[wyman]

2/1, standard gadgetry

IMPs

---

[wank]

north - he's too strong just to give it one go

[gnasher]

With North's hand I'd ask for aces and drive slam. Even opposite something really horrible like Qx QJxx KJx AQxx there's still some play.

[MrAce]

N % 100

1NT-4♥
4♠-4NT (rkcb in ♠)

[BunnyGo]

I don't like to RKC with that small doubleton, but either MrAce's auction, or continuing the actual auction with a 5♥ bid is better than what happened.

North 150%, South 10% for not being psychic.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

 MrAce, on 2012-February-12, 18:13, said:

N % 100

1NT-4♥
4♠-4NT (rkcb in ♠)

There is a 2nd "immediate" way to invite slam after a simple transfer... and that is to use the Meckwell gadget which allows Opener to get in on the decision ... since all Responder knows is that Opener will have at least 2 cards ♠.

1NT - 2H!
2S - 5C! = "showing" 0/3 key cards w/6+ ♠ suit ( as if 4NT-RKC were bid )
??
..Opener, w/ 3 card ♠support and "seeing" all key cards now asks for the ♠Q :
5D! - 5S ( no ♠Q )
6S

5C! is not confused with Exclusion because that would be defined by:
1NT - 4H! ( Texas)
4S - 5C! ( Exclusion )

[Cyberyeti]

 gnasher, on 2012-February-12, 18:04, said:

With North's hand I'd ask for aces and drive slam. Even opposite something really horrible like Qx QJxx KJx AQxx there's still some play.

Can it be pretty much no play if partner has two aces, yes, Qxx, Jxx, AKxx, AJx is horrid, but you have to work hard to find a hand like this. It's much more likely it's making. A lot of the one ace hands can be good too although you may have 2 clubs off the top, I'd prefer to cue this than ask for aces, and would be inclined to bid 5♥ rather than 4N.

How much is shown by the 4♦ splinter ? To me I would like to be moving towards a slam anyway, or moving unless partner fails to show a heart card, otherwise I would take some other action, bidding 4♦ then passing 4♠ while holding a heart card shouldn't exist.

Is S expected to bid something other than 4♠ with a nice hand and no heart card ? If so you can easily be in 5 or 6 spades with ♥xxx in both hands and everything else.

Tough hand, thinking as I do, you either have to invent a horrible 3♥ bid or if you bid 4♦, then follow up with 5♥ over 4♠ and I think I'd do the latter. Now the third spade and AK/A look huge.

[wyman]

Does it matter if the pair is playing LTTC?

[HighLow21]

Silly question time... What does the acronym ATB stand for? Seen it a few times, context tells me it's "Attach The Blame" or some such thing... Couldn't find this in the Useful Abbreviations list. Thx!

[MrAce]

 Cyberyeti, on 2012-February-12, 18:48, said:

How much is shown by the 4♦ splinter ? .

I think the current hand minus 7th ♠ is about the correct apprx slinter. I think 7th ♠ makes teh hand huge. Not only gives confidet about our trumps but also auto eliminates one of the side cards that we would be worried about.

AKJxxx
Axx
x
xxx

for example taking one of the x and making it a ♠x is huge improvement to the hand. You are basically throwing a loser and putting another sure trick in your hand.

[wyman]

assign

[BunnyGo]

 wyman, on 2012-February-12, 18:55, said:

Does it matter if the pair is playing LTTC?

I think we all assumed that everyone does (at least on this auction they do...what else could 4♥ mean?)

[BunnyGo]

 HighLow21, on 2012-February-12, 19:00, said:

Silly question time... What does the acronym ATB stand for? Seen it a few times, context tells me it's "Attach The Blame" or some such thing... Couldn't find this in the Useful Abbreviations list. Thx!

Close, it's Assign The Blame.

[wyman]

 BunnyGo, on 2012-February-12, 19:00, said:

I think we all assumed that everyone does (at least on this auction they do...what else could 4♥ mean?)

well, it could mean that you have a heart control...

[aguahombre]

For those who might object to an immediate Wood with XX in clubs, there is always Fuddy Duddy old Bridge (unavailable to the moderns).

1NT-3S (slammish...long spades, outside card.)
4C-Wood.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

 HighLow21, on 2012-February-12, 19:00, said:

Silly question time... What does the acronym ATB stand for? Seen it a few times, context tells me it's "Attach The Blame" or some such thing... Couldn't find this in the Useful Abbreviations list. Thx!

You are close: Assign The Blame .

On other message boards I have seen: WTB ( Who To Blame .... maybe that should be Whom To Blame ) .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -- --
What does LTTC mean ?

[Statto]

I always assumed ATB meant "attribute the blame" which means pretty much the same thing anyway.

South is entirely blameless here, with a flat minimum and potentially wasted values in ♦.

[aguahombre]

 TWO4BRIDGE, on 2012-February-12, 21:15, said:

What does LTTC mean ?

We could probably make up a silly meaning. But, I believe it is a confusion of LTC and LOTT, two tools not really related to each other.

[Mbodell]

 TWO4BRIDGE, on 2012-February-12, 21:15, said:

You are close: Assign The Blame .

On other message boards I have seen: WTB ( Who To Blame .... maybe that should be Whom To Blame ) .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -- --
What does LTTC mean ?

LTTC is short for Last Train To Clarksville where the last cue before game becomes a general asking bid instead of a cue in the bid suit. The exact meaning of the ask is complicated to try and explain, depends on context, but usually not that complicated to work out at the table. Basically it means I'm still interested in slam but I haven't heard enough to go past game, can you help me?

(and has nothing to do with LTC [Losing Trick Count] or LOTT [Law Of Total Tricks]).

[rogerclee]

I think north undervalued his hand and south bid normally. Sometimes slams where you have an unknown 10 card fit missing the queen of trumps are hard to bid.