[haver]

Scoring: IMP

Bidding goes:
South 1CL
West pass
North 1HE
East pass
South 2CL
West pass
North 3HE
East pass
South ???

---

You r South, partner is an expert - agreed sys is Sayc - it is first time u play together. What do u know about partner hand and what do you bid?

[Walddk]

ACBL Standard Yellow Card System Booklet tells us that responder's jump rebid in own suit shows 11-12 hcp and a decent 6-carder. This is a close decision vulnerable at IMPs.

♥J must be a nice filler, and my two aces point towards game. Much better holding than KQ and KQ. The final question is how much ♠Q counts. It all depends on what responder has. It can be worth nothing and it can be pure gold.

Worth nothing opposite xxx, worth gold opposite KJx.

KJx
AQ10xxx
Jx
xx

would be a very good hand, but it's still not enough to make a heart game. However, if responder could be as good as

KJx
AK109xx
xx
xx

or even better

J10x
AK109xx
Kxx
x


you have decent play for game.

This is really touch and go, and maybe the vulnerability should pursuade you to raise. This could easily be wrong and it should not come as a surprise if we go down. Partner rarely has the cards you want her to have.

I think it's fair to say that both pass and 4♥ are reasonable bids with opener's hand on this auction.

Roland

[FrancesHinden]

I would raise. Not because I think it's necessarily right, but because I know that many people play 3H as forcing here, and I'm sure a fairly large percentage of them aren't aware that it's non-forcing in SAYC.

If I am certain partner knows it's non-forcing I would pass.

[joker_gib]

Agree with Roland and I still don't know what to choose from pass or 4♥ at this vul.

Alain

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Pass.

3H is a limit bid, i.e. showing a 6 card heart suit,
10-12 HCP, roughly 8 loosers.

You have 2 1/2 cover cards for partner, so he may
or may not make 3H.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[sceptic]

I think he has a hand that cant open, so maybe 10+hcp and has 6 hearts probably good ones, I don't think it is forcing and he has no interest anywhere else, prob 2!S losers poss1C and poss1!D and poss a heart loser so I think I would pass, even if we were vuln at imps, if I had Jx hearts and one less club I would raise to game

if he makes 6 heart tricks and 2 aces you still need him to come up with 2 more winners

[helene_t]

FrancesHinden, on Mar 16 2006, 11:33 AM, said:

I would raise. Not because I think it's necessarily right, but because I know that many people play 3H as forcing here, and I'm sure a fairly large percentage of them aren't aware that it's non-forcing in SAYC.

If I am certain partner knows it's non-forcing I would pass.

Count me in. I play this as forcing in both partnersships and I wouldn't be able to tell if it was forcing in sayc.

[kenberg]

Given the opponents silence I suppose partner has at least a few spades to go with his hearts. Let's give him

Kxx
AKQTxx
xx
xx

I see nine tricks.

Possibly he should bid 2S or 2NT over 2C with this, but I wouldn't place to heavy a bet on it.

Change the spade king to the spade ace (with which I would have bid 4H) and I see a 50% chance for ten tricks. Nine in NT but ...

I suppose I could try 3NT. Nine tricks if partner has the ace of spades and hearts run, or if partner has the K of spades and I get a spade lead rather than a diamond. Even Jxx in spades might work out if the opponents are in a coma.

The scoring is imps and we are vulnerable. I suppose I bid the fool game, and in hearts not NT, on the grounds that my aces are tricks and my jack of hearts is a trick, so there we go. Maybe we'll get lucky. My partner is an expert it says. Let's test his declarer skills.

I guess 4H.

Ken

[Kalvan14]

If he is an old expert, I'll bid 4♥: more chances that he considers 3♥ forcing; otherwise it is a clear-cut pass

3N would be nice: pard might have Jxx AKQxxx xx xx, and the lead is certainly spade

[Fluffy]

I fully agree with Frances

[haver]

During bidding didnt 2CL limit the openers hand? If so - why jump to 3HE less u want to go on opposite even a minimum hand with probably 6 CL as a feature in it? I think if it isnt forcing - then the jump is meaningless + risky..., dont u agree? If u dont, give me 1 good reason for the non-forcing jump opposite a 1CL-2CL limited opening bid.

[luis]

In your context 4♥ is automatic.
Not only you can make a game when 3♥ was invitational (heart J = good)
But you also cover against the chance that your pd intended 3♥ as forcing.
So I would protect with a 4♥ bid and find out what 3♥ was for pd for future reference.

Luis

[kenberg]

haver, on Mar 17 2006, 10:46 AM, said:

During bidding didnt 2CL limit the openers hand? If so - why jump to 3HE less u want to go on opposite even a minimum hand with probably 6 CL as a feature in it? I think if it isnt forcing - then the jump is meaningless + risky..., dont u agree? If u dont, give me 1 good reason for the non-forcing jump opposite a 1CL-2CL limited opening bid.

It's easy to give one good reason, whether yuo will agree or want to play that way is of course another matter.
1C-1H
2C-2H

This is almost certain to be passed.

If you hold a hand that most likely but not certainly wants to be in 4H then you don't bid 2H, you bid 3H. Partner will usually go on but, if heartless and dead minimum, can pass.

The example hand seems to be pretty much dead minimum, but not heartless, so you go on. If the J of hearts was the deuce of spades, you would pass.



Right or wrong, it's not a crazy way to play.