[Stephen Tu]

Matchpoints

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West bids 4S if possible. What calls do you select at your second and third turns?

[PhantomSac]

3S then double.

I think the decision on the first round is more interesting than the decision on the second round.

[lycier]

Wonderful problems.
3♠ then 5♥
3♠ says I have a strong hand : sometimes if play western/eastern cuebid, it shows a strong hand with a long ♣ suit, so ask pd to bid 3nt if with stoper in ♠ .

If West bids 4♠, it shows West friendly tell us W-E have 9-card+ fit in ♠, so usually N-S also have 9-card fit in some suit.

[nige1]

Stephen Tu, on 2016-April-13, 15:09, said:

Matchpoints
West bids 4S if possible. What calls do you select at your second and third turns?

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Over (2♠), I rank

• 2N = ART Showing 4-card ♥ support, if available.
• 3♠ = UCB FG asking for a stop or suggesting a ♥ fit.
• 4♥ = PRE.
• 4♣ = FIT.
• 4♦ = CUE.
• 3♥ = NAT underbid

Over (4♠), I rank

• 5♦ = CUE (Partner's pass is forcing or invitational).
• 5♥ = NAT.
• Double = NAT

[bigbenvic]

Any room for a 4♦ FSJ showing heart support? I'd think it shows a 1444 (though why clubs first?) or 1345, 0445, 0346, 1336 type hand.

I would use that and follow up with X and now partner should be able to know I have a better than minimum opener and that I was intending to make or go very close opposite his hand.

Now partner is in a better place to bid on or pass for penalties. He has a very wide range of hands he can hold, hopefully I've given enough info that he can get it right, whatever right is.

[fourdad]

As we play 3♠ as cue asking pd to bid 3NT with a stopper, that is out.

partner promises 6+pts and 4 hearts at a minimum. I would revalue openers hand to 19+ and bid 4♥. As I opened, this cannot be preempt.
4♥ clearly conveys my hand to partner and makes him the captain of the hand. Any X or heart continuation is on partner.

[PhilG007]

I'm very wary of using cue bids with an unknown partner. I would prefer to compete
to the 5 level in our suit. If the opponents push to 5♠ I would pass and
try to set the contract.

[oldem]

It's clear that opponents' 4♠ is a sacrifice. I don't think a Double for penalty of 500 or 800 points will do any justice to your hand. Even your bid of 5♥ upon opponents' sacrifice of 4♠ is still not satisfactory. Your partnership can have a small slam or even a grand slam in ♥ if partner has the right cards. What he needs for a small slam is 7 HCPs in ♥, and a grand slam if, lucky enough, he also holds the ♠A. Therefore, my plan is as follows:
1. Upon E's 2♠, cue-bid 3♠ showing a good support for his ♥ and forcing to game;
2. Upon W's 4♠, if partner is lucky enough to hold both major suit aces and the ♥K (11 HCPs), or even if he holds only 1 major suit ace and the trump K, he can use RKCB 4NT to ask for your holding.
3. Now, you can bid 5♠ to show 5 key cards, including the trump Q, and let your partner decide the final contract: 6H or 7H.

[1eyedjack]

PhilG007, on 2016-April-14, 05:57, said:

I'm very wary of using cue bids with an unknown partner.

What makes you think that you are playing with an unknown partner?

[GrahamJson]

Exactly. The best choice depends on your partner. Playing with a random BBO partner I'd probably bid 4H followed by Double. A reasonable positive score should give a fair number of match points. Also, I've seen what some players will respond 1H on.

With a regular partner Iwho would not bid a poor suit in a poor hand I'd probably bid 3S followed by 5H, but it would obviously depend on our agreements.

[fourdad]

would be nice to see the N hand.

[Stephen Tu]

fourdad, on 2016-April-14, 07:43, said:

would be nice to see the N hand.

Why is that relevant to your decision? You don't get to see the N hand when you make the bids. It would only serve to bias the responses. When you present a bidding problems, the assumption is that you are playing with a partner who is your equal or better and is expected to be bidding rationally, unless the problem specifies specifically that your partner is BBO random, or client, or newbie or something like that.

To me I guess the question is whether 3S should guarantee 4 card heart support or not. To me it's not entirely clear, in other situations cue by opener tends to deny support, because double in other auctions where 3 level cue is available (e.g. 1c-(p)-1s-(2h)-3h, 1c-(p)-1h-(2d)-3d) is support not power, and you need some call to ask for stopper when opener is say strong one suited, or perhaps say 18-19 no stop, and 4 level jump cues are available as splinters. But maybe because double is no longer support on this auction, then 3s should guarantee heart fit?? Although that risks a maybe not so great penalty pass if you have to double with running clubs looking for 3nt, and partner assumes you have some less distributional hand.

In any case I'm a lot more comfortable with 3s then double if 3s definitely showed the hearts, it feels bad to have kept partner guessing about the heart support if 3s is just ambiguous. Otherwise 4H then double feels better to me, it might be slightly heavy for 4H but I don't think by that much? Bidding 5H seems unilateral regardless, do you really have 11 tricks?

[fourdad]

Stephen Tu, on 2016-April-14, 09:40, said:

Why is that relevant to your decision? You don't get to see the N hand when you make the bids. It would only serve to bias the responses. When you present a bidding problems, the assumption is that you are playing with a partner who is your equal or better and is expected to be bidding rationally, unless the problem specifies specifically that your partner is BBO random, or client, or newbie or something like that.

To me I guess the question is whether 3S should guarantee 4 card heart support or not. To me it's not entirely clear, in other situations cue by opener tends to deny support, because double in other auctions where 3 level cue is available (e.g. 1c-(p)-1s-(2h)-3h, 1c-(p)-1h-(2d)-3d) is support not power, and you need some call to ask for stopper when opener is say strong one suited, or perhaps say 18-19 no stop, and 4 level jump cues are available as splinters. But maybe because double is no longer support on this auction, then 3s should guarantee heart fit?? Although that risks a maybe not so great penalty pass if you have to double with running clubs looking for 3nt, and partner assumes you have some less distributional hand.

In any case I'm a lot more comfortable with 3s then double if 3s definitely showed the hearts, it feels bad to have kept partner guessing about the heart support if 3s is just ambiguous. Otherwise 4H then double feels better to me, it might be slightly heavy for 4H but I don't think by that much? Bidding 5H seems unilateral regardless, do you really have 11 tricks?

You are correct that seeing the N hand is not needed to make a decision. Neither would seeing the N hand bias an advanced players decision.

Every heard of Curiosity??
GEEZ, so sensitive!!

[apollo1201]

I am borderline between 3S (strong 4-cd support) and 4H (distributional with intermediate strength). I would go for 3S since even though 16 HCPs can be assessed to an intermediate strength, those AK need revaluation.

Pass from partner is forcing if I bid 3S, I am now bidding 5H because of the shape. I could hold a flat 18 or 19 count for my cue bid, with say Kx of spades, with which I would X now to express my doubts about the 5 level.

Pass from partner is (probably) not forcing after a descriptive 4H bid, so I would X now to show these defensive tricks I overlooked with my previous bid.

[PhilG007]

1eyedjack, on 2016-April-14, 06:26, said:

What makes you think that you are playing with an unknown partner?

The poster gave no indication whether the partnership concerned was established
or casual. I was assuming the latter.

[manudude03]

I'm bidding 4H the first time. I don't think 3S promises support (what do you do with xx x AKx AKQxxxx?), so if you bid 3S and they bid 4S over that, partner really doesn't know what's going on.

Once they bid 4S over 4H, I'm happy to double this.

[miamijd]

Hi Stephen. I used to see you in Sacramento every Memorial day back when I played one live event per year (the two-day Swiss there).

At any rate, I think either 3S or 4H is OK. 3S certainly suggests H support, but it's not guaranteed; you could have a powerful club suit and be looking for a stopper. So partner generally bids 3NT with a stop and 4C with a minimum otherwise. Then when you correct to 4H, he'll get the idea. Here, of course, there is the chance that the opponents could bid 4S over 3S (they are less likely to do this directly than over a 4H call), in which case your partnership won't be as well placed to make a decision about doubling or bidding on.

If you bid 4H and partner passes (forcing), I think it's a coin flip. You could easily make 6h (AKxxx of hearts and two small clubs might well do it). If 5H is making, you won't score well defending 4SX. On the other hand, you could easily go set in 5H (Axxxx of H in North with KJT offside). Who knows?

If you bid 3S; W bids 4S; and partner passes, the pass probably shouldn't be forcing (you could have a pile of clubs and little defense), so I think I would X. Partner would have Xed 4S with a decent hand, so I wouldn't expect much from him.

Cheers,
Mike

[rmnka447]

I'm in the 3 ♠, then double camp. I believe in this auction, the ♠ cue shows a ♥ fit.

With a generally strong hand without a ♥ fit, opener can Double, so the cue should show support.