[shyams]

IMPs, All Red. You are in second seat

You hold: ♠Axx ♥KQJ9xx ♦xx ♣Ax

Opps silent, you open 1♥ and partner bids Jacoby 2NT. Partner's bid is GF, shows 4+ card ♥ fit, 13+ HCP.

What is your 2nd action? Vote above
FYI, bids like 3-new-suit (splinter) or 4-new-suit (5-5 two suiter) don't apply -- excluded from the poll.

[steve2005]

This is obviously a great hand with 2 Aces, semi-solid trump and 2 doubletons. Counts as 16 points. But you say hcp, you get to include shape once a fit is found
Plus it's a 6 loser hand that upgrades.

Are you really going to bid 4♥ if you take away the Q♥ you only have 12 hcp but still have a great hand!

[mikeh]

Depends on methods. Traditionally, iirc (I don’t play standard J2N with anyone) I think yiur technically correct bid is 3H, showing significant extra values and no singleton or void. Fortunately for me, we bid 3D, showing 6+ hearts and extra values. But that’s because we play a more modern version (of which there are quite a few). If you don’t, then bid 3H.

[mike777]

Other, modern version of J2NT

3 spades shows
Non minimum with 6322 or 7222 distribution
-----
With this version
almost all minimum hands respond 3C

Non min hands with shortness respond 3D

[shyams]

This was Board 4 from the "Free Premium Daylong" IMPs tournament that ended a few hours ago.

---

The bot held the North hand and chose 4♥. As South, I thought of it for some time but then chickened out. To me, it felt like my 3-4-3-3 shape made it less likely to make a slam opposite "a minimum".

Maybe I should have tried 4NT.

It was played 65 times --- 29 chose to rest in game, 35 found the slam, and 1 played in a grand slam (down 1)

[blackshoe]

---

[mikeh]

shyams, on 2026-October-02, 23:42, said:

This was Board 4 from the "Free Premium Daylong" IMPs tournament that ended a few hours ago.

---

The bot held the North hand and chose 4♥. As South, I thought of it for some time but then chickened out. To me, it felt like my 3-4-3-3 shape made it less likely to make a slam opposite "a minimum".

Maybe I should have tried 4NT.

It was played 65 times --- 29 chose to rest in game, 35 found the slam, and 1 played in a grand slam (down 1)

If I’d known this was from robot ‘bridge’ I wouldn’t have bothered replying. Any algorithm that assess the opening hand as a minimum is….well, inadequate is being kind. But that’s robot ‘bridge’. You’re wasting your time asking for advice.

And putting a robot bridge hand in the natural bidding forum is…odd. Whatever it is that robots do, it’s definitely neither bridge nor natural.

[fromageGB]

Surely after a start like this opener is the captain of the hand so he should relay with 3♣ for responder to describe his hand by whatever means you have chosen. Typically strength first (hcp or slam point range steps) then some form of shape?

[mike777]

fromageGB, on 2026-October-03, 09:43, said:

Surely after a start like this opener is the captain of the hand so he should relay with 3♣ for responder to describe his hand by whatever means you have chosen. Typically strength first (hcp or slam point range steps) then some form of shape?

I disagree. Responder is captain on the hand and opener should describe their hand(tell), not ask. Responder is almost always captain until they give up captaincy by limiting their hand.

[fromageGB]

Thanks Mike, a valid point : either hand could be. Arguments for your view are that it saves the space of a next step relay, and that O is more likely to have shape to describe. An argument my way is that O is likely to be longer in trumps, so if R is to captain the O replies need to include length as well.

[mike777]

fromageGB, on 2026-October-03, 10:06, said:

Thanks Mike, a valid point : either hand could be. Arguments for your view are that it saves the space of a next step relay, and that O is more likely to have shape to describe. An argument my way is that O is likely to be longer in trumps, so if R is to captain the O replies need to include length as well.

Thanks for the reply. We certainly disagree totally on the issue of captaincy and the rest. Yes opener has more trump and I don't care.
1. is opener minimum or non
2. shortness or not
3. good second suit or not

so three spades here told me
nonminimum
no shortness
no second suit.
finally extra trump.

In practice if partner shows a minimum we will very often just end up in game, nonminimum, slam. Partner almost always has a minimum.

[mikeh]

fromageGB, on 2026-October-03, 09:43, said:

Surely after a start like this opener is the captain of the hand so he should relay with 3♣ for responder to describe his hand by whatever means you have chosen. Typically strength first (hcp or slam point range steps) then some form of shape?

No. Sorry, but a thousand times no. Read up on literally any version of J2N in which 2N is gf, and you’ll find that the method are designed for openerbto descrbe his hand. The old fashioned structure has opener showing or denying shortness and, if no shortness, showing his strength in three ranges, minimum, very strong and intermediate.