schelet

I would disagree with both bidding sequences - in my opinion I would bid 1 H - 2 D (answer) and from this point on it would be useless to announce my clubs as well, as it would be pretty unlikely to play 6 or 7 clubs or even 3 NT (due to difficulties in reaching both hands to benefit out of long colours). My p answered 2 over 1, which means he / she has 11 - 14 hcp with diamonds as a bidding colour. This shows that we are not in the range of a slam. My interest is in finding out two important pieces of information : how many aces has my p and how many hearts. Therefore I have to make a decision : a. to test a slam whatsoever by bidding 4 clubs (if I play this convention with my p) or 4NT (from where there is no return). Depending on answer, I could stop in 4 or 5 hearts, or go for 6. b. bid 3 hearts instead of 2, showing an unusual lenght of colour and "other strenghts". The risk is to play just 4 hearts when it might be more. My p should pick up initiative from this point and go for slam or stop in 4 hearts. c. bid directly 4 hearts, expecting my p to go on with question of aces if the case (very unlikely to happen) d. bid 4 clubs as an overcall expecting my p to interpretate it as an aces question e. bid 3 nt and expecting the worse (I would not use this bid in any case) f. bid 2 NT and asking my p's second biddable colour (if any). After the answer of 3 spades, I have also options a and c described above It's more like a poker hand with no foreseeable final contract, except for the "easy" 4 hearts. Imagine that with Aces of diamonds and spades combined with 2 small hearts (not mentioning a Q as singleton)in my p's hand, a slam is guaranteed, even if it will be probably bid only by partners using different types of initial biddings.

Well, in my opinion using such a bid depends on two factors : a. vulnerability or non-vulnerability b. your partner Let me explain : a. if me and my partner are playing non-vuln against vuln, definitely use the overcall bid. Opp opened with 12-15 hcp, I have 9, so I have no idea about the split of the remaining 16-19 hcp. Assuming an even split (let's say 9-9), we have 18 hcp against 22 hcp, but our long colour is spade, which forces the opps to bid either 2 NT or colour at level 3, which again would be normally difficult to make. So either we make 2 spades (= 110) or we record a -1 trick on opss contract (=100) is about the same. If opps have the hcp's and double 2 spades, they would normally make more by bidding and making their own contract compared with the deficit of tricks (even doubled) we might record by playing 2 spades doubled. So the idea is to bid 2 spades, see what follows and eventually let your p decide whether to pass, to bid 3 spades or even 4 spades. Situation changes if vulnerability is equal (vuln or non-vuln) - please refer to b. In case of vuln against non-vuln, I would recommend not to use this overcall bid. b. if you are playing with someone you've just met (on BBO for example), please be reluctant to use such bids (regardless the vulnerability) because it might be misunderstood by your p. If you are playing with someone familiar and you probably know how one of you normally bid such type of hands, then you could use such bid even if vulnerability is equal.