[inquiry]

Hi,

I witnessed this auction where the 2/1 pair and the kibitzers all seemed to have different interpretations. I am not sure that my method here is ideal. How do YOU play this auction and what do other balancing bids over 3C (I assume everyone plays 3C-P-P-DBL as at least cooperative if not outright penalty, but if you play a balance double here as takeout, say so).

Ben

[Free]

I play this natural, and slightly invitational. If p is strong, he could've doubled, and I don't want to waste a bid for a REtransfer...

[inquiry]

Thanks for your reply free. I suspect we will find a lot of answers here, or maybe none, as people may not have a specific agreement. I will say two things. First, I treat it differently than you, but you would have been in excellent agreement with the player who made the bid at the table i was kibitizing (not his partner however, nor quite a few of the kibitizers). I really am curious to see how people play this one or if not how they actually play it, how they think in a perfect world it should be played (BTW, I have not voted in the poll yet).

Ben

[inquiry]

Here is how I play this, after my 2D jacoby transfer, by agreement, we have "found a fit" (true partner may have a doubleton, but ok). In auctions after we have found a fit, I play doubles as cooperative. So partner could not double clubs with say 4-3-4-2 hand as "takeout", nor can I double 3C without at least some expectation that partner will pass.

So how do I treat this situation? I treat a 3H bid by me to play, and since there is no room left, I treat a 3D bid by me as a general game try, that is offensively oriented (defensive hand I will make a cooperative double). What is the down side, sometimes they steal 3C when I really d have a red two suiter and we could play 3D (if partner passed). Upside, I can invite game clearly through a cooperative double or this 3D bid. Perhaps this is not the best treatment.

Now what if they had overcalled 3D instead of 3C? In this one situation, I use the dbl as the general game try...sort of a "maximal" double. Partner can pass with the appropriate hand. If I have a game try hand and short in their suit, I just go ahead and bid game (partner didn't make a double of their bid, so he should not have too much wasted in it).

During the game, a few kibitzer called this auction identical to...
1N-P-2D-P; 2H-P-3D <<--- and said 3D was game force

A few others thought it was a retransfer to hearts showing game invite stregnth. Still others thought is showed a very weak hand with both red suits and was passable. AT the table, the 3D bidder was basically broke (xxx QJxxx Txxx x), and his partner leaped to game.. His partner thought 3D showed both red suits, but was game forcing.

It is interesting to see how people treat different auctions, especially ones that don't come up very often, but really should not be that unexpected. If you haven't discussed this one with your partner, maybe this post will stir you to do so, and to consider general rules. My rule is easily applied to these hands... after the transfer, we assume to have a fit so we use normal interferce rules as if the bidding had gone 1H-P-2H-overcall... and bidding proceeds.

Ben

[EricK]

I am a simple soul. I think that this should mean the same as 1NT 2D 2H 3D in an uncontested auction. Why should we let the opps disrupt our constructive bidding?

So for me this is Hearts and Diamonds game forcing. Since I am prepared not to able to play in 3D if the opps don't bid, I am willing to give up that opportunity when they do.

Eric

[luis]

3h is to play 3c is penalties.
3d is just forcing to game. May or may not have diamonds.
Sort-of GF relay.

Luis

[inquiry]

Lous, vote other in the poll.. although your "general game force" is not horribly different from my game try. I mean, the one thing opener can not do is pass 3D in my reply, so if he bids 3H and I do have game forcing hand, I can simply make another call... I guess where we differ is that if partner bids 3H only, I can pass.

Eric, if that "diamond and heart, GF" vote is not yours, please vote it as that is what your message said. I really would like to track the various ways this bid is played.

ben

[flytoox]

i will play it as h+d gf. pd passed 3h, he should be min and only doubleton h. retransfer does mk much sense here i think. do u really want to play a partscore 3d? i doubt it. if u have 5-5 or better, i might bid a game. so i will play it as gf.

[luke warm]

my first thought was, this is a hand where responder *has* to have opener the declarer in hearts, and this is simply a retransfer with an aim at bidding 4H

heck, that's my 2nd thought too