A lot of good points have already been made. A rebid of 3NT in this sequence shows a solid or almost solid minor, which we do not have. 3D is a bit of an underbid, but is my favorite because partner has bid my singleton. Had partner bid 1H, I would go with 3C.
Just yesterday I held Axx x AKQJxx A10x. I opened 1D and partner bid 1S. Because of the spade fit, making a game force is now more attractive and I bid 3C. Partner bid 3S and I raised to 4, making 5. Had partner responded 1H, I would have bid 3NT.
Funniest hand from yesterday: a player holding AQJ763 of spades decided to save in 7S over 7H (which was making). Partner’s void in spades was a disappointment, as was RHO’s void. A violation of Burn’s first law (when playing in a suit contract, you should hold more trumps than the opponents). Down 8 (could have been down 9). Still not as bad as the pair last Friday who attempted 5Hx with a suit of 10xx opposite xx. Down 11. How often does a pair attempt to play a contract in a suit (at the five level) in which the opponents have a grand slam?
In answer to your last question - at my level, pretty often, when someone misunderstands or plain forgets Blackwood! OK, probably not that often when opps have a grand available :).
I guess my thinking with 3NT on septimus’s hand was that I have 5 top tricks, can figure for at least another 2 diamond tricks, and partner (having responded) must be good for the remaining 2 needed for game. But I see that as an overbid for my holding, it could lead to trouble if partner gets interested in a slam.
Change the King of Diamonds to a Deuce and you still have a sound Three Diamond bid, IMO. This means that 3D is an underbid with this hand. OK if that underbid is the “least of evils”, but is it? Neither 3C nor 3NT is horribly out of line.
I was the partner of the One Diamond opener and held T9632 K7 Q7 QJT7
My partner bid 3NT in the problem and I passed. If he’d bid 3C I’d have said 4C. Slam is an excellent proposition in either Clubs or Diamonds, although not one single pair got to a slam. I do not know how our auction would have continued after 1D 1S 3C 4C 4D ?
Perhaps it’s very difficult to get to slam anyway, but I was displeased with my partner’s lazy 3NT rebid. A few hands before he’d passed a clearly forcing bid. :mad:
… Still hoping for one of you guys to log-in at playOK and get an Anglophonic clique going there!
The auction started 1S - 2NT - 3C. 2NT was Unusual. 3C was the convention “Unusual over Unusual” and shows at least an invitational hand with hearts. The partner asked about 3C and was told it was natural. On hearing this, she decided that partner must really have hearts and diamonds and that 10xx was good enough to compete in hearts to the 5-level. They should have called the director and would have got an adjusted score.
Quartz - it should be a second suit. The jump in a new suit is now forcing to game. In this case, you don’t have a real second suit but are just establishing the force.
Make a modest change to the weak hand, and Six Clubs may be a decent contract, with Six Diamonds having no play! (As is, I think 6C and 6D have roughly equal chances, but change KH to QH. Or change QD to 9D.
My partner held something like AK AKJTxx AKxx Q (I’m not quite sure) and opened 2C. I held QJT9x x Qx ATxxx and gave a positive response of 2S. Partner bid 3H and I went 4C. Partner went 4D (which I took as natural) and I gave suit preference of 4H. Partner then went slamming via Blackwood and we ended up in 6H doubled, only to find that the trump split was 6-0 and we were duly down.
Given the signs of a misfit (after all, I’ve shown at least 9 cards in other suits and a non-no-trump shape) I’m not sure I would have gone past game. But I think the problems started earlier and despite my cards, I perhaps should have responded 2D. The bidding would have started 2C - 2D - 2H - 2S keeping the bidding at a much lower level. What do you think?
I’ve wondered myself how to bid over 2C, but 2S should show a good suit — certainly no weaker than what you have. Given that, partner should know his Spade AK is golden. Almost nothing can defeat Six Spades except a void.
That is a danger with 2C openings, and whether you used up too much space depends on your system, specifically the meaning of 2D. I saw a poll on this recently at bridgewinners. I don’t think you can see the poll results if you are not a member of that site, but 2D waiting is the most popular treatment, i.e. you bid 2D on pretty much any hand and leave room for the 2C opener to show his hand type.
Using this method, you would begin 2C - 2D - 2H - 2S, which is much more economical.
The only bid I would question in your methods is 4D. If this was intended as natural, there is not much point looking for a fit in the 4th suit starting at the 4-level. However, he may just have wanted to see what you would do next.
I play 2D = game forcing, 2H = negative, 2S would be 5+ spades headed by KQ or better. This would also allow the bidding to begin 2C - 2D - 2H - 2S.
Here’s one of my favorite hands from a bridge book:
You have a novice overbidding partner and your opponents are sound. You wind up declaring a 7 hearts grand slam with this:
S: A74
H: AJ93
D: K842
C: K3
Neither opp bid. The lead is the spade king and partner tables this:
S: 653
H: K42
D: AJ
C: A9542
++++
Time to find a new partner. Ugh. You are going to need to find an improbable favorable lie of the cards to make this silly grand slam. But even if you get very lucky that way, how can you do it? Your opponents are good, so they will not misplay.
Recently (#455) I posted a hand that at least two of us found too strong for opener to jump rebid his suit. Here’s a hand which may be too weak: - AQ95 Q9 AJ97652
Both vul, you deal and open One Club; then hearing One Spade from partner. What is your rebid?
I jumped to Three Clubs. Partner, with 17 hcp, jumped to Blackwood. Partner has singleton QC but bid and made 6NT because Qx clubs were doubleton. (We missed 4-4 heart fit.)
I’m with Quartz here. 3C looks obvious, but showing the 4-card Heart suit is better.
And don’t worry about being too weak. That hand is massive opposite any sort of fit.
Biotop, your hand is annoying me. I can make it on any lead but a Spade, but knocking out the AS leaves me an entry short.
Our hero declarer is planning to ask his partner to marry him after their evening of bridge. He is worried she will not accept him… unless he somehow makes the impossible heart grand slam she overbid against their very strong opps.
He is about to give up when suddenly he sees there is still a possibility. If the cards lie just right…
I had a nice escape the other night. I am playing in 3NT and have DAxx in dummy and DKQ9xxx in hand. I had a presentiment of trouble and thought about the play. If diamonds split I have no problems, but 4-0 is another matter. I can’t avoid a loser if RHO is void but if LHO is void then there’s a marked finesse thanks to that magic 9. So I played the Ace, and LHO shows out! Two finesses and a drop later, I’m making my contract with an overtrick for a clear top.
T9632
K7
Q7
QJT7
AK 
AKJTxx 
AKxx 
Q (I’m not quite sure) and opened 2C. I held