About E: I am also thinking of 3
.
I start with this: If I bid 4
and partner bids 4
, surely I must pass. All partner has done is to respond 1
to my opening 1
(and then bid when forced). So he can have a 6 count and maybe some marginal four card heart holding.
OK, so if he is better he will do more. But how much better? With
Axxx and
Axxx we will, on the lead of the
K, be losing two
and a
, and that is only if
are 3-2. If pard has
A and
AKxx we can take the
K with the A, cash to high trump, maybe the Q will drop, sure maybe, but when the Q does not drop maybe we can pitch our losing clubs on the diamonds before they ruff in and cash another
. So maybe we can make 6
. And maybe not.
So: We have first round control of
, second round control of
, and a great source of tricks in
, all to the good. We have weak trumps. It's hard to imagine how we convey all of this to partner. So, echoing Jim, it seems I must find out, if I can, what partner has and then I must take the responsibility for bidding or not bidding the slam.
Afaik, bidding 3
just shows
and a decent hand. So I think 3
is reasonable. I assume that this is a
fit and that partner, at this point, will not think we are in a game force. So, if he bids a passable 3
, I will be comfortable raising to 4
. This does not show all of my features, but I think it does say "I was hoping for slam, but if you were willing to sign off in 3
I think I will settle for 4
". Or, if I still want to try over 3
, I could then bid 3
. Or I could bid 4
. But really I think if partner bids 3
, rejecting what he sees as a game invitation, I bid 4
. There is this song about how the age of miracles hasn't passed, but I go with 4
over 3
.