[luis]

Scoring: IMP

---

Pd opens 1♠ and you bid 1NT (forcing)
Pd bids 2♦ and you bid 2♠
Now pd bids 3♣

What do you bid?

[hrothgar]

Comment 1: From my perspective, 3♣ is a natural, constructive bid. Partner is patterning out and strongly suggesting 5=1=4=3 or potentially 5=0=4=4 shape.

Comment 2: My hand has improved enormously. All my HCPs are working. Game is on: the only question is identifying the right strain. (Hell, Justin is trying for slam)

In theory, we could assign a 4♥ call as indicating GF values with doubt about the right strain. The main problem conveying out trump holding to partner. We could be sitting on xx, xxx, or Hx. In theory, the 4♥ should show one subset, and some indirect sequence (potentially starting with 3♥) would show another.

Unfortunately, all of this requires rather extensive partnership agreement. As a result, I'm gonna punt by bidding 4♦. This should clue partner in to the Club support and focus his attention on Clubs.

For what its worth, I also like Justin's interpretation of the 4♥ bid. I'm just not sure if its more important to prioritize slam exploration over identifing strain in a sequence like this one.

[Walddk]

4♥ is a great bid if only partner is on the same page. If he is not, 5♣ is the alternative although there could easily be play for slam, even grand slam.

Roland

[mike777]

6clubs,
Prefer 4D if that will be taken as kickback for clubs, I think we may have 7clubs on this hand.

More worried about missing 7 then being too high in 6.

FTL=13-2+1=12 tricks
13=total tricks
-2=estimated two combined shortest suits...it may be minus one.
+1=estimated 22-24 whcp, we may have 25 in which case +2.

[joshs]

luis, on Mar 2 2006, 04:02 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

---

Pd opens 1♠ and you bid 1NT (forcing)
Pd bids 2♦ and you bid 2♠
Now pd bids 3♣

What do you bid?

I expect a 17-18 HCP hand typically with 5143 shape. For instance, AQxxx x AKxx Axx. You should be able to make 12 tricks opposite that hand. If Partner has AQxxx x KQJx AJx slam is not so good. Partner might also be 5044 or 5053 shape.

Your choices are:
a. 6C
b. 5C
c. 4H (A "Bluhmer" showing maximum high cards and no wastage opposite partner's singleton)

My vote is c. Partner will bid a slam whenever he has a hearts void, and the most control rich of the 5143's.

[mikeh]

The 4♥ bid is a Bluhmer (I think), named after the now-deceased US expert who proposed this meaning for an 'impossible' bid: I would use it only with a player in whom I had considerable confidence.

I agree entirely with Justin's slam ambitions: picture AQJxx void Axxx Axxx: would your expert partner bid it any other way? So Grand is still very much a live possibility.

I could not ever bid 4♦: surely there is a risk that partner will think that you hold a 2=4=4=3 hand with, say, Kx xxxx Kxxx QJx or the like: a hand that was maximal for the 2♠ preference which has now grown up on the auction IN ♦!

If I could not bid 4♥, I think that it is close between 5♣ and 6♣: I go with the former to cater to the 5=1=4=3 possibility, altho such a hand should possess full values and hence may make slam anyway: AQJxx x AJxx AJx

However, all my 'good' hands feature that magic AQJ of ♠ and that may be asking too much: too much, at least, to force to slam.

[awm]

I'm not convinced that 4♦ here isn't a natural call. It's typical in two-over-one to correct to spades holding two spades and four diamonds and a hand in the 7-9 point range (since 2♦ only guaranteed three to begin with, and a 3♦ raise would show more values). Seems to me that 4♦ should show just such a hand, with well-fitting cards. Perhaps:

Kx
xxxx
QJxx
Kxx

On the other hand, 3♦ would show wastage in hearts and suggest a place to play:

Kx
KJxx
xxxx
xxx

Anyways, I agree with previous posters that 4♥ should show the actual hand. It's basically an "anti-cuebid"; it can't be right to bid a heart game now opposite partner's shortage when your hand wasn't worth introducing hearts at the two-level, so an artificial meaning is mandatory. Another reasonable action might be to start with 3♥, which is probably asking partner to suggest a strain (might get you to 4♠ opposite strong spades and 5♣ opposite weaker spades for example).

[han]

I like 4♥, I recommend that you don't make this bid when playing with me (actually, now that I've read this thread it is probably safe, hurray for the forum!).

What is 4NT? It can't be asking for aces because 4♣ is available.

[pclayton]

luis, on Mar 2 2006, 01:02 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

---

Pd opens 1♠ and you bid 1NT (forcing)
Pd bids 2♦ and you bid 2♠
Now pd bids 3♣

What do you bid?

Why 4♥ when 3♥ should show the max hand with no heart wastage? I've never heard of it being called a Bluhmer, but the theme of bidding an impossible 4th suit in this sequence has popped up in MSC on many occasions.

[awm]

I think 3♥ is a forward-going hand with no clear direction, whereas 4♥ agrees clubs.

[joshs]

awm, on Mar 2 2006, 06:27 PM, said:

I think 3♥ is a forward-going hand with no clear direction, whereas 4♥ agrees clubs.

4H doesn't actually agree clubs, its just a slam try with no wastage and a fit for some minor, and about 9 working HCP (in this auction). Over this, responder can bid 4S (not forcing), bid 5C(p/c), bid 4N(blackwood), or bid 5N (pick a slam). Interestingly blackwood is most frequently chosen when opener has a void and is interested in 7! Its possible that responder has Kx xxx Kxxxx Qxx or Kx xxx KTxx KTxx which are too strong to pass 2D but slightly too weak to bid 3D (playing 2/1) so you tried 2S hoping you will hear a 3'rd bid from partner, and what a 3'rd bid it was...

I actually can't remember for certain what hand 3H is suppossed to show (I am going to e-mail someone to check if I am right). If I remember correctly its suppossed to show something in hearts, extra values, but doubt as to the final strain, perhaps something like Qx Axxx Kxxx xxx which has no idea where they belong.

[joshs]

BTW, I am pretty sure that "Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence" had a hand in it where ther auction went:
1S-1N-2D-2S-3C-4D-5D

So if you are interested in this type of auction, you might want to check out that hand and Mike's discussion (its a great book if you have never read it).

[Echognome]

Or check out Problem 2 on Steve Robinson's solver's forum for a description.

http://www.districts...05/Sol0505.html

[han]

Just wondering, would people really bid 2S with Kx xxx Kxxxx Qxx? And what if 2D promised 4?

[joshs]

Hannie, on Mar 3 2006, 12:24 PM, said:

Just wondering, would people really bid 2S with Kx xxx Kxxxx Qxx? And what if 2D promised 4?

Well its partially a function of you ranges. I don't think you should bid 3D on both:
Kx xxx Kxxxx Qxx
and
Kx xxx Kxxxx KQx
Having a good 8 to bad 12 range for the bid is a bit much.
If your opening bids were sound enough that you could force on all 12's and 2D showed 4, then this hand is probaby worth 3D. Note: Until you know where partner's shortage is the club Q likely isn't worth much...

[benlessard]

could partner be 5242 with 17-18 and no ♥ pts ?


AKTxx
xx
Axxx
AQ

not strong enough for a jump shift.

i dont think ill pass 2s.

so 2nt, 3clubs or 3d seems plausible.


partner surely think there is no slam possible and game in a minor so unlikely that hes probably shopping for 3nt or 3s or 4s.







Ben