[HeavyDluxe]

Your call and why?

Scoring: IMP

1♥ - 2♦
5♦ - ???

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[jillybean]

pass

[hrothgar]

Partner has made a rather unilateral action.

I'm going to respect his decision and pass. Luckily, this is IMPs so 5♦ won't be significantly worse than 4♥.

I am tempted to bid 5♠

[TimG]

I don't think the issue is whether we belong in diamonds or hearts, but rather whether we belong in slam.

Give partner x AKxxx KJxxx xx and slam looks good, xx AKxxx KJxxx x and not so good.

I don't think there is any way to find out now, so I pass. I prefer to go plus in game than guess on slam, especially when the field (or other team) could easily miss a slam, too.

[brianshark]

Agree with pass. You probably have a bigger ♦ fit than you do ♥ fit, so since you're playing on the 5 level regardless, you might as well play in your biggest fit.

I have a sneaky suspicion pard has 5♥s and 6♦s and might have opened light because of his shape.

If pard has ♠- ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣Qx then you're +1.

If pard has ♠Qx ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣- then your -1 if they cash their spades right away.

5♦ looks like a reasonable punt at the final contract.

[matmat]

brianshark, on Jan 2 2009, 10:20 AM, said:

Agree with pass. You probably have a bigger ♦ fit than you do ♥ fit, so since you're playing on the 5 level regardless, you might as well play in your biggest fit.

I have a sneaky suspicion pard has 5♥s and 6♦s and might have opened light because of his shape.

If pard has ♠- ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣Qx then you're +1.

If pard has ♠Qx ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣- then your -1 if they cash their spades right away.

5♦ looks like a reasonable punt at the final contract.

wouldn't a black suit splinter be a better choice with either hand?

I'd guess p probably misbid somehow, either has undisclosed shortness or made an insane bid with something like

Kx AKxxx KQxx xx

[kfay]

matmat, on Jan 2 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

brianshark, on Jan 2 2009, 10:20 AM, said:

Agree with pass. You probably have a bigger ♦ fit than you do ♥ fit, so since you're playing on the 5 level regardless, you might as well play in your biggest fit.

I have a sneaky suspicion pard has 5♥s and 6♦s and might have opened light because of his shape.

If pard has ♠- ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣Qx then you're +1.

If pard has ♠Qx ♥KJxxx ♦KQxxxx ♣- then your -1 if they cash their spades right away.

5♦ looks like a reasonable punt at the final contract.

wouldn't a black suit splinter be a better choice with either hand?

I'd guess p probably misbid somehow, either has undisclosed shortness or made an insane bid with something like

Kx AKxxx KQxx xx

Yeah totally accurate analysis.

I spite 6♦

[brianshark]

I'm only theorizing that the reason pard didn't make a black suit splinter and yet jumped to 5 was because he has the shape but is embarrased by his high card strength.

[vuroth]

I pass. I refuse to make the last mistake on this hand.

[1eyedjack]

Between passing and raising, neither option that you choose on this hand will be your mistake, whether it is the "last" mistake on the hand or not. Passing when it makes plus one or 2 is just as bad as bidding and going down. In either case the fault lies with the 5D bid. There may be a hand on which 5D is the "right" bid but that can only be by prior agreement, which is presumably absent in this case or the problem would not be posted.

My guess is that 6D is making more often than not, and that if it is failing it probably needs a particular lead to beat it (not that unlikely, though. Quite like Hrothgar's 5S suggestion).

[TimG]

brianshark, on Jan 2 2009, 11:41 AM, said:

I'm only theorizing that the reason pard didn't make a black suit splinter and yet jumped to 5 was because he has the shape but is embarrased by his high card strength.

I would sooner guess that splinters were not available, this being the beginner/intermediate forum.

[neilkaz]

My call here will most likely be to my neighbor as they have a dog and we don't. Then I can leave to walk the dog, once I finish this hand after I see what PD puts down for a dummy.

This means that there's basically no hand that I could hold playing SAYC or 2/1 where I'd jump to 5♦ as opener unless playing in a serious partnership where we'd discussed it deeply.

First of all, if playing 2/1, I don't really have any extras and my pass is easy. Also in most 2/1 partnerships opener can splinter with a stiff/void and some slam interest. But in SAYC isn't a raise to 3♦ forcing by opener (it certainly would be for me)? What about in ACOL (am not familiar enough with ACOL 2/1 followups)

Anyhow, why didn't opener just raise to 3♦ ?

Perhaps opener has a low HCP 5-5 red opening, or 5-6 red opening with 9 HCP and no slam interest. Opener with big concentration in the reds could also jump to 4♦ and show that, IMHO, unless playing minorwood.

Yuck ! at the 5♦ bid..I'll trust opener and pass since theres so many other ways he could keep the auction open if slam is likely and I fear two ♠ losers, or that we cannot take 12 tricks anyhow here.

[kenberg]

This auction makes no sense to me. Now suppose someone put a gun to my head and required me to guess its meaning.


My guess:

1. No black suit losers. So a club void and at least the ace of spades, probably the king as well.
2. The AK of hearts.
3. Long but not particularly good diamonds. Maybe QJTx(x)


His thinking is: If you have a 2D bid then 5D should make, and you can bid 6 with the A or K of diamonds.


The above is analogous to the standard meaning (if such exists) for an opening bid of 5 hearts or spades: No losers outside of trump, but missing the AK. Partner is expected to raise to 6 with the A or K and to 7 with both.

I seriously doubt that this is what was intended but if forced to guess, that's my guess.



As to what I do, I guess I bid 6. I have no idea what he is really doing but I am bidding 6. It's absurd to expect anyone to field this bid. He wants me to take a potshot at where this belongs? Fine. 6D.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

Lack of options, if slam makes, it was p fault,
he could have bid 4D, which he should have
independ of his hand, because I am unlimited,
but he did not and closed the door with reards
to 6.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[cloa513]

Pass

I'd say partner has at least 5 trashy hearts. e.g. ♠AK ♥xxxxx ♦KQJ xx ♣ x.

He expects you to continue with shortage in hearts (some what wanted or expected) knowing you wouldn't be able to cue bid hearts.

[Codo]

I think most think too hard about the 5 Diamond bid.

I guess partner has a fit , enough high card points and is missing one or two controls in the black suits. As this is the B/I forum, he had no clue how to find out about them and simply blast to game.

Now, I pass, it is good to write plus in an B/I field.

[Benoit35]

Something similar happened to me once... LHO opened, partner doubled, I responded whatever I could with 6 hcp, and partner leapt to 5♦.

I didn't have much of a reason to raise to slam, so I half made one up: I had 6 hcp more than I promised (which was zero), which was bound to produce an extra trick. I bid 6♦ more to let the experience teach her not to do that again than for than for my confidence in my rationale.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending how you look at it, the slam was cold.

Same reasoning here... we have 3 hcp and one trump card above what we promised. That should pull an extra trick - a crude reasoning, but the height of subtlety compared to what's going on across the table. 6♦, and let it be a lesson to partner if it fails.

If this isn't the first time he pulled that stunt on me, I go straight to 7♦.

[gwnn]

I don't like this one bit. Partner doesn't have lots of quick losers because he's bidding for 11 tricks opposite what could be a bad weak NT with ♦QJxx, but he doesn't have lots of points because he's jumping in a forcing auction. The obvious answer is pass and I will not over-think it, but I'm quite afraid that because of my two aces and one extra diamond we have just missed slam.