[pescetom]

A lot of recent discussion about slam investigation, decidedly healthy.

Put your usual (or newly enlightened) vision to the test, how do you start and see things going here (MP, 2/1 GF, 15-17 1NT)?
Assume your favourite agreements, but please spell them out.
Dealt randomly to me last night.

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[Cyberyeti]

4♣ void splinter, optional voidwood responses.

[mw64ahw]

I have the following choices

• show my ♠ via 1♠ in a delayed fashion playing KI5
• respond with 2♠ as lim+ 4+♥ asking for hcp strength
• dive in with 4N showing controls in all suits and odd KCs
• bid 4♣ showing a void with ♠ control and ♥ honour

I'll take the 'bird in hand' and bid 4♣ given it conveys the most information. Without this I take option 2

[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2024-October-02, 15:38, said:

4♣ void splinter, optional voidwood responses.

Lol. Optional responses…let me think….what are the chances that partner will,Ike his hand opposite what I assume is usually a good 4H bid with a void in clubs?

I’m not usually a fan of J2N with a side void or with a very good side suit, but here I really don’t see any point in bidding slowly. We’re going to slam….it’s extremely unlikely that it doesn’t have a decent play. x xxxxx Kx xxxxx just needs 2-2 trump!

So 2N for me.

Now, if I played ‘standard’ J2N, I’d spend more time gaming out other options, including starting with 1S, because simple J2N is not a good method. Far too often, when we hold a monster hand that needs information to place the contract, opener has a blah minimum and bids 4H, consuming two levels of bidding space.

But I don’t play standard J2N in either of my partnerships. In my main partnership, 2N is gf and the responses are

3C all minimums that don’t wish they’d not opened….
3D. Extras, 5 card suit
3H. Extras, 6+ suit
3S. A void (doesn’t need extras)
3N. 17+ balanced. (Would lead to a short auction!)
4C/D. Extras, decent 5+ side suit…KJ10xx would be the worst.
4H. I wish I hadn’t opened, probably an aceless 11


Over all 3x responses, I can relay. Thus 1H 2N 3C 3D….3H no shortness, 3S short clubs, 3N short diamonds, etc

[akwoo]

I trot out 5♣, exclusion. I bid 6♥ opposite no key cards and ask for the queen opposite one. I am going to 7♥ even if partner doesn't have the king of diamonds, unless the field is terribly weak and I still for some reason care about winning.

If I'm not sure an immediate 5♣ is exclusion, I trot out 2N, then 5♣, exclusion. But I'd rather not because partner might bid 4♥ over 2N.

I thought about actually using some form of Jacoby, but the problem is that you make 7 opposite both x KQJxx xxx KQxx and opposite xxx KQJxx x KQxx.

[jillybean]

Before I read Mike's post....
J2nt

Our responses
3C Min hand w/shortage
3D any hand w/o shortage
3H K more than min, club shortage
3S K more than min diamond shortage
3N K more than min shortage in o/M

[shyams]

5♣ exclusion KCB.

On rare occasions, we might land up 1 level too high. However, the clarity for partner on what does / does not matter is immense and we will find our grand slams if they exist. IMHO, worth the extreme jump to 5♣

[jillybean]

Next bid please !

[thepossum]

I considered going straight to splinter but how about 2S followed by splinter
Not really a 2 suiter but fits most requirements
Then one or other starts control bidding and so on

[pescetom]

 shyams, on 2024-October-02, 21:06, said:

5♣ exclusion KCB.

On rare occasions, we might land up 1 level too high. However, the clarity for partner on what does / does not matter is immense and we will find our grand slams if they exist. IMHO, worth the extreme jump to 5♣

FWIW I decided the same: if we kept ERKCB on the list of agreements (unlike void splinters) then surely this is the occasion to trot it out.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2024-October-02, 21:32, said:

Next bid please !

After cyberyeti's optional Voidwood, S rebids no interest.

After mw64ahw's 4C void showing, S will rebid a natural 4H if permitted.

After mikeh's asking Jacoby GF, S is on the edge between 3C or 4H.

After jillybean's asking Jacoby, S will rebid 3D = no shortage.

After everybody's 5C Exclusion, S will rebid 5D = 1 keycard.

After thepossum's 2S, S will pass.

[Cyberyeti]

 pescetom, on 2024-October-03, 04:07, said:

Answering on a phone, so bear with my memory.

After cyberyeti's optional Voidwood, S rebids no interest.

After mikeh's asking Jacoby GF, S might rebid either 3C or 4H.

After jillybean's asking Jacoby, S will rebid 3D no shortage.

After everybody's 5C Exclusion, S will rebid 1 keycard.

After thepossum's 2S, S will pass.

Possum is clearly playing a strong jump shift, S will not pass, this was my second choice

After 4♥ no interest, I would bid 4♠ "I don't care you have no interest, give me a voidwood response", this is the point, I get to use 4♠ rather than 5♣ as voidwood which is not so important here, but might be with other hands.

Over 5♣ (1) I bid 5♦ (Q♥?)

[mw64ahw]

 pescetom, on 2024-October-03, 04:07, said:

After cyberyeti's optional Voidwood, S rebids no interest.

After mw64ahw's 4C void showing, S will rebid a natural 4H if permitted.

After mikeh's asking Jacoby GF, S is on the edge between 3C or 4H.

After jillybean's asking Jacoby, S will rebid 3D = no shortage.

After everybody's 5C Exclusion, S will rebid 5D = 1 keycard.

After thepossum's 2S, S will pass.

4♥ is permitted denying a ♦ control.
4♦ would show a void
Higher bids show a ♦ control & KCs

[thepossum]

Nobody would pass my 2 spades

Look at how much information with 1 bid

[shyams]

1♥ - 5♣
5♦ - Here I bid 5♥

If South thinks it is a discouraging bid and passes, I may need a new partner. If instead, South interprets it as a "please evaluate" situation, he can decide what to do next. From partner's perspective, a hand like ♠xx ♥Kxxxx ♦Jxx ♣AKx will be worst whereas one like ♠xx ♥KQxxx ♦Kx ♣Axxx will be best.

EKCB is so rare that I don't think many partnerships will have detailed agreements on follow-ups; I certainly don't.
* If I were South, I'd pass with the first and make a forward-going bid (NOT 6♥) with the second.
* If South had the ♥Q but no other useful card (outside clubs), I would expect South to raise to 6♥.

I guess some of the above is influenced by the example North hand above. However, my described choice of action seems logical.

[Cyberyeti]

 shyams, on 2024-October-03, 05:19, said:

1♥ - 5♣
5♦ - Here I bid 5♥

If South thinks it is a discouraging bid and passes, I may need a new partner. If instead, South interprets it as a "please evaluate" situation, he can decide what to do next. From partner's perspective, a hand like ♠xx ♥Kxxxx ♦Jxx ♣AKx will be worst whereas one like ♠xx ♥KQxxx ♦Kx ♣Axxx will be best.

EKCB is so rare that I don't think many partnerships will have detailed agreements on follow-ups; I certainly don't.
* If I were South, I'd pass with the first and make a forward-going bid (NOT 6♥) with the second.
* If South had the ♥Q but no other useful card (outside clubs), I would expect South to raise to 6♥.

I guess some of the above is influenced by the example North hand above. However, my described choice of action seems logical.

How does partner know ♠xx/Jx is good ? AKx is not a bad holding, it's 2 discards, KJxx is really bad

[pescetom]

 Cyberyeti, on 2024-October-03, 04:19, said:

Possum is clearly playing a strong jump shift, S will not pass, this was my second choice

I was just kidding to point out the forget risk (especially by me, as I really like a 2S weak response).

[pescetom]

 mw64ahw, on 2024-October-03, 04:36, said:

4♥ is permitted denying a ♦ control.
4♦ would show a void
Higher bids show a ♦ control & KCs

4H it would be, then.

[pescetom]

 shyams, on 2024-October-03, 05:19, said:

1♥ - 5♣
5♦ - Here I bid 5♥

If South thinks it is a discouraging bid and passes, I may need a new partner. If instead, South interprets it as a "please evaluate" situation, he can decide what to do next. From partner's perspective, a hand like ♠xx ♥Kxxxx ♦Jxx ♣AKx will be worst whereas one like ♠xx ♥KQxxx ♦Kx ♣Axxx will be best.

EKCB is so rare that I don't think many partnerships will have detailed agreements on follow-ups; I certainly don't.
* If I were South, I'd pass with the first and make a forward-going bid (NOT 6♥) with the second.
* If South had the ♥Q but no other useful card (outside clubs), I would expect South to raise to 6♥.

I guess some of the above is influenced by the example North hand above. However, my described choice of action seems logical.

If 5H is not discouraging, how do you discourage here?
Our ERKCB follow ups are the same as with RKCB, it's essentially the same convention. So after 5D showing 1 Keycard, 5H is signoff. 5S asks for the Queen and S will bid Specific Kings with the Queen or return to trumps without it.

In this case I bid 5S and S bid 6C, over which I bid 7H.

[jillybean]

Does everyone play 1430 response to exclusion keycard ?
I play 0,1,2 - (edited)

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