Conference turris::bridge

  Well, yes, I'd have bid 2H, planning to go 4NT later.  Why not hear
 partner's rebid ?

  In any case, you're going at least 6D, so ask for kings.  If SK, bid 7NT.

  Assuming no SK, you see the folly of your ways.  You don't want to be
 in 7D opposite xx Axx Axxxx Axx, really, but as little as xx Ax Axxxxx Axx
 is fine.  Sure wish I'd heard  a 2NT rebid with the first, 3D with the
 second.

  And notice xx AJx AJxxx AQx is 7NT anyways.  Again, partner would have shown
 extra strength over 2H.  No way to get there now.

  I suppose 7D is a reasonable gamble.  It should have some play or other.

  bb

My inclination would be to bid 3H (GF) over 2D. It brings partner
into the slam decision process and is certainly more economical than
4NT. I'm not sure how the bidding might proceed, but after bidding
only 2H you must make the slam try decision by yourself later in
the auction. I'm convinced that you must waste bidding space somewhere
and sooner is better than later.

By the way, why are you so certain that partner has 5 diamonds?
What do you respond with 2-4-4-3 shape and about 10 HCP?

Dave

	I would have bid 2H if forcing, 3H if not.  I might bid 3H anyways
	as a strong jump shift and let partner decide whether to go on.

	I have a moose in support of diamonds, but I'd like to hear another
	bid from partner before I go flying off into RKCB.  Partner may have
	spade support and spades may be the right strain.  Fortunately, this
	is IMPs, so it doesn't matter that much.

	I have the D-KQ, so I'm not concerned that partner may think another
	suit is trump by the time I get around to blackwood.  And if spades
	become trump I find out about the SK right away.  If I bid hearts
	now, and later bid 4N, 5N, and 6D, partner will know we have all
	the keycards and that I'm 5-4-3-1 - which may be enough for him to
	bid the grand.

	In the auction given, I guess I ask for Kings - 7NT looks pretty
	good if partner has SK.  (Still looking at the MPs view, I guess)

	-Dave

2H could be passed (say, on x-Axx-Axxxxx-xxx, x-xxx-AJxxx-Axxx, even
xx-Axx-AJxxx-xxx, etc.), so you need 3H. In the actual case either
2H or 3H will get you 3N. Now what? 4C Gerber, followed by 4N for
kings? Or 4N, which may be construed as quantitative? Still, why do you
think pard will assume D as trump?

Personally I consider the obvious H rebid as placebo, that could
create more confusion that it could resolve. What do you do on 4H/3H
(that could be on HAxx).  Even opposite a 2-4-4-3 hand, H-contract is not 
necessarily better (eg, which holding gives opps less chance of a trick: 
KQxx - Axxx, or KQx - AJxx ?).
          
Or: 4S/3H or 4S/2H or 3S/2H (when 2H is forcing), responder holding Sxxx 
or SKxx or even SKx (say, Kx-Ax-AJxxx-xxx). Now, 4N-RKCB would assume 
S-trump and you dont know exactly which are pard key-cards.

One thing seems pretty clear - the number of pard aces is the top-most 
slam-factor. If you think SK is paramount to a grand (which is not), you 
still have 5S-cab or 5N-asking-for-kings available. But it's the number
of pard maj cards + club-ruffs needed +...now that should decide, and 
there's no way you can make sure of that. I felt tired, and just bid 6D. 
(If pard had SK he'd have gone 7D, as I have S-suit + SA + DK + extras
for 4N.) 13 tr.  Both hands:
                xx-Ax-Axxxxx-Axx
                AQxxx-KQxx-KQx-K
Swap Dx for Cx and there's no grand to bid.

    

  You know, it's interesting that after 1S-2D-2H or 3H-? responder might
 NOT rebid his diamonds here, even though that turns out to make life
 very easy for opener.  From responder's point of view, his suit is too
 ragged and his values too spread.  He'd be tempted by 2S or 2NT, leaving
 opener's problem unsolved.  After all, responder doesn't think of slam yet.
 Over a 3H jump, he might decide to bid 3NT to limit his hand, similarly.

  Note also that in a well-designed big club system, there will be no
 problem, since responder will show 6+ diamonds and 3 aces, and 7D will
 be reached without fuss.

  bb

>	Both hands:
>                xx-Ax-Axxxxx-Axx
>                AQxxx-KQxx-KQx-K

	1S-2D-2H-3C-3D-3H-3S-4C-4H-5D-5H-5N-7D

	3C = 4SGF
	3D = Sets trump, shows singleton or void in clubs by inference
	3H,3S,4C,4H = cuebids
	5D = nothing more to say
	5H = grand try (Must be HQ)
	5N = GSF
	7D = Got it.

    Agree with BB that big club makes life much easier.
    Sequence in 0.6 relies on both hands being seen by both bidders.
    Normally 1S-2D-2H-3C-3D-3N/4D-??, as responder just has the
    strength for a game when opener shows nothing extra by 1S...2H.
    Cue-bidding certainly most unsuitable for opener's hand, yet he
    lets himself being dictated, rather than assuming control.
    Even if HQ somehow(?) implied, CK is vital, yet no-one can
    really appreciate that. Opener would bid the same with a simple
    C-singleton.

1S-2D-3H-? and you are off. If I'm responder holding 3 aces and
opener jump shifts, I would insist on at least 6 of something. Therefore
I would bid out my distribution and NOT propose to stop at 3NT.
Now the bidding can continue: -4D-4N-<3 aces/keycards>-5N-6C-7D, figuring
on 1 spade, 3 hearts, 6 diamonds, 2 clubs, and a club ruff (no heart or
spade support implies a 3rd club). You ask for kings because the spade
king would give you 7NT.

Dave

    Dave, of course, if one bids H (as is most natural) it should be 
    3H/2D-non-GF. But what about responder having xx-Axx-Axxxxx-Ax? 
    No grand there as opposed to the actual case. Hence, the question is: 
    could one be confident re grand without SK. Seemingly not.
    Indeed, opener does NOT need to ask about SK. The very fact that he
    goes 4N/2D-non-GF implies top values for 1S (and is stronger than
    jump-shift, with Benj Acol, where opener may have AQxxx-KQxx-Kxx-K). 
    Then, if responder has SK on top of his 3 aces, he'd go 7D/6D himself. 

Even with xx-Axx-Axxxxx-Ax you could get a 3-3 heart split or find both the
length in hearts and the spade K on side for a squeeze. Or, if they don't
find the initial spade lead, you may be able to fall back on the spade finesse.
Not a good 7D, but it should have some sort of play.

Dave