[mw64ahw]

Here is a hand I had earlier on this week, but I struggled to find a good route to a slam with partner having a flat 9hcp hand with a 4 card major

I have a specific approach which would have worked, but partner was unlikely to be in tune

How many ways can you bid this hand?

---

[smerriman]

Maybe a bit boring but I'd just go the 2♣ -> 2NT route.

[DavidKok]

I'd open 1♦, but only if your partnership would be ok with a GF 3♣ rebid on 5-4 (or has gadgets to show that hand type over 1♦-1M). I don't like the slam killer 2NT (with or without 2♣) since most of my tools over that focus on finding major suit fits, when instead we want to probe for a minor suit slam.

[Douglas43]

I am more of a NT bidder. Play 2NT=20-22 but like smerriman might well upgrade to open 2♣. But there is probably no "right" answer except in a post-mortem when you know what partner has.

My methods include 3♠ as minor suit Stayman, and a bid of 5NT on the way to 6NT checks for a minor suit fit that might be safer. Hence I am slightly less worried than DavidKok about missing a minor suit fit.

[mw64ahw]

Douglas43, on 2021-April-30, 04:04, said:

I am more of a NT bidder. Play 2NT=20-22 but like smerriman might well upgrade to open 2♣. But there is probably no "right" answer except in a post-mortem when you know what partner has.

My methods include 3♠ as minor suit Stayman, and a bid of 5NT on the way to 6NT checks for a minor suit fit that might be safer. Hence I am slightly less worried than DavidKok about missing a minor suit fit.

With a flat 9hcp hand and 4 card major would you go the minor suit Stayman route?

[DavidKok]

mw64ahw has pinpointed my issue with 2NT. I also have 3♠ available as minor suit Stayman, but partner won't bid it on a whole range of hands that are suitable for slam. If I have an alternate way to bid GF (opposite at least a few points) while showing my shape I strongly prefer that. We can always bid 3NT later.

I only meant 'most of my tools' in a literal sense - over 2NT my 3♣, 3♦, 3♥, 4♣ and 4♦ are all some major suit treatment, and partner will default to 3NT on 90% of the hands that don't qualify for any of these.

[mw64ahw]

DavidKok, on 2021-April-30, 04:21, said:

mw64ahw has pinpointed my issue with 2NT. I also have 3♠ available as minor suit Stayman, but partner won't bid it on a whole range of hands that are suitable for slam. If I have an alternate way to bid GF (opposite at least a few points) while showing my shape I strongly prefer that. We can always bid 3NT later.

I only meant 'most of my tools' in a literal sense - over 2NT my 3♣, 3♦, 3♥, 4♣ and 4♦ are all some major suit treatment, and partner will default to 3NT on 90% of the hands that don't qualify for any of these.

All bar 1 pair (5♦ down 1) ended up in 3NT with a range of openings. A grand was available in 3 strains
1♣x1 (my under bid?, but I made the incorrect rebid), 1♦x6, 2♣x5, 2♦x1,2NTx3

Partner's hand below if it helps to develop the bidding

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[Douglas43]

mw64ahw, on 2021-April-30, 04:15, said:

With a flat 9hcp hand and 4 card major would you go the minor suit Stayman route?

No, and having seen the hand, 3NT looks like a pretty good place to be.

[Cyberyeti]

I don't see us bidding this, if you thought partner had a balanced 22-23 without 4 hearts, would you want to be in a slam with the south hand ?

Alternatively if we open 1♦ we can show an enormous hand but short of a 2♣ opener with 5+♦/4+♣ with 1♦-1♥-2N(GF art unbal)-3♣(semi forced)-3N and I'm not sure I wouldn't pass that (particularly at MPs).

The only approach I can see that might get you there is a (strong club) 1♣-1N-2♦ start where you will find out that partner has ♦Kxx or better and ♥KQ which is enough to make the slam decent from the point of view of the big hand.

[nullve]

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nullve(N)-nullve(S):

1♦(1)-1♠(2)
3♣(3)-3♦(4)
3♥(5)-3♠(6)
3N(7)-4♣(8)
4♦(9)-4♥(10)
4♠(11)-4N(12)
5♥(13)-5N(14)
6♣(15)-6♦(IMPs)/6N(MPs)(16)
P

(1) "10+, NAT(ish) unBAL" OR "20-22 BAL"
(2) "0+, (3)4+ H, fewer than 4 spades unless GF"
(3) "22+, 5+D(3)4+C" (GF)
(4) relay
(5) 2254, 6D4C(21), 6+D4+C0S or 8+D3(!)C
(6) relay, prepared to bypass 3N opposite 6D4C(21)
(7) 2254, NF
(8) puppet to 4♦
(9) forced
(10) Parity Key Card Blackwood in D
(11) even # of key cards
(12) trump Q ask
(13) trump Q, ♣K, no ♥K
(14) ♣Q ask
(15) no ♣Q
(16) contract

[DavidKok]

Douglas43, on 2021-April-30, 05:20, said:

No, and having seen the hand, 3NT looks like a pretty good place to be.

Having seen the hand I imagine 6♦ is a big favourite, you can pitch a spade from North on the hearts. Then you only need diamonds to break 3-2, the diamond jack fourth to be onside, clubs to behave or one of the endplay chances to work, although you may have to choose which option to play for.

1♦-1♥; 3♣-3♦; 3♥*-4♦; 4♠*-4NT; 5♦*-6♦ sounds plausible enough.

[nige1]

mw64ahw 'Here is a hand I had earlier on this week, but I struggled to find a good route to a slam with partner having a flat 9hcp hand with a 4 card major. I have a specific approach which would have worked, but partner was unlikely to be in tune. All bar 1 pair (5♦ down 1) ended up in 3NT with a range of openings. A grand was available in 3 strains1♣x1 (my under bid?, but I made the incorrect rebid), 1♦x6, 2♣x5, 2♦x1,2NTx3
+++++++++++++++++++++
Hands transposed to make West dealer.
What is your specific approach, mw64ahw?
With West's hand, I rank
1. 2N (a slight underbid) gets you to 3N.
2. 2♣ recommended by SMerriman probably gets to slam
3. 1♦, suggested by Nullve and DavidCok has chances of slam.

---

[mw64ahw]

nige1, on 2021-April-30, 07:01, said:

mw64ahw 'Here is a hand I had earlier on this week, but I struggled to find a good route to a slam with partner having a flat 9hcp hand with a 4 card major. I have a specific approach which would have worked, but partner was unlikely to be in tune. All bar 1 pair (5♦ down 1) ended up in 3NT with a range of openings. A grand was available in 3 strains1♣x1 (my under bid?, but I made the incorrect rebid), 1♦x6, 2♣x5, 2♦x1,2NTx3
+++++++++++++++++++++
Hands transposed to make West dealer.
What is your specific approach, mw64ahw?
With West's hand, I rank
1. 2N (a slight underbid) gets you to 3N.
2. 2♣ recommended by SMerriman probably gets to slam
3. 1♦, suggested by Nullve and DavidCok has chances of slam.

---

I have a Multi2D with 2♦-2♥-3♥ showing 4♣ & 5♦ with this strength, but so rare partner wouldn't have remembered.
3♠ is a slam try
--3NT asks which strain
--4m sets the strain & then we start showing keycards & controls
3NT to play
4m to play

We play an unbalanced ♦ so I opened 1♣ (Transfer Walsh style).

Partner showed ♥ & I mistakenly bid 2NT rather than 2♦ (4/5 ♦) which should have culminated in 6♦

[HardVector]

With 5422 hands of this strength, you can go 2 ways with it. Call it balanced and open 2n(or 2c-2n), or call it unbalanced and open 1d planning to rebid 3c. The quality of the short suits is where I usually make my determination on what I'm going to do. Here, isolated aces cause me to lean toward bidding the suits. Change those holdings to KQ KQ and I will lean toward the nt route.

[johnu]

Douglas43, on 2021-April-30, 05:20, said:

No, and having seen the hand, 3NT looks like a pretty good place to be.

Time to go to your optometrist and get your eyes checked

You can make 7♦/7NT on a club finesse and some luck in clubs, and picking up diamonds with no loser. If you have a club loser, you basically have to pick up the diamonds without a loser. That being said, 3NT is a very solid contract.

[mw64ahw]

The complete hands with a grand available in ♦,♣ & NT

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[akwoo]

Looking at the N/S hands alone, even 6 isn't that great on a spade lead - you need the diamonds to come in (about 80%) and the club queen onside (or you can play the rounded suit squeeze - i'm not sure which is better).

So I'm not worried about missing this slam.

My Precision partnership does

1C - 2D
2N - 3N
4N - P

(2D is 9-11 (or 14+) balanced)

[mw64ahw]

akwoo, on 2021-May-01, 20:24, said:

Looking at the N/S hands alone, even 6 isn't that great on a spade lead - you need the diamonds to come in (about 80%) and the club queen onside (or you can play the rounded suit squeeze - i'm not sure which is better).

So I'm not worried about missing this slam.

My Precision partnership does

1C - 2D
2N - 3N
4N - P

(2D is 9-11 (or 14+) balanced)

Thanks for the Precision sequence.

♠ were led on the majority of the hands. A ♣ lead from West made the cards easier to read as did a ♠ lead from East especially after J♦ fell on the first round of Trumps. I had a T♠ lead from West and decided to guarantee the contract rather than going for the extras available. 6 of the 16 managed to make 6+

[Stephen Tu]

akwoo, on 2021-May-01, 20:24, said:

Looking at the N/S hands alone, even 6 isn't that great on a spade lead - you need the diamonds to come in (about 80%) and the club queen onside (or you can play the rounded suit squeeze - i'm not sure which is better)

You need to look again. 6 just needs diamonds to behave, with some small additional chances if they don't. 7 is what's poor and shouldn't make in practice even though it makes DD.

[Cyberyeti]

Stephen Tu, on 2021-May-02, 02:01, said:

You need to look again. 6 just needs diamonds to behave, with some small additional chances if they don't. 7 is what's poor and shouldn't make in practice even though it makes DD.

7 makes on the squeeze, I think it should make in practice (since 7-1 and 7-2 aren't going to differ much in terms of score, you don't need to take your spade discard too early). Also the club finesse and squeeze look better as soon as ♦J drops on the first round