andy_h

4D is pretty clear. My three tens can be very resourceful.

Bidding my longest suit generally serves me well, so 2C.

pass. I have a feeling it's going to go 1H-P-4H back to me in which case I will bid 4S.

Agree with this.

Double.

There are many variations of Gazzilli so I personally wouldn't have agreed to play that with a first time partnership without any form of discussion of it so I will wait until a break to discuss that :)

I agree all with Fluffy but in terms of responder's rebid over 2H I think 3S is clear (and don't like 2S). It doesn't seem like we want to belong in any other strain except my AQJ109x suit and using the 1S-2S-3S sequence sounds like not-so-good 6/7 card suit. I'm a bit curious to Q6 though in which everyone except P_Marlowe has suggested it's shape showing. Do you guys play 2S as GF? If 2S is 5+S and forcing for one round then isn't 3D by opener used for (most) GF hands with a prototype hand being 2425 18 count with no diamond stopper?

Agree with gwnn.

What's the nature of 2C?

Anything other than 1NT is just weird/masterminding. We have stoppers in LHO's suit, decent 10 count considering we're a passed hand and partner's overcall can be semi-heavy (since that's the common style these days). Bid your hand! Partner could have a second suit which certainly beats playing in 1S.

Whatever suits your flavour. In the recent Copenhagen Bridge Invitational tournament, one of the world's top leading pairs of Helgemo-Helness passed their partner's 1H opening with an Ace and a Jack (although with only 2 hearts) and that's just their style.

If my clubs were AQJx I would treat that hand as in the 16-18 range. But as it is, I would open 2H.

Can I bid 3H invite?

Double.

Double and pass.

I was only trying to exaggerate to make a point. Say a nine count with 3244 or possibly a seven count with 5 card diamond that is full of queens or say the perfect hand would be a ♦KJxxxx and out etc. Would you bid 2D over 2C with xxx Qx Q10xxx Qxx? or xxx xx KJ10xx Qxx? or xx xx KQxxx Jxxx? Basically a range of 5-7 counts that make game reasonable is good enough for me to search for one. I don't want to cater for this exact case where 2D is just making whilst 3D is down one. I would hate to not have tried for game if NT makes an easy 9 tricks - who knows, they might find the wrong lead, they might misdefend etc. To me, all of this suggests trying for game especially red at imps.

My definition for 3M is maximum 1 loser opposite a void and I do agree that solid suit (which was what I used to play) doesn't come up often enough.

Alex swears by the relay stayman for those slam going balanced hands netting imps in each time especially when, after a few relays with a keycard response, there was still room to start locating certain honour cards - so I guess the relay stayman has its merits.

No way am I passing this 18 count with 4 bullets, imps at red. Yes sure partner can have a zero count but I can also exaggerate that he can also have a 9 count with say 3154/3253/2254 (etc) shape unsuitable for a negative double. Give partner ♦KJxxx ♣Jxx and LHO may just give our ninth trick on the lead or ♥Qx ♦Q10xxx ♣Qxx or basically a scattered 6 count with a potential second club stopper (♣10xxx would do) which make game reasonable. Basically we are red at imps and I don't want to stop at a measly partscore without even attempting for a game bonus - maybe on a bad day partner removes our 2NT bid to 3♦ and we rest there which isn't the end of the world. I'm sure most people would balance with a dbl with a reasonable 11 count and short club and our hand has way more than that.

haha that's cool

I like business when pass is over the bidder, and no preference when under the bidder.

5C. If partner raised on Hx as opposed to bidding 3NT with not much in hearts then 5C should be pretty good. If partner has ♠Q/Jxx then I hope to make 5C on an elimination+endplay. Maybe an uncertain redouble is an option (if you have an agreement) in case partner raised on 3-4 trumps and our LHO decides to double with their HH10x and out so it depends on who our LHO is.

Agree with mikestar. Disagree with ninja about being close to doubling on the first round.

+1. Although admittedly I have bid 1S-2C with 3541.

1. Yeap sure that's true but it may not be a downside at all. One of the objectives of 2NT was to handle preemption so all is not lost just yet. It may be a silly idea of not using J2NT, but I feel that it's even sillier to not have shown any form of support with the auction coming back at 5D to you. Over 2NT, West has the option of making a forcing (semi-encouraging) pass which East may choose to compete with 5H. Over 1S however, West has no luxury of making that same pass and East is put into more of a pickle (imo) because for all East knows West could have a weak NT and it might be better to defend rather than declare in case of a bad trump break. What I'm saying is that after the actual auction, I feel in a much better position after going through 2NT than if I had chosen 1S. I wasn't saying that you can never reach 4H, all I meant was that of course most of the time you would end in 4H, but you feel to be a tempo behind in the bidding because you haven't shown your 4th trump. Imagine the auction 1H-1S-(2D)-X-(3D) or 1H-1S-(3C)-X and it feels as if 4H is an underbid or we're about to have a murky auction.