[Cyberyeti]

I play 2♥ fully artificial here inv+, and a 2N response to this shows ♥ and a minimum, 3♥ ♥ and a maximum.

[jdonn]

Echognome, on Mar 9 2010, 09:18 PM, said:

jdonn, on Mar 9 2010, 09:01 AM, said:

2452???

Your bid on xx AQxx AQJTx xx after 1♦ - 1♠?

But fine 2=4=6=1 would have been better to the point. Or do you think that's not possible either?

I think you know what I would rebid on the first hand. And I hope the second part was sarcastic hehe.

[hanp]

Agree with gnomes 3S bid after 1D - 1S- 2D - 2H - 3H.

[the hog]

Fluffy, on Mar 10 2010, 07:24 AM, said:

after 2♥ partner is almost forced to raise with any 4 carder.

If partner raises 2♥ to 3♥ your bid is 3NT, yes, you might lack a club stopper, but after a major has been raised and its not gonna be a good spot your only way to show it is to bid 3NT ASAP. You don't know if 3NT is good or not, but you do know 4♥ is silly.

Your bid is 3NT? Many play this as a serious, (or frivolous), slam try. That is why I disagree with 2H. Why not play 2NT as an artifical waiting bid? This is common in Polish Club systems and avoids silly bids like 2h on a 3 card suit.
Sure you lose a natural 2NT, however as partner has already shown 6Ds this is not much of a loss. As I have stated in previous posts, you are unlikely to make 8 tricks - if the Ds come in, you will probably make more; if not ...well....

[FrancesHinden]

It's not necessary to go all the way and play 2H as completely artificial (or 2NT, or 3C). The useful part is to agree that 2H is forcing, and ostensibly natural.

The only additional part you need to agree on is that opener's raise to 3H is forcing. If you have an invitational hand with 5-4 in the majors opposite an opening bid with e.g. a 1=4=5=3 then you will end in game when 3H might have been better, but that is not the end of the world.

So after 1D - 1S; 2D - 2H; 3H - ? responder bids 3NT to say he didn't have four hearts after all but was looking for the best game; he bids 4D to show a slam try in diamonds; he bids 4C to agree hearts and make a slam try. Whether 3S agrees hearts or is natural and forcing depends if you had a forcing way to bid spades earlier in the auction (e.g. by a strong jump shift).

Quote

2H, 3N is premature as we could belong in spades, diamonds, or slam, especially when partner has a stiff club.

Including slam in hearts...
xx
AQ109
Axxxxx
A

[bftboy]

If we bid 2♥ and P raises to 3, what would 3♠ now show, or I guess the better question is, what should it show?

[mike777]

jillybean, on Mar 8 2010, 01:49 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

1♦ : 1♠
2♦ : ?

---

uncontested auction

3C

I need to force to game somehow and 3nt is too committal

not pretty.

[jillybean]

FrancesHinden, on Mar 14 2010, 11:08 AM, said:

The only additional part you need to agree on is that opener's raise to 3H is forcing. If you have an invitational hand with 5-4 in the majors opposite an opening bid with e.g. a 1=4=5=3 then you will end in game when 3H might have been better, but that is not the end of the world.

Frances, I don't understand why 3H must be forcing. After 1D:1S 2D:2H opener has already limited the hand, why can't we stop in 3H?

Thanks.

[FrancesHinden]

OK, you don't strictly have to play it as forcing, but it's a good idea.

The problem comes when opener has a maximum for his 2D bid (and/or a hand that has improved opposite hearts) and wants to accept responder's invitation and bid game. If you just jump to 4H, which you would do if 2H promised a 4-card suit, then you have made the auction very difficult if, say, the hands are

AQJxx
KJx
Kx
Jxx


Kx
Axxx
AQ10xxx
x

(you want to play in 6D or 6S)

or

AQJxx
KJx
Kx
Jxx

x
Qxxx
AQJ10x
A10x

(3NT is the spot, and personally I would not have rebid 1NT on the South cards)

Now you could instead agree to play, say, 3C as just generically forcing over the 2H bid including 4-card heart support, but that really starts to make the auction very messy indeed, because you also want to use 3C as a general fourth-suit bid on a maximum hand that doesn't have four hearts but doesn't know what the strain ought to be.