[cwiggins]

How would you bid the following hands? South is dealer and the North-South hands are:

S-Kx
H-KQxx
D-Axxxxx
C-x

S-xx
H-Axx
D-KJ10x
C-KJxx

Assume the bidding starts:
1D 1H
1N 2D
2H 3D
?

2H shows 3 hearts.
3D shows a GF or better in diamonds

At this point what do South's bids mean?

Maybe:
3H = ? clubs stopped but not spades?
3S = spade stopper but no club stopper for 3NT
3N = at least one stopper in both spades and clubs
4C = ?
4D = Minimum and diamonds? Or any strength and diamonds? (I.e. is "2D GF" forcing to 5D or to Q-Game (3NT or 4 of suit)?
4H = ?
4S = ?
4N =
5D = ?


Insights would be appreciated.

[mike777]

edit

[awm]

Wouldn't really occur to me that I should bid 1NT with the south hand rather than raise hearts. This will probably lead to a fairly comfortable 4♥ contract.

In any case, after the 3♦ rebid I'd expect 3♥ to be south's next call, a cuebid for diamonds. North will probably try 3♠ over this and south will bid 3NT, which will likely end the auction. I'd slightly prefer 4♥ by north or even 3NT by north, but 3NT south is around 50% to make (spade ace onside, or spades not lead, along with diamonds not 3-0 on the wrong side).

[luke warm]

cwiggins, on Aug 11 2006, 11:36 PM, said:

How would you bid the following hands?

S-Kx
H-KQxx
D-Axxxxx
C-x

S-xx
H-Axx
D-KJ10x
C-KJxx

i would bid it:

1nt : 2d=gf
3d : 3h
3s : 5d

3d=4/4 minors, 3h=relay
3s=2344, 5d=rosenkrantz suggestion to bid game in the minor when both have a doubleton in a suit... probably 4h is better *this* time

[keylime]

S-Kx
H-KQxx
D-Axxxxx
C-x

S-xx
H-Axx
D-KJ10x
C-KJxx

Opening South:

1NT - 2D
2NT (shows your hand) - 3D
3H (stop showing) - 5D (spades are bad, clubs under control).

[1eyedjack]

If we are trying it out on our pet methods, with me it would go:
1N-2C
2H-3H
3S-3N
P

Not terribly elegant contract, mainly because it is wrong-sided. Slightly less than 50% (assuming a guaranteed Spade lead) but alternative games don't seem much huger. Spade Ace has been known to be on the right side.

2C showed Hearts or a balanced hand
2H denied 4 Hearts and showed minimum values
3H showed a game forcing red 2-suiter with Club shortage
3S asks after a 5th Heart
3N denies a 5th Heart (and therefore shows 5th D, albeit not 6th) and limits responder's values.
With KJxx opposite the shortage, opener elects for 3N rather than red suit game.

Still, we would also have ended in the superior 3N if opener had held
Qx
Axx
Kxxx
Kxxx
where you have added chances in Spades, and we would have ended in 6D if opener had held
Ax
Axx
KJTx
xxxx

After opener's 2H rebid responder could have elected to relay for shape, but this would not have helped as you get to 3H without learning enough about opener's shape (just that he has no 4 card major and minimum values). It might help because the next relay (3S) may get doubled for a lead - a lead that his partner would likely have found without the double, but now you are put on notice of the danger. But I would not have used the relay continuations with this hand anyway.