What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for April 2006

The best submission for the month of April was made by John William Gross.

Hand: At West, as dealer, I held the hand with both red suits.

A  AKQ1043  KQ7543  -

76432  -  982  AK987

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
	1	P	1NT	P
	4	P	5	All Pass

Comments: I was very tempted to bid 6but decided that the uncertainties were too great.  With RHO holding AJ bare in diamonds, 6was no problem. We play a fairly standard 5-card major system, with "Benjamin" 2/2reversed. I do not like to open strong 2-suiters like this with a Benjamin opening bid. I feel it often leads to problems in telling partner about the two suits before the level is too high.
For this reason I opened 1, crossing my fingers that it would not be passed out. When partner showed a mere 1NT response I chose to rebid 4to let her know that I was strong but not interested in a notrump contract. Already at that stage I was only vaguely hoping for a slam.
Support of my diamond suit made me think harder about the slam, but I decided not to.
Do you think I was right? And can you suggest any other auction(s) that may have enabled us to reach the slam?

And Peter’s Response:

Hi John,
I too, prefer to open at the one level when holding an extreme 2 suiter, although with a one loser hand, I might have relented and started with a strong 2 bid.
Be that as it may, I don't mind the 1 start. That is the end of my admiration for the auction.

The 1NT response is poor. 1 is the standard action and any effort to diagnose partner’s hand shape from here will be based on the assumption that it does not contain 4 or more spades.
Given the 1NT response, 3 is the normal rebid. 3 is natural and game forcing. Over the likely 3NT rebid, I would continue with 4.

If partner happened to raise 3 to 4, I would be seeking to bid a grand slam by following up with 5NT. 5NT here is a Grand Slam ask about diamonds.

Even on your auction, if partner preferred diamonds to hearts, I would continue with 5NT.
You couldn't keep me out of less than 6 after partner responded 1NT.

The chances of partner holding less than 3 diamonds while holding less than 4 spades and less than 3 hearts, is fairly low. Once partner prefers diamonds to hearts it is almost nil.

If partner turned up with ace of diamonds after I enquired about trump honours, I would be pretty OK about having a crack at 7, settling in 6 if partner did not own up to the ace.

My view of how the auction ought to have gone is this –

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
	1	Pass	1	Pass
	3	Pass	3NT	Pass
	4	Pass	5*	Pass
	5NT	Pass	6/*	Pass
	Pass or 6 conversion if necessary			All Pass

 * 5 Agrees diamonds and shows first round control in clubs.
** 6/ Depending on method, denies first or second round diamond control.
6/Pass (depending on partner's previous bid).

Regards
Peter Fordham

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