[phil_20686]

---

Kinda assume everyone agrees up to here, anyone got any suggestions about how to continue?

[han]

5H, I think this is forcing. It could be too much of course, but 4H could also be too little (that's how we would bid holding a 10-count with this shape so we will never bid a slam).

[Fluffy]

4♦ and accept a sing off in 4NT.

I would had started with 2♥ at MPs.

[phil_20686]

Fluffy, on 2012-March-23, 10:00, said:

4♦ and accept a sing off in 4NT.

I would had started with 2♥ at MPs.

Its teams.

[mikeh]

In the spirit of recent han posts, let me say that I agree completely with han on this one. Too bad I didn't get here earlier....then han could have agreed with me

[gnasher]

I agree with both of you, but I usually do.

[phil_20686]

gnasher, on 2012-March-23, 12:13, said:

I agree with both of you, but I usually do.

Ah but you played this hand .

Yeah I thought for a long time about 5H but I wasn't sure how my parter would take it. Eventually I just lumped 6d. The full hand was:

---

so 6D was a fortunate make. How to people feel about the 1S opener in 2/1? Personally I avoid opening these hands, and just pass, think its just a bit too light. Gnasher was at the other table, also defending 6d, although they had a much more scientific auction to this terrible spot.

[HighLow21]

Several options:

1. 6♦, pick a red slam.
2. Which ever convention is ace-asking for you in this auction. I would prefer 4♣, which I assume would have to be Gerber here. If partner has two, then a diamond king inquiry.
3. 6NT, semi-gambling. Since this is teams, I don't care for this one.

Personally I like (1) the best, because partner is very unlikely to hold all 3 cards I need to bid a grand. It would be unfortunate if he had only one.

[HighLow21]

phil_20686, on 2012-March-23, 12:51, said:

Ah but you played this hand .
<snip>
so 6D was a fortunate make. How to people feel about the 1S opener in 2/1? Personally I avoid opening these hands, and just pass, think its just a bit too light. Gnasher was at the other table, also defending 6d, although they had a much more scientific auction to this terrible spot.

Well you have to admit, I was dead on about this hand, albeit luckily, but I'm glad to see my 6D bid was the right one! :-)

[mikeh]

HighLow21, on 2012-March-23, 13:13, said:

Several options:

1. 6♦, pick a red slam.
2. Which ever convention is ace-asking for you in this auction. I would prefer 4♣, which I assume would have to be Gerber here. If partner has two, then a diamond king inquiry.
3. 6NT, semi-gambling. Since this is teams, I don't care for this one.

Personally I like (1) the best, because partner is very unlikely to hold all 3 cards I need to bid a grand. It would be unfortunate if he had only one.

1. If you want partner to pick a red suit slam, bid 5♥, which has the advantage of showing your shape. I'd take 6♦ as placing the contract, not giving me an option. After all, if 5♥ is forcing (as I think most/all experts would see it) then we can't have both 5♥ and 6♦ as offering a choice of strain. Never assign to two such sequences the same meaning.
2. Few players would use 4♣ as ace asking over 3N. I can see a rationale for using it as such, given that we have bid diamonds, then hearts, so we are unlikely to be showing real clubs, but I doubt that many experts would take 4♣ as gerber absent express agreement

3. 6N is a very poor call, imo. We rate to have limited communication and so we want to play in our best red fit.


Don't worry about a grand. Your focus here should be on finding the correct strain, not speculating about level.

[mikeh]

phil_20686, on 2012-March-23, 12:51, said:

Ah but you played this hand .

Yeah I thought for a long time about 5H but I wasn't sure how my parter would take it. Eventually I just lumped 6d. The full hand was:

---

so 6D was a fortunate make. How to people feel about the 1S opener in 2/1? Personally I avoid opening these hands, and just pass, think its just a bit too light. Gnasher was at the other table, also defending 6d, although they had a much more scientific auction to this terrible spot.

Am I missing something? Maybe I am, but it seems to me that the opening lead will usually be a club here, and now I don't know how you make 6♦. Surely N doesn't rise with the heart A at trick 2? And, unless he does, how do we make 12 tricks?

[phil_20686]

mikeh, on 2012-March-23, 14:39, said:

Am I missing something? Maybe I am, but it seems to me that the opening lead will usually be a club here, and now I don't know how you make 6♦. Surely N doesn't rise with the heart A at trick 2? And, unless he does, how do we make 12 tricks?

Ace of clubs Ace of spades top heart. One small heart is ruffed and one goes on the spade K, then diamond hook.

Think a heart off dummy at trick two leads to the same result always. Cannot not prevent 2s 2h 6d 1c 1h ruff.

[mikeh]

phil_20686, on 2012-March-23, 14:56, said:

Ace of clubs Ace of spades top heart. One small heart is ruffed and one goes on the spade K, then diamond hook.

Think a heart off dummy at trick two leads to the same result always. Cannot not prevent 2s 2h 6d 1c 1h ruff.

yes, had a blind spot

[xxhong]

Without any conventions, 5H seems good.

With conventions, here I play transfers over 3NT, so it is a 4D bid to show 5H+6D. Over partner's 4H, I RKC. Over partner's 4S, I guess to bid 6D. Over partner's 5D, I guess to bid 6D. Over partner's 5C(a cuebid for D), I bid 5S to show SA and grand slam interest. Over partner's 5H, I also bid 5S to show grand slam interest.

phil_20686, on 2012-March-23, 09:57, said:

---

Kinda assume everyone agrees up to here, anyone got any suggestions about how to continue?

[rmnka447]

4 ♥ is the most practical bid -- assuming partner has an opening bid. It identifies the 6-5 holding to partner and lets partner pick the game or make a move toward slam.

However, partner does not have an opening bid. If you use any variant of the rule of 20, it fails. If partner wants to make any opening noise, then the only practicable bid is 2 ♠.

You can still make 6 ♦ after a ♣ lead by immediately leading a ♥. If North rises with the A ♥, he has no return. If he ducks, you win, unblock the A ♠, ruff a low ♥ to the board, pitch a low ♥ on the K ♠, and take the ♦ finesse. It is a lucky hand as it requires the K ♥ doubleton in the slot to make -- about a 20% probability.

If partner had the reverse holding in the red suits 6 ♦ won't make with a probable C lead.

[jogs]

mikeh, on 2012-March-23, 14:39, said:

Am I missing something? Maybe I am, but it seems to me that the opening lead will usually be a club here, and now I don't know how you make 6♦. Surely N doesn't rise with the heart A at trick 2? And, unless he does, how do we make 12 tricks?

I think it makes 12 tricks.
1. club to ace
2. heart, duck by North. win king.
3. spade ace
4. ruff small heart.
5. spade king, pitch small heart
6. small diamond for finesse
draw trumps lose heart to ace. 12 tricks.

[Vampyr]

han, on 2012-March-23, 09:58, said:

5H, I think this is forcing. It could be too much of course, but 4H could also be too little (that's how we would bid holding a 10-count with this shape so we will never bid a slam).

I don't know a lot about 2/1 GF -- is 2♦ really the right bid with 10HCP and good shape?

[MrAce]

I never agree with Han and MikeH (thats a joke btw, i got my lesson from another topic) but i always agree with Andy, so they must be right !

[the hog]

I would bid 5H, however i do believe the 1S opening is a partnership killer.

[mgoetze]

[Edit: This was in response to a deleted post by HighLow21 basically saying he doesn't like me, after I told him his opinion about Gerber is in the wrong forum here.]

Let me guess - ever since this thread where I gave my honest opinion and you answered everyone's posts except mine?

This post has been edited by mgoetze: 2012-March-25, 18:33