[xx1943]

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This was our last hand in the Bavarian Open 2014. Only 2 out of 13 pairs found 7NT.
Our Opponents needed exactly 3 bids to find this laydown grand.
System: Blue Club
1♣ = 17+
2♦ = 6 controls
7 NT = I can count 13 tricks (8 ♦ + 3 Aces + 2 Kings.

Would you have found this one with your favorite partner at the table of a tourney?

[gordontd]

I've seen this exact Blue Club auction once before. For the rest of us I think it might well start 1D-1S-2H-3H, after which RKCB should be sufficient.

[lamford]

xx1943, on 2014-November-10, 05:28, said:

Our Opponents needed exactly 3 bids to find this laydown grand.
System: Blue Club
1♣ = 17+
2♦ = 6 controls
7 NT = I can count 13 tricks (8 ♦ + 3 Aces + 2 Kings.

Would you have found this one with your favorite partner at the table of a tourney?

Nicely bid. I hope diamonds weren't 4-0!

[ggwhiz]

It will be torture for a while but doable.

1♦ - 1♠
2♥ (please don't pass!) - 3♥ (game forcing in my partnership)
RKC - blah
7nt

As long as west can arrange to RKC on hearts it's easy enough but that takes some doing.

ps. I know a guy that had a 19 bid power precision auction to 7♣ in a North American matchpoint event and his rho doubled on nothing. He played for a trump coup or some such for down one and his rho just said he figured that nobody else would get there.

[whereagles]

I don't think I could find it with my regular pard.

[ahydra]

After 1D-1S, one advantage the horrible-looking 2H reverse that people are suggesting does have is that it's forcing. However I think there must be a better option than bidding a 3cM. 3NT perhaps? Not sure what East does then though... 4D is a sensible approach to ensure he can keycard to avoid missing the grand, but he's probably thinking "6NT", and may just punt that.

So after 4D you get
4S (deny heart control) - 4NT
5D (0 or 3) - 5H (Q?)
6D (yep but no K) - 6H (third round control ask / grand try)
7D (No worries!) - 7NT (practically anything will do it, e.g. a 7th diamond, the HJ, the CQ...; xx Qxx AKQJxx Ax is not a 3NT rebid)

ahydra

[aguahombre]

As long as we must reverse to 2H after opening 1D, everything is easy. If West doesn't want to do that, he can Pass.

P-1S
2D-2H
WOOD.

Do I need an emoticon?

[Cascade]

gordontd, on 2014-November-10, 07:21, said:

I've seen this exact Blue Club auction once before. For the rest of us I think it might well start 1D-1S-2H-3H, after which RKCB should be sufficient.

I think 2♥ is far from clear.

[gordontd]

Cascade, on 2014-November-10, 20:36, said:

I think 2♥ is far from clear.

"might well start" <> "is clear to bid"

[mikeh]

1♦ 1♠

now what?

3♦ is inadequate. 2♥ is problematic when holding short spades..there is too much risk that partner will insist on hearts. Faking the major suit reverse is best reserved for hands on which one has 3 spades, since if partner 'insists' on hearts, he has 5+ spades

4♦ for me, and many, shows 4=6 with 4 spades


I think we are left with 3N, which is traditionally played as running diamonds and outside stuff, short in spades. This would be easy with, say, x Kxx AKQxxxx Ax, and our hand isn't a lot away from that.

After 3N, responder has an incredible hand. Assuming partner has the heart Q and the club A and 7 diamonds, he can count 13 tricks with the heart 10 in reserve.

I think 5♣ over 3N is commonly played as super-gerber, so that's what I'd do just to make sure we aren't missing an Ace.

At worst partner has x Qxx AKQJxx Axx. and that is very borderline for 3N, and has decent play for the grand.

Now, at imps one might consider choosing 7♦ on the notion that a bad break (assuming AKQxxxx) would mean failing by fewer tricks than in 7N, but that would require a spade lead as well as bad breaks and I think the combination isn't worth the 2 imps we lose against 7N, assuming they reach grand at the other table.

I appreciate that we have had threads in which some very good players have suggested that reserving 3N for this use is unduly restrictive, but it is still the way I like to play it, and it is nice to see an example of where the method works well.

[ahydra]

mikeh, on 2014-November-11, 10:41, said:

At worst partner has x Qxx AKQJxx Axx. and that is very borderline for 3N, and has decent play for the grand.

That looks like a 3D rebid to me

Personally I play the 3NT rebid as "6+ cards, too strong for a rebid of 3x" - so 19+ HCP or equivalent. This avoids any 3-card reverse or jump shift shenanigans. The suit technically doesn't have to be solid - but here, when responder is holding so many high cards, he can figure opener is bidding on a solid suit and/or extra length rather than just a lot of HCPs.

ahydra

[PhilKing]

I might be being a bit thick, but if this hand is so awkward for a 1♦ opening, then why not open 2♣?

Some of us have a rebid after 1♦ that caters for the game forcing one-suiter, but even with that agreement, this hand looks a bit too strong. Sure we will sometimes get to 5♦ going off, but if partner has rubbish with no spade stop, then it probably wasn't our hand.

[Fluffy]

after a strong club opening any form of blackwood will count 13 tricks.

[Cthulhu D]

You could, in theory, open the west hand as a 9 playing trick hand. East can the say 'okay I have 3 quick tricks, does partner have the two aces' via key card. I feel like opening 2C as west is sick though, but then again if I wrote down 9+ playing tricks now is the time