Stayman super accept

In a teams game, partnering terry Quested, after P, P all red I opened 1NT on:

Ax
K10xxx
Axx
KQx

In his No Trump Bidding book, Terry advocates super-accepting Stayman with a broken 5 card major and a maximum by a jump to 3 of the major. When RHO doubled Terry's 2C Stayman bid I naturally bid 3H, leading to 4H missed at the other table. My hand could not have been a more pure one for the treatment, especially with the double of 2C, and Terry's ultimate raise to 4H on 109xx, A9xxx, Qxx, x shows it off well. RHO erred slightly when he won the opening club lead with the Ace leading to an over-trick (giving me 2C winners instead of one) but 4 was always there.

You see, as arcane as most of it is, I have actually read Terry's NT bridge bidding book. SARS, Undefined Splinters, Quest Transfers/Relays ... they require a ream of memorized notes and are inappliccable to a simple club game. Some concepts like these Stayman super-accepts and transfer super-accepts, are quite useful a number of times.

Paul Quodomine

lots of slams

Partner opens 1S, (all white I believe), RHO bids 2S Michaels and you hold:

Q10
K10xx
void
AKQ9xxx

Your 3C natural and forcing is overcalled with 3D to your left, 3S by partner, and 4D to your right. What are your thoughts here?

I reasoned that 4S was unlikely to be allowed to play. How to send multiple messages? I bid 4S "knowing" I'd get another shot.
.
A) My spade support is "secondary". A D tap may cause a loss of control.
B) My clubs are playable opposite minimal support. (certainly no less than what I had).
C) I control D, you have little there if anything and thus have useful cards for me on the side.
D) When I bid 6C over 5D I would like you to look explicitly at that suit and pass or correct given the context.

Sure enough after P, P, RHO bid 5D. I now trotted out 6C, doubled to my left. Terry got the message(s) and passed holding:

KJ9xxx
AQxx
Jx
J10

The only making slam. LHO was Axx, x, Axxxx, xxxx. RHO xx, K9xxx, KQxxxx, void. Yes, of course RHO should have bid 5D earlier, but didn't.

Len Comment:

It will almost always be right to play this in clubs (at IMPs anyway). If you have a club loser, you wont be able to avoid it in spades.

On the other hand, I wouldn't bother to splinter--you know you're going to at least 6S, so an immediate RKC seems best.

Paul Reply

On the "monster" you may well be right, an immediate RKCB can't hurt and may keep the opponents out of the auction. I kind of felt that my way put partner in the picture at all times and would have him discount wasted D values such as AKJxx. Of course if he had bid 5D over 5NT showing the D king I'd have continued with 5H asking for the H king.


________________________________

Holding Jxx, QJxxx, AQ10x, x Partner opens 1H in first seat overcalled 1S. Terry bid 4C (Splinter) and it went 4S to my right. I was now able to infer the diamond strength and leaped to 6H holding A, AKxxx, J9xx, A10x. With H 2-1 it was cold ... and I didn't make the mistake of ducking the low D lead and suffering a ruff.

Partner opens in second seat, Red, 1S. I held:
AQJxx, AQx, x, AKxx. Naturally I had anticipated opening 2C but now had other things to deal with. Easy hand. After 4D, 4S, a simple RKCB auction with partner showing 2 without, then over 5NT the heart K I trusted him to have the club Q or a doubleton, or some squeeze position or finesse. 7S was laydown, but never bid elsewhere. What was the WORST he could hold? Kxxxx, Kx, AQJ10, xx?

His hand: Kxxxx, Kxx, Ax, Qxx.

Easy game bridge, really.

These hands were played on Mon 3rd August and the complete deals and results can be seen in the results section of the Pattaya bridge club web site.


Paul Quodomine