J2NT alternatives

[dburn]

I do hope cascade was being as silly as we were

No, no - perfectly valid questions, all of them. In my original post I stupidly forgot to give details of the remaining responses to 1♥:

 

2♣ shows a hand that would pass after 1♥-1NT-2♣.

2♦ shows a hand that would pass after 1♥-1NT-2♦.

 

This is known as the Advance Preference concept - as with the better-known advance cue bid, responder saves space by giving preference directly, rather than waiting for opener to show his second suit.

 

2♥ is natural, about 6-9 points with heart support - the Raise Is Limited principle.

 

2NT asks opener how many points he has, in order that responder can determine whether the hand should be played in a part score, a game or a slam - the Find Out Our Level convention.

 

Lest people should be concerned that this method is too complex to remember in the heat of battle, a mnemonic may readily be constructed from the initial letters of the three innovations described above.

[CSGibson]

We have the following structure:

 

3♣ - 5 card suit with undisclosed shortness

---3♦ Asking (denies shortness in responder's hand)

-------3♥ 16+ HCP, shortness still undisclosed

-----------3♠ - asks for shortness

---------------3N, 4♣, 4♦ - shortness showing up the line

-------3♠, 3N, 4♣ - <16 HCP, shortness showing up the line

---3♥, 3♠, 3N - 16+ HCP, showing shortness up the line, asking openers shortness, 1st response being the lower-ranking suit, 2nd higher ranking, 3rd same shortness. Sequence that follows shows HCP, but excludes J of trump & KQJ of short suits

 

3♦ - 6+ card suit with undisclosed shortness (similar follow ups to 3♣ bid, except in the rare case of shortness opposite shortness, where the HCP ask excludes the Q of trump as well as the J)

 

3♥ - no shortness, < 16 HCP, 4-5 controls (A=2, K=1)

 

3♠ - no shortness, < 16 HCP, 6-7 controls

3N - balanced 16-19

4♣, 4♦, 4♥ - good 5 card suit

4 of agreed major - <16 HCP, 3 or fewer controls

 

We also play different sort of spliners that max out at 15 HCP, so if responder has shortness and more HCP than that, he will go through the game forcing 2N bid

 

edit: unfortunately, there is no handy pneumonic device like David Burn has for his own raise structure...

[lowerline]

Or

 

1♥ - 2NT (inv+ balanced 4crd raise)

 

3♣ = GF no shortness

3♦ = any void or 14+ any single

3♥ = MIN no shortness (5♥)

3♠ = 11-13 any single --> 3NT asks

3NT = GF 4♠6♥

4m = GF 5♥5m

4♥ = MIN no shortness (6♥)

 

Steven

You are commiting to game with 3♠, is it worth it?, I play inv+ also but just drop all the minimums in 3♣.

I don't mind occasionally being in a marginal 4M in imps. I consider it only a drawback in matchpoints.

 

Steven