GRAND SLAM BIDDING - MARTON PICNIC PAIRS

At the Marton Picnic Pairs 8B tournament last weekend there were 3 opportunities to bid Grand Slams: 2 7NT and 1 7Spade-small maximum contract opportunities. Of the 48 opportunities available to be taken by individual pairs to bid the Grand Slams only 7 times were they taken. Of these 7 opportunities only twice were the highest possible grand possible bid - with one of these declarer’s going light.

While a mixed calibre field with only limited restricted systems allowed only a 4% optimum Grand Slam bidding success record is not great testimony to the collective slam bidding skills of the field.

For example, for the following hand only 1 pair of 16 bid 7Heart-small and none bid either 7Club-small or 7NT.

Board 6 Dealer E EW vulnerable:

                           Spade-small -

                           Heart-small AK95

                           Diamond-small AT3

                           Club-small KT7653

Spade-small KQ964                                  Spade-small J853

Heart-small 7                                           Heart-small T6

Diamond-small 9765                                     Diamond-small KQJ842

Club-small 982                                       Club-small J

                         Spade-small AT72

                         Heart-small QJ8432

                         Diamond-small -

                         Club-small AQ4

 

Assuming neither East nor West bid through the auction so how can this hand be bid to reach 7NT?

    a) Playing Acol?

    b) Playing Precision?

    

 

Started by SEAN LYNCH on 22 Mar 2019 at 11:40PM

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  1. SEAN LYNCH23 Mar 2019 at 01:24PM

    For Acol, if playing a basic system, the bidding could go something like the following:

    N.      E.        S.       W

              -          1Heart-small     -

    2Club-small    -          2Heart-small     -

    4N     -          5Spade-small     -

    5N     -          6Club-small     -

    6Heart-small   -           -         -

     

    where:

    4N     -    Roman Key Card

    5Spade-small   -     2 Keycard and QHeart-small

    5N    -     King ask

    6Club-small  -     No non key card K

     

    After the 2Heart-small rebid the leap to 4NT is a leap of faith hoping South has some support of the Club-small suit. North hits the Jackpot but with very little knowledge of South’s distribution can’t push on to the Grand Slam.

    For Acol, if playing a Jacoby 2NT, the bidding would go something like this:

    N        E          S         W

               -          1Heart-small       -

    2N      -          4Diamond-small       -

    4N      -          5Spade-small       -

    5N      -          6Club-small       -

    7Heart-small

     

    where:

    2N    - Jacoby 2NT (version where 3 level response show 5 card suit, 4 level show singleton/void)

    4Diamond-small   - 5+Heart-small 0 - 1 denies a 5 card side suit

    4N    - Roman Keycard

    5Spade-small  - 2 key card and QHeart-small

    5N   - K ask

    6Club-small  - No non key card K

     

    Now North after using the intermediate Jacoby 2NT has gain extra distribution information and knows there  is no possible Diamond-small loser and can count 13 tricks by either clubs breaking  if South has 3 or 4Club-small or South being able to ruff Club-small with the extra Heart-small length they must otherwise have to set up remainder of suit. However, without knowledge of the QClub-small it is difficult to chance bidding 7NT.

    For basic Precision, the similar bidding would occur except by playing 5+ card major openings in the first bidding sequence North would know South had 6+Heart-small which would give more confidence to bid 4NT directly.

    For Precision playing a Jacoby 2NT and 5+ card majors, some pairs reverse the level of bidding so 3 level bid would show a void or singleton and 4 level a 5 card side suit.

     

     

     

  2. SEAN LYNCH24 Mar 2019 at 01:56AM

    Playing our loser based system, Imperspicuity,  these hands are also challenging. Our bidding should be the following if there is no opposition bidding:

    N.      E.      S.        W

              -        1Club-small      -

    1Diamond-small    -        1Heart-small      -

    1Spade-small    -         2Heart-small     -

    2Spade-small    -         3Heart-small     -

    3Spade-small    -         4Spade-small     -

    4N.     -         5Heart-small    -

    5Spade-small    -         6Club-small    -

    6Diamond-small    -         7Diamond-small    -

    7N.    -          -        -

     

    Where:

    1Club-small   -   <= 6 L 0 - 37 HCP any shape

    1Diamond-small   -   >= 9 L or <= 8 L 4M unbalanced

    1Heart-small   -   5 L or <= 3L any shape

    1Spade-small   -   >= 10 L or <= 8 L 4M unbalanced

    2Heart-small   -  5L 5+Heart-small

    2Spade-small   - shape asking relay 10 L or <= 8 L 4M unbalanced

    3Heart-small   - 6+Heart-small 3+Spade-small

    3Spade-small   - shape asking relay 8 L 4M unbalanced

    4Spade-small   - 6Heart-small4Spade-small 9 total losers

    4N.   - CROSS 

    5Heart-small  - 2 keycard same colour

    5Spade-small - CROSS continuation Ask for K

    6Club-small - No K

    6Diamond-small - CROSS continuation Ask for Q

    Diamond-small- 2 Q opposite colour/rank

    7NT - to play

     

    North has a 4 modified loser hand and after the opening 1Club-small opening using the rule of 18 North already knows there is a possible Grand slam if a fit can be found. As 1Heart-small response would show a 5+Heart-small positive response North must wait for South to reveal their hand with a waiting 1Diamond-small response. Once South shows a 5L 5+Heart-small suit and a fit has been found North takes over captaincy and asks for shape to eventually determine South’s total losers which proves important to be able to bid 7NT Grand Slam.

    From Law of Total Losers North, by subtracting South’s modified losers from the total losers South has, knows they have 4 - 5 cards higher than a J. When later ASpade-small & AClub-small are revealed, no K, and 2 Q for South to have 5 losers that they must have 3Club-small and so their 2 Q of opposite colour/rank are the QHeart-small & QClub-small and South has 6Heart-small4Spade-small3Club-small

    Therefore, provided Club-small break no worse than 3-1 then North can count 14 tricks in NT and bids 7NT. 

    North can technically bid 7NT after the 6Club-small response as North knows at this point South has 3Club-small and at least 2 Q to have 5 L. They would have to rely on either Heart-small breaking no worse than 2-1 or Club-small 2-2 if South had only 2 Q including the QSpade-small.

     

  3. CHRIS SMITH25 Mar 2019 at 02:15PM

    Last year I was reading a book from the 60's by Rixi Markus. She discussed the natural use of the 2♣ opening calling it CAB (Clubs, Aces, Blackwood)

    There are two types of 2♣ Openings. Either a strong unbalanced hand or a strong 23-25pt hand with balanced distribution. The 2♣ Openers rebid will clarify which type.

    A 2♣ Opening bid asks responder to bid the suit of any Ace that they have.

    Response's to 2♣ are:

    2 = Less than 8 points, NO Aces.

    2,2♠, 3♣,3 = the Ace of that suit!

    2NT = 8+ points, NO Aces.

    3NT = 2 Aces

    4NT = 3 Aces

    After a double negative response from advancer, 2D then 2NT, advancer can pass below game level if Opener rebids his suit.

    We adopted it and found it very sucessful.

    The bidding in our action would have gone:

    South   North

    2♣        3NT*

    4*       4NT*

    5♠*       7NT*

    3NT shows two Aces

    4H shows a strong unbalanced hand in hearts

    4NT RKC

    5♠ Two Key Cards with the Queen of Trumps

    7NT Yaa! I must pick up a lotto ticket on the way home.

    As a footnote although E/W is Vul, I would have opened East's hand 2He has only

     

  4. SEAN LYNCH27 Mar 2019 at 12:22AM

    If East opens a vulnerable weak 2Diamond-small then bidding a Grand Slam is more difficult. It is important to have a prepared defence. We play a natural 2NT (5 loser 0 - 25 HCP) any shape that doesn’t promise a stopper and invites partner to pass if they have >= 11 losers 4333 shape and 2 stoppers in Diamond-small. The advantage of this bid is that using the rule of 18 it gives partner an immediate indication of the bidding level possible if a fit can be found. In this case a Grand Slam is indicated as being possible.

    So bidding would go something like:

    N.        E.        S.       W

               2Diamond-small     2N.      3Diamond-small

    x.         -         3Heart-small      -

    4N       -         5Club-small      -

    5Heart-small      -         5Spade-small      -

    5N      -          6Club-small       -

    6Heart-small      -        6Spade-small       -

    7Club-small      -        7N.       -

    -          -

     

    Where:

    2Diamond-small - weak 6+Diamond-small

    2N. -   5 loser (0 - 25 HCP) natural N

    x.    -   <= 9 loser 4M unbalanced.

    3Diamond-small - competitive raise

    3Heart-small -   Shape asking relay

    4N - 4Heart-small <3Spade-small 4 loser (we play a rolling loser showing response: 3N 9 L, 4Club-small 8 L, 4Diamond-small 7L etc)

    5Club-small - CROSS

    5Heart-small - 0 or 3 key card

    5Spade-small - CROSS continuation

    5N - 1 non key card K

    6Club-small - CROSS continuation

    6Heart-small  - 0 or 3 Q 

    6Spade-small  - suit of K query

    7Club-small - KClub-small

    After North shows 0 Q South can deduce North has <= 9 total losers (6430, 5440, 7411 etc shape) from the Law of Total Losers and, therefore, from opponent’s bidding North must have 5+Club-small4Heart-small. Provided clubs break south can count 13 tricks in NT and bids 7NT.

     

     

  5. Brad Johnston28 Mar 2019 at 01:38PM

    Try getting there after:

    (2D) 2H (3S) 4D;  3S = fit jump, 4D = H raise
    (4S)  ?

    FWIW I think that North bypassing primary H support to show a C suit is a really bad practice, as they can never know if they've shown a forcing fit afterwards, and it leads to lurching auctions like your jump to 4NT.

    The main benefit of playing jacoby is that you don't pre-empt yourself on your slam boards. Having a relatively poorly defined jump to 4D after a 2N response really crowds the auction.
    Instead if South was able to bid 3S to show extra values (the void, two aces, and a 6th trump) and a D shortage - North could evaluate that Axx opposite a singleton/void is great; the source of tricks in C is great; the spade control is great; the good trumps are great; etc.
    That gives you more bids (3N, 4m) to make to initiate a more descriptive cue-bidding sequence and would benefit any pair looking to accurately bid grand slam.

  6. SEAN LYNCH29 Mar 2019 at 01:40AM

    If East opens a weak 2Diamond-small with a 3Spade-small response from partner to show a fit jump then that makes the bidding  more interesting:

    N.      E.      S.      W

             2Diamond-small   2N.     3Spade-small

    x        4Spade-small   -         -

    4N       -      5Heart-small     -      

     5Spade-small     -      6Club-small     -

    7Club-small      -       7Heart-small    -

    -           -

    Where:

    2Diamond-small - weak 2Diamond-small

    2N   - natural no trump as previously defined (5 loser 0 - 26 HCP)

    3Spade-small - fit jump

    x     - positive response 4M

    4Spade-small - fit raise

    4NT - CROSS Heart-small

    5Heart-small - 2 key card same colour

    5Spade-small - CROSS continuation Non Key card K ask

    6Club-small - 0 or 3 

    7Club-small - pass or correct

     

    After EW agressive bidding showing double fits in Diamond-small & Spade-small from the rule of 18 North knows NS can ‘make’ 15 tricks in either Club-small or Heart-small and South has a shortage in Diamond-small so looks for slam. After 6Club-small response South has <= 9 total losers and 2 or more Q. 

     

     

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