[phil_20686]

So played a local league match in which 9/24 boards were decent slams. Here are a few of the boards where we were sub optimal:

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Partners bidding was also interesting on this, and his hand might appear after this thread has been around for a while.

[inquiry]

Since 2nt was game force, it sets up forcing pass situation
4♦ - defensive bidding predicting more competition to help decide contract level.
pass over 4♠ would have been forcing, so 5♣ is AN offensive and slam try... however, with a strong slam try hand, partner could have passed initially and then rebid 5♣, using the principle of fast arrival, the direct 5♣ is weaker of the two ways to cue-bid clubs.

If partner had passed 4♠, I would have bid 5♣ myself. Now, I am worried that we have two losers -- especially if we play fit jumps (so that partner can not have ♣AJxxx of ♣AQxxx because of no 4♣ bid (instead of 2nt). So if partner has five clubs to the ace, and the heart ace, he still needs some additional stuff for the forcing spade raise. Since a second high club is out of the question, that leaves us with singleton diamond, or Qx of diamonds (with king of diamonds, he would clearly wait for you reopen with double then bid 5♣.

So my guess is partner has something like

xxx
AQxx
x
Axxxx

or

xx
AJxxx
Qx
Axxxx

or similar. Partner could also have something like diamond fit (might be more likely) but not to the KQ, CLUB ACE AND HEART AQ, or he would bid stronger. I don't think I can force to slam. If all partner wanted was club king and spade control, he would clearly pass first. I would like to bid 5♦ here as a last train type of thing, but I think that focus on the need for a spade control, which I DON'T need. So it has to be 6♥ or 5♥. Brand me as chicken, but I bid 5♥ here.

If you don't play fit jumps, then I need to rethink it.

[bigbenvic]

I assume that 2nt is a Heart raise, not a spade raise :-)

What are jump bids from responder after an overcall? ie 1h (1s) 3c/3d

I assume a balanced (ish) raise to 4h, so happy to bid 4d to show my shape, over 5♣ my hand gets better, I'll try 5♦ to show the A and that I'm interested still. If partner bids 5h I have to decide if I have too much to pass. Spade void, trump A and the working K of clubs. I think I would pass, I've made 2 moves to slam, if partner needs 3....

It's close, maybe I should bid 4♠ over 3♠... I think I should have slightly more for that bid though.

[han]

4D looks good. I would pass if partner doubles but pull if partner passes.

After 5C my hand is really good, prime cards and a void. I would bid 5D and I have more sympathy for moving past 5H than for singing off. I am not sure that partner can have the second hand that Ben posted, besides it having 14 cards. It feels like he should hold a stronger hand.

[mikeh]

I think Inquiry (two ben's have posted, so I won't say 'ben') made an important point that some readers might not have understood had he not posted: 4♦ could be viewed as either a cue or natural, and the natural is, by far, the better use imo.

We can see that this is a situation in which it is possible that NS will be bidding 4♠ and now it is critical that West be in a position to evaluate his non-trump holdings.

4♦ tells West that, for example, if he has length and strength in diamonds, that holding is NOT a good defensive holding and IS a good offensive holding.

When you expect your partnership to be engaged in a double or bid one more decision, slam tries take a back seat to helping partner.

So now we should infer that partner either has a very good hand, but unable to keycard, or that he has diamond length and, one hopes, strength. He has chosen not only to compete to the 5-level but also to show a slam-suitable hand via a cuebid.

xxx Axxx Kxx AJx would be a reasonable minimum for me...slam is slightly against the odds.

Our problem here is that while we have suggested interest in bidding 5♥ rather than defending 4♠, based on the diamond situation....we haven't made an explicit slam try.

We have minimal hcp, but good controls....I am bidding slam....I am not trying for grand.

One reason for going aggressive on this auction is that at this heat, a confident 6♥ will often generate a save. While the save may be a good one, I'd be happy, at this point, to see them do it, because I am not the least confident that slam will make our way.

[dkham]

Partner's not going to know about my void so I'm taking control with a 6♥ punt.

[Statto]

I don't have a good raise to game in competition, not least in opps suit. What I do have is a good raise to 3 of our own suit or better. Also, short and help suit trial bids are out of the window in competition, 4♦ must be a real 2nd suit to help us know what to do.

5♣ appears to be some kind of slam try in competition showing a control. With a void in ♠ I accept the try so I bid 5♦ to show my shape, well 5-5 anyway. I hope this will not be passed, particularly at MPs. (So 5♦=other.)

PS. Thought I was getting deja vu, so I posted now

[phil_20686]

This hand was a long time ago, but since teh thread got necro'd I will put up the hand. Basically partner had something like

xx
Axxxx
Kx
AQxx

So the challenge is to reach grand in a believable way. I think if you bid 5S with the posted hand you have a decent chance, but i felt like that was over bidding my hand. In practice at the table I bid 5d last train and partner bid 6H. That was already 17 or something in a local league match as our team mates were allowed to play in 4sx. :S

PS, yes 2N was a limit raise or better, offensive raise.

[rmnka447]

Thanks, interesting hand.

I'd be sorely tempted to bid 6 ♥, but don't know if I would do it in actuality at the table.

Getting to slam is good bidding on this hand. Yeah, we'd all like to get to the perfect contract, but the opponent's competitive bidding has had its effect. So getting to a good place -- small slam -- is likely to be very profitable in the long run.