John Hall wrote:
> In message <r2n7ks$6to$
1...@dont-email.me>, ais523 <
ais...@nethack4.org>
> writes
>>Matchpoints, none vulnerable.
>>
>>You hold QJ9.K95.KT64.AKQ (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs).
>>
>>Partner opens 1C, RHO passes (unsurprisingly).
[snip]
>
> I don't see any alternative to 1D. A couple of questions. What strength
> opening NT do we play? If it's weak and I subsequently learn that
> partner is balanced, I'll know he/she has at least 15 HCP and will
> definitely want to be in a slam. Also with a balanced hand with 4 clubs
> and 4 spades, would partner have bid like this, or would their rebid
> have been in NT?
12-14 1NT. Partner could bid like this with a balanced hand (although
that would imply 15 HCP, so is fairly unlikely given our hand).
> Over 1S, I suppose I'll bid 2H, FSF. If partner bids 2S now, I'd know
> they are at least 5-5 in the black suits. So long as partner has at
> least three of the four missing key cards, we would then want to be in
> slam. If instead they bid 3C, then they are probably 6-4. If they bid 3D
> it's probably 4-1-3-5, and my best bet is probably to bid 4C (which I
> hope is natural and which must be forcing). If they bid NT, then they
> are either balanced or 4-3-1-5. I think I might raise 2NT to 4NT or 3NT
> to 6NT.
How forcing is your fourth-suit forcing? One of the problems I envisaged
on the hand is that we play it forcing to game, so it isn't obvious what
sort of strength opener should have to jump in response to the enquiry.
The 4C re-response is interesting. I agree with you that it's obviously
forcing, but it's not clear to me whether it's a cuebid for diamonds
or agrees clubs, and even if it's natural it's also not clear to me what
opener's replies to it would mean. (Notrumps might well still be the
best place to play, but it would have to be from responder's side if
opener is short in hearts, so that the Kxx stops the suit.)
In any case, though, I think this works. On the actual hand, opener was
4=3=1=5 and would accept a quantitiative invitation, so you end up in a
making 6NT wherever you put the boundary.
For what it's worth, as responder on this hand, I think I'd want to be
in notrumps more or less regardless of opener's hand: it's very unlikely
that a ruff can be beneficial for gaining tricks, and thus the only
place it could help would be as a control, and slam feels like a dubious
place to be if we need to rely on a shortage control.
As it happens, the hands are almost cold for 7NT (the only thing that
can defeat it is a 5-0 club split, something that didn't occur at the
table), but determining that is basically impossible in most systems, I
think; most systems for precise slam investigation depend on having a
trump suit, whereas this hand doesn't want one, and the position of
the CJ is important (and yet likely impossible to ask about).
--
ais523