[mr1303]

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How best to continue?

What would you have to say about a 5H bid here?

[apollo1201]

With 2 useful minor honors, a void, an establishable suit (?) and 4 trumps to the Q, I would tend to consider 5H as an underbid. Partner overcalled at the 3 level vul vs. nonvul so shouldn't be too light, Qxx AKxxx Kx Jxx is a disgusting overcall, but 6H is not even down yet with this hand. We could even have a laydown grand if D can be established.

The problem is how to cooperate w/o getting above 5H in case partner has wasted S honors, longer but weaker H and lacks minor strength, such as Axx AJxxxx Qx Qx or Axx KJTxxx x QJx(I think I would overcall, not too proudly though).

So facing a conservative partner, 5S should be a safe invite.

With a lighter partner, I dunno (is 5m natural, a control bid with fit, a side-suit / lead directing call with H fit?). I might just bid 5S as well to avoid missing 7, and too bad if partner signs-off in 6 and goes down (he will be sympathetic for my bid, hopefully!).

[jogs]

Use the Robson/Segal approach on contested auctions. No one is interested in playing in a minor. Therefore a 5 level minor suit bid is a fit non jump.
Bid 5♦. Shows diamonds with heart support. It also suggest that partner should not lead a heart from AJT. Should lead trump or diamond against a high level spade sac.

[mikeh]

To think of staying out of small slam is silly. Slam doesn't have to be cold, but our hand is monstrous in support and I would guess that we make 12 tricks (or more) 85% of the time. In addition, and critically, on those hands where slam is bad, I don't see any way to find out. Even if I played 5m as agreeing hearts, which I don't and which I think is borderline at best no matter whose pet idea it is, that doesn't answer the issue because it surely doesn't show a spade VOID (!!!!) and the club K on the side.

No, we are driving to slam and we need to decide not only how best to explore for grand but also whether such exploration will lead the opps to an effective spade save.

I think it is close, but I choose to bid 6♥ here, maybe sounding as if I am hoping for slam rather than being pretty sure of it, and maybe they won't save. If RHO does, I will pass and invite 7. 5♠ is certainly a plausible alternative.

[phil_20686]

You should be bidding a slam here.

Partner should never be light here because you are short in spades. Partner should only take action light here if he has spade shortage. I will happily pay out if I over-bid when they have 12-13 spades!

Having decided that there are several options. Bidding 6H. Bidding 5S should be a grand invite with spade void. I think you are probably a touch light for that, but its certainly plausible.

We have a couple of other options with meanings that are a bit unsure. Bidding 5N and correcting it to 6H? That feels like a grand try without a spade void. 5m feels natural to me. 4N followed by 6H? feels like a slam try that got ungraded based on partners response. 4N followed by 5S followed by 6H? Things are getting murky now.

I'd probably just bid 6H, but I would be interested in doing something else if I could come up with a way to show a bit more without inviting grand too strongly.

[mr1303]

I held:

xx
AKJxx
KQx
Axx

Partner decided to only bid 5H and as a result, 13 tricks were easy. It was a pick-up partnership, so I don't know what a 5D bid would have been in our partnership, but I thought the sensible options were 5S and 6H.