[DavidKok]

Yesterday we had a tricky hand to bid, and I thought it would be fun to share here and discuss. This is intended to take multiple rounds of bidding, so we'll need to have a bit of back-and-forth to get to the final contract. I'm choosing to show the challenge from my partner's perspective as I think partner had more difficult decisions - ideally I'd show it from both perspectives, but knowing more than one hand tends to seriously bias the suggestions.

---

Please plan the bidding using your favourite system. In case it matters, we were playing Dutch Doubleton - feel free to assume that system if you want

In an attempt to get the ball rolling, here's a description of how the first round will go with some common systems and opening choices. Please only look at this after choosing your system and opening bid, and then include your second round bid as well.

Spoiler

The opponents do not interfere with the auction before it gets back to you.
If you open a natural 1m (either one), partner will respond showing spades, either naturally or artificially. If you play strong jump shifts, partner will make one of those in spades.
If you open a strong club, strong diamond, Polish club or the likes, partner will make a positive response showing spades.
If you open 2NT, partner will bid 4♦ (slam try setting spades) if that is part of your system, or 4♥ if that has that role instead, or make a 3♥ Jacoby transfer if it isn't.

[mike777]

1D planning to reverse into H over one spade.

If partner is very strong with long spades then:

1D-1S
2H-3S
4S-4NT

I see where the problem is going to be though in investigating the grand,at least in my style, good problem..

I have all the outside Kings and the QS which is going to present an issue..

A fancier version of ace/King asking can show all that but I don't play it

Responder if they have all the keycards, will need to wake up and fake having the KD which would wake me up.

[mw64ahw]

With 8.5 playing tricks I open 2♣ (may be Weak ♦) expecting
2♣-2♦
3♥ 1444
Now 3♠ asks partner to bid 3N Pass/Correct. Other bids are slam going
Strong ♦ go through a Multi-2♦ gaining a bid

[mikeh]

Playing our version of T-Walsh, this is an easy 1C opening.

If he bids 1H, showing spades, my 1N rebid shows a balanced 17-19 with 2-3 spades. Should he insist on spades, the stiff Queen is usually as good as the xx which is all I ‘promise’ with 1N.

I’m planning on treating this as balanced. Plus this is a really awkward hand for our 1D structure.

[DavidKok]

mike777, on 2026-February-20, 06:13, said:

1D planning to reverse into H over one spade.

If partner is very strong with long spades then:

1D-1S
2H-3S
4S-4NT

For me the voluntary jump to 3♠ after the reverse sets trumps. 2♠ is forcing here, so 2♠-then-3♠ is available for GF hands with long spades that are less sure about setting strain.
I would play this way in any system, but it fits nicely with my 1♦-2♠ weak jump shifts. In my experience it can be awkward to hold a weak single-suited hand opposite a strong partner, likely with shortage in my suit. Getting that hand out of the way immediately has a number of ways of gaining, and it turns what I consider to be a good agreement over reverses regardless into a logical negative inference.
On this start partner will indeed bid 1♦-1♠; 2♥-3♠ but this time trumps are set and we are strongly requested to cuebid.

mw64ahw, on 2026-February-20, 06:57, said:

With 8.5 playing tricks I open 2♣ (may be Weak ♦) expecting
2♣-2♦
3♥ 1444
Now 3♠ asks partner to bid 3N Pass/Correct. Other bids are slam going
Strong ♦ go through a Multi-2♦ gaining a bid

Not so fast. Partner will respond 2♠, positive with spades, rather than 2♦. How do you continue?
If you do not allow this in your structure, how does partner initiate a slam try in spades over your 3♥? You've made two jump bids already on arguably a leaky 19-count and 3♠ now does not show spades.

mikeh, on 2026-February-20, 07:09, said:

Playing our version of T-Walsh, this is an easy 1C opening.

If he bids 1H, showing spades, my 1N rebid shows a balanced 17-19 with 2-3 spades. Should he insist on spades, the stiff Queen is usually as good as the xx which is all I ‘promise’ with 1N.

I’m planning on treating this as balanced. Plus this is a really awkward hand for our 1D structure.

Partner will insist on spades. For me that's done by rebidding 3♠ over 1NT (by contrast, 2♦-then-some-number-of-spades is a more flexible hand) - at any rate, partner sets spades as trumps and initiates a slam try opposite this range. How do you achieve this, and how do you continue from there?

[mw64ahw]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-20, 07:25, said:

Not so fast. Partner will respond 2♠, positive with spades, rather than 2♦. How do you continue?
If you do not allow this in your structure, how does partner initiate a slam try in spades over your 3♥? You've made two jump bids already on arguably a leaky 19-count and 3♠ now does not show spades.

I play reverse 'birthright' and include a Weak 2♦ so responder won't be bidding 2♠
4♠ is a slam try over 3♥.

3♠-3N
4♠ is a sign-off in ♠

[DavidKok]

mw64ahw, on 2026-February-20, 07:39, said:

I play reverse 'birthright' and include a Weak 2♦ so responder won't be bidding 2♠
4♠ is a slam try over 3♥.

3♠-3N
4♠ is a sign-off in ♠

Birthright and a weak option in 2♦ are not sufficient in my opinion. Is your partner forbidden from bidding 2♠ over 2♣?
I think partner may have wanted to respond 2♠, but if you say this is disallowed without knowing the hand we will stick with the 2♣-2♦; 3♥-4♠ auction. How do you continue from there?

[Cyberyeti]

1♦-1♠-1N-2♣(art ask)-3♣ (17-bad 19 bidding it as a 2344, as Q is about as good as xx if not better in most cases)

[mw64ahw]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-20, 07:53, said:

Birthright and a weak option in 2♦ are not sufficient in my opinion. Is your partner forbidden from bidding 2♠ over 2♣?
I think partner may have wanted to respond 2♠, but if you say this is disallowed without knowing the hand we will stick with the 2♣-2♦; 3♥-4♠ auction. How do you continue from there?

I'd bid 5♠ with the odd keycard and Q♠

[DavidKok]

mw64ahw, on 2026-February-20, 09:38, said:

I'd bid 5♠ with the odd keycard and Q♠

I'm afraid this information is nearly useless to partner, you're on a blind guess now at the top of the 5-level.

[mikeh]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-20, 07:25, said:

For me the voluntary jump to 3♠ after the reverse sets trumps. 2♠ is forcing here, so 2♠-then-3♠ is available for GF hands with long spades that are less sure about setting strain.
I would play this way in any system, but it fits nicely with my 1♦-2♠ weak jump shifts. In my experience it can be awkward to hold a weak single-suited hand opposite a strong partner, likely with shortage in my suit. Getting that hand out of the way immediately has a number of ways of gaining, and it turns what I consider to be a good agreement over reverses regardless into a logical negative inference.
On this start partner will indeed bid 1♦-1♠; 2♥-3♠ but this time trumps are set and we are strongly requested to cuebid.

Not so fast. Partner will respond 2♠, positive with spades, rather than 2♦. How do you continue?
If you do not allow this in your structure, how does partner initiate a slam try in spades over your 3♥? You've made two jump bids already on arguably a leaky 19-count and 3♠ now does not show spades.

Partner will insist on spades. For me that's done by rebidding 3♠ over 1NT (by contrast, 2♦-then-some-number-of-spades is a more flexible hand) - at any rate, partner sets spades as trumps and initiates a slam try opposite this range. How do you achieve this, and how do you continue from there?

After 1C 1H 1N

Partner bids 2H, transfer. I bid 2S.

Now 3H by him shows 6+ spades and slam interest.

He also has available to him a jump to 4H over 1N, transferring to 4S. That would be fir hands n which he wants to insist on 4S or a hand where he can employ keycard or exclusion keycard over my forced 4S. 2H then 3H is a slammish hand that requires some further information (cue bidding) instead of or as a precursor to keycard

[mw64ahw]

DavidKok, on 2026-February-20, 09:48, said:

I'm afraid this information is nearly useless to partner, you're on a blind guess now at the top of the 5-level.

I guess partner must be both blind and deaf then

[Cyberyeti]

mw64ahw, on 2026-February-20, 11:39, said:

I guess partner must be both blind and deaf then

So how does he distinguish AKJxxxx, xxx, void, 10xx where 6 is excellent from AKJxxxx, void, xxx, 10xx where there's no guarantee you can make 5, in fact 4 could be in danger.

[mw64ahw]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-February-20, 11:50, said:

So how does he distinguish AKJxxxx, xxx, void, 10xx where 6 is excellent from AKJxxxx, void, xxx, 10xx where there's no guarantee you can make 5, in fact 4 could be in danger.

4m/♥ starts the slam try in in that suit
4♠ SI self-sustaining without a void
4N suggests ♠/NT, but passable
5m/5♥ self-sustaining ♠ with a void
Bear in mind that what you don't bid, not just what you bid. conveys information