[pescetom]

This interesting board came up in a national simultaneous tournament on Tuesday.

MP

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How would the bidding proceed with your favourite methods and opponents silent?

[jillybean]

What a shame it's not legal to open North's hand 1nt

1H 2D
2H 3H (2H 5crds)
4H

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2025-April-17, 15:10, said:

What a shame it's not legal to open North's hand 1nt

Perfectly legal in this tournament, although South should be alerting if you have an agreement to open this 1NT.
How would it go then?

[jillybean]

1nt 2D* gf
And then it gets surprisingly difficult

[Cyberyeti]

I think S might have to simply blast the ace ask without really knowing, depends what you do knowing partner has ♥K, ♦A and no diamond fit.

1♥-2♦
2♥-3♦(GF 6+♦)
3N-

now what, I would bid 4♠ kickback here (the implication is most likely 2362 as I could have splintered over 2♥ with 1363/3361.

[mw64ahw]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-April-17, 15:33, said:

I think S might have to simply blast the ace ask without really knowing, depends what you do knowing partner has ♥K, ♦A and no diamond fit.

1♥-2♦
2♥-3♦(GF 6+♦)
3N-

now what, I would bid 4♠ kickback here (the implication is most likely 2362 as I could have splintered over 2♥ with 1363/3361.

I include 3-card♥ constructive or GF+ hands in my 2♦ bid so 3♠ to 4♣ now show a choice of slams;
1♥ - 2♦
2♥ - 4♣ ctrl, ♥ honour, no ♠ ctrl
4♠ ctrl & even KCs - 5♠ all KCs, Q♥
6♥

[akwoo]

Do you want to be in slam? I don't see 12 tricks.

I think my Precision partnership goes

1H-2D
3C-3H
3S-4C
4H

We don't control bid shortness in partner's suit, and North has done enough to bid 3S with their 12 count, so they can't unilaterally go to RKCB. Neither can South; he really needs a maximum (i.e. 14-15) from partner for slam, partner can't really be missing any controls at this point, so the 4H signoff is denying a max.

[mike777]

pescetom, on 2025-April-17, 14:54, said:

This interesting board came up in a national simultaneous tournament on Tuesday.

MP

---

How would the bidding proceed with your favourite methods and opponents silent?

Seems straight forward.

1H- 2D
2H!-3H
3S-4C
4H-P

2H= minimum and exactly 5H.

[P_Marlowe]

<sbip>

[Cyberyeti]

akwoo, on 2025-April-17, 17:51, said:

Do you want to be in slam? I don't see 12 tricks.

You do if your opponents don't lead a trump, it's worse if they do but not terrible (and that's not even counting the benefit you get from a potential black suit lead). It could be a lot better with possession of things like ♥10 in partner's hand that you can't really find out about.

[pescetom]

akwoo, on 2025-April-17, 17:51, said:

Do you want to be in slam? I don't see 12 tricks.

I think my Precision partnership goes

1H-2D
3C-3H
3S-4C
4H

We don't control bid shortness in partner's suit, and North has done enough to bid 3S with their 12 count, so they can't unilaterally go to RKCB. Neither can South; he really needs a maximum (i.e. 14-15) from partner for slam, partner can't really be missing any controls at this point, so the 4H signoff is denying a max.

Whether we want to be in slam is an interesting question, and at national level only 38 out of 140 did call slam. What you say is reasonable, I think my most experienced (and conservative) partner would probably decide like you and mike777 as North, and for much the same reasons. I am a little more bullish, even at MP.

If I was in north I would certainly not like this auction. My hand is minimum and one of it's few redeeming features became questionable when partner showed 5 diamonds. But I already got much of that off my chest with 2H and Kxxxx in trumps is not a legitimate Non-Serious for me. So it would start (much like you and others):
1H - 2D
2H - 3H
3N - 4C
where 3N is an inversion, Serious and Spades control.

After 4C I start to feel better about my hand: we probably have dual control in both minors, my clubs have decent texture and South may be short in spades (would not splinter with a strong hand). In any case I am going to bid the shortness in his suit: it's not our style to hide undeclared controls once the sequence is underway and if he is looking at the K then he is soon going to figure out the situation and be able to revalue his hand accordingly.

So it will proceed:
4D - 5D
6H - P
South knows 4D might be a singleton rather than K, but he isn't putting the brakes on in 4H: 5D denies spades and clubs control showing diamonds control and odd keycards. Now I have a tricky decision: I know about the spades problem and have concern about trumps, but there are plenty of ways it can still have play. I think I would go for it, at least on Friday night.

[pescetom]

akwoo, on 2025-April-17, 17:51, said:

Do you want to be in slam? I don't see 12 tricks.

Cyberyeti, on 2025-April-18, 02:44, said:

You do if your opponents don't lead a trump, it's worse if they do but not terrible (and that's not even counting the benefit you get from a potential black suit lead).

The play for slam is indeed the most intriguing aspect of this board, please discuss in this specific thread (not here) once you are done with the bidding.

[mikl_plkcc]

 pescetom, on 2025-April-17, 14:54, said:

This interesting board came up in a national simultaneous tournament on Tuesday.

MP

---

How would the bidding proceed with your favourite methods and opponents silent?

1♥ - 2♦
2NT - 4♥
/

My method allow rebidding NT with a singleton in partner's suit, providing that the hand is otherwise balanced and all unbid suits stopped.