[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-December-10, 18:44, said:

Mike, what is 5♥-5♠-5N for you ?

It isn’t anything. I’ve not discussed this with anyone. If I bid 5H and partner bid 5S, I think 5N could logically be played as a grand slam try...possibly even old-fashioned Grand Slam Force. Say I held AJxxx void AJxx AQxx

I think it important to keep these sequences as simple as possible. No matter how one thinks partner ‘should’ take an imaginative call, the reality is that, for the great majority of partnerships, partner will often think of something else that, to him, makes just as much sense.

For me, since I am not looking for spades, 5N is obvious. Both my regular partners would, I am certain, know this was pick a slam, with emphasis on minors.

Equally, I think 5H clearly involves spades.

However, once opener bids spades, 5N is the sort of action I’d strive to avoid.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2020-December-10, 19:42, said:

It isn’t anything. I’ve not discussed this with anyone. If I bid 5H and partner bid 5S, I think 5N could logically be played as a grand slam try...possibly even old-fashioned Grand Slam Force. Say I held AJxxx void AJxx AQxx

I think it important to keep these sequences as simple as possible. No matter how one thinks partner ‘should’ take an imaginative call, the reality is that, for the great majority of partnerships, partner will often think of something else that, to him, makes just as much sense.

For me, since I am not looking for spades, 5N is obvious. Both my regular partners would, I am certain, know this was pick a slam, with emphasis on minors.

Equally, I think 5H clearly involves spades.

However, once opener bids spades, 5N is the sort of action I’d strive to avoid.

I felt 5♥ put spades in the equation (or more that an immediate 5N took them out), 5N suggested I only had 3 hence this shape.

[AL78]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-December-09, 12:41, said:

And this your honour is how I went -2 when overcaller turned out to have 10 hearts to the J10 and out.

Whatever, if you never take a view because there is a less than 100% chance it will be right, you will never get very far, in bridge and in life.

[Cyberyeti]

AL78, on 2020-December-11, 05:51, said:

Whatever, if you never take a view because there is a less than 100% chance it will be right, you will never get very far, in bridge and in life.

I think bidding a grand straight off is crazy, particularly as there are 4 grands in the picture. I want to explore first.

[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-December-11, 05:44, said:

I felt 5♥ put spades in the equation (or more that an immediate 5N took them out), 5N suggested I only had 3 hence this shape.

I don’t see why 5N suggests anything about spades. And it doesn’t promise a void heart. Why can’t we be 1=1=5=6 as one example?

If you insist that 5N shows 3=0=5=5, you’ll be unable to handle Kx x AKJxx AKJxx, where surely we will want to force to a minor slam, even though we have no assurance that it is cold.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2020-December-11, 09:14, said:

I don’t see why 5N suggests anything about spades. And it doesn’t promise a void heart. Why can’t we be 1=1=5=6 as one example?

If you insist that 5N shows 3=0=5=5, you’ll be unable to handle Kx x AKJxx AKJxx, where surely we will want to force to a minor slam, even though we have no assurance that it is cold.

Those hands are immediate 5N not 5♥-5♠-5N

[Douglas43]

I know it's a bit off topic (which mainly about how to bid this hand shape), but isn't 6NT a reasonable alternative? We have 35 points, partner is playing it and the hand with hearts is on lead. If we can bring in one minor we should be home.

[Dinarius]

I want to be in a minor suit slam and I want partner playing it - the point made above about 4♥ bidder being void in a suit is well made. I have nice spades, but I could well end up in a spade contract with the spades stacked, as well as a heart ruff.

I bid 5NT - pick a minor. What else can it be?

Yes, I'm not bidding a grand slam, but we're missing enough points for them to have 9 hearts to the J and A♠. I know, I'm paranoid.

D.

[nullve]

portia2, on 2020-December-09, 00:20, said:

After partner opens 1N (15-17), you know you have a slam but when RHO intervenes with 4H, what should you bid? What would 4N, 5N or 5H mean?

---

Undiscussed:

4N = pick a minor (for now)
5♥: makes partner wonder why I didn't bid 4N
5N: makes partner wonder why I didn't bid 4N or 5♥

[Douglas43]

At the risk of sounding agricultural, (apologies to any farmers out there) 6NT.

We have 35+ hcp, so no risk of losing HAK at tricks 1 and 2.

If either minor comes in we should have a decent shot at 12 tricks. And a grand against bad breaks sounds less attractive than when we look at our hand in isolation from the bidding. Finally, I know that we won't have a bidding misunderstanding.

If I wasn't going to punt it, I'd bid 5NT, pick a slam. But I'd still skip the grand.

Mind you, I am Karapet's long lost soulmate when it comesto grand slams

[Lovera]

Hello to all followers. I hope you are all well (it is appropriate to say given the extraordinary nature that has occurred for all of us). I think the problem is how 1NT's hand is composed of points rather than which minor to choose. In fact it is very likely, in the case of the grand slam, that RHO defends at a high level. Therefore everything shifts to guaranteeing two Aces in the major suits for the possibility of an automatic squeeze on LHO with ♠ and one of the two minor ones as unilateral and the other for the squeeze card working at the 11.th trick.(Lovera)