[sceptic]

1 D 2 C is this game force in 2/1 ?

[mikeh]

I suspect that this question is related to your other question re 1♦ 2♣ 2N 3♣

In my answer to that post, I made reference to a small segment of the bridge population using 1♦ 3♣ as natural, invitational. Indeed, that is part of (some players') 2/1: which allows the 2♣ response to be 100% gf.

So, again, it depends on your agreement

I know a large segment of 2/1 players use this sequence of 2♣ followed by 3♣ as non-forcing.

[foo]

sceptic, on May 16 2006, 03:11 PM, said:

1D- 2C;-?? is this game force in 2/1 ?

There are two popular styles of 2/1 GF.

In the simplest, =any= 2/1 in a lower ranking suit is 100% GF.
This is the most popular form of 2/1 GF currently played.

In the other, a 2/1 in a lower ranking suit is GF unless Responder rebids their suit.

Either is playable. Just make sure you and CHO are speaking the same language!

[blackshoe]

Heh. A friend of mine asked me to play 2/1 in a tournament with him last year. On the way home, discussing some of the hands, he informed me that 2♣ in the sequence 1♦-(P)-2♣ is most emphatically not forcing to game, ever.

I still think he's all wet.

[Gerardo]

You don't have the 1NT F1 bid over 1♦, so you must decide what to do with the 10-12 hands if 2♣ is GF, or play it SA-like (or have other agreements).

[blackshoe]

Yeah, I know. My point was that having read several different authors on 2/1 (Hardy, Lawrence, Thurston, others) I had not seen any of them say that 2♣ in response to 1♦ could never be game forcing. I didn't (and don't) play it that way, and I was surprised that my friend did.

If you have an unbalanced hand with no four card major, then you have ♦ support. With 10-12, make a limit raise. With more, make a GF raise. Worry about the clubs later. I play inverted raises as GF and criss-cross (JS in the other minor) as invitational raises, so the lack of a forcing NT doesn't bother me.

[Al_U_Card]

Like 1C-p-1D that tends to be weak unless responder reverses, 1D-p-2C is the one bid that doesn't need to show a reverse to have values.

A personal favorite is to play 1D-p-2C exactly like my inverted minor raise structure. It simplifies things.

[inquiry]

sceptic, on May 16 2006, 03:11 PM, said:

1 D 2 C is this game force in 2/1 ?

Yes and No.

This is a fuzzy area in 2/1 and each partnership has to decide for themselves. And many play it as a third option, "quasi-GF" meaning the auction can not stop below 3NT, but could end up in 4 of a minor.

I am of the quasi GF variety myself for this bid and for 1D-2D and 1C-2C as well. I can't remember the last time an auction went 1D-2C and we failed to bid game. BTW, I prefer Kokish relay for 1D-2C where, opener rebids"

• 2D with 5+ diamonds
  
• 2H with 4441 (stiff club)
  
• 2S strong club raise (surely GF)
  
• 2NT balanced min (in my case 13 or less hcp)
  
• 3C weak club raise, forcing, see quasi nature of this raise, auction can die in 4C
  
• 3D solid diamonds (source of tricks)
  
• 3M splinter for clubs (GF)
  
• 3NT - to strong for 1NT (in my case, 17-19)

I guess if you REALLY stretched to bid 2C and you are playing matchpoint, you could pass 2NT if you didn't think you had enough for game opposite a balanced 11-13.