Grand slam decision

[whereagles]

You are playing 2/1. Your pard, albeit not the best card-player around, is a bidding machine. Imps opposite expert opps, none vuln, you hold:

 

♠ 9x

♥ AKQJ

♦ T98xxx

♣ K

 

You decide to sin against all principles of 5-card majors and open 1♥. Pard bids lightning-fast up to...

 

You pard

1♥ 1♠

2♦ 3♣

3♦ 3♠

4♠ 4NT

5♣ 5NT

..?

 

5♣ was 1 or 4 keys. Pard has shown a 6+ card spade suit. His 5NT bid confirms possession of all key cards, and asks for extras for 7♠. Your bid?

[Free]

6♠, I don't see any usefull extra's. The key suit is ♦, but my suit is VERY poor.

[badderzboy]

♠9x

♥ AKQJ

♦T98xxx

♣K

 

Assuming that ptr has at least the following :-

 

♠AKQxxx

♥?

♦A?

♣A?

 

Don't we have 13 off the top unless spades break Jxxx(x) or worse and ptr has at least 1 ♥ or no club lead if he has no ♥'s?

 

Steve

[luke warm]

i'd bid 6♥ or 6♠... i wouldn't bid 6♣ because i'd rather pard know i had nothing in diamonds rather than something in clubs

[kgr]

♠9x

♥ AKQJ

♦T98xxx

♣K

 

Assuming that ptr has at least the following :-

 

♠AKQxxx

♥?

♦A?

♣A?

 

Don't we have 13 off the top unless spades break Jxxx(x) or worse and ptr has at least 1 ♥ or no club lead if he has no ♥'s?

 

Steve

I Agree.

I bid 7NT to avoid problem if partner has no ♥ and opps lead ♣;

Or if one of opps have ♦ or ♣ void.

If partner's bids are as described then 7NT will make on 3-2 split in ♠ because we have 13 top tricks.

If ♠ do not run then we will have more changes in 7NT then in 7♠. (Maybe ♣ or ♦ will provide the tricks).

....or is it possible that partner has a void in ♦?

[cherdano]

I agree with 7NT. With a diamond void, partner could hardly confirm all missing keycards, when he expects me to hold the ♦A.

[pclayton]

I think I'll just try 7♠. Pard may have a spade-heavy 5-1-3-4 hand where we need the club ruff for the 13th trick. +1510 and +1520 = push at IMPs B)

[Chamaco]

His 5NT bid confirms possession of all key cards, and asks for extras for 7♠. Your bid?

I bid 6♣ showing the ♣ King.

 

I have already bid and rebid diamonds, nothing to show more there; instead, pard could be interested in my ♣ K to make "solid" a side suit, or to "see" a 13th top trick.

 

I have told my story, now the ball is in its court, isn't he a bidding machine ? B)

[Fluffy]

if 5NT asks about how many extras I'll bid 6♥ or 6♠ (wichever is maximum for you without biding 7)

 

if 5NT ask about specific extras I'll start with 6♣ and bid 7 if partner doesn't bid 6♠

[whereagles]

Indeed, the correct reasoning was: "Pard has 6 spade tricks. I can contribute with 4 hearts on my own. We seem to have AK of clubs and A of diamonds as well, so that adds up to 13. I should bid 7S, or even 7NT."

 

At table the bid was 6C, showing something useful in clubs. Opener thought this would be enough encouragement, but responder, who held the left cards

 

AKQJxx....9x

x.............AKQJ

A.............T98xxx

AJxxx.......K

 

was not pleased with the perspective of finding opener with

 

xx

AKxxx

Qxxxx

K

 

and signed off in 6S. On the marked trump lead, the grand slam rates to make only if the queen of clubs comes down in 3 rounds.

 

Perhaps responder gave opps too much credit for a trump lead... or perhaps 7S on clubs Qxx/xxxx or a non-trump lead isn't that bad a gamble. Perhaps he could have reasoned at the other table the player with his cards would go berserk and bid 7 anyway. All this he might have thought, but none of it invalidates the fact that opener substituted trick-counting for a lazy bid of 6C :)

[Fluffy]

I think the guy with the balck 6-5 developed to imagine the only possible hodling where 7 COULD not make, but with not real proof, he could even ahd trried to reask with 6♦ or 6♥.

[mike777]

What ever the heck p is asking for over 5nt, 6c must be enough for p. to bid 7.

 

Even then 6D over 6c must be "last train" and gives you an easy bid of 7.

[whereagles]

The point is, when opener bids 6C, he cannot have a hand much different than

 

a. xx AKxxx Qxxxx K

b. xx AQxxx Kxxxx K

 

because if he held

 

c. xx AKQxx xxxxx K

d. xx Axxxx KQxxx K

e. xx AKxxx Kxxxx K

 

he would have bid 7S

 

(hand a: 6 spades + 2 hearts + A diam + AK clubs + 1 club ruff = 12. Needs 2nd club ruff)

(hand b: 6 spades + 1 heart + 2 diams + AK clubs + 1 club ruff = 12. Needs 2nd club ruff)

(hand c: 6 spades + 3 hearts + A diam + AK clubs + 1 club ruff = 13)

(hand d: 6 spades + 1 heart + 3 diamonds + AK clubs + 1 club ruff = 13)

(hand e: 6 spades + 2 hearts + 2 diamonds + AK clubs + 1 club ruff = 13)

 

Thus, it's a near-certainty that 7S depends on your opps not making (the marked) trump lead or that the club queen comes down in 3 rounds. Are you going to stick 10 imps into this? Perhaps you should, because

 

1. They might not lead a trump. Unlikely, but can happen.

2. Clubs Qxx/xxxx is not that bad a chance.

3. If all goes wrong, there is chance for a 13th trick if there's a heart finesse in dummy.

 

Perhaps responder should bid 6H, asking for a little help in hearts. Opener should oblige with AQxxx or AKJxx. Still, I don't consider it too pessimist to bid a plain 6S.