[whereagles]

IMP scoring.

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It's easy to reach the good diamond slam playing a weak NT, as it can go 1♦-3♥ splinter. But can you reach it if pard opens 1NT?


Check it out with your favourite pard and tell us how you did

[Lord Molyb]

We have a 3♥ bid available to show this distribution/count, so it will go:

1NT - 3♥*
3♠** - 4♦
cue, 4NT etc

*3-1-(54), slammish
**undiscussed, either a cue for a minor or asking which minor

I don't think it's a very good slam, though.

[aguahombre]

Nope, we don't. N would start with our old fashioned MSS, but when no 4cm is located in opener we wouldn't get there unless North were 5-5 (or 6-4) in the minors and proceeded with 3H.

[mikeh]

 Lord Molyb, on 2014-September-29, 14:36, said:

We have a 3♥ bid available to show this distribution/count, so it will go:

1NT - 3♥*
3♠** - 4♦
cue, 4NT etc

*3-1-(54), slammish
**undiscussed, either a cue for a minor or asking which minor

I don't think it's a very good slam, though.

I think you are guilty of allowing knowledge of the hand to influence your view of the bidding.

In my partnerships in which we used 3M to show 3 cards in one major, stiff in the other, 5-4/4-5 minors, game force or better, we were permitted to and on the right hands delighted to play our 4-3 major suit game. Indeed, for those of us who frequently hold 5 card majors when opening 1N, we might have a 5-3 major fit.

I think that 3♠ here is a strong suggestion to play spades. Indeed, I would go further and suggest that it essentially sets trump.

Consider where you want to play with opener being AQxx Axxx Jx KJx

As it is, I don't play those methods anymore, having switched to a different set of artificialties. I do play weak 1N so in theory I have a chance of reaching the slam since we would splinter as N. However, in fairness, in my preferred methods I would open 1♣


1♣ 1♠
1N 2♦
3♦


1♣ = 2+
1♠ = either diamonds or 5-7 balanced or 11-12 balanced
1N = strong 1N
2♦ = gf, and given that with 5-7 balanced we would pass and 11-12 balanced bid 3N or stayman, 2♦ coincidentally shows real diamonds
3♦: what else? Let's cooperate


We might get there now.

[Jinksy]

 whereagles, on 2014-September-29, 14:32, said:

It's easy to reach the good diamond slam playing a weak NT, as it can go 1♦-3♥ splinter. But can you reach it if pard opens 1NT?

Most people who play a weak NT will open 1♥ - not many people play weak and 5.

[kenrexford]

 Lord Molyb, on 2014-September-29, 14:36, said:

We have a 3♥ bid available to show this distribution/count, so it will go:

1NT - 3♥*
3♠** - 4♦
cue, 4NT etc

*3-1-(54), slammish
**undiscussed, either a cue for a minor or asking which minor

I don't think it's a very good slam, though.

How on earth is 3S not discussed? ??

If 3H shows that pattern, a reasonable method is for 3S to set spades, 3NT to play, 4C asking for pattern, 4D as a power diamond agreement, 4H as a power club agreement, and 4S as a sign off suggestion.

After the standout 4C, Responder bids 4D longer diamonds and extras, 4H as RKCB clubs, 4S as RKCB diamonds, 4NT club last train, or 5 minor signoff.

This will not work for the parallel of 1345 or 1354. In that event, you're tight and have few options. This is why I bid the fragment, as that method is more balanced as to space.

If you elect to bid the shortness, tighten the range for the 3S call, but maximize the structure for the 3H call.

[Cascade]

1. You need more to the system than weak NT to open 1♦

2. After a strong NT if north can show diamond length and heart shortage it is hard to stop out of slam.

3. I transfer to diamonds and then show heart shortage at 3♥ with this sort of hand.

4. There are other alternative methods to handle various 5431 minor oriented hands. Any of them should work.

[helene_t]

Playing GIB methods, maybe
1nt-2♠ (mss)
2nt-3♦
3♠* - 4♣** spade values, cue
4♥* - 4NT** cue, rkc

But playing my usual methods I think it would just go
1NT-3♥
3nt-pass

[Lovera]

I playing Stayman: 1NT - 3♦ (trump) then having NT max p starts with cue bid 3 ♥ - 3♠, 4♠ (K) - 5♣, 6♣ (K) ..(see also "Appeals on BBO").

[Lovera]

 Lovera, on 2014-September-30, 08:20, said:

[kenrexford]

I could not agree more.

[Lovera]

I playing Stayman and 1 NT 16-18 are just with 30 points and unbalanced hand. The subsequent bidding discover 2 Aces and 2 Kings (remaining two Jacks or a Queen)..(see also "Appeals on BBO").

[Cyberyeti]

 Jinksy, on 2014-September-29, 15:17, said:

Most people who play a weak NT will open 1♥ - not many people play weak and 5.

indeed, for us:

1♥-2♦
2N(GF, not necessarily bal)-3♣
3♦-3♠
3N-4♣
4♦-4♥(keycard)
5♣(2 without)-?

At IMPs it's now a tough choice between 5♦ and 6♦, partner is known to hold the two missing aces and K♣ plus another 4-6 points (he won't be max for the NF 3N). He is also known to hold exactly 3 diamonds, 4-5 hearts and no more than 3 clubs, most likely 3433/4432/3532/2533.

[Siegmund]

I have the methods to get started down the right track -- in my preferred method it will start

1NT - 3C asks for 5CM, usually (31)(54) or (30)55 but occasionally 33(52)
3D - 3H no 5CM / singleton or void

But I think that as South I am going to try to sign off now, and as North I don't think I have quite enough to try again.