[lenze]

1) You hold
 S-VOID
 H Ax
 D Axx
 C JT9xxxxxx
Partner deals and opens 5 Spades. RHO Passes. What do you bid?

2) You hold
 S-Void
 H Ax
 D AKJxxxxxx
 C Kx
As dealer, south, you open 1 diamond. West bids 2 clubs. Partner bids 5NT. East chimes in with 6 hearts. Your call?

[pbleighton]

1) 6 spades. 2 aces more than partner has a right to expect, but not good enough for 7 (sigh).
2) GSF? 7 diamonds. If not GSF, what is it?

[lifemonster]

Interesting.

1.Normally a 5S direct opener, asks partner to bid 7S with AK. Opener is showing sth like QJ1098XXXX in spades and absolutely flawless in side suits. His only concern is about trumps. A typical 5S opener:
QJ1098765
AKQ
A
A
However, look at your hand, if partner does make that kind of bid, it means he's void in both hearts and diamonds, and not only he has solid QJ1098 in spades but also, his club suit has no loser too since he is missing TWO Aces.
Therefore, the correct bid I believe, is 7C.It should be laydown even before the opening lead is made.

2.7D should be cold, but they would sac 7H for sure. So the only problem is, do we have 7NT? Yes we do. Partner must have first round control in clubs and no loser in spades as well.

[luis]

Quote

1) You hold
S-VOID
H Ax
D Axx
C JT9xxxxxx
Partner deals and opens 5 Spades. RHO Passes. What do you bid?

2) You hold
S-Void
H Ax
D AKJxxxxxx
C Kx
As dealer, south, you open 1 diamond. West bids 2 clubs. Partner bids 5NT. East chimes in with 6 hearts. Your call?

1) If 5 spades is not preemptive then I need a new pd. My last 5 spades opening was KQJxxxxxx, -, x, xx but I
agree if can be done with 8 spades when NV vrs Vul.

Pass and hope he can make it

2) 7d what else can 5nt be?

If 1 is not preemptive and 2 is not asking for 2 diammond honors for 7 then I need a new pd I don't mind if pd missbids I just don't like missbids at the 5 level.

[lifemonster]

5S/5H opener is never preempt. In this case, partner must have 10 spades headed with QJ10987 and 3 clubs to the AKQ.

[luis]

Quote

5S/5H opener is never preempt. In this case, partner must have 10 spades headed with QJ10987 and 3 clubs to the AKQ.

Never use the word "never" in bridge bidding. I play 5x bids as preempts and I strongly hope my pd uses 5x as preempts.
I'd open 5x with a 9 card suit on a weak hand or an 8 card suit and favorable vulnerability then is up to them to bid the hand.

[inquiry]

Quote

1) You hold
   S-VOID
   H Ax
   D Axx
   C JT9xxxxxx
Partner deals and opens 5 Spades. RHO Passes. What do you bid?

2) You hold
   S-Void
   H Ax
   D AKJxxxxxx
   C Kx
As dealer, south, you open 1 diamond. West bids 2 clubs. Partner bids 5NT. East chimes in with 6 hearts. Your call?

On one I pass... Five spades is looking for six/seven with one/two honors.

2. Unreal. 5NT can hardly be grandslam force, I mean you have 9 diamonds. Is partner looking at 4 Diamonds to the queen and asking you to bid 7 with two of the top three? It is vaguely possible, if your 1D promises a four card suit. He partner could very imaginative with ...

S-AKQJT9876
H-void
D-Qxxx
C-void

Or similar hand with stiff club ACE. The one thing I don't do at imps is pass. I have learned to bid one more on with freaks. And this baby qualifies. So I bid 7Diamonds, and fully expect partner to show up with something like what I described above.

Ben

[lifemonster]

2.Partner's 5NT is hardly a "raise" in diamonds, with your 9-cd suit. Therefore, the reason he is bidding 5NT is,
1.he has a solid suit running
2.he has 1st control in other two suits covered
3.he only cares about how many honors you 've got in diamonds(he doesn't care if it's a real suit)

I won't be surprised that after I bid 7D, LHO bid 7H, pd bids 7S, holding 10 solid spades and Qxx in diamonds, and pass, pass, a Lightener double, only to see a singleto diamond lead ruffed at trick one!

[the hog]

1) Partner deals and opens 5 Spades. RHO Passes. What do you bid?

Pass. 5S asks for trump honors and as I don't have any...

2) As dealer, south, you open 1 diamond. West bids 2 clubs. Partner bids 5NT. East chimes in with 6 hearts. Your call?

7D. pd has pulled a grand slam force.

[rtewari]

I fail to understand why everyone is passing even after interpreting the 5S opening bid as asking for top honours.

Pass is right only when it is preemptive (as Luis plays it). Otherwise, 7C should be the standout bid (as lifemonster has suggested). What hand could partner have to invite small/grand slam in spade with 1/2 honours with partner. Should be a hand that does not have any losers on the side which can only be voids in the red suits and AKQ in clubs. Unlikely to have 11 cards in spades as then likely to bid 6 himself somehow.

[lenze]

Thanks for the replies. Both of these hands came up over 30 years ago. I witnessed the post discussion on the first one and held the south cards on the second one.

Regarding 1, lifemonster wrote

"5S/5H opener is never a preempt.In this case, partner must have 10 spades headed by the QJ10987 and 3 clubs to th AKQ"

That was EXACTLY partner's hand.

Regarding 2, as noted, partner can hardly be interested in playing 7D.

Ben suggested that partner had a solid spade suit and would convert 7D to 7S. The key is lifemonster's concern about a lightner double. If north declares 7S, a double by West would clearly ask for a diamond lead, and a void is quite likely. If south, however, declares 7S, the meaning of a double by east would not be clearcut. I believe that south should bid 7S, which I bid at the table(I was much younger and more adventureous then). West doubled and north redoubled. West led the Club Ace and north tabled

S AKQJTxxxxxx
H Void
D Qx
C Void

BTW Diamonds were 1-1

An afterthought. What if East is jacking around with his 6H bid while really holding long spades? Fortunately, I did not feel my opponent was that clever.