[kenberg]

As suggested in the title, you don't encounter this problem every day. It's matchpoints, everyone is vulnerable.

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How to advance???? What do you need to know, how can you find out?


A common result, including at the table I was watching, was +720 for 4♥ making 7. This was worth slightly more than 50% by beating those in the alternative contract of 4♠, making 6. The only ones reaching 6♥ were those where West began with a pass.

Here are the hands:

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Partner does not need that ♠K for his overcall, right? We can all bash to 6♥ but is there a way to get there with some confidence that it makes?

Incidentally, suppose that the ♦K is led. It seems that if you bring in hearts, as in this case you do, you make 7. If you do not bring in the hearts, you usually make only 5. It's not quite true that if South could see North's hand he would say that 6♥ is a slam dunk, and he may well conclude that he might as well bid 7 if he is up for bidding 6.

[Winstonm]

Looks to me that with the diamond king led that a failure to bring in hearts results in making 5.

As to getting to slam, isn't it all about agreements? I would have to start with 2C, the only 100% forcing call I have. Partner would need to show some life after that bid, to distinguish between a minimum overcall and a decent-to-good one. I think 2N is the right bid after 2C.

That said, I'm not sure we now get beyond 4H.

[mikeh]

It isn't possible to map out a route to slam without knowing what methods were available.

Assuming a generic sort of approach, one can start with a cuebid of 2♣ which would fetch a discouraging 2N: discouraging in that it suggests wasted values in clubs, and lessens the chances of that vital spade K.

Knowing the hands distorts one's ability to be objective. However, with that caveat noted, I do think this is a good hand for a fit jump, which is commonly played as creating a 1 round force, showing invitational or better values.

Now, over the fit jump N has a clear acceptance and to me can bid either 4♥ or 3♠. I would treat 3♠ as forcing, since with all non-game acceptances N can and imo should retreat to 3♥, a known 9 card fit.

I think S has an interesting issue over 3♠. Exclusion two suit keycard is a rare animal but is now present if one wants to investigate grand: picture Kxx AKQxx xx xxx as one example.

Otoh, if we are off a major suit keycard (holding the club A instead), small may be in jeopardy if we get a diamond lead. We can't stop LHO if he has a sequence, but RHO won't have a sequence...he will almost certainly have a natural club lead unless we tell him about our void.

Therefore, I think it reasonable to use regular keycard and give up on the unlikely grand in exchange for inducing a club lead.

I would bid small opposite a 3 key response or 2 with the Q, and pass the 5♥ call showing 2 without the Q.

I can't be sure that I'd do this at the table. And of course it requires playing fit-jumps.

I don't like the idea of making purely spade-showing calls at round 1, since it will be difficult to get hearts back into the picture in a forcing ongoing way thereafter and we need to be able to enquire about hearts at some point.

[kenberg]

Indeed, this certainly is a hand that makes fit showing jump shifts look good! I hae neer played that opposite an oercall, but here it gets us iff to a fine start. I hae spades and I fit hearts, I can show it at the 2 level. Even though I don't play this approach, it seems obvious that the correct bid over a fit showing 2♠ is a double fit confirming 3♠, surely forcing.

Now, at matchpoints, it is essential to not play 4♠ making 6. This gets you about zip.

There is still some guesswork, I think. Or something where, as mike notes, you have to have some advanced agreements. It seems to me that over 3♠ a call of 4♦ might work well. North now looks at his decent heart suit and his King of spades and figures that if partner is making a slam try he can't be hoping for more than this. He bids 5♥, saying that we seem to have the tricks but there is this club issue to worry about. Now South raises to 6.
Maybe it works this way.


And maybe not.

[mike777]

I would be forced to start with 2c since I don't play fit jumps.

North will rebid 3nt or 3h and now perhaps south can bid 5c exclusion.

If north rebids 2nt or 2h I will miss the slam.

[Cyberyeti]

Two approaches appeal, I can start with 2♠ fit or I can start with 4♣ which in our system is optional exclusion (partner responds 4♥ if broke in the knowledge that his partner is void in clubs, otherwise gives an exclusion response).

If I'm prepared to blast the slam opposite ♥AKxxx/AKJxx and K♦ or K♠, I'll exclusion, but I'm not sure I am, so I'll probably start with 2♠.

(1♣)-1♥-2♠
3♣(good hand, singleton A/K/Q or any doubleton spade or more)-3♦
3♥-3♠
3N(high card spade cue)-

and now S is on a guess, he can see the problem, which is that if the hearts don't run, there is an issue on a diamond lead. If he's prepared to hope that partner has less than 3 spades, and enough diamonds can be discarded on the spades before the opp with the master trump ruffs in and cashes one, he continues 5♣ exclusion, if not, it will go 4♣-4♥-5♣-5♥ end.

I'm half inclined to start with a 1N overcall over 1♣, not sure if that makes things easier or not.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Where are the splinter bidders ?

( 1C ) - 1H - ( p ) - 4C!

[mikeh]

TWO4BRIDGE, on 2014-May-02, 11:14, said:

Where are the splinter bidders ?

( 1C ) - 1H - ( p ) - 4C!

In 4♥

[whereagles]

I would be more worried of opps saving in 6♣ than anything else.

I would start with 4♥, intending to take the push to 5 and hope it's enough to convince opps they "lured" me to the 5 level.

[SteveMoe]

2S Fit Jump

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The splinter auction leaves Advancer in the dark about the ♠ fit.