[kenrexford]

You have ♠xx ♥A10x ♦Qxxxx ♣AKx, and accordingly you open 1♦.

Your LHO overcalls 1♥ and partner doubles.

RHO passes, and you bid 1NT.

LHO passes, and partner bids 2♥.

Q1: Is 2♥ GF, Invitational+, fit-showing (diamonds), or something different?

That may be easy, but just checking.

Anyway, your call?

[matmat]

looks like a power cue to me. 3♦ for now.

[skjaeran]

In these days with no "standard" meaning for a negative double of 1♥ you should tell what this double mean.
I assume it shows exactly 4c♠ which used to be the standard meaning.
In that context 2♥ should be GF with support, assuming 3♦ would be invitational. I'd be tempted to rebid 3♣, but partner might read this as 2254, so I'll go with 3♦.

[whereagles]

to me cue means:

"I'm so tired of you bidding NT without stoppers that I want to know whether you're joking or serious this time."

Accordingly, I bid 3NT

[FrancesHinden]

Game forcing.

But other systemic choices matter: for me, I play system off after (this) intervention; I also play that 1NT is the bid I make without anything better to bid, so it may not have a heart stop - any balanced hand without four spades (assuming double showed exactly 4 spades) rebids 1NT.

So 2H doesn't expressly show a diamond fit, it shows a game forcing hand not certain about the heart stops. By inference, it's going to have a diamond fit however because it only has four spades, it doesn't have much in hearts, and it would have bid 2C with 5 clubs and game forcing values. I would bid 2NT over it, because I am also not totally certain about the heart position - opposite, say, AKxx xx KJx QJxx (a boring balanced 14-count) 5D is massively better than 3NT.

[jdonn]

2NT. Would often or usually bid a 5 card diamond suit here, but the diamonds are very bad and I'm happy to confirm a good stopper since 1NT may have been bid on almost any balanced hand. If partner can't bid diamonds next I won't mind missing them.

2♥ was game forcing.

[Fluffy]

2NT or 3NT I am not so sure depends on the meaning of 2♣ and 2♦.

[andy_h]

3♦ show your length. AAKQ are nice cards. Though 2NT is fine as well.
2♥ is game force.

[kenrexford]

For those who would expect 2♥ to force game, how would you distinguish the following three bids:

2NT
3NT
3♦

[Halo]

3NT

For me, partner doubled, so doesn't have a GF/slam invite diamond fit.

Now he bids 2H, so he is GF (for better or worse). With my rubbish diamonds and rubbish spades, I'm bidding 3NT. If 6C is the best contract, we can have a chat later about my lack of subtlety.

[FrancesHinden]

kenrexford, on Oct 21 2007, 08:38 PM, said:

For those who would expect 2♥ to force game, how would you distinguish the following three bids:

2NT
3NT
3♦

These are the easy ones.

2NT = invitational in NT
3NT = to play in 3NT (will have a heart stop of its own)
3♦ = invitational with 4 diamonds

[mikeh]

Halo, on Oct 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

3NT

For me, partner doubled, so doesn't have a GF/slam invite diamond fit.

Now he bids 2H, so he is GF (for better or worse).  With my rubbish diamonds and rubbish  spades, I'm bidding 3NT.  If 6C is the best contract, we can have a chat later about my lack of subtlety.

why not? How does 1♦ deny a spade suit? Surely, with say AKQx x AKxx Qxxx his correct call over 1♥ is double, and surely his best call over 1N is a gf 2♥?

I am with jdonn on this one, altho I would be bidding 3♦ either with better diamonds or without the heart 10.

[Halo]

mikeh, on Oct 21 2007, 03:55 PM, said:

Halo, on Oct 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

3NT

For me, partner doubled, so doesn't have a GF/slam invite diamond fit.

Now he bids 2H, so he is GF (for better or worse).  With my rubbish diamonds and rubbish  spades, I'm bidding 3NT.  If 6C is the best contract, we can have a chat later about my lack of subtlety.

why not? How does 1♦ deny a spade suit? Surely, with say AKQx x AKxx Qxxx his correct call over 1♥ is double, and surely his best call over 1N is a gf 2♥?

I am with jdonn on this one, altho I would be bidding 3♦ either with better diamonds or without the heart 10.

Must be a difference of style. Apart from a one time French partner, I have never played with anyone who would double rather than immediately cue bid on the hand you have given.

I don't know where Jdonn is on this one. Why does it matter?

[MFA]

2NT.

2♥ is GF and asks for a natural description. My diamonds are too bad for 3♦, I have a decent heart holding (1NT doesn't guarantee a stopper), but I'm certainly not notrumpish enough for 3NT.

[jdonn]

Halo, on Oct 21 2007, 04:00 PM, said:

mikeh, on Oct 21 2007, 03:55 PM, said:

Halo, on Oct 21 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

3NT

For me, partner doubled, so doesn't have a GF/slam invite diamond fit.

Now he bids 2H, so he is GF (for better or worse).  With my rubbish diamonds and rubbish  spades, I'm bidding 3NT.  If 6C is the best contract, we can have a chat later about my lack of subtlety.

why not? How does 1♦ deny a spade suit? Surely, with say AKQx x AKxx Qxxx his correct call over 1♥ is double, and surely his best call over 1N is a gf 2♥?

I am with jdonn on this one, altho I would be bidding 3♦ either with better diamonds or without the heart 10.

Must be a difference of style. Apart from a one time French partner, I have never played with anyone who would double rather than immediately cue bid on the hand you have given.

I don't know where Jdonn is on this one. Why does it matter?

You have either never met another bridge player or your experiences are other-worldly. If we posted a poll on that hand double would beat an immediate diamond raise about 35 to 2. And if that prediction is biased at all it's in favor of the raise.

Yeah Mike the heart ten influenced me too. If it were moved to diamonds I would bid 3♦ instead.

And for Ken, I see no reason to ever bid 3NT here. If my partner did I would assume a very flat hand with hearts totally covered and no interest in a suit slam. Maybe Jxx KQJ Kxxx KTx.

[kenrexford]

So, after 2♥ by Responder, what would you bid with each of these two hands:

1. ♠xx ♥A10x ♦Qxxxx ♣AKx
2. ♠Qx ♥AQx ♦J9xxx ♣Axx

?