[Winstonm]

jillybean, on 2021-March-17, 16:19, said:

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Now it is easy having seen all hands.
Once partner makes a mild slam try over 2nt, I think I would go on after 4♥ but perhaps signoff after the kickback response knowing we are missing an ace and possibly ♥Q, & not knowing partner has 7 trump.
Seeing all hands I can bid 6nt and protect my ♦K.

Needless to say, it didn't go like this at the table. Partner bid 4♥/2nt.

I am positive I would have bid it this way:

1C-1H
2N-3H
3S*-4C
4D-4H**
P***

* 3S confirms hearts and is a cuebid
** Nothing further to say
*** At best a 50-50 proposition.

[jillybean]

Ooops, yes of course I would continue knowing we had 4 keycards. I answered before rushing out the door, didn't think it through.

[jillybean]

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I don't think I ever get to ask for the Queen.
4♠ (Ace ask) 4nt 1/4
5♣ Specific King ask 5nt show club king?

[Cyberyeti]

jillybean, on 2021-March-17, 21:07, said:

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I don't think I ever get to ask for the Queen.
4♠ (Ace ask) 4nt 1/4
5♣ Specific King ask 5nt show club king?

Everybody else uses 5♣ as "do you have the ♥Q" and also partner has shown the ♣K already, south opened 1♣, you don't show a shortage in partner's suit the first time you cue it, so 4♣ shows the K as you have AQ.

[jillybean]

Cyberyeti, on 2021-March-18, 04:28, said:

Everybody else uses 5♣ as "do you have the ♥Q" and also partner has shown the ♣K already, south opened 1♣, you don't show a shortage in partner's suit the first time you cue it, so 4♣ shows the K as you have AQ.

Yes, of course - I had forgotten next step is Q ask, and if we hold trump Queen + a king we bid our cheapest K.

[jillybean]

mikeh, on 2021-March-17, 17:24, said:

In my partnerships, the auction is very different because we play transfer responses to 1C, and opener would reject the transfer to bid 1N, showing 17-19.

In one partnership we play transfers then, and in the other xyz. Both get 2D leading to 2H by opener, and off to the right-sided 6H we go.

I'd like to try transfer responses to 1C.
After I can remember keycard responses and I have convinced partner that is is a bad idea to bid spades holding 53xx non forcing after I open 1H of course.

mikeh, on 2021-March-17, 14:46, said:

Btw, for transfers, which apply after 1x 1y 2N, where x and y are suits (no matter what the suits are)

Over 2N

If responder transfers to his own suit, this is mandatory...opener ALWAYS accepts. See above for why: responder may be dying to get out

If responder transfers to diamonds, this is mandatory...responder may be about to pass (say 1C 1S 2N....responder has Qxxx xx Kxxxx xx, playing a walsh style)

A common situation, which needs clear agreement and memory, is when responder has bid 1M over 1m

a) responder has bid 1S

1m 1S
2N....

if responder has 4+ hearts, he has longer or equal (5+) spades

3D shows 4+ hearts. Opener bids 3H with 4, 3S with 3 spades and fewer than 4 hearts, and 3N with 2=2 or 2=3 majors

With 5+ spades and no interest in hearts, responder bids 3H, a mandatory transfer to 3S. Over this, 3N is a choice of games, 4x, below 4S, a cuebid, and 4S a mild slam try (no jump to 4S over 2N)

If responder has bid 1H, he may be 4-4 majors, or 5+ hearts and 4+ spades

Over 2N, with 4-4, bid 3H, transfer to spades, which opener accepts only with 4 spades, bidding 3N otherwise

With 4=5+, transfer to hearts, then bid 3S

With slam interest in clubs, after 1x 1y 2N, bid 3S...opener looks at his hand, in the context of his bidding so far, and bids 3N with a poor hand for a club contract and 4C with a good hand

There are a lot of extra things one can do with this approach, but what I have set out here will, by itself, be a big improvement on wolff or new minor

Does this apply if you play transfers over 1C? Can opener reject the transfer and bid 2nt?

"With 4=5+, transfer to hearts, then bid 3S" Responder obviously has 4 spades and 5 or more hearts, why is this written as 4=5+ and not just 45+xx, does the = have a significance ?