[jillybean]

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N/B forum, you have no gadgets over 2nt.

[DavidKok]

6NT. Even experienced players might struggle here, in N/B it's not a good idea to look for something more nuanced.

Actually in N/B 4NT is probably straight Blackwood so we may as well benefit from the slim chance that partner has 18 HCP with only one ace - as long as 5NT is 'to play' after.

[mycroft]

3♦. Partner won't know what it means, but (one hopes) she won't pass it. And (again, one hopes) will show me 3-card spade support. And yeah, probably slam. I am playing the 5-3 if I have it (that doubleton diamond is scary) even if 6NT scores better.

Yes, I just "invented" new minor forcing. Again. Just like all the players who didn't have a bid in this auction did 60 years ago, and then decided to have the call actually *mean* that, rather than "I'm 5=4, but sometimes I lie about the 4".

When the director gets called, I will tell them exactly what I said here. "We don't play NMF, partner doesn't even know what that is. But 3♦ is forcing, so I bid it knowing partner would be confused."

[jillybean]

I'm not looking on how to force this auction and I'm not so confident that I would understand any further response if I bid 3♦.

I like a simple 4nt, blackwood. And let's put checkback on our list of conventions to add when we feel ready.

The hand was played in 3nt, I expect the actual auction went;

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[mw64ahw]

KISS 19+14=33

[pescetom]

 DavidKok, on 2024-November-01, 09:03, said:

6NT. Even experienced players might struggle here, in N/B it's not a good idea to look for something more nuanced.

Actually in N/B 4NT is probably straight Blackwood so we may as well benefit from the slim chance that partner has 18 HCP with only one ace - as long as 5NT is 'to play' after.

Why risk partner being competent, when in N/B 4♣ is surely Gerber
But I would not dream of struggling here even with an Ace ask available, 6NT it is.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2024-November-01, 14:37, said:

I like a simple 4nt, blackwood.

After two years of unsanctioned play and teaching which sent me running in desperation to Richard Pavlicek, I burnt my bridges and set foot in the real bridge club.
To my delight the club president told me to sit down and play with her.
All she said was "no conventions except Stayman, everything natural", what a relief!
First board, I pick up Qx Axx Kxxx KQJx or similar and it goes 1NT (p) 4NT (p) p (p).
"Are you crazy?" she shrieked, "I said everything natural!"

[Cyberyeti]

 mw64ahw, on 2024-November-01, 14:54, said:

KISS 19+14=33

18+14=32 and beginners are told you need 33 so 4N looks right to them, and it's not blackwood, it's quantitative, I was taught that as a beginner.

Unless you're suggesting that 3N=19 which was played in the UK by a few, I was thinking over a 2N rebid.

[Cyberyeti]

Frustratingly, we play a 2♠ bid what would be perfect ... for the south hand (5-5 in the reds being one possibility), I never seem to pick this up in real games.

[jillybean]

 Cyberyeti, on 2024-November-01, 17:00, said:

18+14=32 and beginners are told you need 33 so 4N looks right to them, and it's not blackwood, it's quantitative, I was taught that as a beginner.

England does everything properly. (country of my birth)

Everywhere else, 4nt, 4C is always ace asking/gerber

[thepossum]

4NT is a safe bet - either way - could still be risky I guess - given no suit agreement assumed to be quant

Does 4 clubs not constitute a gadget?

[jillybean]

No, I would be confident, without any discission, that any N/B in North America will play this as Gerber.