[luke warm]

some of you play 3C as g.f., some as one round force... doesn't it seem better to define it is 8-11 or so and not forcing? i mean, isn't that less likely to cause confusion?

[pclayton]

3C. Its not GF per se, but its the rare auction that we stop on a dime in 3H or 4C.

Most of the time we will play a hopeless 3N.

If I pull 3N to 4C its a slam try.

I've never heard of anyone playing g/b 2N here, not to say its a bad idea. I either play it as a mixed raise + like Robson, or just natural.

[awm]

I think double has a lot going for it on this hand. Sure you don't have 4 spades, but doubling keeps the auction a lot lower (and less awkward) than bidding clubs. After the double, you are pretty happy if partner passes, rebids hearts, bids notrump, or bids clubs. Most likely the hand will play better with partner declaring (protecting any possible diamond cards). Partner is saved an immediate decision whether to rebid hearts with six or bid notrump with a stopper. If partner bids spades, there's no particular reason that the spade moysian can't be a good contract. Over 2♠ we can continue with 3♣, which should show a decent hand (but not forcing) with long clubs. Surely some spade support is implicit for this bid, but four small or honor third seems about right.

For those who insist that a double MUST promise four spades, I guess the 3♣ bid is the least of evils, but having seen the many 11-point hands that people on this list consider "mandatory" openings, I don't think forcing to game on this hand is really advisable.

[whereagles]

Ditto

[junyi_zhu]

flytoox, on Mar 15 2005, 09:36 PM, said:

Vul.: NS
sitting south, you hold:
S: K86
H: AX
D: JX
C: K87643

Pd opened 1H, RHO came in with 2D, what do you do? SAYC or 2/1

If it's MP, Perhaps you should double if in your system it doesn't guarantee 4 spades. This hand is probably not strong enough to force to game because C is rather weak, even if partner holds a diamond stopper, you need either good C fit, Axx,AQ or strong H suit to have a reasonable play in 3NT facing a opening hand that has no much extra. Actually you are well place here if you double, you can pass 2H or 2S rebid, raise 3H to 4H, raise 3S to 4S and pull 2NT to 3C to show your hand. For IMP, you can bid 3C and hope to make those shaky 3NTs.

[Fluffy]

2NT showing ♣, if partner rebids 3♣ as suposed 3♦.