I have 4 losers, I see a very real chance that 7 is going to make.

 

My main worries are Spade controls and the ace of Diamonds, so I'm going to be boring and trot out RKCB.

[mr1303]

Is 5NT not GSF here, since I think we've agreed spades as trumps.

 

As to asking for aces, why give them a chance to double for a lead? If 3S is a slam try, and the explanation given was that it was, then surely partner must have the ace of clubs and the two top spade honours for his bidding? If I was going to bid 4NT, I would have bid it on the previous round, since cue-bidding clubs is unlikely to help me find out anything I want to know?

[inquiry]

The dieath hand isn't the one phil drew up, it is..

 

S-Kxxx H-QJxxx D-x C-AKQ

 

Here you lose 1♠ and 1♦ in xix spades. That queen of trumps is a card that is very necessariy to know about. So, trott out RKBC aaking for keycards, and partners expected response showing 2 keycarrds will tell us if we have slam in sapdes or not.

 

Yest, a diamond slam is posible even when we are missing the queen of spades (a hand like Kxxx Qxxx Tx AKx), but then, this is the price you pay for your auction where you bid only 1♠ instead of two.

 

Ben

[EricK]

Well we are off the A♦, but slam still has to be close to gin.

 

I think I'll go 5N, pick-a-slam. I can't unilaterally bid 6♦, since pard could have a stiff or even a void. Starting with 4N makes signing off in 6♦ problematic. Further, as long as I'm going to blast, lets consult partner. Perhaps he can show good spades, a 6th heart, or diamond tolerance.

 

There are death hands like: Kxxx, Qxxxx, x, AQx, but I pay off to these.

This hand isn't a "Game forcing raise, slam interest" is it?

 

I agree with bidding a pick-a-slam 5NT if we have it available though.

 

Eric

It depends how you differentiate between 3♠ and 4♠ here. If its a fast arrival auction, then slam should be cold. If 3♠ is a non-descript raise and 4♠ is a picture jump, then slam can't make (but the auction is impossible in this context, since we hold the AK♥).

You have to remember that partner could have raised 2♠ directly to 4♠ (which is what I would have done with your "Death Hand". By going via FSF he is already showing some slam interest. By now bidding 3♠ he is showing even more slam interest.

 

In Ben's example "Death hand" I think partner must jump to 4♠ after FSF directly.

 

If partner has bid correctly, I reckon it is highly unlikley that there isn't a good play for some slam or other.

 

Eric

[pclayton]

The dieath hand isn't the one phil drew up, it is..

 

S-Kxxx H-QJxxx D-x C-AKQ

 

Here you lose 1♠ and 1♦ in xix spades. That queen of trumps is a card that is very necessariy to know about. So, trott out RKBC aaking for keycards, and partners expected response showing 2 keycarrds will tell us if we have slam in sapdes or not.

 

Yest, a diamond slam is posible even when we are missing the queen of spades (a hand like Kxxx Qxxx Tx AKx), but then, this is the price you pay for your auction where you bid only 1♠ instead of two.

 

Ben

Its a death hand for 6♦ or 6♠; but 6♥ and 6N are on ice.

[pclayton]

Is 5NT not GSF here, since I think we've agreed spades as trumps.

 

As to asking for aces, why give them a chance to double for a lead? If 3S is a slam try, and the explanation given was that it was, then surely partner must have the ace of clubs and the two top spade honours for his bidding? If I was going to bid 4NT, I would have bid it on the previous round, since cue-bidding clubs is unlikely to help me find out anything I want to know?

What kind of hand would we GSF after a cue bid, but we can't directly over 3♠?

 

In these days where RKCB is standard, and EKB is almost standard; GSF is practically obsolete.

[Fluffy]

That´s true, but also 6♦ is pick a slam, so why use 5NT for it?, 5NT pick a slam is not popular in Spain (I think it is not popular in all Europe), so that´s why it would be GSF to me.

[jdulmage]

For those who can't be bothered to solve complicated card-play problems :lol: (like me, lol), here is a nice bidding one

 

Imps, strong tournament. NV and you hold

 

♠ ATxx

♥ AK

♦ KQJxxx

♣ x

 

You pard

1♦ 1♥

1♠ 2♣

3♦ 3♠

4♣ 4♠

...?

 

2♣ = 4th suit forcing for 1 round

3♦ = good 6-4, around the 16-17 mark

3♠ = game-forcing raise, slam interest

4♣ = control

 

What do you bid now?

Just 4NT him if you play RKC, if you don't, you may opt to bid 5♥ showing a heart control. You already denied a heart fit, so it can't possibly be to play.

[whereagles]

Thx all. Here are the hands:

 

[hv=d=w&v=n&w=sktxxhakdkqjxxxcx&e=saj9xht9xxdcaq9xx]266|100|Scoring: IMP

West East

1♦ 1♥

1♠ 2♣

3♦ 3♠

4♣ 4♠

pass(??)[/hv]

West's pass to 4♠ makes no sense to me. It was obvious East was looking for heart control. The pass was motivated solely by tactical considerations (a small loss would see the pair through - the important was to avoid large swings). With the diamond ace and spade queen onside, West made all 13 tricks.

 

This lack of killer instinct cost 5 imps, when 8 imps were up for grabs :rolleyes: It is an important psychological lesson: do not let go the grip on the prey, even when you're winning.