SLAM BIDDING - TAURANGA OPEN PAIRS

Second Session Board 22 Dealer E EW vulnerable

                         Spade-small KJ97632

                         Heart-small 765

                         Diamond-small 7

                         Club-small T2

Spade-small A.                                         Spade-small Q8

Heart-small 9832.                                   Heart-small QJ

Diamond-small Q965.                                  Diamond-small T82

Club-small QJ63.                                   Club-small K98754

                       Spade-small T54

                       Heart-small AKT4

                       Diamond-small AKJ43

                       Club-small A

No NS pair at the Tauranga Open Pairs managed to bid 6Spade-small on this board ( 2 pairs bid to 5Spade-small).

While not a guaranteed slam it has a better than 60% chance to make once South knows North has 7Spade-small and a Spade-small key card

How do you bid this slam?

 a) Playing Acol

 b) Playing Precision

 

 

Started by SEAN LYNCH on 07 Apr 2019 at 01:40AM

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  1. SEAN LYNCH11 Apr 2019 at 12:50AM

    Acol:

    This is a difficult hand for Acol unless the partnership has a shape showin

  2. SEAN LYNCH11 Apr 2019 at 01:18AM

    g relay.

    A fourth suit forcing shape showing relay could work.

    N.     E.      S.      W

             -        1Diamond-small    -

    1Spade-small   -        2Heart-small    -

    3Club-small   -        3Spade-small    -

    4N.    -        5Club-small    -

    5Diamond-small    -        5N.    -

    6Spade-small    -        -        -

    where:

    3Club-small - 4th suit forcing shape asking relay

    3Spade-small - 5Diamond-small4Heart-small3Spade-small1Club-small. ( If South had 5Heart-small they would bid 3Heart-small, 5Diamond-small4Heart-small2Spade-small2Club-small - 3N, 5Diamond-small4Heart-small1Spade-small3Club-small - 3Club-small etc)

    4N - Roman key card Heart-small

    5Club-small - 1 or 4

    5Diamond-small - ask for QHeart-small or K

    5N - no QHeart-small 1K

    After South reverses Noth plans to go to game so uses 4th suit forcing to check South’s shape. After South shows 3Spade-small support North can see with an adjusted 7 loser hand the possibility of a slam if South is maximum for their reverse.

  3. SEAN LYNCH11 Apr 2019 at 12:33PM

    However, thinking about it even with the probable common Acol auction on the day of :

    N        E        S       W

               -         1Diamond-small    -

    1Spade-small     -         2Heart-small    -

    4Spade-small     -           ?

     

    It is surprising more South's did not bid on as North's 4Spade-small bid will surely be on the basis of a 7+ card suit and provided there is only 1 loser in the suit South should have been able to count 5 winner's and a ruff in their own hand to get to 12 probable tricks. Certainly enough to have then made a Roman key card enquiry to check if North held a Spade-small key card.   

  4. SEAN LYNCH11 Apr 2019 at 12:58PM

    Precision:

    I'm not a precision expert and there are so many variations but this could be one possible approach. In some ways, Precision's ability to provide tighter point count information could count against it but pairs are more likely to have shape showing relays although perhaps not for a negative response auction.

     

    N        E        S       W

               -        1Club-small     -

    1Diamond-small     -        1Heart-small     -

    1Spade-small     -         2Diamond-small    -

    4Spade-small     -          ?

     

    where:

    1Club-small - 16+HCP any shape

    1Diamond-small - <= 7 HCP any shape

    1Heart-small - 19 HCP any shape

    1Spade-small - <=4 HCP any shape

    2Diamond-small -  5+Diamond-small unbalanced

    4Spade-small -  to play 7+Spade-small

     

    Whilst South can again count a probable 12 tricks if there is only one Spade-small loser, similar to the second Acol auction,  the more precise knowledge of North's HCP range might have put South off bidding higher. If the partnership had a shape showing replay after a double weak response then bidding could proceed more slowly.

    Quite possibly, instead of leaping directly to 4Spade-small North may have invited with a 3Spade-small bid in which case South simply raising to 4Spade-small would close down the auction.

     

      

     

  5. SEAN LYNCH11 Apr 2019 at 04:57PM

    Imperspicuity:

    The bidding would go:

     

    N      E      S       W

             -       1Club-small    -

    1Spade-small   -       1N      -

    2N     -       3Club-small    -

    3Heart-small    -       3Spade-small    -

    3N      -      4Club-small    -

    4Diamond-small     -      4Heart-small    -

    4Spade-small     -      6Spade-small    -

    -          -

    where:

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

    1Spade-small -  <= 8 L 5+Spade-small 

    1N  -   Shape asking relay

    2N  - 7Spade-small

    3Club-small - Shape asking relay

    3Heart-small - 7Spade-small3Heart-small 9 total losers

    3Spade-small - Shape asking relay

    3N  - 7Spade-small3Heart-small21

    4Club-small - Loser asking relay

    4Diamond-small - 8 L

    4Heart-small - CROSS

    4Spade-small - 1 or 4 key card

    6Spade-small - to play

    An advantage for this type of hand of using losers for initial hand evaluation is that South, after using the rule of 18, is looking for slam after North's positive 1Spade-small response once a fit has already been found, so even if East made a 2Club-small overcall it is likely slam will be biddable.

    Utilizing an early shape asking relay allows South to have almost complete knowledge of North's hand shape and relevant keycards below game before making the final decision to bid slam. 

    Again South can count 12 probably tricks provided there is only 1Spade-small loser, either ruffing a Club-small, or setting up a long Diamond-small for the 12th trick.

     

     

     

  6. GERALD NORMAN15 Apr 2019 at 10:42AM

    For us, our modified form of Acol might get us there:

    S. 2C (19+ HCP or no more than four Losers) - forcing for one round, but not necessarily GF.

    N. 3S - 6+ Spades.

    S. 4NT - RKC (14/30).

    N. 5C - one KC.

    S. 6S - with fingers crossed.

    Not at all scientific (we are Intermediates), but it is actually possible with our agreement.

    Not saying it would have happened at the table, though!

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