[RunemPard]

MP - NV vs V
We bid the hand as follows...We play 3355 w/ Inverted/Multi varient.

You open 2D NV showing a weak major (ranging from 6-10 TP), standard 20-21 NT, or 18-19 long minor/20+ 5 card minor unsuitable for 2NT. Max/min 6 card suits may be bid at the 3 level NV if suit is supported well.

You are dealt..(SHDC)
AQJ
97
AQJT6
AK3

You reply with 2NT to show a balanced 20-21 NT. Partner continues with 3H to transfer to S.

How would you reply?


Full partnership hands and how we bid them...

Spoiler

North: AQJ - 97 - AQJT6 - AK3
South: KT6532 - A2 - K5 - 987

2D* - 2H*
2N - 3H*
4D* - 4H*
4N* - 5H*
6C* - 6D*
7S - AP

2D=Multi
2H=P/C
2N=20-21 NT
3H=♠Transfer (negative or slam interest)
4D=Setting ♠ as trump, usually strong side suit, asking for cuebid...4♠ is sign-off...4N shows ♠ cue
4H=cuebid
4N=0314 RKC
5H=2 or 5 no Q
6C=cuebid (GS interest, all keycards, AK of C most likely)
6D=cuebid
7S=That will do...

Should of gone 7NT, but it still got us a top at a mid-level club match. (Edit: 7NT may be risky, as a singleton ♦ could be argued as a 2nd round control bid. Partner should be able to come to a logical choice about passing 7S or going to 7N based on their ♦ however. Going to 6♣ also shows GS interest and should most likely be AK? of ♣.)

[ahydra]

4C (accept spades, club cue). Good trumps, good shape (given we're balanced), good controls.

Edit: The hand is almost too good for 20-21 NT.

ahydra

[the_clown]

I would have upgraded to 22-23 NT opener

[RunemPard]

Thought about that as well going with a 2C-xy-2NT, but was after my bid...
2C opening would also open room to possibly get a little more info.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

OP has asked: " In this situation...is a single D a 2nd round control bid? (Partner has shown all keycards) " .

The FIRST K-ask requires the cheapest bid K reply ( NOT a singleton ) .

The SECOND K - ask CAN show a singleton since the reply structure can show this:

For example ( ♠ are trump ):
4NT ( RKC ) - 5H ( 2 - ♠Q )
5NT ( K-ask ) - 6C ( ♣ K )
6D ( 2nd K - ask ) - ??
........................ 6S = NO ♦ K or singleton
........................ 7S = ♦ - singleton
........................6NT = ♦ K but no ♦ Q
........................ 7D = ♦ K Q

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For OP's given hand, if you used 5NT as the FIRST K-ask, the reply would have been 6D = ♦ K, denying the ♣ K .... and 7NT could have been bid with confidence .

In my RKC stucture, which is more standard, 6C ( over the 5H reply, by-passing the K-ask bid ) would have been a 3rd-Rnd-Ctrl-ask in ♣.

[Zelandakh]

What Don said with regards to bidding 5NT over 5♥. However, when playing this style of super-accept I think it is best if you make Responder Captain since Opener has essentially made a picture bid with 4♦. If Responder does the asking they can immediately count 6 spades, 5 diamonds and the round suit aces. Indeed I cannot understand why Responder did not simply bid 7NT over 6♣ in the given auction. The fact that Responder can count to 13 with the ♦K should perhaps suggest that 6♦ should show something else here.

Note that I am assuming "strong side suit" means KQJxx or better which is the style I have commonly seen.

[RunemPard]

Zelandakh, on 2012-May-24, 02:29, said:

What Don said with regards to bidding 5NT over 5♥. However, when playing this style of super-accept I think it is best if you make Responder Captain since Opener has essentially made a picture bid with 4♦. If Responder does the asking they can immediately count 6 spades, 5 diamonds and the round suit aces. Indeed I cannot understand why Responder did not simply bid 7NT over 6♣ in the given auction. The fact that Responder can count to 13 with the ♦K should perhaps suggest that 6♦ should show something else here.

Note that I am assuming "strong side suit" means KQJxx or better which is the style I have commonly seen.

Yes. My partner and I currently play 0314 over 5NT K also, so this wasn't an option. The strong side suit does in fact include something like AKJxx, KQJxx, AQJxx, or possibly a very solid 4 card suit or AKT9x.