[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

(P) - 1♦* - (1NT)** - 3♦***
(P) - ?

---

*17+ hcp, any shape
**Majors or Minors
***6+ diamonds, at least 2 of the top 3 honours, no outside A or K, no voids.


You are playing in the second round of a national knockout teams. You are dealt this monster and a bit surprised when they come in over your strong diamond (usually when you are big and balanced the opponents remain silent).

What is your call now?

3♥/3♠/4♣ would be natural
3NT would be to play
4♦ would be a slam try asking for singletons
5♦/6♦ would be to play

[mike777]

3nt

Mr. Conservative as usual.

I hope this shows around 17-20 Working HCP and stoppers in the majors?

[inquiry]

4NT looks right, invitational. Partner needs just an extra trick to bid on besides his promised KQxxxx in diamonds. A 7th diamond, the club king, the spade Ace, are all sufficient for him to make another call. I doubt he would value for the Qxx of hearts or the spade jack, however.

[mike777]

inquiry, on Nov 30 2005, 12:49 PM, said:

4NT looks right, invitational. Partner needs just an extra trick to bid on besides his promised KQxxxx in diamonds. A 7th diamond, the club king, the spade Ace, are all sufficient for him to make another call. I doubt he would value for the Qxx of hearts or the spade jack, however.

In given problem responder has denied outside ace or k, yes?

[cherdano]

I just bid 6♦. Given lefty has majors, I am willing to gamble on the club finesse. Hence I can count 11 tricks, and the 12th might come via the ♠A lead, ♥Q, heart ruff, spade endplay with 10 in dummy, 7th diamond, major suit squeeze, or if all fails the double finesse in clubs.

Arend

[FrancesHinden]

If he only has 6 diamonds I don't see that slam can be better than the club finesse, and may be worse.

A singleton club opposite gives too many major suit cards: either there is a spade ruff or I have too many hearts to ruff.

A seventh diamond would make all the difference.

Is there some way to find out diamond length?

[inquiry]

mike777, on Nov 30 2005, 12:51 PM, said:

inquiry, on Nov 30 2005, 12:49 PM, said:

4NT looks right, invitational. Partner needs just an extra trick to bid on besides his promised KQxxxx in diamonds. A 7th diamond, the club king, the spade Ace, are all sufficient for him to make another call. I doubt he would value for the Qxx of hearts or the spade jack, however.

In given problem responder has denied outside ace or k, yes?

Ok.. so now we look for a sevnth or eight diamond then... who has time to read ALL the problem (well, I read it, I just forgot by the time I wade across all the "other" bids... age I guess).

ben

[hrothgar]

Echognome, on Nov 30 2005, 08:22 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

(P) - 1♦* - (1NT)** - 3♦***
(P) - ?

---

*17+ hcp, any shape
**Majors or Minors
***6+ diamonds, at least 2 of the top 3 honours, no outside A or K, no voids.


You are playing in the second round of a national knockout teams.  You are dealt this monster and a bit surprised when they come in over your strong diamond (usually when you are big and balanced the opponents remain silent).

What is your call now? 

3♥/3♠/4♣ would be natural
3NT would be to play
4♦ would be a slam try asking for singletons
5♦/6♦ would be to play

Nasty hand...

You have lots of controls and at least two entries to dummy in either 6♦ or 6NT.

At the same time, I don't see all that many winners. LHO is sitting on bother majors and can happily lead hearts all day long. I think that slam will depend on bringing the Club suit in for no losers which doesn't seem too likely.

If you have a nice unambiguous way to invite slam in NT, I might consider it. Otherwise, I'm bidding a wimpy 3N. As Francis suggests, it would be VERY nice to be able to clarify extra length in Diamonds.

[han]

I basically agree with everything that's been written so far, and I still don't know what to bid. I must be really bad.

[Kalvan14]

The 1N overcall is clearly for majors. This should be good for the clubs finesse(s).
With 11 tricks, I'll go with Cherdano: 6♦.
Why complicate a simple hand?

[luke warm]

i'd bid 6♦ also

[hrothgar]

Kalvan14, on Dec 1 2005, 03:30 AM, said:

The 1N overcall is clearly for majors. This should be good for the clubs finesse(s).
With 11 tricks, I'll go with Cherdano: 6♦.
Why complicate a simple hand?

I don't see 11 tricks...

1 Spade +
2 Hearts +
6 Diamonds +
1 Club

looks like 10 tricks to me

Its all fine and dandy to plan on ruffing a Heart, but that requires transport to dummy. In turn, that requires leading a low Diamond from hand and then ruffing with the Jack...

If the Diamonds don't split (and the 1NT overcall suggests that they won't) you just traded a Diamnd for a Heart...

[Double !]

Is there a convention or methd to ask for specific Jacks?

Should P have the spade-jack, 6NT would seem like a reasonable shot. Otherwise, slam would seem to be, at best, on a club hook. I would probably mis-count my tricks and settle for a boring 3NT and hope that P might be able to make another bid with extra length in diamonds.

DHL

[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

---

As you can see, partner had the important JT of spades and 6NT was pretty much laydown. The club finesse actually loses. I don't know a whole lot about the opponents hands as the contract was claimed rather quickly.

I couldn't really complain about the methods as we had a good shot to get there. But, it brought up an important point about the methods. What would be the most important thing to know? Shortness? Suit length? etc.

[HeartA]

luke warm, on Nov 30 2005, 07:31 PM, said:

i'd bid 6♦ also

Me, 3. I hate to miss slams as always.

[Winstonm]

4D, singleton ask. If he shows a singleton spade or no singleton, I presume I can sign off in 4N? If so, that is what I do.

If partner has a singleton club, I would assume no 4-card major in this system so would place him with 3361 shape. Now it really only depends on him holding the Jack of spades or the heart Q or the spade Ace onside or maybe even the singleton J of clubs would put us over the top.

If partner holds a singleton club I'm bidding 6D; otherwise, I'll play 4N.

Winston

[Free]

For once I like the 1♦ opening rightsiding a ♦ contract I'd bid 6♦, since opps might already bring an extra trick tnx to a poor lead, and I like to play slams...

[Fluffy]

I can count 12 tricks on a finese, or even better if somethign good happens (I was expecting 4♥ rather than ♠J, but it is as good). So 6♦ would be my bid.