[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

1NT(14-16) - 2♣
2♠ - ?

---

Actually our auction was slightly different, but carried the same effective meaning. Partner had shown a 14-16 NT with 4 spades. We had actually shown 4+ diamonds along the way. (which may affect your decision to invite later on)

You're playing in an important team match and you know the NS pair in the other room is playing a strong club system. Thus, if partner has a 16 count, then they will surely be in slam. If he has a 14 or 15 count, then they might stop short.

You have two balanced hands opposite each other and they generally won't play that well. So do you:

Bid 3NT to play and hope that it's the right spot and perhaps you can gain imps if the other room gets too high?

Bid 4NT to invite partner to the slam if he's maximum. The idea being if partner has a 16 count, then we will likely be matching the result in the other room.

Bid 6NT because we are feeling frisky and besides we are looking at a combined 31-33 hcp!

[joker_gib]

4NT quantitative seems clear. If you can involve partner in the decision, you should do it imo.

Alain

[FrancesHinden]

Playing a solid 1NT opening style, cnce we know partner has a 4-card major we then know he doesn't have a 5-card minor, and the chances of slam are very slim.

I would just bid 3NT.

If partner can have a 4225 16-count you probably needed some sort of shape relay.

A 16-count opposite doesn't mean slam will make.

KQxx
Kxx
KQx
Kxx

No jacks, nothing wasted, admittedly a 4333, slam is just with the odds (one of two 3-3 breaks or a squeeze) and a pointy 9 would make it very good. But now let's give him

KQxx
KJx
Kx
KJxx

and it's effectively playless

[PMetsch]

Echognome, on Nov 18 2005, 10:46 AM, said:

Partner had shown a 14-16 NT with 4 spades.  We had actually shown 4+ diamonds along the way.

6♦ may be an excellent contact. I would set ♦ as trumps and make some cuebids to see if partner has a king in ♣ or ♥.

After a 1NT opening I would bid 4NT, if not playing some minor suit ask or shape relay.

[P_Marlowe]

4 NT, get partner involved.

If you have the chance to
suggest 6D, this would be
great.

Marlowe

[whereagles]

If you know pard has 4 diamonds, along with his 4 spades, then slam is in order. Just bid 6♦ and concentrate on the play.

[Walddk]

whereagles, on Nov 18 2005, 01:11 PM, said:

If you know pard has 4 diamonds, along with his 4 spades, then slam is in order. Just bid 6♦ and concentrate on the play.

Concentrate on what play opposite

KQJx
Kx
Kxxx
KJx

I even gave him a 16 count, and there is no slam on. With some luck you will make 11 tricks, but it takes at least one revoke to make 12. I don't see any need to punt. In my bidding box there are a few cards (17 actually) between 2♠ and 6♦.

Roland

[Blofeld]

Erm, Matt said that we'd shown our four diamonds. There's no reason to think that partner has four. Quite the contrary, in fact.

Count me in for 3NT.

[cherdano]

By the way, I don't care about the other room. Bridge is difficult enough for me playing it in one room only.

[MickyB]

Strange, I misread the diamonds bit too.

You are talking about anticipating the other room, but you haven't given us any of the conditions of the match, so we don't know whether we should be trying to reach the same contract or a different one! Are we currently ahead or behind? Are we a fair bit stronger than the other team?

Either way, I think 3NT sounds right.

[ArcLight]

-1 for 4-3-3-3 shape = not enough HCP for quantitative slam

Also, you have no running suit for extra tricks.
Where will your 12 tricks come from?

3NT makes easily, 6NT might possibly make but I think the odds are less than 1/3.


3NT

[inquiry]

Why fool around with "stayman" here? Seems silly.

1NT - 4NT in most modern world auctions. If you play ETM victory or some other sophisticated methods over 1NT you could check to see if parnter is hidding a five card major along first.

The method I like is the extended puppet stayman
1NT - 3♦ (SPADE ask?)
3♠ = four card spade suit (3NT would be five card spade suit, 3♥ no 4+♠

Over 3♠, only 4♠, I would bid a 4NT quantitative, and abide by his decision. Over 3♥, I would bid 3

If partner bids 3NT (promises five card major), I would bid 4

[whereagles]

Walddk, on Nov 18 2005, 12:38 PM, said:

whereagles, on Nov 18 2005, 01:11 PM, said:

If you know pard has 4 diamonds, along with his 4 spades, then slam is in order. Just bid 6♦ and concentrate on the play.

Concentrate on what play opposite

KQJx
Kx
Kxxx
KJx

I even gave him a 16 count, and there is no slam on. With some luck you will make 11 tricks, but it takes at least one revoke to make 12. I don't see any need to punt. In my bidding box there are a few cards (17 actually) between 2♠ and 6♦.

Roland, that's the worst case scenario. If pard has that hand with KT9x of trumps the slam is a good one and there is NO WAY to find out about pard's ♦T9, even with all those 17 bids between 2♠ and 6♦.

In any case, there is an implicit message in what I wrote: if you use some kind of RKCB for diamonds below the 4NTlevel and find out pard has no ♦Q, then you can stop in 5♦. There is obviously no need to shoot 6♦ STRAIGHT AWAY.

[Echognome]

inquiry, on Nov 18 2005, 02:01 PM, said:

Why fool around with "stayman" here? Seems silly.
<snip>

Well, I did mention that our auction was different, didn't I? I was just trying to keep it simple as to what our auction had shown.

Our auction was:

1♣(1) - 1NT(2)
3♣(3) - 3♦(4)
3♠(4) - ?

(1) Natural Clubs, Natural Diamonds, or 14-16 Bal (at this vul)
(2) Artifical Game Force (usually 13+ balanced)*
(3) Balanced 14-16 (starts Baron sequence if responder desires)
(4) Natural

*If responder has a single-suited or two-suited game force, he bids differently.


As per Mike's question, the state of the match is that you feel you are the stronger team, but it is a close match and only a few imps separate you at this point in the match.

[inquiry]

Why fool around with "stayman" here? Seems silly.

1NT - 4NT in most modern world auctions. And await your partners decison. However, if you play ETM victory or some other sophisticated methods over 1NT you could check to see if parnter is hidding a five card major along first.

The method I like is the ETM extended puppet stayman
1NT - 3♦ (SPADE ask?)

3♠ = four card spade suit (3NT would be five card spade suit).

Over 3♠ (showing 4♠, I would simply bid 4NT quantitative, and abide by his decision. If partner bids 3NT (promises five spades), I would bid 4♦ as RKCB for spades.

It wouldn't happen on this hand, but over 3♦, a bid of 3♥ denies 4+♠. Over that, I wold bid 3♠ asking for five card ♥ suit and showing slam interest. If he rebids 3NT (no 5♥), I would raise to 4NT again, if he bids 4♣ (five hearts) I will bid 4♦ (LTTC) and sound slam try since this auction includes slam try implications anyway. I would respect partner's decision over 4♦.

To learn more about the ETM victory over 1NT methods (which are very nice, but somewhat memory taxing) see... ETM One Notrump Structure

[mike777]

1nt=4nt, partner has offshape nt more often then 4333 shape. The heck with stayman letting the opp x or overcall.

BTW expect my teammates in other room NV to have overcalled 1nt or 2c on their usual nothing already.

[Fluffy]

PMetsch, on Nov 18 2005, 10:26 AM, said:

Echognome, on Nov 18 2005, 10:46 AM, said:

Partner had shown a 14-16 NT with 4 spades.  We had actually shown 4+ diamonds along the way.

6♦ may be an excellent contact. I would set ♦ as trumps and make some cuebids to see if partner has a king in ♣ or ♥.

After a 1NT opening I would bid 4NT, if not playing some minor suit ask or shape relay.

Agree with Peter once more

[Trpltrbl]

If I need the imps I would strongly force for slam.
In close match I just bid 4NT and let pd help.
He can upgrade his 15 count if he has many 10's, 9's and even 8's.

GBB

[Winstonm]

Mark Lair gave me some great advice years ago; he said to never get excited about Jxxx as trump support. So even the knowledge that partner has 4 diamonds doesn't do anyting for me.

And holding 33 HCP does not guarantee 12 tricks; it only guarantees that the opponents' won't have two cashing Aces.

I've talked myself into 3N on this group - making 6?

Winston

[mikeh]

3N

What persuades me to aim low is not just the horrible shape, but the fact that my only 4 card suit is Jxxx!

This hand is not worth the 17 hcp that Milton Work forces me to add to. Despite the fine controls (usually worth an upgrade) the sterile shape and lack of cards in what passes for my source of tricks makes me think (if forced to think in terms of pointcount) that this is about a moderate 16 count at best.