[helene_t]

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Diana was South and took the blame here for not bidding 7NT but I don't see it.

If she keycards for clubs (how to do that by the way? I'm not sure if we agreed to use 4♦ for this) she still wouldn't know what to do if I turned out to have only one keycard.

If she cuebids 5♦ after my 4♠ bid I suppose I would collaborate somehow, probably by bidding 6♣, but I don't see how that would lead to a confident 7NT. For all she knows my cuebid could be based on Jxx-x-Kx-AJxxxxx in which case 7♠ has better chances.

The easiest solution is if I open 1♣, but the hand is a tad light for our style. In the other room, Lorenzo passed. Maybe that is better. It is certainly my style to preempt with this hand but I probably preempt too much, yesterday we got bad results every time I preempted.

Finally, it might become easier if I make a more positive bid over 3♠. I suppose 4♦ would show something like this (although, again, it could have been based on a hand with better spade support and worse clubs). But this wasn't discussed and probably wouldn't lead to a confident 7NT).

If I pass it starts 2♣-3♣ and we will probably get it right. If I open 1♣ Diana might just blast 7NT directly.

What do you think?

[cherdano]

I understand why you want to preempt with such hands, but here you are in second seat with a balanced 10 count. You have a great hand for 3NT (which partner might not be able to bid opposite a w/r preempt - unless your style is very conservative), you have decent defence, your side tends to have the majority of the hcp.

After 3C-3S-4S, I think keycard is better than cuebidding.

[gszes]

This is not matchpoints so trying to fine tune a major suit contract
after p opens 3c seems wrong especially since your club Q would seem
to be monstrously helpful in filling in any favorable holes a 3c bid
might have. I probably would have just bid 4n and when p showed both
I would have ventured 7n since we will always make it with 7 club
tricks and maybe just maybe if clubs split poorly we can make it with
major suit tricks instead. Preempts are 2 edged swords and this time
it makes life difficult for our side instead of the opps unless you
are playing sound preempts.

I am also one of those players that uses 4c in this sequence as key
card since I find the 4c bid as a preempt is too rare for my taste and
I hate making slam level decisions in clubs when I might all too easily
bypass my last playable spot.

[hrothgar]

 gszes, on 2014-July-06, 09:02, said:

This is not matchpoints so trying to fine tune a major suit contract
after p opens 3c seems wrong especially since your club Q would seem
to be monstrously helpful in filling in any favorable holes a 3c bid
might have. I probably would have just bid 4n and when p showed both
I would have ventured 7n since we will always make it with 7 club
tricks and maybe just maybe if clubs split poorly we can make it with
major suit tricks instead. Preempts are 2 edged swords and this time
it makes life difficult for our side instead of the opps unless you
are playing sound preempts.

I am also one of those players that uses 4c in this sequence as key
card since I find the 4c bid as a preempt is too rare for my taste and
I hate making slam level decisions in clubs when I might all too easily
bypass my last playable spot.

Personally, I think that the preempt has screwed you over.

Even if you know about the AK of Clubs, you don't know that partner has the King of Diamonds.
Your only transport to dummy might be over taking the Queen of clubs.

[cherdano]

 hrothgar, on 2014-July-06, 09:20, said:

Personally, I think that the preempt has screwed you over.

Even if you know about the AK of Clubs, you don't know that partner has the King of Diamonds.
Your only transport to dummy might be over taking the Queen of clubs.

There is this concept of "ruffing".

[hrothgar]

 cherdano, on 2014-July-06, 09:23, said:

There is this concept of "ruffing".

Not in 7NT there ain't...
And if you're playing 7♣, then you're gambling on a 3-3 trump break.

I think that its quite reasonable to go for a small slam, but bidding the grand when you can't place the King of Diamonds seems optimistic

[cherdano]

 hrothgar, on 2014-July-06, 09:34, said:

Not in 7NT there ain't...
And if you're playing 7♣, then you're gambling on a 3-3 trump break.

I think that its quite reasonable to go for a small slam, but bidding the grand when you can't place the King of Diamonds seems optimistic

I am saying that I would bid 7C after finding out about ♣AK. I would never play partner for a 6-card suit on a 2nd-seat preempt.

[helene_t]

 cherdano, on 2014-July-06, 09:23, said:

There is this concept of "ruffing".

We are discussing how to bid 7NT

[Cascade]

I hate 3♣. To me it is completely the wrong hand to preempt on. The only thing favourable is the vulnerability. Everything else is unfavourable - maximum, 2nd seat, suit headed by AK, side defensive card, only six clubs, bad shape.