[jillybean]

Dealer: North Vul: NS Scoring: IMP

♠ J984 ♥ 32 ♦ Q ♣ AKQT85

West North East South

 -     1♣    Pass  1♠
 Pass  4♠    Pass  ? 

Now this is a ♣ fit.

What are you going to do, is 5♣ a cue ?

[cherdano]

I would just keycard.

[jdonn]

I would just bid 6♣, partner will pull if his spades are good. I don't like keycard here since even off 2 we might have enough discards playing in clubs to not need the spade king, and since I am never bidding a grand, and since 5♠ might even be in danger if we have to stop there. I also want to try for clubs since it would be nice if partner could declare, as they may lead a red suit into a tenace.

The more I see hands like this, the more I like what my mom and stepdad of all people plays, which is you can make an inverted minor raise with a major on the side, and over that you show shape instead of stoppers pretty much.

[cherdano]

What hands are you hoping for where 6♣ is good and 6♠ is bad? 6♣ was my initial reaction as well, but I found it difficult to find hands where this is indeed right. OTOH, if partner has all keycards for spades you have an obvious 7♠ bid.

Btw, if 6♣ is a suggestion to play (rather than a command) partner will never pass it anyway with his Jack-high club suit.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

4NT.

Even 7 is still possible, opener showed 19HCP
and around 5 loosers, so no need to shoot it
out, if you can go the slow route.

Depending on your agreements, partner denied
a shortage.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jdonn]

cherdano, on Apr 5 2008, 01:29 PM, said:

What hands are you hoping for where 6♣ is good and 6♠ is bad? 6♣ was my initial reaction as well, but I found it difficult to find hands where this is indeed right. OTOH, if partner has all keycards for spades you have an obvious 7♠ bid.

Btw, if 6♣ is a suggestion to play (rather than a command) partner will never pass it anyway with his Jack-high club suit.

Axxx AK AKx Jxxx? And I think partner should pass 6♣ with this hand (true it's 6NT anyway, but I have no way to suggest that contract inteligently). If my spades were good enough to play opposite Hxxx I wouldn't be offering clubs. I do agree though that partner will often bid 6♠ when clubs are preferable, but at least we will get to clubs sometimes.

To me the one reason to bid keycard would be you bid 7♠ if partner has AKQ A A as you said, but I'm more concerned with the best small slam.

One last random thought. Keycard and partner bids 5♦ and they don't double. LHO probably leads a...

[kenrexford]

6♣ is also much better when clubs are 3-0 or 2-0 the wrong way.

[cherdano]

jdonn, on Apr 5 2008, 01:52 PM, said:

cherdano, on Apr 5 2008, 01:29 PM, said:

What hands are you hoping for where 6♣ is good and 6♠ is bad? 6♣ was my initial reaction as well, but I found it difficult to find hands where this is indeed right. OTOH, if partner has all keycards for spades you have an obvious 7♠ bid.

Btw, if 6♣ is a suggestion to play (rather than a command) partner will never pass it anyway with his Jack-high club suit.

Axxx AK AKx Jxxx? And I think partner should pass 6♣ with this hand (true it's 6NT anyway, but I have no way to suggest that contract inteligently). If my spades were good enough to play opposite Hxxx I wouldn't be offering clubs. I do agree though that partner will often bid 6♠ when clubs are preferable, but at least we will get to clubs sometimes.

To me the one reason to bid keycard would be you bid 7♠ if partner has AKQ A A as you said, but I'm more concerned with the best small slam.

One last random thought. Keycard and partner bids 5♦ and they don't double. LHO probably leads a...

I meant "hands" not "a hand" This is the one I came up with as well, but it seems to need specifically ♦AKx, to start with, and a balanced 19 count with two empty main suits might not bid 4♠ anyway. Meanwhile, there are also hands where we can pitch the second round heart loser when we play in spades, but not when we play in clubs.

Anyways (!), it depends a lot on who partner is. Opposite some making 7♠ is a lot more likely than going down in any 6-level contract.

[CSGibson]

I'm really interested in the AKQ of spades, and side aces (king of hearts, too, I suppose if the ace is missing). No cue-bidding sequence that I know of will locate those cards nearly as easily as my old friend Mr Roman Keycard's convention. This gives us a chance at stopping when stopping is right, while keeping big and small slams alike in play.

[pclayton]

Why would I do anything else than Keycard? AKQ/A/A gives us a grand.

[neilkaz]

pclayton, on Apr 5 2008, 08:26 PM, said:

Why would I do anything else than Keycard? AKQ/A/A gives us a grand.

We agree. 4NT for me as well.

[FrancesHinden]

jdonn, on Apr 5 2008, 07:03 PM, said:

The more I see hands like this, the more I like what my mom and stepdad of all people plays, which is you can make an inverted minor raise with a major on the side, and over that you show shape instead of stoppers pretty much.

Another one sees the light!

[jillybean]

Scoring: IMP

---

 -     1♣    Pass  1♠
 Pass  4♠    Pass  ?  
  

Here's the complete hand with the nicely placed ♥ honors.

[neilkaz]

So how did the bidding proceed at the table ?

[jdonn]

[cherdano]

1C 1S
4S 4N
5D 5H
6H 6S

How does this imply we are off a keycard?

[CSGibson]

6S - X - 6N. Thanks for the No Trump bonus.