[kayin801]

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LHO is Balicki, RHO is Zmudzinski, 6th match in day 1 of Open Swiss. See poll for questions, please elaborate and explain. Assume that the choices given in the polls are the only systemic calls available. Thanks!

Edit: Make sure you check alerts. LHO's opening was Polish.

[inquiry]

For me, a jump to 4♦ would be a fit jump, showing good diamonds and hearts. However, given the quoted methods, I would prefer the descriptive 4♦ splinter to a rather nebulous 2♣.

Having not splintered in diamonds, you are between a small rock and a hard place now. Surely it was game-forcing, so forcing pass would be in place. Do you reverse the normal meaning of double and pass in this situation. You would be much better off to know what to do if your partner knows you are short in diamonds. That is, with something like KJx(x) of diamonds and no middling values in clubs, defending 4♠X would be better than bidding on, but with Kxx in clubs and no such honors in diamonds it would be better to bid on. Only your partner would know which he has, but he doesn't know how to evaluate the location of his honors because of the lack of accurate description of your hand.

Now we are at put the test over 4♠ doubled. Partner probably thinks we lack a control in diamonds (we do have one). So this is anyone's guess as to what is right. Partner is also a little hard pressed to bid on to the five level if he is weak in diamnods since we failed to cue-bid 4♦ (or make a splinter). At this vul, and missing the AJ, West will have eight spades most of the time and a side ACE at least. IT is anybody's guess what "feature" East has, you hope it is ♣King, but if not, it will be working for them and is likely a trick in spades. So they rate to win 8 to 10 trick in spades, I think nine tricks would be about average for them on this auction. I suspect we have no spade losers, but could easily lose diamonds, one in clubs, and maybe a heart and even a slow second diamond loser despite the singleton in my hand.

We are not getting rich in 4♠X (And it might make if West is short in hearts and East is short in club and partner's diamonds are under the Easts diamond values.). I hate guessing, but being forced too here, I guess 5♣ as a continued slam try, lead directing bid. Partner should re-evaluate in light of my 5♦ bid on whether to go on or not, but again, if I had bid 4♦ over 2♣ we would be much better placed on this hand even over the immediate 4♦ bid.

Ben

[cherdano]

Ben's post seems to be talking about a different auction, did the original post get edited? Aside from that, it's news to me that a limit+ raise of an overcall is game-forcing, so pass is definitely non-forcing.

In any case, the 5♥ bid was absolutely terrible: Partner is showing a heart-club two-suiter. We need a 10-count with minimal possible shape from him to make slam ice cold (x AKxxx xx Kxxxx). It's true that his bid didn't necessarily promise slam interest, he just be showing his shape to help us decide whether to compete over 5♠, even with a sub-minimum overcall. But still there is no reason to make the most discouraging bid, rather than pass or redouble or 5♦.

(Given the position I am in, I of course have to bid 6 - I would do so in hearts since there is a non-trivial risk of a heart ruff when playing in clubs.)