[Phil]

---

2N - 3♦
3♥ - 3♠
3N - 4♥
AP

3♠ was an artificial slam try.

ATB please.

[mike777]

Watching this hand I commented:

Kiss.....texas and then rkc....

Yes we can go down.

[petterb]

mike777, on Mar 4 2009, 11:44 PM, said:

Watching this hand I commented:

Kiss.....texas and then rkc....

Yes we can go down.

And what do you do when you get a 5S reply to your keycard ask?

[matmat]

petterb, on Mar 5 2009, 12:28 AM, said:

mike777, on Mar 4 2009, 11:44 PM, said:

Watching this hand I commented:

Kiss.....texas and then rkc....

Yes we can go down.

And what do you do when you get a 5S reply to your keycard ask?

6H, obviously. p has to have the club controls.

[petterb]

matmat, on Mar 5 2009, 12:30 AM, said:

6H, obviously. p has to have the club controls.

Sure, but what about the two missing key cards?

[hanp]

What was 3NT? If it was a suggestion to play 3NT then it was ridiculous. If it was not, please tell us the meaning because otherwise it is hard to comment on the auction.

Also, 2NT was a pretty gross underbid.

Haven't thought about north yet since the strangeness of south's bidding struck me first.

[matmat]

petterb, on Mar 5 2009, 12:37 AM, said:

matmat, on Mar 5 2009, 12:30 AM, said:

6H, obviously. p has to have the club controls.

Sure, but what about the two missing key cards?

opps will crash them on the last trick, obviously.

[gnasher]

As Han says, it's hard to comment without knowing what 3NT meant. If 3NT showed a worse hand than cue-bidding, it's ridiculous. If 3NT showed a better hand than cue-bidding, responder should have done more. I'd have tried 4♣ - this is a good situation for a psychic cue-bid, because partner will probably take control and the auction will sound authentic.

It looks at least possible that they had a misunderstanding. Could 3NT have been to play, with opener thinking that 3♠ was natural?

[jdonn]

I sort of like transferring by east and raising directly to 6. We won't often be bidding a grand, and if we are off 2 keycards then let them work it out, leading into the strong hand with an unknown dummy (in fact they may suspect a void). If one of those keycards it the heart king we may well not lose it anyway, and even if it's off they would probably have to lead the suit where we are off the other right away. If they make the wrong lead then I think we will be making virtually all the time. And I think the most likely case is we will belong in 6 anyway.

Yes west also bid weirdly and underbid, though I agree it may well have been a misunderstanding.

[Phil]

jdonn, on Mar 5 2009, 03:42 AM, said:

Yes west also bid weirdly and underbid, though I agree it may well have been a misunderstanding.

Yes this turned out to be a misunderstanding.

In retrospect, 3♠ in actuality should be a slam try with 5-5 in the majors, so it was a misbid.

Anyone think the 20 pointer is too good for 2N?

[Edmunte1]

3NT and 4♥ are both bad calls. West with good controls and source of tricks Kx fit in a usually 6+ card, and no stopper in ♠ makes a ridiculous bid. Now East with an 8 carder (lots of tricks) bids a modest mild slam try instead of another move.

[rogerclee]

Phil, on Mar 5 2009, 09:36 AM, said:

Anyone think the 20 pointer is too good for 2N?

I do not.

[jdonn]

Phil, on Mar 5 2009, 11:36 AM, said:

Anyone think the 20 pointer is too good for 2N?

Yeah of course. What does 3NT take, a favorable lead in either of two suits opposite a yarb?

Roger I find it amazing you don't think west is too good for 2NT. Wouldn't you upgrade if a small diamond became jack of spades, to make Jxx Kx AKQxx AKJ? That hand is surely worse than the given one.

[rogerclee]

jdonn, on Mar 5 2009, 11:56 AM, said:

Roger I find it amazing you don't think west is too good for 2NT. Wouldn't you upgrade if a small diamond became jack of spades, to make Jxx Kx AKQxx AKJ? That hand is surely worse than the given one.

I wouldn't, but I understand your point. I got into a discussion the other day with someone about opening these kinds of hands 2N or 2♣, and it swayed me to open 2N more often than I did.

However, now I think you are right (and that it's quite clear), this hand is just too good, we will routinely miss slam opposite 10-11 counts by opening 2N.

[skjaeran]

rogerclee, on Mar 5 2009, 07:45 PM, said:

Phil, on Mar 5 2009, 09:36 AM, said:

Anyone think the 20 pointer is too good for 2N?

I do not.

Playing 2NT as 22-24 I think the hand is adequat.
Playing 2NT as 20-21, I find this hand too strong.