[Cascade]

 Fluffy, on 2012-November-16, 22:16, said:

So there is a whole lot of LAs, he picks one that is not suggested by UI but yet you wanna require him to do a complete deep analysis of all LAs and their consequences to determine wich one is the least suggested? maybe you are right on the rules, but this looks insane to me.

Maybe you are right but maybe not.

My understanding is that he is not allowed to select one alternative that is suggested over another. I have not seen enough evidence that Blackwood is not suggested over another call e.g. 4♦. Not until I know what options were available can i determine whether or not 4NT was suggested over some other alternative and therefore was a legitimate alternative.

[vigfus]

There is a lot of LA's. But PASS is NOT one of them.

[CamHenry]

 Cascade, on 2012-November-17, 00:20, said:

Maybe you are right but maybe not.

My understanding is that he is not allowed to select one alternative that is suggested over another. I have not seen enough evidence that Blackwood is not suggested over another call e.g. 4♦. Not until I know what options were available can i determine whether or not 4NT was suggested over some other alternative and therefore was a legitimate alternative.

4♦ would be... I think an invitational hand with long diamonds (we're a relatively new partnership; partner is used to an agricultural style of bidding). There's no discussion of relative strength of options.

4♣ is a first-round club control; 3M is probably a second suit (6-4) and 3NT is to play. I suspect 4M is a splinter, so maybe I should choose 4♠ over the 4NT I selected.

The final contract was 6♦-2, for a 9IMP swing. The standings for the event as a whole would not have been affected by another +- 8 IMPs on this board, so it's mostly an academic question on this occasion

[bluejak]

 gnasher, on 2012-November-16, 08:28, said:

If 3♠ would show shortage by agreement, I'd bid 3♠ and not consider anything else.

If 3♠ would be natural and 4♣ would be a cue-bid, I'd bid 4♣ and not consider anything else.

If all new suits would be natural and 4♦ would be natural, I'd bid 4♦ after considering 3♥ and 4♣.

If all new suits would be natural and 4♦ would be Keycard, I'm not one of "the class of players in question".

Works for me.