[jillybean]

How much does shape count?
My hearts are great, the A♠ and ♦ is stunning but the clubs look like an absolute wasteland.

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You likely don't agree with my first bid, but I had a plan.
IMP

[DavidKok]

I am always bidding to at least 4♥, and almost certainly taking out their 4♠. We need to convince partner of our extreme shape, and the suit length disparity, for finding the right suit at the 5-level and deciding what to do over 5♠.

So bid clubs next.

[mikeh]

At imps I just bid 4H and over 1D. I’m not giving them an easy action. Sure, things could go badly but that’s the cost of doing business and it’s surprising how often the opps do not do the right thing under pressure.

[P_Marlowe]

Yes, I think a direct 4H over 1D would be my choice as well.
You still can and should bid 4H now, if 4S comes back, ..., I guess I will bid 5C, it is 75
and you have only 1 def. trick.

[jillybean]

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It must a global difference in appraoch here.

[P_Marlowe]

... 4H, but there is a case to bid 5C.
If we know, p has 4 clubs, 5C will more often make than 4H, p will have a singleton,
and we wont go down as much, but if we only have a 53 fit in clubs, I want to play
my 7 carder.

[pescetom]

For me partner promises 4 clubs, I think I reluctantly bid 5 now. He was the last player to bid, I don't expect a perfecto.

[mike777]

4H over 1D

Will not defend 4S but opponents have a problem over our 4H bid vul.

[apollo1201]

I would also have bid 4H earlier on but now things improved as there might be another playable spot.


I suspect that wlth the HA and KQxx C, partner would bave bid more than 4C.

We must propose our H, although it is likely partner will correct to 5C (I doubt they encourage C with 3 unless they fell in love with their Hx in H where playing 4H looks best, most likely they have sg H and 4 C).

Partner saw we did not use Michaels so must be longer and potentially stronger in H than C. With 5-6 or a lousy 6 and good 5, we bid 2NT first.

[Cyberyeti]

apollo1201, on 2026-July-22, 11:00, said:

I would also have bid 4H earlier on but now things improved as there might be another playable spot.


I suspect that wlth the HA and KQxx C, partner would bave bid more than 4C.

We must propose our H, although it is likely partner will correct to 5C (I doubt they encourage C with 3 unless they fell in love with their Hx in H where playing 4H looks best, most likely they have sg H and 4 C).

Partner saw we did not use Michaels so must be longer and potentially stronger in H than C. With 5-6 or a lousy 6 and good 5, we bid 2NT first.

Depends how you play your 2 suited bids, if you play weak/strong, this is the middle hand.

We would have more info, in that X of 1♠ would show exactly 4♣, as would x of 2♠ so 3♣ shows 5.