DavidKok, on 2021-July-14, 02:03, said:
I play direct 4NT is quantitative, direct 4♦ is both majors (and direct 4♣ is forcing, showing strong club support). X then 4♦ depends on partner's bid - if 3M it shows a control (and denies lower controls), if 3NT it shows a hand with both majors, too strong or shapely for direct 4♦ (which partner may overrule with long clubs) and invites partner to consider 6M with 3-card support and any non-minimum, over 4♣ it shows either the previous option or a strong balanced hand with one or both majors and worth probing for 6♣. X then 4NT does not exist.
So I'll bid a 4NT and say a quick prayer. With a non-minimum partner will bid 5M with a 4-card suit over 4NT, so we will land on our feet in 6M. 6NT is quite far away, I would really like to have a second club. 3NT is simply not enough on this hand.
this is a horrible problem…one of the worst I’ve ever seen
At the table I’d be struggling to make a call over 3D in tempo, other than the ‘obvious’ double.
At mps I like to think I’d pass in tempo. My reasoning, and I’ll look at how transferable this is to imps, would be:
1. I think it very likely that we have a far better spot than defending 3D, especially undoubled, but
2. I have no idea what that spot…or those spots….is/are nor how we get there, including getting the level right
3. If partner can reopen, I can drive to some slam with a high degree of confidence that it will have play
4. It’s only a board. I may get it back on the next hand just by making an overtrick.
Now for imps:
Say I make the obvious double
Over 3H, I have to worry about spades and clubs, in terms of slam. QJx Axxx xx KQJxx can fail in 5H even with a 3-2 break…..they may be cross-ruffing in the pointed suits….and has no play for six.
But Ax Axxx x Axxxxx is a pretty good slam and make his hearts A10xx and its even better….on a really good day one might make grand.
I suppose we bid 4D over 3H and trust partner to do the right thing (with my second hand, he should definitely do something more than 4H, given his controls)
Over 3S, I could keycard, but Jxxx Axx x AQJxx would not be a great dummy in 5S while AQ10x Axx x QJxxx makes for a decent slam
And of course there is the dreaded 4C, which happens.
Over 4M, I’m happy to keycard even though there’s no guarantee of a happy ending, given that breaks may be foul.
Back to 4C…..I probably have as many agreements in one of my two partnerships as any other regular poster has in their strongest partnership, but I’m not at all sure that we’d be on the same page with a 4N call here. I think it ‘should’ be natural but it’s asking a lot of partner to pass it.
The more I think about it, the more I like pass, but at the table it would take me so long to work that out that my partner would be barred unless a pass out was not a logical alternative….and at the 3-level, if he is short in, say, spades, he needs a GOOD hand for that to be the case.
So I expect that I’d double. Then over 4C, I’d bid a smooth 4N and await partner’s next call with trepidation.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari
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Hard choice. But partner knows you might hold a hand like this. Now I rank...
1. 4♦ = UCB attempt to show extras.
2. 4N = NAT but likely to be interpreted as RKC.
3. 6N = NAT over-optimistic.