[DWM]

At the moment I play 15-17 NT with simple checkback stayman.

When we have auctions such as

1H - 1S
1NT - 2D

Should this be taken as forcing or is there milage in using it for week hands with at least 5-5 distribution in the suits bid?

[whereagles]

I think this depends on where you live In old-fashioned European style, 2♦ is 4♠-5♦ sign-off.

[pbleighton]

I use it as new minor forcing, showing 8+ hcp and 5 hearts.

Peter

[skjaeran]

In the "old" days it showed 4♠5+♦ to play.
Playing check-back Stayman, it should/could have the same meaning.

These days I play xy-NT, where 2♣ is a puppet to 2♦, either to play or as a start of an inv, and 2♦ is conventional GF.

[inquiry]

What the others are saying is that on this auction, 2♦ can be natural (and weak thus to play), or it can be conventional and forcing.

It turns out, that on most of the weak hands, you will prefer to play in 1NT, or a known fit (should you hold clubs), or in your long suit (should you hold six or so). So the upside to 2♦ being a "I am weak and can not stand to play 1NT" is fairly low. At at best you move from one low level contract (1NT) to another one (2D). There are an entire host of invitiational and or strong hands, where you would like to gentle explore the best contract (especially if you partner might rebid 1NT over your 1H when balanced and holding 4 spades or 3 hearts). To just jump to game (say 3NT) might miss some better contracts. And to create a forcing jump to 3 of a minor on a non-exisiting second suit just to force (if 2D is not forcing and artificial) might get you to an embarrashingly bad contract. So since the both the rewards for more accurate bidding on the majority of hands (more hands you will want to explore game/slam than you would despirately desire to remove 1NT to 2D to play) and higher scoring contracts (bidding the right game say 4S making rather than 3NT down is way more important at imps than bidding the right partsocre -- say 2D making while 1NT is down). Thus, most players will play 2D as some sort of conventional bid, often "NEW MINOR FORCING".

Either is ok of course. Just make sure you and your partner agree on what you play on this and similar auction. It is better to play it as natural and non-forcing than not to know how you play it. Of course, it is better to play it as conventional and agree to play it that way.