[hrothgar]

Here's one from last night

IMPS
South opens
Vanilla 2/1 GF approach

♠ AK9
♥ J8752
♦ K8
♣ J64

♠ Q6
♥ T
♦ AQT72
♣ AKQ73

We had the following auction which I'm not particularly happy with

1♦ - 1♥
2♣ - 2♠
3♣ - 3N
4N - 5♣
6♣

I intended 4N as a quantitative raise. When partner showed a club preference, I decided to try for 6. (Made 7 on a Spade lead). Unfortunately, I was faced with a guess after 5♣. To answer a point that Tim made makes in a later post, I was unclear whether 5♣ established a slam force. I guessed right regarding the final contract, but I still didn't feel good about it.

Potentially I should bite the bullet and rebid 3♣ over 1♥. I fully intended to rebid 3♣ over a 1♠ advance, but the 1♥ bid left me a bit nervous. I prefered to start with an underbid than GF in a potential misfit auction.

Suggested auctions are more than welcome. I'd also appreciate comments about the relative merits of

1. The initial rebid after 1♥
2. Your plan after a GF 2♠ bid

[whereagles]

I might have tried 4♣ over 2♠ or over 3NT, but I think you bid it well.

[TimG]

I like south's auction. But, I would differ from Richard in one regard: I think that once 4N is pulled, the partnership is committed to slam. Responder offered to play in 3N, then opener offered to play in 4N -- there's no reason to pull to 5C just to play 5C.

It would be nice if responder had available a rebid that showed values for game and the unbid suit stopped -- 3N seems to do the trick -- but, it seems that in today's game there is an almost religious need to check for a 5-3 major suit fit before settling in 3NT. I imagine that explains the choice to bid 2S instead of 3N. Once 2S is chosen, 3N over 3C seems automatic.

All in all, the auction seems fine to me.

[Edmunte1]

4♣ instead of 4NT is much better. Responder should bid 4♠ cue accepting clubs as trumps and showing at least a mild slam interest

[hrothgar]

Edmunte1, on Feb 11 2008, 06:21 PM, said:

4♣ instead of 4NT is much better. Responder should bid 4♠ cue accepting clubs as trumps and showing at least a mild slam interest

I really dislike 4♣, especially in the context of the earlier auction

If you look at the auction, opener has never showed any strength

He opened 1♦
Made a non forcing 2♣ response
Rebid 3♣ over 2♠ (doesn't show any extra strength)

Now he is pulling partner's 3NT to 4♣...

4♣ strikes me as a good way to declare 4♣...

[han]

I like your auction up to 4NT Richard. I think that 5C should be to play.

[mike777]

tough hand.

Prefer 5nt over 3nt, pick a slam.

I assume 2s is 4sf to game
I assume 2c was NF.

[Cascade]

I like 4♣ over 2♠ to show this hand. You have extra values opposite around 13 for a GF so the best part of 30 hcp. 4NT should be safe if necessary and we play an immediate return to 4NT over 5♣ would be natural with no interest.

With this hand I wouldn't bid 4NT I have too much support and potential opposite partner's clubs. But someone is still going to have to guess how well our majors fit.

On the actual auction I think South overbid, he showed extras with 4NT and then found something more with 6♣, and North underbid with good or at least reasonable fitting cards and a side AK. Of course you still have to hope that partner is 2=1 and not 1=2 in the majors or has a heart control of his own.

[TimG]

han, on Feb 11 2008, 10:57 AM, said:

I like your auction up to 4NT Richard. I think that 5C should be to play.

Anyone besides me think that any move over 4NT commits the partnership to slam?

[hrothgar]

Jlall, on Feb 12 2008, 12:15 AM, said:

I also like 4C over 2S, but your auction was ok. The problem I have with your auction is how do you avoid this spot if your spades/heart shape is reversed? Or would you pass 5C with that?

I don't have any good explanation whether I would have bid a 1=2=5=5 any differently than the 2=1=5=5 hand that I did hold.

As I said, I considered my raise to 6♣ something of a guess. I'm hoping that someone can suggest a superior auction using fairly standard methods.

I hadn't initially considered a 4♣ raise of the 4th suit forcing bid. This might work a lot better...

Not sure what continuations folks would recommend

Without discussion I'd assume

5m is to play
4N is a signoff
4M is a cue in support of Clubs
4♦ sets Diamonds and requests a cue bid

[mike777]

I can live with 4c over 3nt but I think we got to force this hand to slam which is why I prefer 5nt. Partner could hardly have a more minimum hand. Frankly I expected more.

[helene_t]

As North I would probably have passed 4N. Not sure if I agree with Tim that 5♣ is forcing but I would at least say it's forward going (using this term to annoy Charles )

Maybe North should have made more noise. 4♣ over 2♠ is an option. Or 4♣ over 3N. Not sure what the difference is between the two.

[TimG]

hrothgar, on Feb 11 2008, 04:49 PM, said:

I don't have any good explanation whether I would have bid a 1=2=5=5 any differently than the 2=1=5=5 hand that I did hold.

From time to time, I have played that responder's 2NT rebid is forcing, just like a new suit would be. (This is not something I have made up; Matt Granovetter, for one, has written about the method, I believe.)

It seems useful on this hand:

1D-1H
2C-2N
3S...

would pinpoint the heart shortness. Identifying the shortness is often helpful and makes responder's hand quite a bit better in this case.

[han]

With 1255 you could have bid 4H over 3NT.

[cherdano]

How about bidding 4♠ rather than 4N? Over that, partner could jump to 6♣ if he understands the heart shortness. This is the only confident auction that I can construct.
I think 4N could also be based on 1255, I would expect Hx for a 4♥ bid.