A humorous occurrence.
I was sitting the wrong direction in a team game, meaning that I simply had the opportunity to pop up some popcorn and watch the opponents either shine or botch up a slam auction. The result was a horror flick, apparently also at the other table.
I cannot remember the hands even remotely, except that Responder has 4441 pattern (stiff club) and that Opener had a big 17-count. At one table, 1NT was the opening. At the other, 2D (17+ to 19, balanced). The goal contract was, of course, 7D. Neither team made it to the promised land.
So, I later asked my wife, who has 120 ACBL Masterpoints and is very much a newbie player, how she would bid the hand. I opened 1NT for her, and provided her hand.
Her approach was simple. She decided to use our 4♣ convention, not Gerber but quantitative. If I had held a minimum, I would bid 4NT to "sign off," and she would probably bid 6NT. As it was, I had a maximum and started bidding my suits up-the-line. 4D. This suited her, at IMPs. So, as my acceptance forced us beyond 4NT, 4NT by her was Blackwood (yes, Blackwood -- we have not stepped into RKCB yet). After my answer, she asked for Kings, and, what the Heck, "7D! Did I do good???"
Well, she outscored the two folks bidding in the finals of the top bracket KO.
Some neat little tools are not all that sexy, but effective nonetheless.
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