how to bid

[rmnka447]

As nearly everyone has pointed out, the initial response should be 1 ♠ rather then a strong jump shift 2 ♠.

 

The responding hand is certainly strong enough for a strong jump shift, but there's a problem on making a strong jump shift on this type of hand. There are several possible suits which could be the right place to play. Because strong jump shifts takes up so much bidding space, it's very difficult if not impossible to explore for fit in a third or fourth suit. Therefore, strong jump shifts are best used to convey the following -- "Partner I have a very strong hand where slam may be possible, but the final contract will be in your suit, my suit or NT."

 

After a 1 ♠ response, you can keep showing a stronger and stronger hand by continuing to make forcing bids. Partner will eventually get the idea that you have a big hand.

 

After a 1 ♠ response in this auction, opener normal rebid will be 1 NT. Here agreements and methods can diverge considerably among players. If 2 ♥ would be forcing over 1 NT that would be a natural next bid. In that case, the auction should go --

 

1 ♣ - 1 ♠

1 NT - 2 ♥

3 ♥ - ?

 

Now with a normal game going hand, it would be normal for responder to just bid 4 ♥, right? So what would 4 ♦ be? It would suggest slam interest and a ♦ control. Opener with a minimum probably would just continue 4 ♥. So after ...

 

........4 ♦

4 ♥ - ?

 

How about one more try with a 4 ♠ bid showing a ♠ control? You'd be essentially saying "I heard your 4 ♥ bid. I have a ♠ control and still think slam is a possibility opposite a minumum." If opener finally just continues with 5 ♥, then you can pass knowing you did all you could to prod partner toward slam. But I'd expect most openers to come alive over 4 ♠. They can see no ♠ losers with the possibility of setting up the 5+ card ♠ suit for discards, know there's a control in the ♦ suit and have a fitting honor, and they have a ♣ control. If they use RKCB at this point, you could make the appropriate agreed response to show an odd number of key cards and a void.

 

There are other possible sequences especially since most players now use some form of NMF over 1 NT. (BTW, I know excellent pair who uses NMF and still plays 2 ♥ as forcing over 1 NT.) A typical NMF auction might be --

 

1 ♣ - 1 ♠

1 NT - 2 ♦

2 ♥ - ?

 

Like the previous auction with just a game going hand in ♥, responder would just bid 4 ♥. But if 3 ♦ here is forcing, you could bid 3 ♦ presumably showing a ♦ suit and over opener's 3 NT call, bid 4 ♥ showing a hand too good to just jump to game, that is, slam interest. But this time since ♦ are a "real" suit, responder is implying ♣ shortness.