[mw64ahw]

Having been a couple of months since playing with this partner (5cM, KI5, 15-17 etc) I sat as East and managed to avoid a top with the expected auction not materialising.
Dealer West, MPs
Time to outbid us!

---

[Cyberyeti]

1♥-1♠ easy

we can bid 4♠ on this hand showing pretty much exactly this (good hands go via a GF unbal 2N, so 4♠ is 46(21)ish minimum) and then blackwood gets you to the top in 6N

2♠for most people-3♣
3♥-4♣
4♥-4N
5♥-6♠

[jillybean]

I like the 1♥opening but it's not everyone's style.

East is likely to open 2N, which opposite a partner who initially passed, won't get you to 6.
Missing 3 Aces do you upgrade to 2♣, it's a solid 21 count.

I'm looking forward to reading more expert replies.

I'm beginning to dislike strong openings and wonder about a nebulous club

[Cyberyeti]

jillybean, on 2026-October-30, 05:43, said:

I like the 1♥opening but it's not everyone's style.

East is likely to open 2N, which opposite a partner who initially passed, won't get you to 6.
Missing 3 Aces do you upgrade to 2♣, it's a solid 21 count.

I'm looking forward to reading more expert replies.

I'm beginning to dislike strong openings and wonder about a nebulous club

If my partner opens 2N, I'm driving to slam with the W hand if I for some reason forgot to open it.

The only issue is which sequence I follow, as I may wrongside it without knowing enough to bid 6N

My rule of thumb is that 29 points and a 6 card suit is enough to bid slam if there are not 2 off the top or one and a slow trump.

[jillybean]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-October-30, 06:10, said:

If my partner opens 2N, I'm driving to slam with the W hand if I for some reason forgot to open it.

The only issue is which sequence I follow, as I may wrongside it without knowing enough to bid 6N

My rule of thumb is that 29 points and a 6 card suit is enough to bid slam if there are not 2 off the top or one and a slow trump.

Yes, I'd hope that most bbf'ers would get to the slam.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-30, 05:43, said:

I like the 1♥opening but it's not everyone's style.

East is likely to open 2N, which opposite a partner who initially passed, won't get you to 6.
Missing 3 Aces do you upgrade to 2♣, it's a solid 21 count.

I can live with either 1H or 2H here, would not Pass.

But if partner did, I think we still find slam:
P 2NT
3D 3H
4H 5C
5S 6S
P

Where 4H was a secondary transfer showing 6 hearts 4 spades (5-4 would go through our ask) and 5C RKCB spades.

[mikeh]

Everybody is going to have an auction that reaches slam played by east. It’s amazing how well everyone bids after seeing all the cards

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2026-October-30, 07:24, said:

Everybody is going to have an auction that reaches slam played by east. It’s amazing how well everyone bids after seeing all the cards

After 1♥ it's trivial, after 2N not so much

[mw64ahw]

Partner surprised me by opening 1♥ not usually their style (I would have expected 2♥). I followed with an invitational Nebulous 2♣-alerted.

Opener responded 2♥, nominally 4♠, which I omitted to alert, as I was trying to decided whether they'd remembered the approach or were showing 6♥! The perils of playing involved approaches. Now 2♠ is invitational and 3♠ SI

[pescetom]

mw64ahw, on 2026-October-30, 09:32, said:

Partner surprised me by opening 1♥ not usually their style (I would have expected 2♥). I followed with an invitational Nebulous 2♣-alerted.

It's trivial with almost any agreements at this point.
Assuming 1♥ opening we would probably have bid:
1♥ - 2♣
2♠ - 3♠
3N (non-serious) - 4♣
4♥ - 4N (even)
6♠ - P

mw64ahw, on 2026-October-30, 09:32, said:

Opener responded 2♥, nominally 4♠, which I omitted to alert, as I was trying to decided whether they'd remembered the approach or were showing 6♥!

That is a deliberate infraction.

[jillybean]

I am bidding this with two of my partners; I've given them the West hand.

T (who bids like a junior) opens 1♥ and bids 2♠/1♠
G (who breaks into a sweat seeing some of the dummies I put down) passes.

More to come.

[mw64ahw]

pescetom, on 2026-October-30, 16:20, said:

It's trivial with almost any agreements at this point.
Assuming 1♥ opening we would probably have bid:
1♥ - 2♣
2♠ - 3♠
3N (non-serious) - 4♣
4♥ - 4N (even)
6♠ - P


That is a deliberate infraction.

Living in the world of hastily stated agreements, it turned out partner was not up to speed and the bid was a natural 6 so perhaps my non-alerting was correct?

[Cyberyeti]

mw64ahw, on 2026-October-31, 01:32, said:

Living in the world of hastily stated agreements, it turned out partner was not up to speed and the bid was a natural 6 so perhaps my non-alerting was correct?

You alert what is the agreed meaning, not what you think partner might have. In the UK you also alert if you're not certain but think a bid might be artificial

[jillybean]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-October-31, 02:44, said:

You alert what is the agreed meaning, not what you think partner might have. In the UK you also alert if you're not certain but think a bid might be artificial

That’s what the Laws say but in NA, the practice is another thing.

[jillybean]

mw64ahw, on 2026-October-31, 01:32, said:

Living in the world of hastily stated agreements, it turned out partner was not up to speed and the bid was a natural 6 so perhaps my non-alerting was correct?

no

[jillybean]

T:

---

G:

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* had to ask, advised it is a cue in support of spades, as is 4C, 4D

[mw64ahw]

This was the first board of the evening and partner had barely got through the door.
I followed 2♥ with 3♠ and received a 4♥ bid back (so no 4♠!).
Deciding partner's points had to be Aces I didn't quite take long enough counting the tricks and bid 6♥ rather than 6N.
Only 70% as one pair found the 6NT, but what looked like a routine slam was missed at the other tables.

I think the heating must have been on too high as one of the tops we had started with the opponents going 1♣-P-2♣-P-P-P making all 13.
The 2♣ bidder had missed the opening bid!

[pescetom]

 mw64ahw, on 2026-November-01, 02:42, said:

I think the heating must have been on too high as one of the tops we had started with the opponents going 1♣-P-2♣-P-P-P making all 13.
The 2♣ bidder had missed the opening bid!

On BBO they would ask for an Undo after partner passes.

(In Italy they would fall on their feet as a 2♣ response is game forcing)

[Cyberyeti]

mw64ahw, on 2026-November-01, 02:42, said:

I think the heating must have been on too high as one of the tops we had started with the opponents going 1♣-P-2♣-P-P-P making all 13.
The 2♣ bidder had missed the opening bid!

This reminds me of the auction 1N-2N-6N where the weak 1N opener forgot he'd opened and responded to partner's 2N "opener"

[pescetom]

 Cyberyeti, on 2026-November-01, 05:29, said:

This reminds me of the auction 1N-2N-6N where the weak 1N opener forgot he'd opened and responded to partner's 2N "opener"

My favourite was by a pair of eternal beginners who were far better at reading each other than at natural logic:
2NT - 3NT; 6NT - P
Neither had forgotten anything and needless to say, it made.