[The_Badger]

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Playing 2/1 IMPs Teams against strong opponents, what do you feel is your best next bid and why, given the vulnerability?

(I purposely haven't set-up a poll on this one because, I feel, the explanations are just as important as the bid.)

[Tramticket]

This isn't my system. If a 4♣ splinter can include a hand with minimum HCPs then it seems like a reasonable bid. But if 4♣ shows extra HCP strength then, since we are in a game forcing auction (playing 2/1), we could just agree the suit by bidding 3♦. The opponents are unlikely to bid to the sky, given the vulnerability.

[nige1]

The_Badger, on 2017-September-28, 04:47, said:

Playing 2/1 IMPs Teams against strong opponents, what do you feel is your best next bid and why, given the vulnerability?
(I purposely haven't set-up a poll on this one because, I feel, the explanations are just as important as the bid.)

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I rank

• 6♦ PRE. Landy slam-try. There's a real danger that vulnerable opponents can make game or slam. Given enough space, good opponents are likely to find it. On a good day, 6♦ might make.
• 5♦ PRE. Another practical bid.
• 2♠ CUE bid the opponent's suit in which you are stronger. With good ♦ support and controls in the side-suits, you should show some enthusiasm.
• 5♣ RKC (exclusion). Commits you to slam but might allow you to bid a grand,
• 3♦ NAT. Middle of the road.
• 4♦ PRE.
• 4♣ SPL but invites a double from opponents and will help them if they declare.

Misread auction so changed 3♠ to 2♠ and 4♦ to 3♦

[wank]

4c splinter. bit early to be shitting yourself about what the opps might make when p has made a 2/1. plus, showing your shape makes it easier to sacrifice if the predictions of doom and gloom turn out to be justified.

[JanisW]

nige1, on 2017-September-28, 05:20, said:

I rank

• 6♦ PRE. Landy slam-try. There's a real danger that vulnerable opponents can make game or slam. Given enough space, good opponents are likely to find it. On a good day, 6♦ might make.
• 5♦ PRE. Another practical bid.
• 3♠ CUE bid the opponent's suit in which you are stronger. With good ♦ support and controls in the side-suits, you should show some enthusiasm.
• 5♣ RKC (exclusion). Commits you to slam but might allow you to bid a grand,
• 4♦ NAT. Middle of the road.
• 4♣ SPL but invites a double from opponents and will help them if they declare.

• opponents are very very unlikely to make slam on this, my ♠A is a sure trick and partners ~13HCP rate to be at least 1Trick even with a diamond void in W and ♦AK wasted. But I agree that 6♦ might make, so I'd rather fear they'll find 7♣X-2 or 3 as a save. Therefore I'd consider blasting 6♦ to maximize my chances of playing 6♦, when it is right or pushing them to 7♣ when 6♦ had no play
• 5♦ same as under one, for the slightly weaker hearted
• Wouldn't 3♠ be the same Splinter as 4♣? Anyway, I think a Cuebid or a Splinter would both show more HCPs and thusly more defensive values. Kind of important when your partner faces a 6♣-bid somewhere down the road.
• Agree on 5♣, but might also allow E to show some live by douling, see Point 1

1./2./4. are all sensible bids, imo. I'd probably go with 6♦.

regards
JW

[Cyberyeti]

nige1, on 2017-September-28, 05:20, said:

I rank

• 6♦ PRE. Landy slam-try. There's a real danger that vulnerable opponents can make game or slam. Given enough space, good opponents are likely to find it. On a good day, 6♦ might make.
• 5♦ PRE. Another practical bid.
• 3♠ CUE bid the opponent's suit in which you are stronger. With good ♦ support and controls in the side-suits, you should show some enthusiasm.
• 5♣ RKC (exclusion). Commits you to slam but might allow you to bid a grand,
• 4♦ NAT. Middle of the road.
• 4♣ SPL but invites a double from opponents and will help them if they declare.

Given that you have an excellent grand oppsite the right 11 count (x, Ax, AKxxxx, xxxx) I think you're being a little pessimistic

Bidding grand will be difficult unless you can find partner's third round heart control.

If I had the methods that over partner's exclusion response I could ask for a third round heart control (which I have available) I might well bid it that way and take the risk I'm too high. Otherwise bidding spades is not bad, as if next hand doubles, partner's looking like he has a stiff spade which is useful to know.

[LBengtsson]

2♠, ♠A 4 ♦+ n/s > game+, slam = e/w game? slam no

[rmnka447]

3 ♦ for now. I want to hear more from partner about his/her hand.

Slam could be in the offing even with this very minimum HCP hand, but we need more info on how our hands mesh beyond the ♦ fit.

[P_Marlowe]

4C

I wont worry to much about a possible sac, they are red,
and we are at least playing 5D, so they have togo to 5S / 6C.
Showyour shape / fit, let partner decide.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ggwhiz]

3♦ will intimidate a club bid from them followed by black suit cues as appropriate.

We are on a game force with marginal strength and great shape so I prefer a slower clue gathering approach instead of the self pre-empting splinter.

[nekthen]

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This seems entirely reasonable and 6♠ appears to be making and we can make 7 in either red suit.
The trick here is to bid slam without opps finding the obvious save.

Maybe 5♦ followed by 6♦ will buy the contract

[maartenxq]

My first impulse was 4 ♣ splinter, but on second thought felt it would be difficult to cue ♠ ece later on. So I decided on 3 ♠ with the intention to bid 5 ♣ later on, as after opponents 4 !s running out to me.

Then I proceeded to read our esteemed BBO'ers opinions and sympathized with a direct 6 ♦ which seems reasonable because it may be the best contract and provoke opponents to make the wrong decision.

In the end of the day I feel that we can even have a grand and I am prepared to cue even 6 ♣ if the need arises. So 3 ♠ seems to me to put us in the best position to discover where we belong. It could also point opponents to there save if we actually have our (grand) slam, but so beit.

Maarten Baltussen

[PhilG007]

4NT RKCB. We have a diamond slam. Whether small or grand depends on what controls
partner holds.So its vital to set the trump suit and find out asap.

[Tramticket]

PhilG007, on 2017-September-29, 08:24, said:

4NT RKCB. We have a diamond slam. Whether small or grand depends on what controls
partner holds.So its vital to set the trump suit and find out asap.

And if partner shows you two key cards ... one of which might be the ace of clubs ...?

[Caitlynne]

3D and I think this bid is 100% clear cut - that any other conceivable bid (e.g., 2S or 4D or a 4C splinter bid) is far inferior and misguided.

You have a dead minimum opening hand with a wonderful diamond fit. The hand has huge potential IF AND ONLY IF partner has big help in hearts, but it is quite ordinary unless partner has this great help (Ax is best, but a void could be quite lovely too). So you need to show your diamond fit immediately while communicating the minimum character of your hand.

Once you bid this quiet and modest 3D raise, you subsequently can become very active/aggressive later without misleading partner.

The 5 level is unlikely to be in danger. If they bid 4S (not unlikely), you can cue bid 5C. If they bid 5C, you can cue bid 5S. Even if 6D is down, they can probably make a game if they freely bid it.

While these subsequent actions are indeed aggressive and very active, they would be fully justified and should not be taken as a huge hand by partner - understood instead to be made on the basis of big fit and distributional features - since you started with a quiet 3D instead of other conceivable fit showing alternatives. If partner gets carried away while assuming you have a big hand or really anything more than a shapely minimum, then that speaks more to partner's failings as a player and lack of bidding skill/knowledge than anything else.

[Winstonm]

I'm inclined to bid a direct 5D. My hand is mostly distribution and a 5D bid emphasizes that aspect, I would think, and it removes a ton of room from the opponents to investigate their black suit fits.

[miamijd]

I'm not sure there is any "right" answer, but this does seem to be our hand, so leaping around immediately would appear to be unwise.

A 4C splinter would seem to describe this hand well. 5H, good diamond support, probably a club void (with a stiff, I would expect an invisible cue bid instead). But 3D or some sort of invisible cue bid are other alternatives.

Cheers,
mike

[gszes]

it just seems wrong to go jumping about like crazy when we still know so LITTLE about the hands. I strongly favor 3d (which to me has further meaning of no desire to x the vul opps). Pass can work just as well but it may also sell p the idea of you having a weak balanced opening bid and cause them to vastly underestimate the hand potential. We do not even know if we have a heart fit yet all those jumping to slam are assuming we do not. If I was going to jump somewhere it would be 5c and if p cannot read that as exclusion then sobeit. If p shows 2 the concept of the trump K is NOT as good as the trump ace may come back to bite us since the trump K is a big favorite to be onside.

[Palladian]

If they are strong opponents they will have three "similar" bids available viz *, 2H & 2N. I know what we (not so strong) play, but you really need to know what they play before deciding.
Otherwise I bid 6D to give the ops a better option of making a losing choice.

[Winstonm]

gszes, on 2017-September-29, 16:30, said:

it just seems wrong to go jumping about like crazy when we still know so LITTLE about the hands. I strongly favor 3d (which to me has further meaning of no desire to x the vul opps). Pass can work just as well but it may also sell p the idea of you having a weak balanced opening bid and cause them to vastly underestimate the hand potential. We do not even know if we have a heart fit yet all those jumping to slam are assuming we do not. If I was going to jump somewhere it would be 5c and if p cannot read that as exclusion then sobeit. If p shows 2 the concept of the trump K is NOT as good as the trump ace may come back to bite us since the trump K is a big favorite to be onside.

3D is my second choice - but I fear that allows a lot of room for competition without giving them a downside risk to bidding.