[TylerE]

MP, N dealer, Both Vulns

North deals, and has:

♠ A76
♥ AQ7
♦ AQ852
♣ 43

vs

♠ KQJ432
♥ K96
♦ K6
♣ Ax

Edit: Now south has 13 cards...

[rbforster]

Edit: This was back when South hand has a stiff A♣, sorta assumed a 7th spade... I think with the extra club loser, I would probably just settle for 6♠, despite reasonable chances for the overtrick.

Playing 2/1,

1N-4♥ 15-17, Texas
4♠-4N keycard
5♣-5N 0/3 (known to be 3), specific K ask
6♠-7♠ none, punt

The grand is on opener covering the heart loser, and even with a minimum he'll have need a couple of quacks on top of his known 12 points in aces that make the grand on a finesse at worst. Either red queen makes it cold, and there are finesse chances with any red jack (including a favorable opening lead), setting up a long suit (diamonds here), maybe a ruffing finesse in clubs, etc.

Playing my strong club relay system (and updated the for 13th card),

1♣-1♥ 16+, 4+ ♠ unbal
1♠-2♣ relay, long spades
2♦-3♥ relay, 6322 shape
4♣-4N RKC♠, 2+Q
5♣-5N ♥ control ask, King
6♣-6N ♦ control ask, King
7N-P

Once you know about the red kings, North knows the grand is on spades coming in and might as well play in NT.

[Cascade]

South has 12 cards.

[Fluffy]

very good system rob, but you should count your cards before bidding

[Cascade]

1♦ 1♠ Natural 4+; Natural 4+
1NT* 3♠* 15-17; Forcing 6+ spades usually no shortage
4♦* 4♥* 1st/2nd cues
4NT* 5♠* RKCB; 2 with queen
5NT* 6♦* Ask Kings; ♦K
6♥* 7♥* Anything else; ♥ K
7NT

[gwnn]

1NT-2H
2S-6S

[skjaeran]

It would be very easy in one of my old partnerships.

1NT - 3♠ (balanced slam try)
4♦ - 4♥ (cuebids)
4NT - 5♦ (Culbertson - cue)
5♥ - 5NT (cue - ♠Q)
7NT

4♦/♥ normal quebids, both showing at least 1KC.
4NT showed 3KC.
5♦ normal que, showed a 2nd KC.
5♥ showed the ♥Q
5NT shows the possesion of 5KC + trump queen.

[cherdanno]

1N 2H
2S 4C (RKCB)
4H 5C (0/3; confirming all keycards and asking for kings)
5S 5N (none; ok how about queens)
6D 6H (♦Q; anything else?_
7H 7N

[Free]

The key seems one of the following:
- North asks keycards
- South can ask for both Queens
- you use relays (always easy)

I'd start:
1NT - 2♥ (14+-17 ; trf)
2♠ - 3♥! (acc ; GF 6+♠)
3♠! - 3NT (obligated ; balanced slam going, start cuebidding)
4♦! - ... (cue ; ...)

Now it depends: if South decides to bid 4♥ you'll find grand, if he asks keycards you won't.

[Fluffy]

Nothing very special

1NT-3♠
4♦-4♥
4NT-5♠
6♦-7....

[pooltuna]

gwnn, on Aug 16 2009, 01:57 AM, said:

1NT-2H
2S-6S

This works for me

[mike777]

TylerE, on Aug 15 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

MP, N dealer, Both Vulns

North deals, and has:

♠ A76
♥ AQ7
♦ AQ852
♣ 43

vs

♠ KQJ432
♥ K96
♦ K6
♣ Ax

Edit: Now south has 13 cards...

1nt=4h
4s=4nt
5c=5h
5s=6d
7nt


4h=texas
4nt=rkc
5c=0-3
5h=KH (confirms all key cards) btw 5d would have been Q of trump ask.
5s=no outside Kings
6d=KD

[Apollo81]

1NT-4♥-4♠-4NT-5♣-7♠

[kenrexford]

I think I'd screw around on this one as Responder, actually:

1NT(14+ to 17)-2♥(transfer)
2♠(no super)-3♣(ostensibly a second suit -- screwing around)
3♠(fit, not bust)-3NT(serious)
4♦(no club A/K/Q, two of the top three diamonds)-4NT(RKCB)
5♣/♦(whichever shows 3)-?

At this point, there are several routes to the grand, but each version is so bizarrely my world that I'll spare you.

[EricK]

1♦ 2♠ playing WNT; SJS
3♠ 4♣ support; cue
4NT 5♠ RKB; 2+Q
5NT 6♦ Specific King ask;♦K
6♥ 6NT ♥K ask; yes
7NT

[gnasher]

Isn't this trivial?

1NT-3♠
4♦-4♥
5♥-6♦
7NT

3♠ = one-suited slam try without shortage

4♦ denied a club control, so 4♥ promised one.

[ONEferBRID]

TylerE, on Aug 15 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

MP, N dealer, Both Vulns

North deals, and has:

♠ A76
♥ AQ7
♦ AQ852
♣ 43

vs

♠ KQJ432
♥ K96
♦ K6
♣ Ax

Edit: Now south has 13 cards...

This is a variation of Mike777's auction -- a different interpretation of the 5H-ask .
I'm not sure it is correct since I've never seen it before. 5D would have been the "next step" trump Q-ask; 2nd (non-trump) step is the first Specific K-ask :
replier bids the cheapest bid K where 5NT = feature asked for in the asking suit.
After 5H - ??
??
5S = no outside K's
5NT = hK
6C = cK
6D = dK
______________________

1NT - 4H!
4S - 4NT ( 0 3, 14 ...)
5C - 5H ( 2nd step = specific K-ask, not tell; confirms all key cards+sQ )
5S - 5NT ( since 5S = no K's, thus 5NT must be specific Q-ask )
6D - 6H ( 6D =dQ but no cQ; how about the hQ ?)
6NT - 7NT ( 6NT reply = feature asked for, hQ; 6S would have been "no" , 7H would have shown hQ & hJ and 7S would have shown x x doubleton ).
________________________

This auction has the unique feature that NO outside K's is
determined with the 5S bid -- normally it would be the 6S bid if 5NT had to be the specific K-ask.

[Cascade]

kenrexford, on Aug 21 2009, 05:22 AM, said:

I think I'd screw around on this one as Responder

not you - what are the forums coming to?

[Cascade]

gnasher, on Aug 21 2009, 09:07 AM, said:

Isn't this trivial?

1NT-3♠
4♦-4♥
5♥-6♦
7NT

3♠ = one-suited slam try without shortage

4♦ denied a club control, so 4♥ promised one.

And we know about the spade solidity how?

Might not responder bid the same way without the ♠Q with other compensating values ♣Q and maybe some side jacks.

[gnasher]

Cascade, on Aug 21 2009, 04:23 AM, said:

And we know about the spade solidity how?

Might not responder bid the same way without the ♠Q with other compensating values ♣Q and maybe some side jacks.

I don't think responder should put much value on ♣Q, as both players know we don't have ♣K. It's hard to picture a responding hand where responder would make a grand slam try and we have a potential trump loser.

Having said that, at matchpoints I'd want to be in 7NT with KJ10xxx Kxx Kx Ax opposite Axx AQx AQxxx xx. Wouldn't you?

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-August-21, 01:34