[DianeShan]

Bidding?

A963
AK32
J876. Opens 1 diamond
10




KQ104
Q. Responds 2 clubs
62
AK7653

how should this auction continue?

[shyams]

A 2♣ response to a 1♦ opening is an auction that can often cause difficulty unless you have a well agreed follow-up. For example some play transfer rebids by opener (i.e. 2♦ shows 4-card ♥, 2♥ shows 4-card ♠, 2♠ shows a 12-14 bal NT type hand)

Absent any predetermined agreement (e.g. with a pickup partner), I would simply rebid 2♥ and await further developments. I'd be slightly worried that partner might assume extra HCP or extra shape for my 2♥ bid.

[manudude03]

1D-2C
2H-2S (natural)
3S-4C (cue)
4H-4S-P

[Stephen Tu]

Hi Diane,
Welcome to the forum!

It's partnership agreement, there's probably at least half a dozen ways to consistently structure rebids, and unfortunately no one single standard. Does reverse show 4-5+ shape or deny it, promise extras or not? Does 2nt deny a 4 cd major or not, can it be 4441? Go completely artificial?

I know I've had agreements in various partnerships where opener bids:
- 2h denying fifth diamond, showing 4H
- 2d not promising a fifth diamond but just denying various things (extras, balanced shape, etc.)
- 2nt "balanced" not denying 4441 or a 4 cd major.
-2h artificial showing exactly 4441 (Kokish suggestion)

Responder bids 2s or 3s if necessary then opener will raise.

[nige1]

DianeShan's 2/1 bidding problem.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
On a good day you might subside in 4♠. Although it's hard to blame East for bidding 6♠, perhaps after RKC or a 5♣ cue bid.

---

[nige1]

Duplicate deleted

[spotlight7]

Stephen Tu, on 2020-June-30, 15:23, said:

Hi Diane,
Welcome to the forum!

It's partnership agreement, there's probably at least half a dozen ways to consistently structure rebids, and unfortunately no one single standard. Does reverse show 4-5+ shape or deny it, promise extras or not? Does 2nt deny a 4 cd major or not, can it be 4441? Go completely artificial?

I know I've had agreements in various partnerships where opener bids:
- 2h denying fifth diamond, showing 4H
- 2d not promising a fifth diamond but just denying various things (extras, balanced shape, etc.)
- 2nt "balanced" not denying 4441 or a 4 cd major.
-2h artificial showing exactly 4441 (Kokish suggestion)

Responder bids 2s or 3s if necessary then opener will raise.

A large number of writers state that RKC

should not be used holding a worthless

side holding such as the doubleton D in East.


East could cuebid 5C over 4S and after

hearing a 5H cuebid should stop in 5Ss.

[FelicityR]

manudude03, on 2020-June-30, 15:05, said:

1D-2C
2H-2S (natural)
3S-4C (cue)
4H-4S-P

Wayne's sequence looks right, though I can imagine that once an optimistic East has found the 4-4♠ fit advancing one level more and ending in 5♠ here, too. 4-4-4-1 hands, whatever their strength, generally tend to give headaches to bridge players whatever system they play.

[smerriman]

FelicityR, on 2020-June-30, 17:04, said:

Wayne's sequence looks right, though I can imagine that once an optimistic East has found the 4-4♠ fit advancing one level more and ending in 5♠ here, too.

Even the most optimistic East knows after the 4♥ bid you have two top diamond losers, so there's never any reason to advance any higher.

[mikeh]

nige1, on 2020-June-30, 15:46, said:

DianeShan's 2/1 bidding problem.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
On a good day you might subside in 4♠. Although it's hard to blame East for bidding 6♠, perhaps after RKC or a 5♣ cue bid.

---

No good player, sitting east, would ever use keycard. It’s absurd. A basic rule of keycard, or any form of Blackwood, is that one NEVER uses it without either so many hcp (between the two hands, known on the auction) that one cannot be off the AK of a suit OR the partnership has announced at least first or second round control in all side suits.

As for the OP, Stephen got it right as far as I’m concerned. Personally, I like 2D to be a waiting bid, merely denying the ability to bid 2M, showing at least 4=5, or 2N, showing some values 8n the majors, or 3C, showing 4+ support, but this is a minority approach. I th8nk most would bid 2H and raise 2S to 3S.

Now 4C cue is obvious and, playing the modern style in which one cuebids first and second round controls up the line, opener’s 4H denies either top diamond, so responder has a trivial 4S bid, and opener an equally trivial pass.

In my style, opener rebids 2D, responder bids 2S and the auction thereafter is the same


A rebid of 2N is an error. It should show a balanced hand, which means 2+ clubs. Responder, who did bid clubs, is allowed to have a long suit, and, say, AKQxxx is far better for slam when opener pr9mises at least 2 clubs than when responder has to guess whether opener has a stiff.

[nige1]

mikeh, on 2020-June-30, 20:19, said:

No good player, sitting east, would ever use keycard. It's absurd. A basic rule of keycard, or any form of Blackwood, is that one NEVER uses it without either so many hcp (between the two hands, known on the auction) that one cannot be off the AK of a suit OR the partnership has announced at least first or second round control in all side suits.

Mike H is probably right in principle, and practically right, given the West hand. I confess, however, as an ordinary player, holding the East hand, I would boot 6♠ if RKC showed 2 or 3 aces. If South led a ♦, I would accept my bottom and apologise.

mikeh, on 2020-June-30, 20:19, said:

A rebid of 2N is an error. It should show a balanced hand, which means 2+ clubs. Responder, who did bid clubs, is allowed to have a long suit, and, say, AKQxxx is far better for slam when opener pr9mises at least 2 clubs than when responder has to guess whether opener has a stiff.

Of course, I defer to 2/1 experts. Unless I had explicitly discussed this auction, however, I'm afraid I wouldn't venture a rebid of 2 of a major, in case partner treated it as a genuine reverse.