[mw64ahw]

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North is Dealer

East will Pass/West may X or bid ♠

[Cyberyeti]

P-P-1♣-1♠
X-P-2N(GF unbal, auctions now run equivalent to 1C-P-1♥-P-2N)-P (assume unopposed from here)
3♣(art semi forced)-4♣ (5+♣, 4+♥ =1♠ GF)
4♦(cue)


Now blackwood and S can bid the small or grand depending on whether he feels the trumps are going to break.

[helene_t]

With the agreement that
1♣-1♠
4♣
shows solid clubs and heart support, North can count 13 tricks after RKCB.

I think this still works after W doubles, but after W bids 1♠ it probably doesn't work. After
1♣-(1♠)-x-(pass)
South can maybe bid 3♠ as a splinter agreeing hearts, otherwise just 2♠ which may show long clubs but not necessarily solid and not necessarily hearts support. Or just an agricultural 4♥ bid. Either way, North can't count 13 tricks but should still make a slam try when South forces to game.

[mikeh]

This is a good hand for light opening bids

In both my current partnerships we open virtually all balanced 11 counts.

If vulnerable, we’d open 1C as North and see south bid 1D, showing hearts

Over 1S or x by west, North bids 2H, promising 4 card support

South will cue 2S if west bid 1S and otherwise make some other forcing noise, essentially aiming at persuading North to admit to a diamond control.

Say

1C. P. 1D. 1S
2H. P. 2S. P
3H. P. 4C. P
4D. P. 4S. 4S is Keycard

North shows 2 keys and the heart Queen.

Grand isn’t great if west shows a takeout double sort of hand…it’s better if he were merely to overcall, since the double is often based on shot hearts while 1S is independent of heart length.

I’d be happy to reach 6H here after a double and can’t say, with confidence, where we’d get to after a spade bid…slam is fairly easy but grand requires optimism.

Nv n one partnership we bid as above, in the other we open 1N, 11-13

How the auction goes thereafter depends since west may be unable/unwilling to stick his neck out after 1N. P. 2D artificial game force


Uncontested:

1N. 2D
2S. 3H

2S shows 4+ hearts and denies spades. 3H sets trump and is a slam try (with no interest, south bids 4H instead)

While North is minimum he has great hearts, a side ace and a ruffing value so has an easy 4D cuebid

South now uses keycard (4S with hearts trump) and drives to grand.

If you play a more standard approach, North passes and south opens. I think bidding slam is far more difficult now, since south needs North to hold magic cards (given that he’s a passed hand)

[HardVector]

This would be fairly easy using GUS (a strong club relay system).
p-p-1c-(1s)-X = 8+, GF, balanced
2c (relay) - 2n (3+ controls, 4 hearts, denies 4 spades)
3s (asking, hearts) - 4s (2 keys + Q)
Partner being a passed hand can't have anything more significant than AAQ, therefore;
7h...and not 7n.

[pescetom]

helene_t, on 2022-February-02, 07:29, said:

shows solid clubs and heart support, North can count 13 tricks after RKCB.

At first sight it looks to me as if a grand is only likely in hearts and even then an act of faith in the trumps split, albeit reasonable.
Neither player can count on ♥J and the odds of it being 4th or 5th are probably greater than the a priori 27%, given the known spades in West.

[johnu]

Quote

Your system approach could make a difference?

Basically, I never get to a bad contract when I can see all 4 hands. So it doesn't make a difference what system I am playing.

[TylerE]

In my system:

1D (2+, 10-15) - 1H (1S)
2H - and now S should have no problems

[Douglas43]

helene_t, on 2022-February-02, 07:29, said:

With the agreement that
1♣-1♠
4♣
shows solid clubs and heart support, North can count 13 tricks after RKCB.

I think this still works after W doubles, but after W bids 1♠ it probably doesn't work. After
1♣-(1♠)-x-(pass)
South can maybe bid 3♠ as a splinter agreeing hearts, otherwise just 2♠ which may show long clubs but not necessarily solid and not necessarily hearts support. Or just an agricultural 4♥ bid. Either way, North can't count 13 tricks but should still make a slam try when South forces to game.

Thank you, a logical use for the 4♣ bid

[Cyberyeti]

Douglas43, on 2022-February-03, 01:10, said:

Thank you, a logical use for the 4♣ bid

We actually because we have 2 ways to bid it due to the artificial 2N rebid use 1♣-1M-4♣ as similar but "I only care about first round controls in the other suits" so you don't cue kings and singletons.

[mw64ahw]

In retrospect counting the tricks should have led me to bid 6NT with all the Keycards and the running ♣ suit
Using DD analysis 6♣ comes out on top, although only makeable from the South side, followed by 6NT. On this occasion ♥s only makes 4 given the trump split

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[pescetom]

mw64ahw, on 2022-February-03, 14:39, said:

In retrospect counting the tricks should have led me to bid 6NT with all the Keycards and the running ♣ suit

I suspect you are being swayed by the johnu effect (seeing actual distribution)
If J♥ will fall (quite likely, but is this MP?) then 7♥ looks likely on a squeeze, if not then 6NT looks fraught with risk anyway.
Or so I would judge at the table, at any rate.

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2022-February-03, 15:57, said:

I suspect you are being swayed by the johnu effect (seeing actual distribution)
If J♥ will fall (quite likely, but is this MP?) then 7♥ looks likely on a squeeze, if not then 6NT looks fraught with risk anyway.
Or so I would judge at the table, at any rate.

6N is the right spot at MPs if trumps are not 3-2, a squeeze is quite unlikely as if W has ♦ KQJ he will remove your late entry to table at trick 1, if he doesn't have KQJ there is no squeeze.

If trumps are 3-2 you will make 7♥/6+1 so it's a simple question of "are you feeling lucky".

[helene_t]

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7NT makes as it happens, unless a diamond lead takes away the entry to dummy. W gets squeezed on the last club.

[Cyberyeti]

helene_t, on 2022-February-04, 07:45, said:

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7NT makes as it happens, unless a diamond lead takes away the entry to dummy. W gets squeezed on the last club.

And if W was on lead, if the squeeze was on (ie he had KQJ) he led a diamond virtually 100% of the time