[ArcLight]

You are South, North opens.

Scoring: IMP

Pard opens 1♠

---

1. RHO passes, How do you respond?

Lets say you make a 2/1 (Game Force) and bid 2♣


2. Pard (opener) rebids 2♠, not promising extra length. He just doesn't have anything noteworthy, like a 2nd suit or a self sustaining trump suit.

RHO now bids 3♥. (opps are pick up pards, intermediates)
How do you bid? (You are vulnerable, opps are not.)


3. You are vulnerable, and decide to investiage game and slam. But the 3 small trumps are a concern. Since you haven't agreed trumps, you are afraid to cue bid, so you bid 4♥ to show good support. You didn't splinter or bid Jacoby 2NT earlier, so pard shouldn't expect more than 3 trumps.

4. Pard bids 4♠ in response to your 4♥
How do you bid?
Pass, Blackwood, Other?

[mikeh]

I agree with 2♣.


After 3♥, I'm sorry, but slam is not so clearly in the picture that I will give up on an easy 800 or more (and I vote for more.... if we can make slam, we may get 1400 here...heck we may get 1100 when 650 is the limit). I vote for a very loud double.

Partner will pull with a void, but otherwise I expect him to pass and at some point lead a trump through declarer, preferably after we have tapped him once or twice.

I am butressed in my double by knowing that RHO (declarer) is a bad player... no good player would pass 1♠ and then bid 3♥. So he will probably compress the play even if he should be able to get out relatively cheaply.

If I choose to bid 4♥ (and I would not), then I would guess to make one more try... I'd bid 5♠... it is tough to construct a hand on which we lack 5 level safety and I think that this call is a general non-specific slam try (altho not concerned about ♥s)... a hand on which the answer to keycard would not help.

Now, if you or partner are keycard addicts, then maybe he'll take a non keycard bid here as something subtle, such as 'do you control the ♦ suit?', but that is not my view of the appropriate meaning.

[inquiry]

Stop at 2... when RHO bids 3H, I double. There is no 4H bid, there is no decision to make over 4S. 3Hx is enough for me... visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.

[kenrexford]

1. RHO passes, How do you respond?

Lets say you make a 2/1 (Game Force) and bid 2♣

I agree with this start. I have spade support and two top club cards. If partner bids hearts, I can easily switch. In a cuebidding sequence to follow, I want to be able to cuebid clubs to show two top honors, and I want partner to be able to cuebid the club Queen.


2. Pard (opener) rebids 2♠, not promising extra length. He just doesn't have anything noteworthy, like a 2nd suit or a self sustaining trump suit.

RHO now bids 3♥. (opps are pick up pards, intermediates)
How do you bid? (You are vulnerable, opps are not.)

I simply bid 3♠, setting trumps. I don't see the immediate need to cuebid 4♥ (which should show a different hand, anyway), because I am fine with doubling 5♥. This gives us much more room.


3. You are vulnerable, and decide to investiage game and slam. But the 3 small trumps are a concern. Since you haven't agreed trumps, you are afraid to cue bid, so you bid 4♥ to show good support. You didn't splinter or bid Jacoby 2NT earlier, so pard shouldn't expect more than 3 trumps.

For reasons already explained, I do not like the 4♥ call. I expect 4♥ to show something like good trumps, heart control, and at best AJ10xx in clubs, no diamond control. Perhaps KQx-Axx-xx-AJ10xx.

4. Pard bids 4♠ in response to your 4♥
How do you bid?
Pass, Blackwood, Other?

Now, I am boxed in. This is the problem with the initial 4♥ call. If it just shows "extra stuff" and "slammish," Opener is unlikely to know what hand is "good stuff." Will he accept a 4♥ probe with AKQxx-xxx-xxx-Qx? Will he decline with KJxxx-x-KQJx-Qxx?

Sure, slam is probably on, and the five-level is probably safe. But, what do I do next? 5♠, asking for good trumps? I suppose that is my solution. But, does 5♠ ask for heart control? I think 5♥ should ask that question.

[mike777]

1) 1Major=4c=3334 17+ I got the convention so I better use it .
Agree 2clubs if not.

[blackshoe]

I'm with the doublers.

[kenrexford]

Having not noticed this option, I now must profess. 3♥X looks very nice.

[microcap]

This hand reflects a more common problem that 2/1 partnerships always need to discuss, as this hand type comes up all the time, and most of the time, opps wont bail you out with a goofy 3♥ bid for you to double to oblivion.

1) How many cards does a 2/1 bid promise? Most play that 2♥ over 1♠ absolutely promises 5+. But what about ♦ and ♣? I am not offering an opinion, just make sure your partner remembers that your ♣ could be as few as 3 cards.

2) What is your agreement about openers simple suit rebid in a 2/1 sequence? How good a hand can 2♠ show? Does 2NT show extras? Does a raise of the minor show extras? Does a new suit show extras?

Everyone will have an opinion---just make sure you and partner have discussed these questions as they come up constantly in 2/1 bidding.

JW, on behalf of Rex.

[ArcLight]

>This hand reflects a more common problem that 2/1 partnerships always need to discuss, as this hand type comes up all the time, and most of the time, opps wont bail you out with a goofy 3♥ bid for you to double to oblivion.

It turns out the 3♥ overcaller had
♠A J x
♥T 9 8 7 6
♦A x x
♣x x

3♥X (pard had Kx in hearts) on a spade lead would have resulted in:

Declarer winning pards Q with the A, ruffing a spade, return to hand with the ♦A and ruffing the last ♠.
Losses would be 4♥ , 2♣, and maybe a ♦.
-500 vs -620 for the cold 4♠.

I was quite surprised to see a 3♥ overcall with that hand!
Quite off shape, with a lot of defense

On a low heart lead (not likely from AQJx with the heart bidder on your Right) and a heart continuation, pulling dummys trumps, results in declarer having to play trumps from his own hand, for 1-2 additional losers



1) How many cards does a 2/1 bid promise? Most play that 2♥ over 1♠ absolutely promises 5+.

We do, thats why I didn't respond 2♥ over 1♠.
A minor suit response will usually show 4+ but in some rare circumstances may show 3, in which case one bids Clubs.


>2) What is your agreement about openers simple suit rebid in a 2/1 sequence?

Does NOT show extra length, just denies anything else interesting to tell responder, like a 2nd suit.

>Does 2NT show extras? Shows stoppers and an NTish hand as an alternative

[mike777]

With controls in all the suits and the vast majority of hcp a trump lead is not that surprising even from this holding. Club and trump shift is another option.

[keylime]

I very calmly double, and when my wonderful pard passes, I'll even be kind enough to lead the A of clubs to realize a trump shift is needed from AQJx.

I'll offer pard wet wipes to clean up the blood.

[kenrexford]

ArcLight, on Sep 9 2006, 09:02 AM, said:

1) How many cards does a 2/1 bid promise? Most play that 2♥ over 1♠ absolutely promises 5+.

We do, thats why I didn't respond 2♥ over 1♠.
A minor suit response will usually show 4+ but in some rare circumstances may show 3, in which case one bids Clubs.

The "which minor" question is an interesting one to contemplate.

If Responder has support for the major, to be shown later, the choice of which minor to bid should cater to the cuebidding techniques used. Personally, I will try to avoid a 2/1 into a minor with Axx(x), because:

(1) I do not want to hear a cue of the Queen (we cue any top honor in partner's suit, including the Queen)
(2) I do want to hear about shortness here (we only cue shortness in a side suit initially)
(3) I want to be able to cue this (bidding this suit, then a cue, shows two of the top three)

I will strain to bid a suit, in contrast, with AQx or KQx or AKx, for the inverse reason.

Default, however, is to clubs, among equals.