your bid

[bftboy]

If we bid 2♥ and P raises to 3, what would 3♠ now show, or I guess the better question is, what should it show? <_<

[mike777]

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=saqj54hkj2dk8cj85]133|100|Scoring: IMP

1♦ : 1♠

2♦ : ?

[/hv]

 

uncontested auction

3C

 

I need to force to game somehow and 3nt is too committal

 

not pretty.

[jillybean]

The only additional part you need to agree on is that opener's raise to 3H is forcing. If you have an invitational hand with 5-4 in the majors opposite an opening bid with e.g. a 1=4=5=3 then you will end in game when 3H might have been better, but that is not the end of the world.

Frances, I don't understand why 3H must be forcing. After 1D:1S 2D:2H opener has already limited the hand, why can't we stop in 3H?

 

Thanks.

[Finch]

OK, you don't strictly have to play it as forcing, but it's a good idea.

 

The problem comes when opener has a maximum for his 2D bid (and/or a hand that has improved opposite hearts) and wants to accept responder's invitation and bid game. If you just jump to 4H, which you would do if 2H promised a 4-card suit, then you have made the auction very difficult if, say, the hands are

 

AQJxx

KJx

Kx

Jxx

 

 

Kx

Axxx

AQ10xxx

x

 

(you want to play in 6D or 6S)

 

or

 

AQJxx

KJx

Kx

Jxx

 

x

Qxxx

AQJ10x

A10x

 

(3NT is the spot, and personally I would not have rebid 1NT on the South cards)

 

Now you could instead agree to play, say, 3C as just generically forcing over the 2H bid including 4-card heart support, but that really starts to make the auction very messy indeed, because you also want to use 3C as a general fourth-suit bid on a maximum hand that doesn't have four hearts but doesn't know what the strain ought to be.