[ahydra]

Bid this grand slam - as you might imagine, West couldn't quite believe he was playing with the same deck when East overcalled 1S:

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And today's bonus question:

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Is that the ideal Convention With No Name hand? (4D showing 4-6 in the reds and game values)

ahydra

[Cyberyeti]

1.

1♥-1♠-2♥-4♥(optional voidwood)
4♠(minimum, our overcalls are sound)-4N(still voidwood)
5♦(1/4)-5♥(Q♠?)
6♣(yes and K♣)-6♦(I have K or Q diamonds, do you have the other)
7♠ no, but it looks like no losers if you're prepared to ask for this opposite what I've said was a minimum overcall

2.

I would probably slightly overbid, my choices are to GF agreeing hearts and show a stiff spade via an artificial 2N, or to bid 4♥ showing this sort of hand (10-15, big fit, often 6-5 if lower end)

[Vampyr]

 ahydra, on 2013-April-12, 16:30, said:

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Is that the ideal Convention With No Name hand? (4D showing 4-6 in the reds and game values)

I would expect better diamonds.

[chasetb]

I agree that with hand #2 posted, you can't use 4♦ as a rebid because you are missing both top Diamond honors. You must have at least two of the top three, and three of the top five of your minor, and at least 5 HCP in the Major. Also, only in the sequence 1♦-1♥, do I not expect 4♦ to have any outside Aces or Kings. In any other 1m - 1M ; 4m sequence, you have at least one in-between bid to show slam interest.

[ahydra]

Our auction on the first board was... well, interesting.

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Partner thought 3H was asking a stop, not showing a good spade raise. Spades split 1-1 and clubs 3-3, so I made eight tricks At the other table our team-mates bid up to 5H and stopped them finding the slam, so it was just 14 IMPs out rather than 20.

After I make some slam-going interest, I think partner's hand is HUGE. ♣AK together with the diamond singleton look awesome. What might have been better is if I splintered in hearts instead so that partner also knows his ♥xxx is not a problem.

And as for this one:

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partner decided to splinter with 3S. Is that an overbid? I think so and would bid 4H, but 4H could also be a balanced 18-count. We did at one point discuss possible artificial 2NT heart raises in this sequence, perhaps we need to revisit those.

My hand was ♠AQxx ♥Jxxx ♦Ax ♣Kxx so I wasn't stopping short of slam after 3S. The slam is just over 50% so not ideal for teams, particularly when hearts split 4-1 with Q109x on my left and the ♦K is offside as well

ahydra

[Free]

 ahydra, on 2013-April-14, 03:34, said:

Partner thought 3H was asking a stop, not showing a good spade raise.

OMG!

[helene_t]

 Free, on 2013-April-14, 04:26, said:

OMG!

Is that really ridicolous? For most, 3♦ would be nf. What else could W do with a hand that wanted to bid a forcing 3♦? Maybe it is best to play this a spades raise and don't worry about the strong hands with one minor, as those are very infrequent on this auction. But I think that W has to take his share of the blame when he made a possibly confusing 3♥ bid, when a splinter bid seems obvious. Still, I am not sure if E would move over a splinter. W would probably have to move beyond 4♠ to reach slam.

[Fluffy]

Hand 2 the diamonds are too soft for 4♦, partner should expect to run at least 5 tricks quickly (perhaps after a ruff) when he holds ♦K or ace.

I think splinter is fine, the hand is too good for a 4♥ drive (weak 6-4 for me)

[P_Marlowe]

#2 No. 3S - splinter, 4D should show a suit that playes for at most 1 looser, ideally,
you even restrict the bid to showing 5422 shape
#1 I have no idea, if we reach 7S
I will bid 4H, followed by 5D, we may end up in 6S /or in 7S.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[neilkaz]

On hand 1, west confused the issue by trying to show a good ♠ raise. Did he really intend to stop below game? I much prefer to splinter 4♥ and I like my hand so much that I'll force the issue with a 5♦ cue afterwards.

Hmm..opps have only 13 HCP and opened and raised ♥...welcome to modern bridge.

.. neilkaz ..

[mycroft]

Having said that, they've bid-and-raised ♥, and kept schtum over 3♥, never mind 4, with 10 between 'em.

[mikl_plkcc]

(1♥) - 1♠ - (2♥)
3♥ - (4♥) - / - (/)
5♦ - (/) - 6♣ - (/)
6♥ - (/) - 6♠ - (/)
/ - (//)

The grand slam has been preempted out by the 4♥ bid.

If they are not aggressive enough,
(1♥) - 1♠ - (2♥)
3♥ - (/) - 3♠ - (/)
4♦ - (/) - 5♣ - (/)
5♥ - (/) - 6♣ - (/)
7♠ - (/) - / - (//)

[ahydra]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2013-April-19, 10:21, said:

(1♥) - 1♠ - (2♥)
3♥ - (4♥) - / - (/)
5♦ - (/) - 6♣ - (/)
6♥ - (/) - 6♠ - (/)
/ - (//)

I think if West offers up a 6♥ bid rather than just bidding 6♠, East should take the plunge into seven. He has ♣AK and a diamond singleton - if partner's trying for grand, he surely holds the Ace.

ahydra