[ManUtdNZ]

North is the Dealer playing Precision. Can someone help me on how to bid the grand slam in Clubs?

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[Cyberyeti]

1♠-2♥
3♣-4♣ (better than 5)
4N(for us 4♦ is kickback, so 4N is voidwood with a void diamond)-5♠(2+Q)
5N(tell me more)-6♥
7♣

[ManUtdNZ]

Well that was quick.

I knew there had to be a sensible sequence. Just have to research Kickback/Voidwood now. Much appreciated.

[mikeh]

I’ve not seen that version of exclusion/voidwood before. I like it in clubs….over 4C it’d be very rare for partner to need 4N as a diamond cue…on most slamming hands, he’d rate to have a major cue.

In hearts, I want 4N to be my substitute spade cue.

In diamonds…sort of in-between and I’m not sure which would be more frequent….a desire to cue hearts seems to be most probable.

How about this

1S 2H
3C 4C
4H 4S
5N 7C

It’s common, if not standard, to avoid making one’s first cuebid to be shortness in partner’s announced primary suit….here, hearts.

The rationale is that partner, if able to cooperate in a slam effort, often has a decent five card suit. AQxxx or KQJxx are very possible. A stiff is of limited attraction compared to a top honour.

So opener temporarily bypasses his void to show the almost surely valuable heart Ace. Responder, fortunately having a diamond control, bids 4S which, by the same reasoning, won’t be a void.

Now opener bids 5N, grand slam force.

These days, 5N is often, if not king ask in a keycard context, a choice of strain for slam but I don’t think that makes any sense on the auction given…there’s no reason to think that any strain other than clubs is in the mix.

[pescetom]

In one partnership 4♦ is Kickback over clubs and we would have much the same auction as Cyberyeti, but with N showing ♠K in reply to 5N.

In the others, S might take a view and bid 5♦ Voidwood, forcing to slam in the worst case, although I can imagine al78 resigned to finding both red Q
More likely we would control-bid, in which case for us there is no doubt about starting with diamonds:
1♠-2♥
3♣-4♣
4♦ - 4♥
4♠ - 4N (even)
5♦ - 5♠
5N (Q?) - 6♦
7♣ - p

It turns out a bit awkward, as N never gets to show ♥A (he could do so after 6♦, but the die is cast and that might suggest ♦A) but all the controls are there and neither can see a possibly unsurmountable problem.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2023-September-11, 01:58, said:

I’ve not seen that version of exclusion/voidwood before. I like it in clubs….over 4C it’d be very rare for partner to need 4N as a diamond cue…on most slamming hands, he’d rate to have a major cue.

In hearts, I want 4N to be my substitute spade cue.

In diamonds…sort of in-between and I’m not sure which would be more frequent….a desire to cue hearts seems to be most probable.

I think it's more important where the auction is than what the suit agreed is.

Imagine hearts are clearly agreed and playing in NT is not going to happen, the auction is at 3N, while it's possible for you to want to cue spades with 4N next, it's much more likely you will have a minor suit cue to make, so 4N is more userful as exclusion.

[Gilithin]

Since we are talking Strong Club: 1♠ -> relay, relay, relay -> 6+♠, 5+♣, 0♦ with 4 controls and ♠Q -> 7♣. Easy game.

[Fluffy]

I suggest you start with:

1♠-2♥
2♠-3♣
4♦

4 diamonds has to be a void with big club support

[mikeh]

Welcome back


Ok, that’s it for being nice, lol


I think that in either a limited opening method or a 2/1 type approach, it’s an error not to bid 3C as opener. 3C describes 9-10 of your cards (it’d be rare, especially in a strong club context, to bid 3C on 5=4 blacks) while 2S describes only 5 or 6 cards, depending on whether 2S promises 6 or not.

Further more, we have no reason to expect a club bid by partner when we hold 5 of them and, even if we do, I doubt that many responder’s would think that 4D showed either a void or 5 card support in what has become a very powerful hand

What would you bid with KQJxxx Ax x Kxxx? Surely that’s the world’s easiest 4D bid over 3C?

And, of course, in this case responder owns great though short clubs and the spade Ace. On a different day, opener might hold AKJxxx Qx x Kxxx.