What to respond?

[ajm218]

Partner opens 1♥

 

[hv=s=sxxxxhxxdkqjcakqt]133|100|[/hv]

[mtvesuvius]

1♠ for me. This hand is being played in 3NT or 4♥, unless partner has extras, which he can now show.

[Free]

1♠ wtp?

[jdaming]

2♣ I am good enough to show the spades later if I have to this puts us in a forcing auction with the most room to figure out where we need to be. Showing where I live.

[jillybean]

1♠, next question?

[ajm218]

regardless of whether you bid 1♠ or 2♣ partner will bid 2♥, what now?

[helene_t]

If I start with 2♣, my next bid is 2NT.

 

If I start with 1♠, my next bid is 4♥.

[jdonn]

2♣, I'll go so far as to say I hate hate hate hate hate 1♠. I normally respond 2♣ to 1♥ with this shape when game-forcing anyway, but when you also consider that

- We about 50 stoppers in the minors

- We have some extra values

- The spades are completely terrible

then it's completely irrelevent to miss spades because 3NT will make as well. Meanwhile bidding spades has some huge downsides.

- It will cause partner to completely misevaluate if slam is in the picture, where spade shortness is great and Qxx is awful.

- It will possibly lead us to a bad 3NT if partner is short in spades.

[kenrexford]

2♣, WTP?

 

After partner bids 2♥, I also assume that he has a possible five-card suit and that bidding spades might be a bad move. 2NT seems good as a next move.

[maggieb]

I dislike 1♠. I think it is bad bridge to bid suits like this when you know you are going to force to game.

 

Starting with 2♣ leads to a more flexible auction, doesn't lose spades (I play 1♥, 2♠ does not promise extras in a GF auction), and doesn't cause partner to misevaluate his spade holdings while keeping all strains open. The only downside is that I will have to bid 2NT after I bid 2♣, but this seems like a much smaller misdescription.

[gwnn]

easy 2♣ bid

[jillybean]

Doesnt 1♠ have the benefit of both deflecting a ♠ lead against NT and not fooling your partner about the shape of your hand? We'd look silly going down in nt when we have a ♠ fit.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

1S, wtp.

 

After 2H, one adv. of the 1S response becomes clear

now, 2H now promises a 6 carder, in other words you

have found a fit.

Additionaly you also discovered, that partner has a min.

opener.

 

Those two information are not av. after a 2C response,

there may be better examples for the proposed 2C bid,

but this auction is an example, why it pays to bid 1S

 

Given those two informations: you show the fit and end

the auction, 4H, fall closed, bidding is easy.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

Doesnt 1♠ have the benefit of both deflecting a ♠ lead against NT and not fooling your partner about the shape of your hand? We'd look silly going down in nt when we have a ♠ fit.

Sure.

 

Another is, that we give partner max. room to describe

his hand.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[jdonn]

Doesnt 1♠ have the benefit of both deflecting a ♠ lead against NT and not fooling your partner about the shape of your hand? We'd look silly going down in nt when we have a ♠ fit.

For your first point, I'd rather reach the best contract than reach a bad contract and hope I fooled them along the way.

 

Your second point is generally good, but it seems just about impossible to imagine 4♠ making and 3NT not, given our terrible spades and solid minor suits.

[han]

I also bid 2C, it is tough to construct a hand where spades plays better than 3NT. However, when partner is short in spades it is easy to get to a silly 3NT with 4H or 5m cold.

[Hanoi5]

1♠, wtp?

[jdaming]

thanks for the support I was beginning to think I was in the vast minority. hanoi5 did you read any of the other posts here that detail what I (and others) see as "the problem" with 1♠. I wouldn't go as far as ken or maybe josh to say that it is easy or a "no problem" call, but I think the advantages are numerous.

[gnasher]

I also bid 2C, it is tough to construct a hand where spades plays better than 3NT.

I like a challenge.

 

KJ109 AKxxx xx Jx with diamonds 5-3 and ♠Q offside

 

J109x AKxxx Ax xx with diamonds 5-3 and the long diamonds with the three spades

 

But these are pretty specific, so I don't disagree with your and Josh's argument.

[kenrexford]

I think it is really hard to construct a hand where 3NT plays worse than 4♠ and where you cannot get to spades after you bid 2♣.

[Echognome]

1) Because 2/1 auctions often flow more smoothly than auctions that start 1♥ - 1♠, I think it's worthwhile to consider allowing for 4-4 black hands (and even to consider all balanced GF hands) a systemic 2♣ response. In my experience, it has not been very difficult to find a 4-4 spade fit after the start 1♥ - 2♣, but some discussions are needed to sort it all out.

 

2) Even without having made such an agreement, on this particular hand I would bid 2♣ anyway. Josh and Han have made ample arguments why this is so.

[Edmunte1]

2♣ for me

[Fluffy]

2♣, I'll go so far as to say I hate hate hate hate hate 1♠. I normally respond 2♣ to 1♥ with this shape when game-forcing anyway, but when you also consider that

- We about 50 stoppers in the minors

- We have some extra values

- The spades are completely terrible

then it's completely irrelevent to miss spades because 3NT will make as well. Meanwhile bidding spades has some huge downsides.

- It will cause partner to completely misevaluate if slam is in the picture, where spade shortness is great and Qxx is awful.

- It will possibly lead us to a bad 3NT if partner is short in spades.

There are also some upsides, well at least one :), it will encourage opponents to lead a minor against 3NT.

 

This is the main reason I would bid 1♠, however, I play too much MP!

[ajm218]

ok - i responded 1♠ at the table and seriously regretted it when partner's 2♥ came back. i then wish i had responded 2♣ :blink:

 

Over his 2♥ i thought i was too strong to just bid 4♥ but had no idea what to bid next. I decided to bid 3♣ hating my bid and over partner's 3NT i bid 4♥.

 

Partner raised to slam and i turned out to be be a very lucky fish when partner had

[hv=s=sxhakqxxxdaxxcjxx]133|100|[/hv]..... I think i will always bid 2♣ on these hands in future... :D

[kenrexford]

ok - i responded 1♠ at the table and seriously regretted it when partner's 2♥ came back. i then wish i had responded 2♣ :)

 

Over his 2♥ i thought i was too strong to just bid 4♥ but had no idea what to bid next. I decided to bid 3♣ hating my bid and over partner's 3NT i bid 4♥.

 

Partner raised to slam and i turned out to be be a very lucky fish when partner had

[hv=s=sxhakqxxxdaxxcjxx]133|100|[/hv]..... I think i will always bid 2♣ on these hands in future... :)

A nice sequence might be:

 

1♥-2♣

2♥-2NT

3♥

 

At this point, any call by you except 3NT or 4♥ should be a cue in support of hearts. 4♣ works wonders, if partner thinks this through. If you do not have a bust minimum and do not have a spade control, his stiff spade is probably working. So, he sends back a 4♦ call (whatever that means for you).

 

Getting to the slam will still be difficult, but not impossible.