[jillybean]

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3♠ set trump and ask partner to cue?

[mikeh]

jillybean, on 2025-June-04, 21:47, said:

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3♠ set trump and ask partner to cue?

No

Different players will have different opinions on this. For me, and I know many good players agree, 3S says ‘spades are trump….even a void may be adequate support’. I can’t imagine doing it on less than AKQJxx and that would be borderline, as would AKQ10xxx….definitely not AKQxxxx.

My style is that not only do I have what I think is a no loser suit, but I also have extra values. 3S consumes a lot of bidding space in what is hopefully a slam exploration, so it pays (imo) to be very disciplined.

I’d bid 2S and then jump to 4S over, say, 2N or 3 of some non spade suit. The difference between a jump to 3S and a delayed jump is about trump quality. A delayed jump to 4S pretty accurately describes this suit.

[mw64ahw]

The spade suit is self-sustaining for me so 3♠ is a candidate. The negative is you've only got 13hcp. I can't imagine playing anywhere else but Spades unless responder has their own self-sustaining suit.

A toss up between 2/3♠, but being the optimist 3♠ makes the slam try easier.
Responder can now bid 3N to deny a ♠ honour, cue or raise to 4♠
As always we check the modified losers with 6 here against an expected 7 in a GF giving 19-6-7 = 6-level.

[mike777]

jillybean, on 2025-June-04, 21:47, said:

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3♠ set trump and ask partner to cue?

Would the jump to three spades set trump and demand partner to cuebid?

YES

On this specific deal your spades are not solid enough and your overall hand quality is not strong enough.

[pescetom]

mw64ahw, on 2025-June-04, 23:38, said:

The spade suit is self-sustaining for me so 3♠ is a candidate. The negative is you've only got 13hcp. I can't imagine playing anywhere else but Spades unless responder has their own self-sustaining suit.

A toss up between 2/3♠, but being the optimist 3♠ makes the slam try easier.
Responder can now bid 3N to deny a ♠ honour, cue or raise to 4♠

I'm more aligned to you here, for once. I would be happier bidding 2♠ hoping to hear 3♦ or 3♠, but with a less trusted partner 3♠ will be easier and still do the job.

[jillybean]

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[mw64ahw]

I'm going to have to repeat myself

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[jillybean]

Yes, I know what you would bid, just giving others an opportunity to chime in

[pescetom]

mw64ahw, on 2025-June-05, 08:43, said:

I'm going to have to repeat myself

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Idem, much happier now.
Let's see if partner can pull 4♣ out of the hat.

[Cyberyeti]

Not playing 2/1 and having a way to bid better hands via a GF 2N, 3♠ actually shows this sort of thing for us, but 2♠ for most people then 3♠.

[WasWinM]

2S seems automatic to me. What’s the rush to start a forced cue bidding sequence when all you know so far is the hands don’t seem to be fitting.

[jillybean]

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4♦, I guess. I will post the full hand

[akwoo]

1) Is 2♥ game forcing?
2) Does the 2♠ rebid promise 6+?

[jillybean]

akwoo, on 2025-June-05, 17:33, said:

1) Is 2♥ game forcing?
2) Does the 2♠ rebid promise 6+?

That's up to you.

For the players who sent me the hand, they are playing STD
For me; 2H is gf. 2S does not promise 6, if I'm playing with my Schuler Shift partners.
My auction would have started 1S 2H 2nt*, one partner wants to bid 3S

[jillybean]

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[mike777]

jillybean, on 2025-June-05, 17:30, said:

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4♦, I guess. I will post the full hand

4 spades

Lets give partner
void....AKxxx...AKxxx...xxx

[WasWinM]

I think it should be simple.
1S-2H
2S-3D
4S-5S
6C-7S

[shyams]

mikeh's first post anticipated the problem and solved it. After North's bids of 1♠, then 2♠, then 4♠, South knows that the ♠Q in South hand is worth its weight in gold.

RKCB by South and a grand slam should be the result.

[jillybean]

yes, if I could bid like Mike, there would be no hands to contribute.

[smerriman]

pescetom, on 2025-June-05, 05:36, said:

I would be happier bidding 2♠ hoping to hear 3♦ or 3♠, but with a less trusted partner 3♠ will be easier and still do the job.

I can't understand considering an initial jump to 3♠ at all - how does it "still do the job"? Won't partner pretty much force to slam with something like x-KJxxx-AQxx-Kx?