[lamford]

---

You started the set trailing to Monaco by 43 with 32 boards to go, and this is an early board. Your methods are that 2D = 4+ relay and 2H = 0-3 over the FG 2C. Your go.

[Lorne50]

I think I am staggeringly good compared to what I might have so even though partner might have bid 2♠ with slam interest I think I will still try 5♥. The 5 level looks safe to me and I assume partner will sign off if he has no heart losers so my ruff(s) are of no value.

[PhilKing]

Clear pass.

Partner could have slowed down and didn't. He should have something like:

♠AKJTxxx
♥AK
♦Ax
♣xx

Where we are off in five. Even the best err - pard should not hold a hand where slam is cold opposite a yarborough with a stiff heart.

[billw55]

What would opener's 3♠ rebid mean? This might tell us some hands partner doesn't have.

[Cyberyeti]

 PhilKing, on 2013-September-25, 06:22, said:

Clear pass.

Partner could have slowed down and didn't. He should have something like:

♠AKJTxxx
♥AK
♦Ax
♣xx

Where we are off in five. Even the best err - pard should not hold a hand where slam is cold opposite a yarborough with a stiff heart.

Is he not allowed to hold AKJ10xxxx, Axx, x, A, you make a practical bid over 2♥ opps have more than half the deck, I wouldn't be desperately surprised to hear a bid over 2♠ and I may not want to defend or play at the 5 level opposite say Qx, xxx, xx, xxxxxx so I try to buy the contract immediately.

[lamford]

 billw55, on 2013-September-25, 06:30, said:

What would opener's 3♠ rebid mean? This might tell us some hands partner doesn't have.

That would indeed be a better hand than 4♠. Probably asking for any feature or shortage.

[gwnn]

 Cyberyeti, on 2013-September-25, 06:40, said:

Is he not allowed to hold AKJ10xxxx, Axx, x, A, you make a practical bid over 2♥ opps have more than half the deck, I wouldn't be desperately surprised to hear a bid over 2♠ and I may not want to defend or play at the 5 level opposite say Qx, xxx, xx, xxxxxx so I try to buy the contract immediately.

He's allowed to do anything he likes but he is not forced to do it and is this really more probable than the other construction? Is your point that in bridge we need to try for slam whenever there is a nonzero probability of making a slam?

[PhilKing]

 Cyberyeti, on 2013-September-25, 06:40, said:

Is he not allowed to hold AKJ10xxxx, Axx, x, A, you make a practical bid over 2♥ opps have more than half the deck, I wouldn't be desperately surprised to hear a bid over 2♠ and I may not want to defend or play at the 5 level opposite say Qx, xxx, xx, xxxxxx so I try to buy the contract immediately.

In practical terms my last sentence answered your question, though my answer was couched in terms of what he should hold. He is allowed to bid however he likes.

Footnote: I would have rebid 3♠ on pards hand.

[lamford]

 PhilKing, on 2013-September-25, 07:10, said:

In practical terms my last sentence answered your question, though my answer was couched in terms of what he should hold. He is allowed to bid however he likes.

Footnote: I would have rebid 3♠ on pards hand.

I agree with Phil on reflection. They key is that the five-level is not safe and while you could not be much better, partner's 4S on AKJxxxxx Axx x A was precipitate. Segment 6 is not on Bridgebase Archive yet, but I recall Multon-Zimmermann starting 2C-2D-2S and reaching the slam missed by Forrester and Robson.

[Cyberyeti]

 gwnn, on 2013-September-25, 07:08, said:

He's allowed to do anything he likes but he is not forced to do it and is this really more probable than the other construction? Is your point that in bridge we need to try for slam whenever there is a nonzero probability of making a slam?

No my point was that I was answering "Even the best err - pard should not hold a hand where slam is cold opposite a yarborough with a stiff heart.". I feel this should be a low point count 2♣ with a real lot of spades rather than something flatter. I don't play the "complete bust" 2♥ so am used to 3♠ being the old fashioned solid suit, so looking at Q♠ I wasn't expecting to hear that.

4♠ to me says "no real slam ambitions and often a possible worry about competition".

What was partner's hand ?

[PhilKing]

 Cyberyeti, on 2013-September-25, 08:35, said:

What was partner's hand ?

He basically had the hand you quoted.

[aguahombre]

We were musing about this hand. We nowadays have all this fancy stuff where 2C-2D-3S sets things in motion and wouldn't help us.

But with our old fuddy-duddy methods it would have been a breeze (ala Zim/Mult)

2C-2D
2S-4H....showing zero in primes with spade support and a stiff heart!!.

[Cyberyeti]

 PhilKing, on 2013-September-25, 08:40, said:

He basically had the hand you quoted.

Will emphasize I didn't know that, I just made that hand up tweaked from yours, I wonder if it's a result of you tweaking it from the original and me tweaking it back.

[rhm]

 Cyberyeti, on 2013-September-25, 06:40, said:

Is he not allowed to hold AKJ10xxxx, Axx, x, A, you make a practical bid over 2♥ opps have more than half the deck, I wouldn't be desperately surprised to hear a bid over 2♠ and I may not want to defend or play at the 5 level opposite say Qx, xxx, xx, xxxxxx so I try to buy the contract immediately.

I think this would be a clear 3♠ bid. There is no serious risk attached to this bid.

Partner said slam is remote, are you really going to overrule him and say: No it is not?
To overrule your partner you would need a more exceptional hand and a new suit bid over 4♠ should show a void with good spade support.
This is not guaranteed to be right, but at least you then really have an exceptional reason to overrule your partner.

Rainer Herrmann