[Thranduil]

https://tinyurl.com/25zpz3tt

I miscounted and opened 1♦ when I should have opened 1NT. No big deal I thought and rebid 2♣ over my partner's 1♥ as neither NT rebid would have been right for my hand's strength. Bot continued with a 4th suit force, over which I showed my 3-card support in hearts. Bot then bids 3S, a bid I assumed to be a cuebid based on ♥ - showing natural spades is nonsensical in that situation as I cannot have spades support after having shown at least 4-4 in minors and 3-card support in hearts.

However, the bot apparently intended 3S to be natural, looking for a fit. I jumped to 4NT blackwood as I know that cuebid sequences with bots tend to go wrong (and I already have all aces except for the ♥A), and closed the bidding with 6♥ after partner showed one keycard. However, the egoistic bot then "corrects" to 6♠ and forces me to play a doomed contract in a 4-2 fit.

With its hand, the bot should have just bid 3NT instead of 3♠ as there is no hearts fit, I've already indirectly showed that I have a shortness in spades and we aren't strong enough to play 6NT (unless I have a maximum for what I have shown and continue the bidding myself). And It should have repsected 6♥ as the signoff.

[Huibertus]

Within the set of agreements you have with the robot, you set ♠ for trumps by bidding blackwood. Apart from that, you've not been able to limit your maximum HCP count due to the 1♦ opening and the subsequent auction. The bot expects something like AKX, T9, AXXX, AKJX. Because you set ♠ as trumps by bidding 4NT 6♥ is NOT a proposal, it is a further enquiry, looking for 7. It is YOU that should have bid 3NT to end the auction. Bad luck you haven't been able to inform partner of you 15-17 range, but on your own you don't have enough to move to the slam zone. 3♠ is just showing ♠ looking for the right game, it doesn't show slam interest or any additional values above the GF shown by bidding 2♠ fourth suit, it's a redundant bid, yes, but that doesn't change its meaning.

[smerriman]

So you miscounted your points, failed to read the description of 3♠, knew the bot is awful at cueing yet assumed it was showing a card it can't have, failed to read the description of 4N which sets spades as trump, and it's the bot's fault?

[smerriman]

Huibertus, on 2025-May-14, 13:20, said:

The bot expects something like AKX, T9, AXXX, AKJX.

That would rebid 2NT (if it didn't open 2NT). But give opener a hand which wouldn't bid 3N over 3♠ - something like 0355 or 0364 - and searching for the best place to play seems reasonable. Until the human fixed spades as trumps, after which the bot cedes all captaincy.

[Thranduil]

Yes, I made a mistake by not opening 1NT and not reading the description of 3S. But descriptions aren't always right either, and - as I said already - looking for a game in spades is nonsensical when I have shown that I have at best two cards in S. When I play in person, 3S can only be a cuebid based on H - a cuebid does not need to be the Ace. (3S could also be asking for a stopper if agreed, but then it'd need to be alerted as such.)

I assume had I started cuebidding with 4C, bot wouöd have taken that as setting spades too, just like the direct jump to 4NT?

[smerriman]

3♠ is not looking for a game in spades as above; you have in fact shown at most *one* card in spades. And no, 4♣ would have been natural; you still haven't found a fit yet. You have no reason to consider anything but 3NT with your hand, even despite the original misbid.

[Thranduil]

So, you agree with me that I have denied spades already. The question now is, Why is the bot even bidding 3S instead of 3NT then? That does not make sense to me. Yes, I should have bid 3NT with my specific hand here, but that is not the problem here. The bidding up to 3S would have been the same with any hand up to 17 or 18 HCP that is short in spades, has exactly three hearts and the remaining cards in the minors - with K Jxx KJxx QJxxx as well as with -- Qxx AKxxx AKxxx or x KQx QJ10xx AKQx (how am I supposed to find out if partner holds a ♦ cuebid for a heart slam here, if 4♣ would be natural over that 3[soades] bid?).

3S does not even deny a 5 card heart suit by its description, so we still could have a heart fit. But with that 3S being "natural", we have no chance to both confirm a heart fit and show strength/cuebid for a heart slam.