From: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu (R. Bharat Rao)
Subject: Re: Bidding problem
Reply-To: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 15:56:07 GMT

davidm@voltaire.Rational.COM (David Moore) writes:
>>In article <1992Nov10.213924.5962@m.cs.uiuc.edu> bharat@cs.uiuc.edu writes:
>>>>> (Dennis Kibler) writes:
>>>>> > No opposition bidding, 2/1 with WJS.
>>>>> > North deals and opens 1 spade. South responds 2 clubs.
>>>>> > Now what?
>> 
>>>>> >   North: QJxxxx, AKQx, xxx,--
>> 
>>>>> >   South: K10x, xx,Axx,AKQxx

>>>>>     1S   2C
>>>>>     2H   2S
>>>>>     3C   3D
>>>>>     3H   4C
>>>>>     4H   5N
>>>>>     6S   P

>>>Agreed - a 5-4-1-3 or so...

>This does not seem right to me. Surely the 2S bid is showing real
>spade support rather than just preference since we are in a game
>forcing sequence whatever South bids (except perhaps 3C if playing
>Lawrence style). With only 2 card support, some number of NT would
>be indicated.

I said in my post that 2S should show 3 spades, but (though not
relevant here) an NT bid must show the unbid suit - diamonds -
stopped).

>That being the case, it is highly unlikely that 4C could be anything
>but a splinter( Gerber? :-)). 

Why in the world would you want to splinter in partners primary suit.
A good agreement (even in a practiced partnership -- and yes, I would
take this as the default) would be "you never splinter in partners
suit".  A stiff (or a void) opposite partners suit is a BAD thing to
have -- why get all excited and jump to show it...

>As for 3C, this is clearly a slam try. 

Why should it be a slam try?  After North opnes with 1S-2C-2H-2S,
remember South is still unlimited at this point.  Do you want North to
NOT show support for clubs with a minimum.  North is not making a slam
try here -- actually it IS a MILD slam try; by patterning out North is
showing that his hand has benn improved with the bidding and the
double fit...

>If North
>wanted to make a slam try in clubs, he would have started with 3C directly 
>over 2C. Therefore, in the absence of another agreement, I would expect
>3C to be a cue bid. 

Why are you in such a hurry to begin cue-bidding?  the first
requirement for a slam in TWELVE tricks.  Someone asked how to improve
their slam bidding, and the suggestion was to drop Blackwood.  Now
this is similar -- while cue bids in general are a good thing, you
don't begin Q-bidding until you think you have near enough  tricks for
slam.  

Now if you can bid the slam quantitatively, thats fine, but most of
the time (barring a long running suit) you need a source of tricks ===
a double fit is a good place to begin looking.  Thats all the 3C bid
says -- you have a double fit in the black suits and partner can now
make moves forward.  Now occasionally you will miss a 29-30 point slam
when both partners take a cautious view, but you will avoid going down
in many more...

It has been pointed out ad nauseum that "Blackwood is misused" and a
good Q-bidding sequence should be a good idea in general; but even
cue-bidding can be misused --- don;t even think of Q-bidding away
until you have enough tricks -- not that early cue are a bad thing,
but they should not be misused ...

for example, after 1S-2H-2S- a 3D bid would be taken as natural.  But
if the auction continued as 1S-2H-2S-3D-3N-4S North would realize that
3D was an advance cue bid pinpointing club weakness -- perhaps a hand
like (assuming 2S did not show a minimum nor promise 6 as I play it )
KJx,KQxxx,AKx,xx .. with AQxxxx,xx,xx,AKx you can get to a very nice
slam... 

>Knowing that partner has 3 cards (presumably with
>a fitting honour) in clubs might be very useful information to South, but 
>having the 3C bid mean this seems to me to be rather unusual. 

You can p[lay it as a cue bid, but I think you will find that the VAST
majority of good 2/1 (or SA) players will play that it shows a double
fit...

Bharat
--
R. Bharat Rao                          E-mail: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu 
AI Group, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
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Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana
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