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Matchpoints...

I could of gambled and tried 7...but should I? With the methods played, I couldn't find out about the 5 card club suit due to suit quality.

Partner had...
♠KQ972
♥2
♦QJ
♣K9432


I had...
♠AT865
♥A975
♦A2
♣A7


Partner opens..
1S-2N
3H-4C
4S-4N
5C-5D
6C-?

Jacoby
3H=s/v
1430 RKC+Q ask..pard shows SQ+CK

At this point I just bid 6S without asking about what 6D shows...Is it more standard that this asks for the DK or shows? How can I bid the grand confidently here?

What would 3♠/3N show over 3♥ ? If one is a serious slam try, I'd use it.

I'm not familiar with the Jacoby responses, we show length over 2N, but:

1♠-2N
3♥-3♠/N
4♣-4♦
4♠-4N
5♣-5♦
5N-6♣

Would get you to the grand if partner had Q♣ or K♦. I don't see how N can be sure S doesn't have ♣Axx and S can be sure N has a 5th one in this type of auction, the grand is no play opposite the 5134 version of the N hand.

unless your bidding has some magic secret I cannot see you have zero
clue what N distribution is aside from short in hearts. Not only that
but the 4s bid over 4c either denied a dia control or was showing a
minimum and we are not privy to which (turns out both are correct).

I see nothing in the bidding that points to N having 5 clubs which
would give you a source of tricks to make 7 plausible. be happy with
landing safely in 6.

I have seen many eastern European pairs reversing the order of J2N
responses by bidding a 2nd 5 card suit first and jumping to splinter only
when they do not have a second long suit. That might have helped you on
this hand 1s 2n 3c (5+ clubs) 4n 5c 5d 6c 7s knowing you need at worst 42
clubs to reasonably make 7. I would have followed up p 5c response with 5n
asking p for extra controls and their 6c bid would have been enough for me
to bid 7. I say this because I would not let missing the trump Q(xx) keep me
from playing this hand in 6 after I discover we have all the controls and I
would not let it keep me from bidding 7 if p has the club K. The neat part
about not asking for the trump Q is that on occasion p will realize (when they
have the trump Q) the only reason to not look for the trump k is if you have
at least 5 spades and the existence of the huge trump fit alone (along with
all of the side controls) might be enough for opener to bid 7.

Picture opener with KQxxx x x AKQxxx when you bid 5n over 5c they can immediately bid
7s knowing it is ice cold. If MP they should try a 7c bid to see if p has a fit there
before bidding 7n.

6D asks for the DK.

If opener shows a 5-5 hand (which guarantees a shortness!) instead of showing a stiff, you'll get there.

One nice method is to jump with 55 and short in the high suit. With short in the low suit,, bid 3C as any short after which you bid at the three level in your 55 suit if short in the low suit.

If not using an artificial shortness catchall, the same structure works because you have more space if your shortness is in the low suit.

This leads to 4C with 55 and short hearts, 4D same short but diamonds, 4H majors short diamonds.

With 55 majors short club or spade diamond short club, bid 3C and then bid 4 of your suit next. With spade club short diamond, bid 3D and then 4H artificial. You can't have a no cue but interested hand.

Your queen ask was futile, you don't need ♠Q for anything, 5NT is the right bid. If partner pictures you with all keycards he is pretty close to driving to grand, but that third round of clubs is impossible to determine.

Unless partner has a stiff heart honnor or a club doubleton grand cannot be hopeless, often 50%, but many times above that, imagine ♣KJx(x) and ♦QJ, you can at least test ♣Q doubleton or third before diamond finesse. And obviously the nuts comes when he has ♣KQ.

6♦ over 6♣ cannot ask for ♦K since he has denied that card already. So it will ask for one of ♥K, ♦Q, or ♣Q, I am not sure which one. probably ♦Q, which I'd rather he doesn't hold. So not going to bid it.

At this stage you know

At least 5 cards in spades headed by KQ
A singleton heart
The king of clubs

This is not enough to open the bidding and in fact I would not have opened the North hand with a one bid. (I would downgrade QJ tight)
I open distributional hands quite light, but I usually have first round controls for that.
Any number of cards make seven good: fifth club, ♣Q, ♦K, ♥K etc.
So I would confidently bid 7♠ after 6♣ from partner, though you could have done this already after his 5♣ response.

I pay off to

♠KQJTx(xx) ♥(x) ♦QTx(xx) ♣KT(xx)

where partner holds any 3 low cards of the x in brackets

I think the odds are very much in my favor.

Rainer Herrmann

rhm, on 2014-April-15, 02:49, said:

Except that KQJxx, x, QJx(x), K10x(x) is also close to no play.

Cyberyeti, on 2014-April-15, 04:15, said:

I would prefer not be in 7♠, but I would call a grand depending on little more than the diamond finesse not a contract with no play.

Rainer Herrmann

rhm, on 2014-April-15, 05:17, said:

Sorry, brainstorm, thought I was facing Axx in both reds for a minute.

Although if you can tell partner has no Q♣, K♦ or K♥ unless he has a 5th club it can't be much better than a finesse (♣ KJ10x is a little better, combined with ♦QJ it's a fair bit better).

RunemPard, on 2014-April-14, 15:12, said:

Think about this sequence for a moment and what you want to show here. Do you think showing the singleton ♥K is a good use of the cheapest response? Would you even have shown heart shortage with that holding? My suggestion would be to play 5♥ as showing the ♣K and 5NT showing the ♦K. Over partner's 5♥, 5♠ should probably be forcing but even if that is a step too far we still have 4 asks below the small slam. Really though Rainer is right here - partner has to have some points somewhere and grand is almost certain to have some play, so without any good agreements to find out more just bidding it seems like a good idea.