[glen]

Here are two opening hands, and two responding hands. Pick any system, assume you are vulnerable, and give the four auctions with each opening hand paired up with each of the responding hands (combinations A1, A2, B1, B2).

Opening A
♠ A32
♥ A432
♦ A32
♣ A32

Opening B
♠ QJT
♥ QJT2
♦ QJ2
♣ AQJ

Responder 1
♠ K87654
♥ K76
♦ 765
♣ 7

Responder 2
♠ K76
♥ K76
♦ K76
♣ 8765

Thanks in advance!

[nigel_k]

I'm opening 1NT on both A and B, inviting in spades on 1 and inviting in NT on 2. The final contracts will be:

A1: 4♠
B1: 3♠
A2: 2NT
B2: 2NT

[hrothgar]

Playing MOSCITO, I'd open a strong club with both hands A+B.

With responder hand 1, I'd expect the auction to start

1♣ - 2♠ (2♠ = 6+ spades, semi-positive

I'd expect hand A to force to 4♠
I might very well force to 3NT with hand B.

With the second hand, the auction would start

1♣ - 1♦ (1♦ = artificial game force)

Hand A would rebid 1♥ asking for responder's shape
Hand B would bid 1NT as a reverse relay, showing a minimum strength balanced hand.

In both cases, we'd end up in 3NT

[mike777]

1nt(14-16) with both.

invite with spades on one
invite 2nt with two.

a1=4s
a2=3nt
b1=3s
b2=2nt

[Zelandakh]

A1
1C - 1D
1N - 2H
2S - 3S
4S

A2
1C - 1D
1N - 2S
3C - 3N

B1
1C - 1D
1N - 2H
2S - 3S

B2
1C - 1D
1N - 2S
2N

1C is 15+ nat/bal or 18+ any
1D is 0-8 any1N is 15-17 bal
2H is spade transfer
2S over 1NT is a range ask that can be a club transfer
3C shows any max

R2 has been downgraded to only 8 but this is a very close decision. If treating it as a full 9 the end contracts would be 3NT in both cases.

I recognise that many of these final contracts are not optimal.

[mikeh]

With 1-1, 1N 2♥ 3♠ 3♠ 4♠. Could justify 3N at the last turn with opener at mps but even tho 9 tricks may be easier than 10, with the N hand, if both fail, 3N rates to fail by a lot more.

With 1-2, frankly I would bid 1N 3N. I don't like inviting and I mildly upgrade Kings, so this is a 3N bid for me, right or wrong. If I did downgrade for the shape and spots, and I might white at imps or anytime mps, I would bid 1N 2♠ (either clubs or an invite in notrump with no major) 3♣ max, 3N.

I can't understand anyone who refuses to accept a quantitative invite in notrump with 4 Aces. I see the shape, I see the spots, but 4 Aces??????

2-1 the same auction to 3♠, where I pass as opener.

2-2, again I confess that I would usually be in 3N. However, if I evaluated the responder as an invite....and I think the decision is both close and unclear.....I would respond to the 2♠ call via 2N and play there. While I like 10's more than most do, I don't have much good to say about counting Qs and Js at 2 and 1 respectively, so I would downgrade opening number 2.

Now I will look to see how my contracts rate to fare

Edit: well, I can't be accused of resulting!

[kenrexford]

1NT twice.

3NT opposite three Kings, praying for luck once.

With the King-sixth, two possibilities.

If transfer, a 2NT "3-card power super-accept" gets us to 3NT or 4♠, depending on judgment and guessing and the like, when Opener has the four Aces hand. 2♠ should get passed otherwise.

Alternative is Stayman...2♠ as an unbalanced spade invite:

A: 1NT-2♣, 2♥-2♠, 4♠
B: 1NT-2♣, 2♥-2♠, P

[JLOGIC]

I wonder if a simulation would show passing 1N with hand 2 to be correct in MP or imps white or whatever. Anyways, obv I'd invite and get to 3N, but to me hand 2 is clearly better than hand 1 opposite a 1N-2N invite and it's not very close. I'd love to hold hand 2. With hand 1 I'd just be hoping partner had a 5 card suit, in which case my hand would be worth something, it's not shocking for aces and spaces to be pretty useless in a power 3N with no 5 card suits.

[JLOGIC]

Bidding 1N 3N is a crazy suggestion imo with Kxx Kxx Kxx xxxx and just really bad hand evaluation, no offense to anyone. I like bidding game as much as the next guy, but come on, I bet even Meckstroth would not do that.

[JLOGIC]

Hand B is kind of funny because when it goes 1N-2N we know partner has 3 kings or 2 aces based on our hand. We should be able to bid almost perfectly. I guess if you never invite with 3 kings and no 5 card suit, you can place your partner with exactly 2 aces, or maybe KT9xx and an A if you would invite with that?

So I was probably wrong about this being an awesome hand to accept with, but in general hands with lots of QJTx are better than hand 1 imo, I guess this one just has too many!

We should just do a simulation and see how often we make game since we can narrow partners invites down so much.

[awm]

Sam and I would open 1NT (good 13 to average 16) on both A,B. We'd transfer and pass on 1 and just pass on 2. So I'd expect to play 2♠ and 1NT. This seems pretty good... game seems odds-against in all cases although 4♠ is close to the IMP odds at vulnerable on A1.

Of course, I think we are rather lucky in our notrump range on these particular hands! Playing 15-17 notrump I'd invite with hand 2 and play 2NT.

[Dutchdwang]

with my partner:
A1:
1NT-2♣
2♦-2♠
4♠

B1:
1NT-2♣
2♦-2♠
pass

A2:
1NT-2NT
pass

B2:
1NT-2NT
3NT(pass) is a close decision, think i would raise to 3N

[pooltuna]

A1] 1NT-2♥; 2♠-3♠; P

A2] 1NT-2♣;2♥-2NT*; P *does not promise a 4 card major

B1] 1NT-2♥; 2♠-3♠; P

B2] 1NT-2♣;2♥-2NT*; P *does not promise a 4 card major

[whereagles]

I don't get dodgy here. Just the percentage bids:

A12: 1NT-4S
B12: 1NT-3NT

[phil_20686]

JLOGIC, on 2011-November-22, 19:57, said:

Hand B is kind of funny because when it goes 1N-2N we know partner has 3 kings or 2 aces based on our hand. We should be able to bid almost perfectly. I guess if you never invite with 3 kings and no 5 card suit, you can place your partner with exactly 2 aces, or maybe KT9xx and an A if you would invite with that?

So I was probably wrong about this being an awesome hand to accept with, but in general hands with lots of QJTx are better than hand 1 imo, I guess this one just has too many!

We should just do a simulation and see how often we make game since we can narrow partners invites down so much.

I'm not sure this is true. Hands like A play incredibly well opposite any hand with a long suit. Opposite almost any invite with HHxxx, or even KT9xx or something, you would like to be in game. KJTxx Kxx Qxx xx or something would be fine. (this is actually a game bid for me I think, but there we go.

Hands like B play very well opposite hands with distributed strength, but less well opposite hands with a long suit, as the defence has a good chance of being able to control your entries.