[kgr]

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You have the agreement that 2♣ is forcing, but that doesn't matter a lot?
- 2♥ is weak (but not very weak because you had weak 2♥,4-7, available in first bid.
- 3♦ and 3♥ are invite,
- 2♠ is 4th suit GF.

[the hog]

3D. Might as well show 9+ cards in 2 suits rather than 5+ in 1.

[ggwhiz]

3♦ here too. I want to turn pards hand on not off.

Silent opps own spades? or more likely, pard is short in hearts and if pard bids 3nt I can bid 4♥ now. I would rather go down 1 in 6♦ than play it in 2 or 3 hearts.

ps. Given the quality of my diamond spots, my pard almost never has 4-5 in the minors.

[kenberg]

I was glad to see the previous response from gg. I also bid 3♦ now, to me this is fairly clear, but I was wondering about what I would do over partner's likely 3NT (with silent opponents, I expect pard has something in spades). I had pretty much decided I would bid 4♥.

Sometimes I approach these things not so much as "what am I showing?" but rather as "what will partner do?" After my 4♥ I would expect that partner, holding perhaps a stiff queen of hearts, would consider a pass and this might be right. With a stiff spot and decent diamonds, he will probably guess 5♦. I doubt that 3NT is right, and if by any chance 6♦ is right my 3♦ should offer the best shot at getting there. I'm thinking that far more likely than not, we will be playing in 5♦. Or possible 3♦ if pard is minimal. My 3♦ is of course not forcing. Given my hand, I don't want to force.

[JLOGIC]

I would also bid 3D, my hand is just too good for diamonds and there is some chance we can back into hearts if partner is bidding again (if my next bid is, for example, 4H over 3S or 4C).

[aguahombre]

I hope partner didn't read the thread about the impossible Kickback auction.

[kgr]

JLOGIC, on 2013-March-02, 15:40, said:

I would also bid 3D, my hand is just too good for diamonds and there is some chance we can back into hearts if partner is bidding again (if my next bid is, for example, 4H over 3S or 4C).

I think that partner would take 4♥ as cue in both cases.

[kgr]

These were the hand and the bidding:

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Bidding did get difficult after my 3♥ bid.
- 4♥ did sound as a strong hand with ♥-support. So I gambled 6♦, agree?
- If I bid 3♦ iso 3♥, should 4♦ by partner be slam interest or re-invite?

[kenberg]

Over your actual 3♥ bid I like your partner's decision to bid 3♠ and then 4♥ showing a hand worht more than a direct raise to 4♥ and, presumably, something in spades. At the time of the 3♠ bid you say fsf, although I might prefer simply calling it a general forcing bid. But 3♠ followed by 4♥ is surely a strong raise to 4♥. I assume that there is a good play for 6♥ here also, losing only to the Q of trump and taking five hearts, five diamonds, two spades.

All in all, a good auction.


Now if instead you bid 3♦ I would expect your partner to bid 3♠ and you to bid 4♣ after which I imagine one or the other of you will put it in 6♦. I suppose that there is a play for 7, but 6 seems enough.

In general after the 3♦ I think 4♦ should probably be a slam try, not a re-invit, but I would be interested in hearing from others on this. It's true that at either matchpoints or imps being able to stop on a dime in 4m, when 3NT is going down, will often score very well. But on an auction of 1♦-1♥-2♣-3♦-4♦, as an ivit, it seems to be far from clear just how responder is supposed to decide whether to bid 5. Probably it's just best for opener to pass 3♦, bid 5♦, or make a slam try. But I will be interested in other views on this.

[ggwhiz]

Not a bad effort but I could see pard bidding this way with better clubs and worse diamonds, at risk to a trump lead and without such a super hand. Or missing a good grand given that 2♣ was forcing and nearly unlimited (which I don't play).

3♦ should prevent any of the possible accidents and it doesn't take much of a tweak to pards hand to make the grand great.