higl level competitive problem

[AL78]

Swiss pairs playing Acol weak NT, three weak twos, game all:

 

[hv=pc=n&n=sa2h85dacakt87642&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1c3dd4d]133|200[/hv]

 

Your call?

[LBengtsson]

I guess 5♦ followed by 6♣ would show this hand, but will partner be able to picture this and bid a grand slam from his side, and would you be able to find out if partner has the keycards to bid a grand slam yourself? I doubt it.

 

I bid what I think I can make: 6♣. If partner puts down a hand where a grand is 13 tricks off the top, then I will have to live with it.

[DavidKok]

I'll bid 6♣. If you decide to go scientific I think you should start with 4NT (strong with clubs) - for me 5♦ is aiming to get to a major suit. I'm more worried about 11 tricks than about 13.

[apollo1201]

Partner rates to have some (54)22 of ~10+ HCP. With a limited 55 they could have bid 4D (majors for me, and not a C forcing raise).

 

Do they have the missing important cards (H AK + SK or H AKQ plus who knows the CQ might prove useful too)? Maybe, maybe not, but it would be a shame that 2 are missing.

 

Can I know if they have all of them? Probably not.

 

So 6C be it. I doubt that they will bid 6D, but if partner passes that…

[AL78]

Thanks for your thoughts. My partner held the hand in question and was unsure what to do so I said I would post it on here.

 

The full deal:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj76hak72dt86c93&w=s9543hqjt94d54cq5&n=sa2h85dacakt87642&e=skt8h63dkqj9732cj&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1c3dd4d5cppp]399|300[/hv]

 

With the ten card fit and the clubs 2-1 I covered three of her four losers and we made +1.

[apollo1201]

Thanks for your thoughts. My partner held the hand in question and was unsure what to do

I’d rather bid 7 than 5 actually

[akwoo]

All of you who are thinking 7♣ is better than 5♣ have never played weak NT.

 

Responder is going to make the negative double of 3♦ with weaker hands than all you strong NTers expect, because responder knows opener either has 15 hcp or has a good place to run to with an unbalanced hand.

 

I think 6♣ is on balance a better gamble, but, if your partner is like most bridge players and feels that a 0 for overbidding and going down is somehow worse than a 0 for underbidding, I sympathize with 5♣.