stopper showing or stopper asking?

[shnk]

2/1

1)

1♦ - 2♣

2♦ - 3♦

3♠

 

2C didn't deny a 4 card major but 3D does.

3S means what?

 

2)

1♥ - 2♦

3♦ - 3♠

3S means?

[akwoo]

Both of these bids usually show a spade stopper. In both cases you should either have 4 spades or have most of your values in aces and kings (so that 5♦ is a reasonable contract). This is in case partner has no stopper in the fourth suit and raises to 4♠ to play in a 4-3 fit.

[Zelandakh]

Bids like this are two-way, usually showing values in the suit bid as a NT probe but sometimes a cue bid with slam interest. You assume the former and partner makes it clear on the next round if they meant the latter.

[shnk]

Bids like this are two-way, usually showing values in the suit bid as a NT probe but sometimes a cue bid with slam interest. You assume the former and partner makes it clear on the next round if they meant the latter.

 

Thanks, that helps.

 

So if I continue bidding as responder in the 2nd auction ie:

1♥ - 2♦

3♦ - 3♠

3NT - 4x

 

By agreement opener has shown a non-minimal hand (with the raise to 3D) and is now showing a club stop (with 3NT).

So if I bid on as responder, now 3S is a cuebid interested in diamond or NT slam right?

Do you guys like to play this as showing the ace, or showing ace/void, or ace/king/singleton/void or something else?

For responder's third bid:

What would 4D show?

What would 4H show?

I don't want to play any funky keycard asks like kickback or minorwood, but if that's your treatment I'm happy to hear it.

[Zelandakh]

Yes, in the 4x auction Opener has shown extras and a club stop and Responder has shown a slam try with a spade control. Whether the control is specifically first round or could also be a second round control is a matter of agreement - treating first and second round controls equally is more common these days. I will add that it is very good that you have grasped these concepts so quickly - many intermediates struggle with this for a while.

 

After 3NT, there are different schemes out there as to what the follow-up bids mean. Largely this depends on what you use for your keycard-asking bid. If this is 4NT then I would expect 4♣ to be controls in both black suits and 4♦ to highlight a potential problem in clubs. 4♥ is an interesting case that probably does not exist in the N/B world.

 

If your keycard-asking bid is Kickback (not recommended at N/B level!) then 4m stay the same and 4♥ asks for key cards. If the agreement is Minorwood then 4♦ asks for key cards and 4♥ becomes the call highlighting a club problem.

 

My own treatment is certainly funky and essentially reverses many of the meanings. In that, 3♠ is a two-way bid that denies spade values or is an advanced denial cue bid. So 3NT shows a spade stopper rather than one in clubs. Now 4♣ starts a cue auction (then 4♦ = denial club cue). 4♦ instead of 4♣ is a slam try without a spade control; while 4♥ is Kickback. I would not recommend this structure either and, in truth, it is fundamentally designed for a different type of system.

[Codo]

In a natural and quite common way, over 3 NT, I would guess:

 

4 ♣ slammish with club control

4 ♦ slammish without a club control

4♥ slammish without a club control but with a heart control.

 

As you asked for my personal view too:

4 ♣ club control

4 ♦ optional minorwood without a club control

4 ♥ does not want to use minorwood, denies a club control, shows A or K of Hearts.

 

I like a the italian style of cuebidding, so a cue shows first or second round cotrol. But at your first possibility to show a control in partners suit, you NEVER show a shortage.