[mr1303]

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Who should act differently to bid this slam?

[Mbodell]

If you play last train N could bid 4♥ as still interested in slam. Given the double fit and diamond cue (assuming the cue is the A) then it is quite possible that S has help in hearts and slam will be good. But then again, a non-serious cue opposite 17 does not really put one in slam range. I will note that if you played non-serious 3nt rather than serious 3nt you'd have an easier time here as S would bid 3nt, N would cue 4♣, S would cue 4♦, and now it can be even more clear that 4♥ is a slam try with weakness in hearts.

It would also be much easier to bid this if S bid 3♥ instead of 3♣. That would show club support and the stiff heart. The auction could continue 3♠, 4♦, and now N is in position to keycard and place the contract in 6.

[SteveMoe]

Mbodell, on 2012-December-20, 11:39, said:

It would also be much easier to bid this if S bid 3♥ instead of 3♣. That would show club support and the stiff heart. The auction could continue 3♠, 4♦, and now N is in position to keycard and place the contract in 6.

That's the ticket! What Mbodell says....

[dcohio]

Another vote for 3♥ splinter in support of clubs. N will now drive to slam

[Codo]

I would never splinter with the south hand that would show a stronger hand for me- but of course this had lead to the slam easily.

I do not know your methods, so it is hard to blame anyone. Okay, it is easy to blame, but it is hard to do it in a meaningful way.

To me, 3 ♣ already had shown extras, (I play the French style, where you need to bid 2 ♠ with a real weak opening first and clubs later).
In this scenario, north must bid 4 ♥ to show his club control(s) and hope that partner can cooperate with help in hearts. Unluckily this can bring you into 5 spade opposite QJxxx,Kx,AQ,xxxx, but such is life and you may still survive.

If 3 ♣ already showed just a weak raise (12-14), south should bid 3 NT not 4 ♦. He has a monster for his weak raise.
If 3 ♣ is a raise without a real limit, you are somehow killed by your method. If you start to limit your hand at the 4. level, you may get problems with borderline descission.

[kenrexford]

North should bid 4♥, obviously.

[PhilKing]

Codo, on 2012-December-20, 13:10, said:

To me, 3 ♣ already had shown extras, (I play the French style, where you need to bid 2 ♠ with a real weak opening first and clubs later).

If you play "French" (or any 2 over 1 structure where you can handle nondescript minimums at the two level), then you can play the splinter denies extra values. With extra values you bid 3♣ and partner can "relais" for extra shape with 3♦. If this takes you past 3NT, that is fine - you have extra values and a splinter, after all, and partner was not obliged to relay. Anyway, going past 3NT is not an issue in the club fit auctions.

3♥ = weak splinter really is the way to go on these hands.

But if 2♣ was not game forcing, then you are just screwed.

[SteveMoe]

Codo, on 2012-December-20, 13:10, said:

I would never splinter with the south hand that would show a stronger hand for me- but of course this had lead to the slam easily.

Codo, we play 3♥ - 12-15 minus with 0/1 ♥
and 4♥ as 15 plus with 0/1 ♥