TWO4BRIDGE

If West started with only 3 cards ♠, how could he give a convincing "present count" with only A x left ?

TWO ways to bid 3S : 1C - 1S 2C - 3S ( invitational ) 1C - 1S 2C - 2D! ( cheapest new suit forcing, may be artificial ) 2NT/3C - 3S ( GF )

Responder Minor Suit(s), slammish ( from the May 2006 ACBL Bulletin ) : 2NT - 3S! = relay to 3NT 3NT - ?? then: ....... Pass = to play ( Needed since direct 3N is majors 4-4 ) ....... 4C = slam try in ♣ ....... 4D = slam try in ♦ ....... 4H = ♥ splinter, both minors ....... 4S = ♠ splinter, both minors ....... 4N = invitational to 6N

If partner has shown 5 cards ♠ initially, I'm wondering why you didn't support initially with a 2S bid. Now, I believe partner is showing at least a 5-5 in the majors with the 3H-jump ( forcing ) ; and since I don't want to ruff ♦ with ♥-honors, I'll bid 4S.

3S ... I'm not going crazy... The Diam suit may only produce 1 trick .

Similar problem back in January of this year : http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/50566-only-one-hand-per-thread/page__p__603927__fromsearch__1#entry603927 1S - 1NT! 3C! ( GF, ♣ suit may be artificial )

2D ... New suit by unpassed Advancer = forcing one round for now.

Jilly...back in March you posted that you had added MSS ( Minor Suit Stayman ) to your card . [ That means NO 4-suit transfers ]. So, one way for Responder to show a long ♣ suit, slammish is: 1NT - 2NT! ( puppets to 3C ) ?? .. pass = weak, long ♣ .. 3D = slammish, long ♦ .. 3H/3S = Advance cue, slammish long ♣ But that gives up the ability to show the 4 4 4 1 hands : .. 3D = 4 4 1 4 .. 3H = 4 1 4 4 .. 3S = 1 4 4 4 .. 3NT = 4 4 4 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Another way is to give up the standard minor invitational sequences and use them as long minor, slammish: 1NT - 3C/3D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Another way to bid 2S is the Walsh Relay . So, the direct route 1NT - 2S is MSS and the Walsh ( delayed ) route is : 1NT - 2D! ( ostensibly transfer to ♥ ) 2H - 2S! ( cancels out ♥- transfer; have long minor, slammish ) ?? [ I'm only guessing as to the follow-ups below ] : .. 2NT = accept ♦ .. 3C! = accept ♣ .. 3H/3S = advance cue accepting either ( something like 3-3 in the minors )

You are right. Bidding 6-4-6 is stronger than 6-6-4 .

It seems you have some alternative bids over 2NT : You say 3C! always "asks" about the majors. Does it just ask for 3 cards ♥ here ? Or is it the Wolff Relay , which asks for 4 cards ♥ , and also incorporates a "sign-off" ? You could have shown extra ♥ length with 3H = 5+ cards, GF ( perhaps in your system it means 6+ ). This way it would avoid the "Walsh" only showing 4 card ♥ problem . And your first priority anyway is to show extra ♥ length: 1C - 1H 2NT - 3H 3NT - 4D ( ostensibly 5+♥/4+♦ ) 4S ( cue for ♦ ) - 5H ( cue ) 6D

The systemic strong 2-suiter overcall of a weak-2D open should be Roman Jumps = bid suit and one higher: hence 3S here = ♠ and ♣

Well, there is another way... hrothgar's "mild slam try"... which is probably better.

True... That's why one can devise a structure where after the transfer, rebid 3C! = maybe artificial: 1NT - 2transf 2M - 3C! ( may not be real Cl suit in which case is a long Major, GF, slammish, needing cuebids ) ?? 3D! = 1st step, agree Cl 3H! = 2nd step, agree Major ( no matter which Major ) 3S! = 3rd step, agree both 3NT = agree neither Then Responder can show either the long Major, no real club suit, slammish or "clubs were real" . HOWEVER, I'd like my Major suit be better than KJ9-6th. Sooo, Mike's answer seems best ( 4NT Quant after the transfer ) .

This is a case where Responder can effectively make the final decision once Opener lays out his hand during the bidding. Have the 2C bidder JUMP to 3H over 2D ( waiting, but positive ) to set trumps and to commence cue-bidding . This will instill in Responder's mind at least a 7 card ♥ suit. Then, when Opener goes RKC, and next the ♥Q-ask, and subsequently a 2nd K-ask ( guaranteeing all key cards ) , Responder can count to 13 with his " source of ♣ tricks " : 1s, 7h, 1d, and cAKQJ = 13 2C - 2D! 3H - 4C 4S! ( RCK for ♥ ) - 4NT or 5C = 0/3 5C/5D ( ♥Q-ask ) - 6C ( ♥Q + ♣K ) 6D ( 2nd specific K-ask ) - 7NT EDIT: Above is FLAWED... If 5C = ♥Q-ask, then : 5C - 6C = ♥Q + ♣K AND DENIES ♦ and ♠Kings Thus, no way for a 3rd Rnd Ctrl-ask in ♣; and 6D would be a 3rd Rnd Ctrl-ask in ♦ .... not something Opener wants to ask .

Its a good bet that opener has at least A Q .. in both black suits, so with opening lead protection, 6NT should be cold ... and assuming he has only ♦ A x x at worst, the Grand depends on the hook for the Q or the drop. " Do you feel lucky, punk ? "

Baze ( where 4C = fit, RKC ) Modified Baze ( where 4D = fit, RKC ) From a previous post last year [ http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/48400-13-hcp-4s6h-and-partner-opens-1nt/page__p__579235#entry579235 ].. reply by jjbrr : "Probably slightly better to switch your 4♣ and 4♦ responses. It's better to have more room to explore after the quantitative raise, and you have plenty of room for keycards with 4D. So you lose nothing by switching but gain an extra cuebid for the bal slam try. "

I like your 4D-jump.... setting trumps and asking for cue-bids (!) starting with the cheapest one: 1S - 2D ( 2/1 GF ) 2H - 4D 4H! - 4S! 5C! - 6D

I have a "home grown" system ( which I've mentioned before ) for a 1H open with a 2/1 GF, 2m Response to show: A) Minimum open w/ or w/o 4 cards ♠ B) Extras ( 15+ ) w/ or w/o 4 cards ♠ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A) 1H - 2m 2H! ( any minimum ) - 2S! ( asks ) ?? ... 2NT = NO 4 cards ♠; ( If Responder bids 3-minor, then next bid by Opener can show extra ♥ length with 3H bid ) ... 3C = 4 cards ♠ w/ ♣ shortness ... 3D = 4 cards ♠ / ♦ shortness ... 3H = 4 6 ( 1 2 ); 3S next asks where shortness ... 3S = 4 5 2 2 B) 1H - 2m ?? ... 2NT = extras and NO 4 cards ♠ ... 2S = extras w/ NO 4 cards ♠

What am I missing? Why isn't Opener rebidding ♥ to show 5 cards ?

I didn't realize it was that long ago. 1D - ( 2C ) - X - ( p ) 4S - ( p ) - ?? [ 5D ? Is Responder going to sit for this ? ] Can Responder really make a Neg-DBL with this hand ?

5♠

I submitted this hand to a Nationals champion. He said: " Standard is penalty but many, if not most, expert pairs play it as T.O. "

If playing Drury: p - 1H 1NT - 2NT ( 18,19 ) 3NT If No Drury, the 2D bid should show 10,11 hcp with 5+ card suit: p - 1H 2D - 3NT

Agree... that the hand is worth a 1D open and reverse into ♠.... hopefully bidding ♠ twice to show the 5/6 shape . But now we have a new problem with the 2C interference... Responder can't make an ordinary Neg-DBL ( doesn't have BOTH Majors ) or a NT bid - - w/ stiff ♠ - - or does the ♠ stiff matter ? : 1D - ( 2C ) - ?? ... what to do... what to do... what to do ?

When the minors are bid, some say the Neg-DBL should guarantee BOTH Majors, but how often does that happen ? I think Responder's 2S-after-Neg DBL should be weak and not promise anything in ♥-- and weaker than if it were bid directly . But what if Opener had jumped to 3H ? Can such a Responder hand tolerate that ? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The system I like, and I've mentioned it before, is that the Neg-DBL shows ♠ and says nada about ♥ .