[WrecksVee]

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This is a Rex and Jay misadventure, looking for advice.

I expect partner to have 5♠, 4♦ and some holding in ♥. Our agreement is that the fourth suit in 2/1 auctions is natural but may be suspect.

Any comments on the auction and the best next bid would be appreciated.

WrecksVee

[aguahombre]

I like my QX of spades. Think I will show that.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I am used of playing 3H as showing values, but I would assume,
that 3H is also shape showing, i.e. it showes club shortage.
I dont believe, it makes a lot of sense to bid 3H, saying I
have hearts values, bid 3NT, if you also have heart values.

What to bid now? I guess I am bidding 3S.

We will get a heart lead, killing my only entry, and after that
the club suit can be trhown out of the window.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mikeh]

I really don't like any of my options here.

I can't bid 3N since that almost certainly needs partner to hold Ax in clubs or a heart stopper and AKxxx in spades. Any hand that makes 3N a favourite should play well in 5 or even 6♣....and many 3♥ bids play very well in clubs and are hopeless in 3N: imagine AKJxx xxx AKxx x as one example....isn't that everyone's 3♥ bid?

3♠ looks like the 'obvious' call...after all, I can't have better spades than Hx on this auction. It is in fact my choice, but I'm not happy about it. It gets me by this round but I have this horrible feeling that it will leave me very poorly placed for my next decision.

Fortunately, this is a forum and not an actual auction, so I get to answer this question with, in essence, 3♠ wtp?

And hope that we don't get the followup

[Fluffy]

What mikeh said, our entry is gonna be blown up so lets try a suit contract better.

[JLOGIC]

I'd bid 4C...I really have no interest in playing spades rather than clubs. I want to emphasize my good trumps to partner so he's not worried, and can cuebid if we have a slam.

[JLOGIC]

mikeh's example is a good one to illustrate the gain of bidding 4C rather than 3S imo, if you bid 3S partner is just going to bid 4S with AKJxx (obv). Now even if you pull it to 5C, I don't think partner will have a good chance of bidding 6. Your 3S bid just ended up confusing the issue of strain, which interfered with sorting out the real issue (level).

[mikeh]

 JLOGIC, on 2011-November-23, 16:09, said:

I'd bid 4C...I really have no interest in playing spades rather than clubs. I want to emphasize my good trumps to partner so he's not worried, and can cuebid if we have a slam.

I got to thinking more on this problem after I posted and had come to the conclusion that 4♣ was a better call than 3♠, and wish I had thought of it earlier. As I wrote above, 3♠ gets us by this round, but really screws us next time, while probably endplaying partner in the auction. 4♣, otoh, is a good description of the general nature of the hand.

Justin: would you have implied non-solid clubs on this sequence? Iow, what hand-type would you have shown via 4♣ on your second turn? Both the immediate and delayed 4♣ calls deny an interest in 3N (but not necessarily 6 or 7N) but could we still have solid clubs for the delayed call, and a hand that was willing to play 3N if partner could bid it, losing interest only when partner couldn't make the call?

I think I may have answered my question simply by writing it out.

[JLOGIC]

 mikeh, on 2011-November-23, 16:16, said:

I think I may have answered my question simply by writing it out.

Hah, I think so also. I agree with your answer of your question anyways.

[han]

Nice hand and discussion.

I don't think that the delayed 4C denies interest in playing 3NT, we might have passed 3NT if partner had bid it.

[mikeh]

 han, on 2011-November-23, 16:28, said:

Nice hand and discussion.

I don't think that the delayed 4C denies interest in playing 3NT, we might have passed 3NT if partner had bid it.

Agreed. What I take from this thread is that, for me at least, the importance of thinking ahead and of visualizing not only our problems but also the problems that partner will likely face over our alternative actions.

Thus the reflexive 3♠ call is poor, while the 4♣ call makes partner's job easy no matter what he has.

I was disappointed in myself for not coming up with what I now think is the best solution, until after I had posted it, and, of course, long after any reasonable hestitation at the table,but maybe I'm not to old too learn (I know, Fred thinks we're all over the hill by 45 and he may be right but I'm not admitting it yet).

[Phil]

I like 4♣ too. 3♠ came to me quickly but I think its wrong as well.

3N isn't hopeless - imagine AKxxx Kxx Qxxx x. But this is an unlikely parlay. I would be more worried about AJxxx Qxx AJxx x, however 5♣ isn't down yet.

I assume 4♣ is forcing btw....

[whereagles]

I'll bid 4H on the way to 5C. Pard's bidding hints at some xxx in hearts, so a slam is definitely a possibility, e.g.

AKxxx
xxx
AQxx
x

and pard might easily have a better hand.