[Codo]

Scoring: IMP

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You start the bidding with
1♠ 2 ♥
2 ♠ 3 ♦

Pds bids: 2 Heart was nearly gf 5+ Heart.
3 Diamond is his second suit. With a 5332 he had raised spades or bid NT, so 4+ Diamonds is certain.
Your 2 Spade bid shows an unbalanced hand (6 Spades or 5 Spades and a second 4 card suit) and 11-14 HCPs.

You may explain me how you plan the later bidding if there is one.

[Gerben42]

I voted 3NT, but I shouldn't have shown an unbalanced hand 1 round earlier.

[ArtK78]

Is 3♦ game forcing? I am going to assume that it is.

I bid 3NT. No call is perfect. But I have two big club cards, so if I bid 3♥ now we may miss 3NT when it is the right spot.

Partner's failure to bid 3♠ indicates less than 3 spades, so he may have some club cards. Or he could be 2-5-5-1. Again, no call is perfect.

[P_Marlowe]

3NT.

what else, you gave the reason in
the describtion of the bid.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[FrancesHinden]

I don't understand why 3H now shows 3+ hearts, what would you have bid last round on KQxxx Axx Kxxx x? Or do you mean 2S was totally artificial i.e. could be 6016 or 5521 (say) ?

[han]

Good problem.

The black honors point at 3NT. However, we only have a single club stopper, 4-card diamond support and ace-doubleton of hearts that we haven't shown.

We have 4-card diamond support and partner shouldn't be bidding like this with 5-4 distribution (partner should typically bid 2NT with that, allowing us to pattern out). However, with 4 baby diamonds and such unsuitable highcards for a diamond contract I am very reluctant to bid 4D.

The third option is 3H. This shows doubleton support (often with an honor) and is most flexible: it keeps all strains in play.

[Codo]

FrancesHinden, on Nov 2 2007, 11:30 PM, said:

I don't understand why 3H now shows 3+ hearts, what would you have bid last round on KQxxx Axx Kxxx x? Or do you mean 2S was totally artificial i.e. could be 6016 or 5521 (say) ?

2 ♠ denies game forcing strength, so if you have a fit, you may have a real crappy opener. I think, with the prime cards from your example and the singelton, we would raise direct. But make it a little weaker and we would bid 2 Spade first and raise Heart later.

Maybe this is not optimal, but it fits well in the overall structure after 1 Major -2 any.

[Codo]

Gerben42, on Nov 2 2007, 10:58 PM, said:

I voted 3NT, but I shouldn't have shown an unbalanced hand 1 round earlier.

Good point, but:

We open all NT range hands (11-14) with 5332 with 1 NT, so if you treated your hand as balanced you had to choose 15+ and bid 2 NT instead of 2 Spade or open 1 NT.
Both ways are possible, however,2 NT is a silghtly overbid and a 1 NT opener maybe with a 5 card major and the slgthly wrong shape will creat other problems, so we normally don´t do this.

[whereagles]

3NT, but not too happy about it.

[neilkaz]

Your system says "3 NT Club stopper, semibalanced, so 5422 (With the 4 cards being a minor)"

That's what I have..so it is 3NT but if I could bid 3♥ here to keep more options open and only show two card support, I think I somwhat prefer that since I expect to have issues in 3NT after the obvious ♣ lead.

.. neilkaz ..hope 3NT makes

[helene_t]

What neilkaz said.

How can 2♠ deny GF strength? What do you do with a AJxxxx-Ax-xx-AQx ?

[jdonn]

3♥. This is automatic to me. There are still good chances to get to 3NT, but bidding 3NT now is nothing more than an educated guess.

[skjaeran]

jdonn, on Nov 2 2007, 05:28 PM, said:

3♥. This is automatic to me. There are still good chances to get to 3NT, but bidding 3NT now is nothing more than an educated guess.

Agree. Btw, I'd have rebid 2NT instead of 2♠ (unless that's conventional or something).

[pclayton]

3♥.

I'd rather use a scalpel here than a sledgehammer.

[awm]

To look at things another way....

Why is partner bidding like this? He knows we have a minimum. He could have just bid 3NT at his second call. Why bother introducing diamonds? Some reasons:

(1) He has a short/weak club holding, and does not want to bid 3NT by himself. In this case, there is no guarantee that we belong in 3NT on my single stopper.

(2) He thinks we might have slam. Considering, our hand is actually quite good. We are maximum for our "2♠ minimum" bid, we have a fit for diamonds and no jacks. It might be worth cooperating, since 3NT would really sound like a 5224 hand.

[mike777]

Codo, on Nov 2 2007, 08:56 AM, said:

Dealer: South Vul: None Scoring: IMP

♠ KQ432 ♥ A9 ♦ 6543 ♣ KQ

You start the bidding with
1♠  2 ♥
2 ♠ 3 ♦

Pds bids: 2 Heart was nearly gf 5+ Heart.
              3 Diamond is his second suit.  With a 5332 he had raised spades or bid NT, so 4+ Diamonds is certain.
Your 2 Spade bid shows an unbalanced hand (6 Spades or 5 Spades and a second 4 card suit) and 11-14 HCPs.

You may explain me how you plan the later bidding if there is one.

Intersting forum responses so far. Given that partner is:
1) game forcing
2) 5H and 4D
3) Knows we are minimum with 6 spades or 5 spades and some unknown second suit.

I will simple support partner with 4D. Now he knows, in your system, I got 5 spades and 4D 11-14 pts yes?

IF he does not want me to support him with 4 card support and a max, when responder is unlimited.....tell me next time partner

[dburn]

Close between 3♥ and "abstain, this system is sick", which it is if I can't bid 3♥ with this hand now having not supported hearts on the previous round. Since I can't abstain at the table, will bid 3♥, but I can see trouble ahead.

[Winstonm]

I much prefer 2N the first time rather than 2S.

In the auction given, I'm going to bid 3H - this seems the most flexible.

edit: I just noticed that 3H in this sequence is supposed to show 3H - is there any possible valid explanation for this other than to screw up the bidding?

I still bid 3H.....

[mike777]

I remain baffled how so few cannot bid a simple 4d here?

We have a maximum, not a perfect maximum, and 4 card support for partner.
Responder is unlimited with 5+H and 4+D. If I understand the OP our 4D bids shows 11-14 hcp...and 5spades and 4Diamonds.

If we do not want to play this system, or we wish to invent a new system, or if we are not suppose to support partner, fair enough, just tell me that partner. If 4D only shows a perfect maximum, ok...put that into the system notes.

[jdonn]

mike777, on Nov 4 2007, 11:05 PM, said:

I remain baffled how so few cannot bid a simple 4d here?

We have a maximum, not a perfect maximum, and 4 card support for partner.
Responder is unlimited with 5+H and 4+D. If I understand the OP our 4D bids shows 11-14 hcp...and 5spades and 4Diamonds.

If we do not want to play this system, or we wish to invent a new system, or if we are not suppose to support partner, fair enough, just tell me that partner. If 4D only shows a perfect maximum, ok...put that into the system notes.

It has nothing to do with need a maximum Mike, it's called flexibility. You can no longer play 3NT if you raise diamonds. Or find good 5-2 heart fits. And all for the joy of raising partner's second suit with xxxx, in a minor? Sorry but 4♦ is really not a good bid, this hand is about looking for the best game first and foremost, not following some rule that you must raise partner with any support always.