[SimonFa]

MP, all white.

♠ Ax
♥ 5
♦ AKQJ98754
♣3

EDIT: Bidding, partner deals

P (1H) ?

Bidding 5♦ seems lazy and 6D a straight forward gamble with partner a passed hand. But if we try some other route there is a danger of getting passed out below game or letting them find out how good their hearts fit.

I admit to the lazy route because I was short of time.

Any thoughts of a first bid that teases something from partner, bearing in mind she's a passed hand?

Partners hand in the spoiler if you want to construct some bidding. I'm interested in any gadgets that could help here.

As always, thanks in advance,

Simon

Spoiler

♠KT984
♥ 86
♦ T6
♣ AK96

[han]

You could open 2C.

[aguahombre]

If they leave us alone:

2C-2D (waiting, staying out of partner's way)
3D-4C (sets trumps and demanding specific responses, 4C cheapest bullet)
4S-4N (asking in spades, 4NT showing king)
6D

[mgoetze]

2♣-2♦-3♦ sets trumps? Seriously?

[aguahombre]

mgoetze, on 2012-April-21, 13:46, said:

2♣-2♦-3♦ sets trumps? Seriously?

OP asked about other people's agreements which might be successful on this hand. That would be what I answered. What you think of it is certainly good to know, but that is what we do. 2C, then 3m (singleton-suited) is reserved for 10+ trick hands.

If pard didn't have the spade king, but still had the club AK, we probably would have more trouble.

[mike777]

2c=2d(random a or k)
4d(sets trumps)=5c
6d

of course on this auction pard may only have the AC and nothing else.

[lalldonn]

aguahombre, on 2012-April-21, 13:54, said:

OP asked about other people's agreements which might be successful on this hand. That would be what I answered. What you think of it is certainly good to know, but that is what we do. 2C, then 3m (singleton-suited) is reserved for 10+ trick hands.

If pard didn't have the spade king, but still had the club AK, we probably would have more trouble.

Could you elaborate on how you get from "10+ trick hands" to "sets trumps"? Aren't there 10+ trick hands with the longest suit(s) being a minor that don't know what they want trumps to be?

[Flem72]

deleted

[aguahombre]

lalldonn, on 2012-April-21, 14:05, said:

Could you elaborate on how you get from "10+ trick hands" to "sets trumps"? Aren't there 10+ trick hands with the longest suit(s) being a minor that don't know what they want trumps to be?

We avoid opening 2C with two-suiters where the longer suit is a minor. Sometimes that requires a hope someone will keep the bidding alive. Sometimes we can convert to the other suit if the specific follow-ups work out.

And sometimes, we end up no worse off than the others, anyway.

[lalldonn]

Aren't there single-suited hands that don't know what they want trumps to be? Sometimes I pick up 1363 hands.

[SimonFa]

Sorry, I missed out the bidding for some reason. Partner deals:

P (1H) ?

Simon

[Cyberyeti]

My partner opened 1♠, did this shut the opps up ?

1♠-3♦
3♠-4♦
4♠-4N
5♣-6♦

3♦ is either rock crushing single suited natural or a fit jump
4♦ confirms the single suiter and big enough to take 3N out of the picture, suit setting
4♠ A or K spades no heart control, not lacking in the controls department (would just bid 5♦ with Kxxxx, Qx, xx, KQJx)
4N confirms a heart control
5♣ control so partner has K♠, a club control 99% certain to be the A, no heart control or suit and an opening hand, so you'd be pretty unlucky to not have decent play for 6♦ here although it is possible.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

4NT ... asking for Aces ( even if you don't have a "specific Aces" system ).
If partner shows at least ONE , bid 6D ( at least you don't have 2 quick losers ).

[CSGibson]

I'd start out 3♥, implying a running suit asking fro a heart stopper. Partner would probably bid 4♥ (I don't have a stop, but I'm the nuts for a passed hand), and I'd bid 6♦

[ggwhiz]

Without looking at the spoiler, 4nt seems called for.

A Canadian slam is defined as 10 tricks and an American lead. If pard shows one Ace it might be a Canadian grand.

[tolvyrj]

Opnening 2♣ as forcing i guess is quite hard, when u RHO had already opened 1♥. Difficult; u can probaply rule the Grand slam out, its hard to imagine a hand where prd has 2 aces and a king and has passed. 4Nt would be both minors in our system, it used to be specific aces asking, but we change it. 4 must be forcing, but what is prd going to bid it, if LHO passes his/hers bid is forced and if LHO bid 5♥ he would probaply pass or bid 5♠.
If we bid 3♥we let LHO in even cheaper, and prd will not have any good bid left. Good problem.

[SimonFa]

I'd forgotten about a direct 4NT as specific Ace asking, but even if partner takes it as a general Blackwood (not key card) I suppose any response is safe as long as 5D over 5C (0 aces) isn't taken as King ask. I played it one partnership but it never came up and I'm not sure I would have thought about it over opps bid.

[Zelandakh]

My auction is

1♠ = 10-17 unbal, 5+ spades
... - 1NT = INV+ relay
2♣ = min, 0-3 hearts
... - 2♦ = GF relay
2♥ = 4+ clubs
... - 2♠ = relay
3♣ = 4 clubs
... - 3♦ = relay
3♠ = 5224
... - 4♣ = relay
4♠ = 4 controls
... - 4NT = relay
5♥ = controls in spades and clubs, not in hearts
... - 6♦

I would guess the opponents bid hearts at some point though.

[Statto]

Odds on that 5♦ is the spot (and if it's off it's probably a good pre-empt), and I don't see a scientific route from here, so put me in the lazy camp.