5 level decision

[Hanoi5]

Red vs White, ximps:

 

♠Ax

♥A7xxx

♦Kxx

♣KJx

 

(2♠*)-X-(4♠)-?

 

*Spades and a minor (at least 5-4+), 6-10

[mikeh]

Red vs White, ximps:

 

♠Ax

♥A7xxx

♦Kxx

♣KJx

 

(2♠*)-X-(4♠)-?

 

*Spades and a minor (at least 5-4+), 6-10

I don't think I can force to slam, not least because Ax spades is nowhere near as good a slam holding as Axx, where partner rates to be stiff (or void). But I am not prepared to defend either.

 

I am going to hope to get lucky. I am going to bid 4N, ostensibly two places to play, and I am going to correct his minor to hearts. If I am in luck, he will bid 5♣, and now I hope he works out that my 5♥ call is a slam try....it must (I think) be a one-suiter, else I'd bid 5♦ or pass 5♣, and yet I didn't bid 5♥.

 

I don't have a lot of confidence....for one thing there is a reasonable chance that he'll bid diamonds with 2=4=4=3 (but on most such I wouldn't want to be in slam anyway), but maybe he is 1=4=4=4, and can work it out and raise.

 

Might miss grand on a bad day, but they preempt for a reason, don't they?

[MrAce]

I would DBL

[nige1]

Red vs White, ximps: ♠ A x ♥ A 7 x x x ♦ K x x ♣ K J x

(2♠*)-X-(4♠)-?

*Spades and a minor (at least 5-4+), 6-10

IMO: 5♥ = 10, 4N = 9, 6♥ = 8, Double = 7.

[Codo]

4 NT and 5 ♥... or double 5 ♠

[Cascade]

5♥ is already a big bid. I don't make that bid at these colours expecting to go down. Partner is allowed to raise here.

[Zelandakh]

I am going to hope to get lucky. I am going to bid 4N, ostensibly two places to play, and I am going to correct his minor to hearts.

Do you have something against the inversion on this auction Mike? It seems like this is another one where it is clearer if a direct 5♥ is better than 4NT followed by 5♥.

[Fluffy]

6♥ unless I play some gadget with 4NT that allows me to show an invitational hand to slam.

[mikeh]

Do you have something against the inversion on this auction Mike? It seems like this is another one where it is clearer if a direct 5♥ is better than 4NT followed by 5♥.

I think you may well be correct, but I don't have any agreements at all about this. I decided to wing it via 4N, hoping partner would work it out. Since I have no agreements, all my partners would view 5♥ as an attempt to play 5♥ :D

[han]

I agree that the direct 5H should be stronger, but I also don't play that with anybody. I would go through the stronger route, and I would rather bid 6H than go through the weaker. I think that Cascade is dreaming a dream.

[Winstonm]

I would bid 5H as my principle concern in these situations is to give partner latitude to act without punishment. I would like to think that partner might hold something like xx, KQxx, Axx, Axxx - so if I try for slam at this point I want a hand that is virtually cold if partner holds a perfect minimum for his action.]

 

Preempts work - that's why they are still around.

[ggwhiz]

Slower (via 4nt) is stronger in my partnership. 5♥ could be a maybe dive couldn't it? On these colors 6 card hearts and a stiff spade doesn't need much more to bid, say Kxxx in a minor.

 

Do you really show this hand with 4nt first?

[gszes]

This has always been an interesting topic especially at these

colors. you hold xxx xxxxxxx Ax x after 2s x 4s would you not want

to bid 5h even at unfavorable??? There is a strong expectation

that it makes but this is anything but a strong hand. IMO it is

better to save a 5h for a weak freak than a strong freak since it

would seem to be much more common.

 

This problem i agree with the 4n 5h approach and a K stronger I would

go with 5s (with first round control of spades or 5n w/o first round control

of spades).

[Zelandakh]

Do you really show this hand with 4nt first?

Why not? What do you see as the disadvantages of a direct 5♥ being stronger than 4NT followed by 5♥? If you play this inversion, then you probably already have it in most auctions where the opps jam to 4♠. It seems only consistent to use it in this auction too.

[PhilKing]

Slower (via 4nt) is stronger in my partnership. 5♥ could be a maybe dive couldn't it? On these colors 6 card hearts and a stiff spade doesn't need much more to bid, say Kxxx in a minor.

 

Do you really show this hand with 4nt first?

 

Slow = strong simply does not work, since if partner chooses 5♦ over 4NT, your correction to 5♥ is consistent with hearts and clubs weak. Playing my way, a corrrection to 5♥ is ambiguous (hearts weak or clubs and hearts), but that cannot cost. In another 15 years I expect to achieve a consensus.