Can you find slam?

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.

This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).

NS vuln, MPs

West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -

East dealer, assume NS silent.

6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

[[e-mail]]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

If west can show a strong 3-suiter, you'll reach 6D whether you like it or not. But the learned doctors have decided that is not an important class of hands.

The real Roman 2D might work. (Not the American version for hands that Romans opened 2C.)

Carl

[Hotzenplotz]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

I tried a few different ways but was not able to come up with a credible sequence. Playing a relay system this is a piece of cake of course.

[[e-mail]]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

or if east has an opening or response that shows 10+ cards in 2 (specified or not) suits. That *is* an important class of hands for sure. But system-builders are uninterested.

Carl

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

Post by ***@verizon.net
or if east has an opening or response that shows 10+ cards in 2 (specified or not) suits. That *is* an important class of hands for sure. But system-builders are uninterested.
Carl

Tartan twos, which I play with one partner. I think we'd have had a good shot at reaching 6D.

[Hotzenplotz]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

I missed East being dealer. Now it is very easy. East opens 2D Wilkosz. A few asks and you are in 6.

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

I've just realised that with my normal partner (who had to cancel), we play Tartan twos, so East would open 2H, and over the 2NT relay, bids 3D showing a weak 5-5 shape. West can't help but drive to slam after that.

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I've just realised that with my normal partner (who had to cancel), we play Tartan twos, so East would open 2H, and over the 2NT relay, bids 3D showing a weak 5-5 shape. West can't help but drive to slam after that.

I meant 2S relay, not 2NT.

[ais523]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an
unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do
between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but
poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes
out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to
get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I
think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds
1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way
to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

I tried a range of systems on this but most of them failed to show
diamonds. 6 hearts, 5 diamonds is a very hard shape to show as responder
in most systems, and opener is likely to show clubs as their second
suit. As such, the systems mostly end up in 3NT.

Some systems have artificial sequences for handling strong three-suited
hands, which would at least manage to identify the correct suit. For
example, here's a sequence shown on Chris Ryall's website
<https://chrisryall.net/bridge/two/clubs-4441.htm>:

West East
Pass
2C! (several hand types, all either fairly or very strong)
2D! (3+, or length in both majors)
2NT! (three-suited, 16+ HCP, at most 5 losers)
3C! (asks; almost forced)
3D! (4 or 5 AKQ losers, shortage is hearts)

East has a judgement call here in whether to sign off or invite. The
signoff would be 3NT passed out. East's hand is much better than it
could be, though, and there doesn't look like much wastage from East's
point of view, so it's not totally unreasonable to invite:

3H! (invite or better, looking for more information)
4D (4 AKQ losers, void in hearts; above 3NT, so no alert)
4H (asks; no reason not to, as this won't go above 5D)
5D (Ace/King holding: AAAK or AAKKK)

East can now deduce that West's losers consist of two missing Kings and
two missing Queens. Missing Queens in the side suits can be ruffed out,
and a missing Queen in trumps may be finessable against our KJ, so
that's around 1 and a half losers covered; we hold the King of trumps,
so that's another loser covered. As such, the hands have around 1 and a
half losers between them; slam's possible but far from certain.

Now if you're playing IMPs, you bid 6D because the scoring normally
encourages bidding 50% slams; and if you're playing matchpoints, you bid
6D because most people will be in 3NT (which is very likely to make),
and thus 5D will likely be a bottom, and thus 6D will be your only
chance for a good score.

[Lorne]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I was non-playing director earlier this evening, and as it was an unusual evening with no-one calling me, so didn't have much to do between rounds. I decided to print off the hands and have a look at them.
This one caught my eye. One of those with a lot of HCP strength but poorly fitting hands (quite a bit of wastage).
NS vuln, MPs
West East
AQJ84 T6
- QJ9873
A954 KJ876
AKJ5 -
East dealer, assume NS silent.
6D makes on the layout (DQT3 with South, and CAK ruff the queen comes out), the slam is, I think, odds on to make, but it looks awkward to get there by a scientific method. One Eaat opened 1H which, although I think that is pushing it too far, will get you there if West responds 1S and East can then show their dimaond suit, but can you find a way to get there if East does something other than open 1H?

It is very common in the UK to play 2D as a multi and 2H/S as weak
2-suiters with the bid major + a minor. So in a UK event I think a
significant number would reach 6D.