Your call please

richlp

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Jul 12, 2012, 9:12:03 PM7/12/12

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Ax
Q
AJ9x
AKQT9x

Matchpoints in a weak field. Your partner is a visitor to the club.
All you know about his ability is that he claims to be a good player,
but not an expert, and that he has two Blue Ribbon qualifications
within the last two years. For the first 8 boards he has done nothing
spectacular one way or the other.

You are vul against not. The opponents are silent and the auction
goes
Pard You
P 1C
1S 3C***
4S ?

*** If you must, pretend there was a very large person with a gun
pointed at you who said that he would pull the trigger if you didn't
bid 3C.

Now what????

Adam Beneschan

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Jul 12, 2012, 9:28:51 PM7/12/12

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You'll have to judge what your partner thinks about fast arrival, I guess. For me, 3S would be forcing so 4S should show something specific, probably extra length with good trumps. But that could be all you need. With the right agreements, I think I'd try RKCB here, and if partner shows both key cards plus the trump queen, your choices are (1) shoot out 7S and hope the clubs run or they don't lead a diamond, or (2) ask for specific kings and go to 7S if he has the diamond king, and stop in 6 otherwise. (My concern is that if a ruff is needed to set up the clubs, a diamond lead would kill the grand if it knocks out your entry.)

-- Adam

dak...@aol.com

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Jul 12, 2012, 11:31:10 PM7/12/12

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How much better could you be for this auction?
3xA + 5-suit to drop CJ,Jx,Jxx, or partner has CJ
+ H-single + partner's SA +DJ9 if partner has DKxx, Q10x.
Ask keys, ask SQ. Decide 5S,6S,7S.

Douglas Newlands

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Jul 13, 2012, 12:10:04 AM7/13/12

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First call the police to remove the dangerous loony with the gun!
Even if 3C is forcing in ACBLland, why wouldn't you bid 2D?

I am going to reach at least 6S so I guess I might as well use rkc
in case there is another lunatic opposite me.

doug

derek

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Jul 13, 2012, 11:56:44 AM7/13/12

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> pointed at you who said that he would pull the trigger if you didn't
> bid 3C.
>
> Now what????

Seems like no matter what he thinks 4S is showing, 4N is right. Hoping that it's some form of keycard.

But I agree with Douglas, that 2D seems far better than 3C if you can just deal with the guy with the gun.

Frances

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Jul 13, 2012, 12:33:16 PM7/13/12

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On Friday, July 13, 2012 2:28:51 AM UTC+1, Adam Beneschan wrote:
> On Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:12:03 PM UTC-7, richlp wrote:

> > Ax
> > Q
> > AJ9x
> > AKQT9x
> >
> > Matchpoints in a weak field. Your partner is a visitor to the club.
> > All you know about his ability is that he claims to be a good player,
> > but not an expert, and that he has two Blue Ribbon qualifications
> > within the last two years. For the first 8 boards he has done nothing
> > spectacular one way or the other.
> >
> > You are vul against not. The opponents are silent and the auction
> > goes
> > Pard You
> > P 1C
> > 1S 3C***
> > 4S ?
> >
> > *** If you must, pretend there was a very large person with a gun
> > pointed at you who said that he would pull the trigger if you didn't
> > bid 3C.
> >
> > Now what????
>
> You'll have to judge what your partner thinks about fast arrival, I guess. For me, 3S would be forcing so 4S should show something specific, probably extra length with good trumps. But that could be all you need. With the right agreements, I think I'd try RKCB here, and if partner shows both key cards plus the trump queen, your choices are (1) shoot out 7S and hope the clubs run or they don't lead a diamond, or (2) ask for specific kings and go to 7S if he has the diamond king, and stop in 6 otherwise. (My concern is that if a ruff is needed to set up the clubs, a diamond lead would kill the grand if it knocks out your entry.)
>
> -- Adam

Partner's a passed hand. I doubt he has the SKQ, HA and DK along with a 7-card spade suit.

My guess is that partner is 7-4 in the majors and has been trained not to pre-empt with a side 4-card suit. I would bid 4NT in case he has KQxxxxx Axxx x x if my agreements have got as far as knowing if we are playing RKCB or not. Otherwise I would just bid 6S (my regular partner, for example, could not have that hand because he would have opened).

Fred.

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Jul 13, 2012, 1:10:45 PM7/13/12

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> pointed at you who said that he would pull the trigger if you didn't
> bid 3C.
>
> Now what????

RKC. All I really need for a decent slam at match points
is for partner to hold

KQxxxx
xxx
xxx
x

I don't expect any co-operation over a 4D cue with this
holding, but RKC could keep us out of a bad slam when
partner holds the likes of

QJTxxx
xxx
Qxx
x.

Adam's suggestion of going to 7S when responder has the
KQ of trump the heart A and the diamond K is probably right
in a strong field. I think it's really close in a weak field,
depending on which flavor of weak. I've bid too many 80% grand
slams which only picked up an added 10% of the match points for
a net expectation of -10%. This has happened even when I
thought the small slam was really obvious.

Fred.

Adam Beneschan

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Jul 13, 2012, 1:42:19 PM7/13/12

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On Friday, July 13, 2012 9:33:16 AM UTC-7, Frances wrote:

>
> Partner's a passed hand. I doubt he has the SKQ, HA and DK along with a 7-card spade suit.

Yep, I missed that.

-- Adam

Will in New Haven

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Jul 13, 2012, 1:51:21 PM7/13/12

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If 3C wasn't game-forcing it was an underbid. I don't understand not
bidding 2D. But all that aside, I bid 4NT now. Or maybe just 6S
because partner wouldn't pass a hand where 7S is cold.

--
Will in New Haven

Paul Hightower

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Jul 13, 2012, 6:13:53 PM7/13/12

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"richlp" <rich...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d03985b8-6057-4922...@g4g2000pbn.googlegroups.com...

If you've agreed on RKCB, might as well check partner has something in his
suit, or that side Ace. Unless you can and do confirm you are missing two
key cards, or one plus the Queen, bid 6S. (So if playing plain Blackwood,
bid 6S; you won't convince partner his KQxxxxx is better than he's already
shown.)