[P_Marlowe]

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[P_Marlowe]

snip

[paulg]

DavidKok, on 2020-September-28, 15:12, said:

And 5NT, correcting 6♣ to 6♦?

My first concern with any approach starting with 5NT was giving West the opportunity to make a lead-directing double of 6♣ or not making a lead-directing double. Neither situation seemed worthwhile the risk of trying to subtly convey the relative length of my major holdings.

[nige1]

MikeH "You are a multiple national champion, playing with a regular partner (me, as it happens) and now you wish you'd opened...something! But you judged this wrong for any heart bid, and you don't have two-suited openings availableYour call? And why?"
---------------------
"As at least one poster commented, I'm not a hyper-aggressive doubler. On this hand, I was under some pressure. I held Axx KQxxx x Axxx.Passing seemed too dangerous....we could easily have game in either major, or even clubs. Bidding 3H on a short, spotless suit, seemed too committal. Thus double: not a call I liked, but a call I disliked least of the various alternativesAs you can see, slam has no play with my holding this hand. Make it AKxx Kxxx x Axxx, certainly a reasonable double, and slam is a slight favourite to make, and of course I could have other, even better, hands for this double.As it is, 5H works....the spade King is, as one would expect more often than not, onside, so you lose two black tricks.My partner chose 6D, leading to a failing 6H.I like 6D. If, as is likely, I held 2 diamonds, I'll have a better hand than I did. At least, with Axx KQxxx xx Axx I think passing 3D is the percentage action in a style in which we open virtually all 11 counts. We're unlikely to have a game, and sometimes, if we do, he will be able to reopen. Meanwhile, doubling with 3523 is less attractive than with the actual 3514, and bidding at all could leave us guessing how big the number will be if LHO, an unpassed hand, doubles 3H or redoubles the double. One interesting wrinkle, which was irrelevant on the hand, is that opposite 4=4=2=3 in my hand, we often want to be in spades.Give me AKxx KQxx xx Axx we make grand in spades, barring horrendous splits, but no more than small slam in hearts. Other layouts have 6S making when 6H fails.However, I think that bidding spades here is at least counter-intuitive. Plus if I am doubling on a chunky 3325, say AKx KQx xx KQxxx we want to be in hearts, not spades.As for 5H or committing to slam, I think it's very close. You're be worried about dummy (if you bid 5H) or partner's hand (if you force to slam)As for 5N or 6D, I think 6D is clearly correct. Now, since you are a passed hand, maybe driving to slam should promise first round diamond control, but I think that's a very specific agreement to have. If one were unpassed, then 5N followed by correcting 6C to 6H could be, say, KQxxx AJxxx xx x, since on this auction partner is known to have a stiff or void diamond.While 6D would be something like (for an unpassed hand) KQxxx AJxxx void Qxx".
+++++++++++++++++++++
I'd get too high. I rank
1. 6♦ = CUE Please choose a major.
2. 5♥ = NAT Take the money.
3. 6♥ = NAT The better suit
4. 5NT = ART Pick a slam.

---

[Zelandakh]

mikeh, on 2020-September-28, 15:42, said:

I think that just causes confusion. Put it another way: I was playing with one of the best players in Canada, and we have a fair number of agreements, in a reasonably complex system, yet have not discussed this sequence. Nor will we, since it will likely be another 50 years before it happens again. Neither of us rate to be alive then and, if we are, we won’t remember the agreement😃

You did not mention how you play Double here, Mike, so I would also like to hear that just for completeness if you have a spare moment.

In terms of the auction via 5NT, here is a meta-system that gives meaning without requiring special agreements for each auction. It is not optimal, not even close, but it is better than nothing:-

1. If a 5 level cue is available, bidding the cue denies first round control in their suit and bypassing it shows first round control.
2. If no 5 level cue is available, a direct 6cue shows round control of their suit while 5NT followed by a cue denies first round control.

And yes, they can of course be switched round if "cue shows" is preferred to "cue denies". I think such a general method, whether this one or any other, is the right way to go on these auctions as having things always the same reduces the memory load and comes up often enough to make it less likely to be forgotten.

[haka9]

Someone suggested RD. That might succeed in live bridge, not in BBO. I bid 6 ♦ to make clear (hopefully) I have majors. They made us guess, and I did.