[dokoko]

How do you play the following sequences:

(1x)dbl-4y;4z
(1x)dbl-4y;4NT
(1x)dbl-4y;5z (nonjump)
same after opp‘s opening of 2x/3x/4x

where x, y and z are different suits? Double is defined as takeout.

My main interest is which of these bids do you think are needed as natural and which can be used as slam tries for the last bid suit.

Thanks in advance für your replies.

[DavidKok]

The auctions aren't really clear to me. Did you mean (1x)-DBL-(P)-4Y; (P)-4Z for the first one? In a diagram:

---

If partner really made a double (or triple!) jump you better believe they have that suit, that full suit and nothing but that suit. So any future bids are slam tries in their suit. I would play those as controls, not even fitbids but straight up ace/king/shortness. You could make an exception for opener's suit (at the 4- or 5-level) to show a generic strong raise, but you don't really need it on this auction.

If partner has a habit of jumping with hands that can also play in other suits please tell them that sort of bidding is not constructive.

[dokoko]

DavidKok, on 2021-August-01, 07:41, said:

The auctions aren't really clear to me. Did you mean (1x)-DBL-(P)-4Y; (P)-4Z for the first one? In a diagram:

---

That's the type of auction I was talking of. Opp's opening bid at various levels, we double for takeout and partner bids on the 4-level. We now bid 4NT or a new suit.

[DavidKok]

It matters a tremendous deal if opponents open at the 1-, 2- or 3-level. As an example:

---

Partner's 4♣ shows a hand that is only suitable to play in clubs. A 7-card suit is typical.

---

A lot of partnerships play Leaping Michaels here, where 4♣ shows a GF hand with at least 5 clubs and 5 spades. Without this gadget, many play Lebensohl with 3♣ GF, so 4♣ does not exist(!). Lastly if you play Lebensohl with 3♣ positive but NF the 4♣ bid has to show any hand with long and strong clubs and no desire to play in 3NT, which is very rare.

---

Partner could have anything from 6 decent clubs to a garbage 4-bagger and no other options.

It makes sense to play different responses over all of these. On your example auction it is not sensible to look for a different strain, so it is a smart move to use every single bid for some slam try in partner's suit. Over the others the distinction is not so clear.

[helene_t]

I don't think that the jump to 4m is needed as a natural call. We can jump-cue with a GF hand with a long minor.

Leaping Michaels is probably more useful.

But if it came up undiscussed I think I would assume that advancer's suit is trump, as David describes.

[dokoko]

Maybe I formulated my original question badly.

I am interested in other players' ideas on single situations where partner responds at the 4-level to my takeout double. What should my next bid mean?

So I would like you to tell me what you think of a sequence like (3♣)dbl-4♥;4♠.

Or (2♥)dbl-4♠;5♣.

I ask for single situations, not for rules covering all or most of them. So if you have an idea about one of the 126 possible sequences, I would like to read it.