Moving on or signing off? Relay auction.

[Kungsgeten]

Yesterday our auction started like this:

 

1C-1NT;

2C-3D;

 

1C showed 12-14 NT or most 17+ hands. 1NT was game forcing against the small hand, denying a four card major if unbalanced. 2C was a relay, showing the strong hand (could also have bid a suit of our own instead), and 3D showed 2-2-5-4. Opener (me) held the following hand:

 

AQxxx

KQ

AQx

J98

 

We don't play spiral scan, QP or similar at the moment. We could set any suit as trumps and at the same time ask for aces, or we could sign off in 3NT or any suit. If we ask for aces, we could also asks for kings without it being a grand slam try.

 

What would you have done?

[awm]

It seems like the duplication often makes slam bad, like if partner has xx xx KJxxx AKQx or xx Ax Kxxxx KQxx. Basically if partner has no HA you need SK to be better than a finesse as well as DKJ and CAK. If partner has HA it’s worse because you have wasted heart values. So partner probably needs a very good 14 or more for slam.

 

Since partner knows you have 17+ he presumably won’t pass 3nt with 15. So I’d go with 3nt here.

[shevek]

3NT.

 

A useful GF opposite is

 

Kx, xx, KTxxx, AKxx

 

6D not so good on a heart lead. If trumps break, still need spades 3-3, or CQ coming down or a black squeeze.

You have a normal 17+, no more.

 

On the other hand, partner might have extras but be put off by the apparent lack of fit.

 

Kx, Ax, KTxxx, Axxx

 

will pass 3NT when 6D is goodish.

 

Not so good if the black king is CK instead, which is more likely.

[nullve]

4♦

[foobar]

It seems like the duplication often makes slam bad, like if partner has xx xx KJxxx AKQx or xx Ax Kxxxx KQxx. Basically if partner has no HA you need SK to be better than a finesse as well as DKJ and CAK. If partner has HA it’s worse because you have wasted heart values. So partner probably needs a very good 14 or more for slam.

 

Since partner knows you have 17+ he presumably won’t pass 3nt with 15. So I’d go with 3nt here.

+1.

[Kungsgeten]

I agree with you that 3NT seems like the best option. I think I was blinded by having an opening hand opposite my 18-count. We ended up in 6D, which went one off (should have been two down). On the actual board the only making game was 4S, since the spade king was offside and the diamonds didn't break.