[CSGibson]

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You are playing with someone you have played with irregularly, but who is a good player. On the ride to the venue, you have discussed system, including that after a NT overcall by opps, you play your NT defense system (suction). Opps have asked for an explanation of 2♠, which you gave (edit: That explanation being that partner either has clubs or diamonds and hearts). 3♣ is undiscussed by opponents (who are intermediate-advanced level players). Your 4♥ bid is pass or correct.

What's your best guess as to what's going on? What do you do now?

[Statto]

Pass. Partner has ♦, why make it worse than it already is

Edit: no they have ♣, but they were bid by RHO so I'm not going there. 4♠ seems to indicate tolerance for ♠...

This post has been edited by Statto: 2012-February-21, 18:55

[Phil]

I think my partner is offering me a choice of games in addition to his clubs (might RHO be bidding a stop?). Or he's totally forgot suction - probably the latter.

LOL @ suction.

[Cthulhu D]

Why don't people like suction (I'm not a huge fan but one partner insists on it)

[jjbrr]

Cthulhu D, on 2012-February-21, 17:45, said:

Why don't people like suction (I'm not a huge fan but one partner insists on it)

because, as evidenced in OP, you frequently only learn what partner has after it's too late. its better to play defenses where you know partners suit(s) immediately, especially majors.

[Elianna]

Or you discover that you and partner have a different idea of when it's on (as I guess is the case here). Or, as also seems to happen frequently, partner forgets the meaning of the bids, or how to respond.

[Cthulhu D]

jjbrr, on 2012-February-21, 17:52, said:

because, as evidenced in OP, you frequently only learn what partner has after it's too late. its better to play defenses where you know partners suit(s) immediately, especially majors.

It feels like Someone in the OP has manifestly forgotten the system (or partner is 4/6 in the blacks), but I take your point. That said, it seems like most methods struggle a bit to communicate partners hand intelligentlyat the first turn. Given my preference I play HELLO and that requires two calls to sort out the major + minor hands. I guess you have to make some trade off between speed of arrival, number of possible hand types and definition of hand types.

[Zelandakh]

Can we trust partner not to have used the UI of the alert + explanation inappropriately should they actually have forgotten the system? What is our systemic method of showing 3 spades and 6 clubs? Presumably we have a suction bid for both black suits - what would be the minimum spade length required for this? What would double from partner instead of 2♠ have meant? I can see 3 possibilities:-

1. Partner has clubs with spade tolerance and is offering choice of games.
2. Partner has a huge hand and has bid the impossible suit as an artificial force.
3. Partner has forgotten the system.

If the initial double would have shown values then we can probably eliminate 2 making pass a stand-out since it copes with both alternatives. If an initial double would be conventional then we probably need some more information as to your meta-agreements in related auctions and how they get adapted to situations where our side has opened. However, if partner made any reaction to the alert or explanation then I think pass stops being an option. I think I would now be duty-bound to bid some number of clubs which would almost inevitably lead to a bad result.

[CSGibson]

Zelandakh, on 2012-February-22, 04:16, said:

Can we trust partner not to have used the UI of the alert + explanation inappropriately should they actually have forgotten the system? What is our systemic method of showing 3 spades and 6 clubs? Presumably we have a suction bid for both black suits - what would be the minimum spade length required for this? What would double from partner instead of 2♠ have meant?

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Partner, in this case, is me. I, of course, forgot system. I don't think I reacted at all to the explanation, and I considered what to do over a 4♥ slam try - from the auction, it couldn't be a splinter unless opps have lost their 11 card heart fit, but with soft Q's in the other suits, I didn't feel like my hand had a LA to 4♠. Systemically we have a method of showing clubs & spades that would only guarentee a 3 card fit, and which we could have shown at the 2 level. Double would have been penalty.

[Zelandakh]

I can't see an alternative to 4♠ on North's rebid either. The answers mean that North has essentially presented a picture of their hand as exactly 2 spades and long clubs (correct me if wrong). That makes South's 3rd bid interesting. If partner can be trusted then we probably want to be in clubs. If there has been a system forget then clearly pass is the call. The 3♣ call on our right strongly suggests the latter. I think that is enough to allow us to pass and be ready to apologise to partner if 4♠ turns out to be worse than 5♣ or to opponents if partner has indeed forgotten.

[gwnn]

suction s... no that is too obvious a pun to make. never mind, move along.