[xx1943]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

- - - Pass
1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
2NT Pass 3♣ Pass NMF
3♥ Pass 4NT Pass RKCB
5♠ Pass 5NT Pass 2keys+Q
6♦ Pass 7♥ Pass ♦K
Pass Pass

This hand came up in a team training for the BIL.

Two Billies bid like above shown.

How should the bidding be in your opinion?

Cheers

Al

[kenrexford]

Using whatever techniques get you to (1) Opener showing long diamonds and extra strength and (2) hearts being established, RKCB does fine. A very simple auction would be 1♦-1♥-3♦-3♠-4♥-4NT-answer-6♦-7♥.

[HeartA]

1D - 1H
2H - 3C
3D - 4D
4S - 4N
5S - 5N
7H

[mike777]

How about something more natural?

1D=1H
3D=3H
RKC ETC..

[awm]

I like:

1♦ - 1♥
3♦ - 3♥ (should be forcing after partner's jump rebid)
3♠ (cuebid agreeing hearts; with no fit would try 3NT)

Now responder knows that:

(1) There are almost surely 6 running diamond tricks, since partner would be unlikely to jump rebid diamonds with a very weak suit (and responder himself has ♦AJ).

(2) We are not off two top tricks in any suit, since partner has a spade cuebid.

(3) We easily have enough points to look for slam, and we have a heart fit.

It now seems straightforward to continue via keycard and reach the grand.

The nice thing about this auction as opposed to the one given, is that the running side suit is revealed in the bidding. This makes it easy to count 14 tricks (6♥, 6♦, ♠, ♣) after the keycard response. I don't really like the 2NT rebid with a singleton club, which hides the nature of opener's hand (as well as showing more strength than he has), although in the end a good contract was reached.

[whereagles]

mike777, on Sep 19 2006, 07:09 PM, said:

How about something more natural?

1D=1H
3D=3H
RKC ETC..

Seems like double-dummy. Opener has an elegant hand but responder need not be so strong.. 4NT is a bit of an overbid, though it happens to work well on this occasion.

In your sequence, I prefer 4♥ instead of 4NT, leaving it to responder to carry on. This probably won't get to the grand, but will have you stay out of trouble on different layouts.

[Mr. Dodgy]

1♦-2♥-4♦-4♥-5♣-5♦-6♥-7♥

[1eyedjack]

Mr. Dodgy, on Sep 20 2006, 12:55 AM, said:

1♦-2♥-4♦-4♥-5♣-5♦-6♥-7♥

If 4D promises both good D and good H then this is OK (not sure if the D are quite good enough, but that depends on agreements). Certainly looks like a good hand for strong jump shifts, but a more normal start (playing Sjs) would I think be 1D-2H-3H.

[Mr. Dodgy]

The ♦s may be a bit scrappy, but opposite a ♥SJS, this hand looks very slammish to me. It's not a fit-jump per se, but shows good long ♦s and 'extras', and I'll always have opportunity show the support later - the 6♥ bid without checking for Ks or ♥Q (using 4NT instead of 4♦) should promise those missing trump honors. 7♥ is a concession to the possibility of a less than spectacular ♦ suit, as responder can count 14 top tricks in NT if the red suits run.

Well that's my logic, keep in mind I AM MrDodgy.

[EricK]

1♦ 2♥
3♥ 4♣
4NT 5♣
7♥

[mikeh]

mike777, on Sep 19 2006, 02:09 PM, said:

How about something more natural?

1D=1H
3D=3H
RKC ETC..

With all due respect, this is a silly auction. When did east show that he had slam ambitions? Where does West get off on using keycard to take control of an auction in which partner may have something like xxx AJ10xxx xx Kx?

I prefer awm's auction, but have serious doubts about the 3♠ bid being a cue agreeing ♥. Now, we know that East is looking at such good ♦ that this use makes sense, but what if we, as east held: xx AJ10xxx xx KQx? Wouldn't we be worried that partner held AKx xx AKQxxx xx? Is opener supposed to commit to 4♥ with this or to close his eyes and bid 3N?

I might choose to bid 3♠ as an ambiguous move: if partner bids the almost-expected 3N, I pull to 4♥ and the message is clear. However, this is not risk-free: partner may bid something else, and now any ♥ bid may appear to be a forced preference rather than legitimate support. Plus, I don't consider this one ace wonder, with a borderline fit, to be super-max for the auction so far: my 3♦ rebids are not weakness bids, after all.

So for me:

1♦ 1♥
3♦ 3♥
4♥

There is no need for west to cue here: after all, he has a minimum 3♦ bid, and it is tough to construct hands on which slam is good where east cannot make a move.

Now keycard is easy... I use 4♠ here, but 4N works just as well. I very, very rarely endorse keycard with an uncontrolled side suit, but my ♦ are so good that I would risk it here. I would be expecting to play in ♦ until I heard the unexpected '2 with the Q' response, after which I would bid 7N, to avoid any ruff: I'd expect to claim if partner showed the ♦10, and to claim very shortly thereafter if he did not.

I would not be worried about his ♦ being Kxxxxx: no partner of mine would jump such a suit..... at least, if he did, it would be the last time he did, as my partner.

If I suspected that partner would be capable of such a distortion, then 7♥ would perhaps be better: altho if he holds KQ tight in trump and only one black entry, 7♥ will not be significantly better than 7N.

[Codo]

I would never rate openers hand to be worth a jump rebid in diamonds.
But if my pd has the same opinion as the people who posted here, we would start with 1 ♦ 1 ♥ 3 ♦ 3 ♥ 4 ♥ and asking for keycards then.

I would prefer:
1♦ 1 ♥
2 ♦ 3 ♣ (nmf)
4 ♥ (max + 3 card fit)
and Keycard from here.

[inquiry]

I actually play a jump rebid of 3D as showing a good six card plus suit, and three card support for the major. Since KTxxxx and QTxxxx are not good suits, when the auction starts 1D-1H-3D, responder knows about the KQ of diamonds (since he has AJ). My auction would be...

1D - 1H
3D - 4C
4D - 4NT
5S - 7H
Pass

Where, 4C = game force cue-bid, denies Ace or King or singeton spade
4D = cue-bid, promises a spade control
4NT = RKCB
5S = two controls plus heart queen
7H = you have A(x) KQx KQxxxx(x) (x) at a minimunm

Foir what it is worth, this 3D jump rebid works great on some hands and is problematic on others. For instance, now 1D-1H-3D-3H is no longer forcing, and 1D-1H-3D-3S = is ambigious, could be 3NT try or slam try. I do play a raise to 4D as setting trumps and game force, and as RKCB. And any cue-bid as either 3NT try or agreeing hearrts and game force.

[Blofeld]

MickyB and I would start something like Ben:

1♦ : 1♥
3♦ : 4♣ (3♦ 15-18 with 6♦s and 3♥s ; 4♣ is slam interest with ♥s and nothing about ♣s)
4♦ : 5♣ (4♦ a cue, 5♣ showing a club control, denying a spade control, and showing an odd number of keycards)
5♦ : 5NT (another cue, knowing that we have all the keycards ; denies the Q of trumps)
6♣ : 7♥ (promises the ♥Q and suggests a second or third round club control ; can count 14 top tricks but doesn't know for sure partner's spade control isn't a void)

[kenrexford]

The more I think about this hand, the more I come to two conclusions.

(1) How do you NOT get to the grand?
(2) Why is everyone (my first post included) in a silly 7♥ contract? 7NT seems a bit safer, as
(a.) no diamond ruff is possible
(b.) the person not bidding 7♦ is allowed to have the diamond 10 occasionally
(c.) the thirteen thrick may come from somewhere else if diamonds are 5-0, missing the 10.
(d.) if both make, the extra 10 points gives us bragging rights.

[mikeh]

kenrexford, on Sep 21 2006, 10:08 AM, said:

(2) Why is everyone (my first post included) in a silly 7♥ contract? 7NT seems a bit safer, as

check my post: 7N