[kfay]

You hold the following collection:

10xx K1098xx Axxx void

r/w RHO passes and you...

Let's say you pass, the full auction continues:

(P)-P-(1♦)-1♠
(P)-2♦-(2♠)-3♣
(P)-?

1♦ was 2+, 11-15 HCP. What do you think 2♠ means in any context?

Do you agree with your bidding up to this point? What now? You were up 18 going into the last quarter of a 56-board match.

[Fluffy]

I'd slow down as much as possible, I don't like my hand any more.

I would had opened a weak 2.

[helene_t]

Was about to say that 2♠ shows solid diamonds but that isn't quit consistent with our hand. Maybe it's a good hand with both minors.

Anyway, 3♠ is enough. Agree with not opening 2♥, this hand has too many flaws for a 2nd seat preempt at r/w.

[mikeh]

I might have opened a weak two, altho I understand that this would have traditionalists screaming how horrible this is: poor suit, and great playability in two other suits...we could be in 2♥ going down or barely making and be cold for 6♦, as one example.r/w second seat is the time I am most conservative, so whether I open would depend on my partner at the time. One partner wouldn't like a pass...and might later go wrong because I didn't open.

Having passed, I would have really wanted to be able to bid 2♦ transfer to hearts (why aren't transfer advances standard yet?) and then bid 2♠ if he makes a simple acceptance.

Lacking that tool, I would have risked 2♥ rather than make the cuebid that overstates my spade holding while providing him with almost no useful information on which to judge what to do next.

Sure enough, the auction has taken a horrible development: but maybe that would have happened anyway. As it it, having shown a good hand for spades, and having seen it not get any better, 3♠ seems obvious. The odds are high that rho is looking at some clubs so will/should be leading trump on this auction. Of course, his partner may have successfully deflected him from the likely winning lead, but I wouldn't count on it.

As for the opps' 2♠, I am uncertain: it is either a huge hand (17+) short in spades, willing to hear partner bid any suit (other than spades) or it is a big hand with long, strong diamonds, looking for 3N. My diamond Ace persuades me that it should be the former...but maybe he has KQJ10xx(x) and a single spade stopper.

[Phil]

mikeh, on Apr 12 2010, 01:56 PM, said:

As for the opps' 2♠, I am uncertain: it is either a huge hand (17+) short in spades, willing to hear partner bid any suit (other than spades) or it is a big hand with long, strong diamonds, looking for 3N.

1♦ was alerted as limited, which makes it that much more 'horrible'.

I have no idea what 2♠ means. Frankly, I doubt I'm that interested since I won't see this sequence again. If pressed, I think my LHO has a mountain of diamonds and felt the hand was 'too good' for a simple 3♦ call.

I will bid 3♥. I would have opened 2♥, but understand the pass.

[Jlall]

Love the opening pass, this is not a 2H opener to me.

It's a complicated hand after 1S, it is so likely you belong in hearts (3 small trumps makes your void pretty meh, and your heart suit often won't come into play if the DA gets knocked out blah blah), but you don't really wanna suppress your support.

I'd have probably bid 2H and hoped I could bid 3S next, but I definitely don't fault 2D.

Now I'm gonna bid 3H and consider that pretty much automatic. For starters partner might still be 5314 pretty easily and then he'll bid 4H, and secondly I don't see how 3H can cause a misevaluation. If partner has a stiff heart he'll know it's bad, if he has Hx he'll upgrade his hand, etc etc.

[jdonn]

I would open 2♥ all day. You could belong in another suit but there is so much upside, I like the suit itself for preempting in particular (that it's not ace high and that it has intermediates), and it pays to mix it up anyway.

I also prefer 2♥ the next round, I don't think we are at all likely to get passed there and miss game. And of course 3♥ right now, what else?

[gwnn]

because Ken has been too busy to reply here:

I think in the context of strong club opener's bids over 2♦ are:

2♥=reverse, very good 6d4h
2NT=extremely good diamonds with some spade stop
3♣=pretty much all hands with 6d5♣ and many hands with 55.

soooooo 2♠ has to show...

clubs!

depending what system they play, I think 2♠ should show some 4♦6♣ hand or something. But I have never agreed to this with anyone and will never do.

I guess it would make more sense for 3♣ to show more clubs than 2♠ though.

In natural 2♠ is clearly a solid ♦ suit with no spade stop.

I agree with the opening pass and 2♦ and now 3♥, I consider all three clear.. I like raising partner and I'm a wimp to bid 2♥.

[Jlall]

jdonn, on Apr 12 2010, 02:48 PM, said:

I like the suit itself for preempting in particular (that it's not ace high and that it has intermediates

I think this is an overbid. I have a hard time believing you like a suit that has just the king in terms of the top 4 honors. I agree it's not the worst, the T98 are nice and not having A empty is nice, but 1 of the top 4 is still a big hole. QJT8xx or KQTxx or KQJxxx etc are still infinitely better.

Surely this is at best a borderline suit for a r/w preempt. Then you add to that that our shortness is clubs and not spades (a big difference in how often we need to preempt, and also how often our preempt keeps us out of a suit we need to be in ♠), and that we have both an ace and a void on the side which increases both our defense and our playability in other suits, and I just think it's a sucky hand to preempt.

That said, I know how jdonn !Hs his 6-4 and T98

[jdonn]

Yes I don't claim to be mainstream but I really do mean what I said and I love opening 2♥ with this!