[Hanoi5]

All red, LHO deals and passes, your partner opens 1♠, RHO passes and you hold:

♠AQJx
♥Axx
♦Axx
♣Qxx

You can 2NT (13+ with 4-card support), 4♣ 3-card support ultra balanced 16-17 or some other you fancy, what will it be?

There'll be a continuation after some answers.

[pooltuna]

Hanoi5, on Jul 5 2010, 06:42 PM, said:

All red, LHO deals and passes, your partner opens 1♠, RHO passes and you hold:

♠AQJx
♥Axx
♦Axx
♣Qxx

You can 2NT (13+ with 4-card support), 4♣ 3-card support ultra balanced 16-17 or some other you fancy, what will it be?

There'll be a continuation after some answers.

the 9th trump is big; so don't lie with 4♣ call 2NT

[dake50]

Agree pooltuna. With 3xA, partner is devaluing his CA/aceless, quacks hand.
I want what he has, not his opinion 'quacks' 'poor controls'.

[gwnn]

2NT of course; I would like partner to describe her hand; I think that will lead to a smoother more pleasant auction in this case.

[655321]

Yes, wrong forum too.

[neilkaz]

655321, on Jul 5 2010, 08:19 PM, said:

Yes, wrong forum too.

Yeah..I have great 4 card support so 2NT it is.

[Free]

655321, on Jul 6 2010, 02:19 AM, said:

Yes, wrong forum too.

Miaaw!

Obvious 2NT: it's what we have and we stay lower.

[OleBerg]

I once constructed this convention:

Stalin III swiss:

1♠ - 3NT = 15-17 balanced and four card support (normally a 4-3-3-3 hand).

I played it for two years, and didn't see a hand that fit, so I tossed it out. Even if I still played it, I would be reluctant to use it on this hand, as there are to few intermidiates in the non-spade suits.

(For those still reading, the convention was intended to be able to give us unobstructed slamexploration with one hand already well-described, and to limit the number of annoying lead-directing bids from fourth hand.)

[Fluffy]

If you bid 4♣ partner will autobid 4♠ with his poor trumps, you might just as well bid 4♠ and then maybe someone bids 5 something.

[MFA]

Fluffy, on Jul 6 2010, 01:01 PM, said:

If you bid 4♣ partner will autobid 4♠ with his poor trumps, you might just as well bid 4♠ and then maybe someone bids 5 something.

I agree.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

2NT, keeps the bidding lower, but I dont mind 4C, if it showes
16-17 bal. with 3 card support.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[aguahombre]

dake50, on Jul 5 2010, 06:33 PM, said:

I want what he has, not his opinion 'quacks' 'poor controls'.

Unfortunately, this wish might not come true unless opener is a puppet (at least momentarily) in your J2N agreements. If he rebids a non-descript 3C, as a lot of pairs will, this auction will get sticky. Maybe someone can share what their follow-ups are after the somewhat random 3C, as they relate to this type of hand.

The old non-J2N people would have bridge-logic tools (hidden) available, but probably would still have a problem convincing opener that the trump suit was this solid --and this hand is not really an advertisement for switching to that style.

Spoiler

1M-2N
? -4N= quant

1M-2N
? -4S =18 or so bal with 4 trump

[Hanoi5]

How do you propose to reach 7 with:

♠KTxxxx
♥KQ
♦xx
♣AKx

[Fluffy]

exagerating a bit

1♠-2NT
3♠-4♦
4♥-4NT
5♥-5NT
6♥vor 7 ♠

3♠= 6 or more spades, extras no shortness

5NT is extra trick inquiry, 6♥ shows 2 extra tricks: ♣K and ♥Q, could just as well be ♦K and ♣K. Also 7th spade and a king I guess, but then, where are the extras?

[ONEferBRID]

Hanoi5, on Jul 6 2010, 12:47 PM, said:

How do you propose to reach 7 with:

♠KTxxxx
♥KQ
♦xx
♣AKx

I can't count to a sure 13 tricks in the bidding, no matter who takes control.

Let's say it starts:
1S - Jac2NT!
3NT! ( no shortness; better hand than 4S reply but not as strong as 3S reply )

Now after a cuebid or two,
a) If Responder takes control with 4NT ( RKC ), he can find the missing key cards
and specifically the ♣K and the ♥K Q but no ♦K . He'll be at the 7 level but only can count 12 sure ones not knowing about Opener's 6th Sp.

b ) ( see Edit below) If Opener takes control with 4NT, he'll find the missing key cards and the ♠Q but no outside K's (6S reply ) and thus, he'll be too high for a ♣Q-ask.

Edit.....b ) Actually, if Opener takes control with 4NT, there is no need for the trump-Q ask since he knows of the 10 card fit with the A K:

1S - 2NT!
3NT! - 4D ( Diam cue, no Cl Ctrl )
4NT - 5C ( 0 or 3 )
6C! ( 3rd Rnd Ctrl ask; by-passing the 5NT K-ask) - 6NT ( Cl Q; NT shows feature in asking-suit )
7S
Now can count to 13: 6s, 3h( unless Responder has less than 3 Hts) , 1d, 3c

[Hanoi5]

After:

1♠-2NT
3♠-4♦
4NT-5♦
5♥-5NT
6♠ (That was my partner)

6♣ should ask for a third round control of the club suit (since 5NT denied extra kings), and then 7♠ is bid.

6♠-7♠ (Why is partner asking for the queen and then stopping when I give it? Since he bid 3♠ he doesn't have a minimum hand therefore the grand is bid)

After:

1♠-4♣
4NT!-5♦
7♠!