Bidding minefield

[shyams]

[hv=pc=n&s=sakq53hkq6432dck6&n=sj976hat7dqcaqt92&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1c1h(psyche)]266|200[/hv]

After West passes and North opens 1♣, East psyches a 1♥ overcall. Would your partnership be able to reach the cold grand slam after that? We lost 13 IMPs after only bidding to 6♠.

 

Please feel free to comment. Note: Despite holding 12 ♦ cards, opps were silent for the rest of the auction.

[Trinidad]

The psyche doesn't make it easier.

 

How about:

1♣-(1♥)-1♠

3♠-5♦ (Exclusion)

5NT-7♠ (2 without ♠Q)

 

Rik

[Vuchev]

In my opinion bidding should be as follows:

 

1♣ - (1♥) - Dbl //Dbl - gives some points and probably something in ♥

1♠ - 4♦ //1♠ - 4 cards in ♠; 4♦ - Splinter

4♥ - 4NT //4♥ - cue-bid (obviously A/void); 4NT - Blackwood

5♥ - 7♠ //5♥ - 2A without Q♠

 

Additional Notes

----------------

In this bidding scheme there is no information about the second Ace of North. So, if 4♥ is void, then North Aces must be in ♣ and ♦. If 4♥ is A, then we don't know which is the second. If 4♦ is followed by Dbl from West, then A♦ must be there, and North has the other two. The worst case would be North to lack A♣, and East to lead it. In any other case 7♠ is possible and therefore must be bid.

 

Another way is to use lower level Splinter to insure levels for cue-bids, which however sometimes may end disastrously with 4♠ contract to play. Nevertheless, there is a wise rule in bridge bidding which says: "The lower you bid in game/slam forcing, the stronger hand you promise."

[Zelandakh]

Hallo Vuchev and welcome to the BBO forums. The majority of players here play the double after 1♣ - (1♥) to mean one of:

 

a. negative, showing precisely 4 spades (by far the most common);

b. stolen bid, showing 4+ diamonds; or

c. transfer, showing 4+ spades.

 

It is rare for a modern player to use the double to show points + values in hearts.

 

You could also simplify your auction along the lines set down by Rik (Trinidad) before you. Many play a jump to 5♦ over 1♠ to ask for key cards ignoring the diamond suit. This convention, known as Exclusion Roman Key Card Blackwood (XRKCB) or Voidwood, allows South to find out about the ♥A and ♣A without the message getting lost from the ♦A.

 

In any case, this is quite an advanced auction so do not worry too much about things like XRKCB for the time being. Do read some of the old threads though - I promise you you will learn a lot here if you are open to it!

[mike777]

difficult

 

with a 2 loser hand and pard opening I will start with 1s.

 

who knows perhaps I will be able to bid exclusion in d at some point but at this point difficult.

 

if the opp bid I expect it to get more difficult, if they pass then easier

[beatrix45]

How about one spade?

[Kungsgeten]

1C--(1H)--Dbl--(P); [4+ spades]

2H--5D; [4 card support and unbalanced hand; exclusion blackwood]

5NT--7S; [2 keycards, not the queen; to play]

[FM75]

I know this is in the natural bidding section. It is an interesting problem, natural or otherwise, I think.

 

Playing a strong club, the auction might likely be (p) 2♣ ¹- ??

Would that inhibit a heart psych? Get a 2♦ overcall?

 

The resulting bidding could still get interesting. Perhaps 2 hearts doubled is for penalty. Perhaps a trap pass comes into play since responder knows that opener might have a 4 card major (spades, nearly certainly) and will get the chance to bid it, or rebid clubs cheaply. My partner and I have lebensohl available against the 2 heart overcall (or even 2 diamonds - but we would normally double 2 diamonds since it stole an artificial query about whether opener had a 4 card major).

 

¹ 11-15 hcp, 5+ clubs in a good suit, possibly including a 4 card major.