What is it worth?

[Tramticket]

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System: Natural four-card majors

Pairs

 

What is your hand worth? Do you re-bid clubs and if so, at what level? Do you raise spades on a three card suit?

[LBengtsson]

2♣. opponents quiet. if partner does not have another bid after 1♠ then you are not sure to make game.

[NickRW]

Do you re-bid clubs and if so, at what level?

2. LTC might indicate 3, but I think partner is going to be encouraged to try 3NT on many hands where that contract has no chance. You can always come alive if partner finds another bid.

Do you raise spades on a three card suit?

Most 4 card majorists don't, but it is a matter of agreement/style

[Cyberyeti]

Do you bid suits up the line ? Is 1♠ extremely likely to be 4333 or 5 spades ? If so I bid 2♠.

[Cyberyeti]

2♣. opponents quiet. if partner does not have another bid after 1♠ then you are not sure to make game.

 

Yeah, but I'd rather not be in 2♣ opposite partner's 5341/5431 heap

[Tramticket]

Do you bid suits up the line ? Is 1♠ extremely likely to be 4333 or 5 spades ? If so I bid 2♠.

 

Yes, we bid suits up the line, so partner will not have four diamonds/hearts together with four spades. Partner would generally show a four-card spade suit before supporting clubs. But yes, partner will often have a five-card spade suit.

[MrAce]

Yes, we bid suits up the line, so partner will not have four diamonds/hearts together with four spades. Partner would generally show a four-card spade suit before supporting clubs. But yes, partner will often have a five-card spade suit.

 

Then 2♠ it is as Cyber explained very well.

[Tramticket]

Then 2♠ it is as Cyber explained very well.

 

I chose 2♠, using similar logic:

 

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4♠ makes, despite the Moysian, but there are 12 tricks available in clubs and 11 tricks in no trumps. Nobody bid the slam (the standard is mixed), but three pairs arrived in 3NT, collecting 80% of the match points.

 

I guess that it can't cost for partner to bid 4♣ ...

[FelicityR]

Despite a number of experienced commentators expressing a raise to 2♠ as preferable, I think the decision is more borderline. At Pairs it is nearer 50/50, and at teams I would always rebid 2♣. I read an article by some experienced player not so long ago where raising responder's major on three cards was preferable to rebidding a poor six card minor, but with a good six card minor he advocated rebidding the minor.

 

This is the sort of auction where the bidding is unlikely to die after a 2♣ rebid - opponents are non-vulnerable and haven't entered the auction despite your limited values and void in ♦s. So partner should have another bid up his sleeve, or the if auction dies - unlikely - the opponents surely will then try to balance.

 

I always believed that raising on a three card major should not be done where a more descriptive bid is available, and why bypass the good ♣ suit to do so? I can understand a propensity to be in a ♠ contract at pairs possibly to gain matchpoints but it feels unwieldy when another sensible option is available.

[Cyberyeti]

I chose 2♠, using similar logic:

 

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4♠ makes, despite the Moysian, but there are 12 tricks available in clubs and 11 tricks in no trumps. Nobody bid the slam (the standard is mixed), but three pairs arrived in 3NT, collecting 80% of the match points.

 

I guess that it can't cost for partner to bid 4♣ ...

 

Would never in this world bid 4♠ on the E hand, if I didn't take it slowly, I'd bid 3N.

 

I don't have this problem because we would bid 1♣-2♣(inv not GF)-3♥(6-4 GF slight overbid)-4♣ etc

[PhilG007]

Do you bid suits up the line ? Is 1♠ extremely likely to be 4333 or 5 spades ? If so I bid 2♠.

I cringe at raising partners major on only 3 cards. The benchmark for a trump contract should be

a combined minimum total of eight cards,nine are much better but with seven it becomes extremely awkward... after all, the

enemy has just as much as you do and if they should happen to split badly(more than likely) then you're facing difficulty. :(

[GrahamJson]

I will happily raise partner’s major with three cards, rather than rebid a weak minor (or 1NT in some cases). I am in good company doing this; Mike Lawrence devotes a whole chapter on the merits of three card raises in his book “ Tips on bidding”. However this is not the time to do so. Your minor is not weak and, with only 11 points, it is extremely unlikely that the bidding will die in 2C. When partner does bid on you can support spades knowing that partner will have a good picture of your hand. Of course it is still difficult to get to slam, but at least you should avoid 4S.

[NickRW]

4♠ makes, despite the Moysian

 

If 3 card raises are at all common in your agreements, then blasting 4 without offering either clubs or NT as an alternative is appalling.

[fourdad]

To me the priority is to accurately describe your hand, rather than make a bid guessing what partner may or may not have. It seems obvious to me that, given the priority, 2C is the most descriptive bid.

[xbabarx]

2!c my bid

[miamijd]

Depends what your major raise style is. Some theorists like three-card raises (Lawrence); others hate them (Meckwell). Personally, I would bid 2C, but that is because I only make three-card raises when there is absolutely no other bid available (after a 1s response, that generally means 3145). Yes, a 2C bid could lose on this hand if partner has 5 spades and a minimum response, but it could also win if partner has 4 spades, 3-4 clubs, and a minimum hand

 

Generally, partner is slightly more likely to have 4 spades than specifically 5 (6+ he's apt to rebid spades). But the fact that you play a strict up the line system negates this somewhat (might even push it in the other direction). Here in the US, most players bypass a 4 card diamond suit (or even a 5-carder) to bid spades, so 4 spades is going to be much more common.

 

Cheers,

mike

[ArtK78]

It has been a long time since I played a 4-card major system. Having said that, it is clear that a 1♠ response on the East cards is just dead wrong. If partner cannot open 1♠ or introduce spades later after you make a forcing club raise (however you do so in your system) then you don't belong in spades.

 

From East's point of view, a club slam is not out of the question. Give partner a very minimum (some would say sub-minimum) 1♣ opening such as:

 

 

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and slam is excellent.

[ahydra]

It has been a long time since I played a 4-card major system. Having said that, it is clear that a 1♠ response on the East cards is just dead wrong. If partner cannot open 1♠ or introduce spades later after you make a forcing club raise (however you do so in your system) then you don't belong in spades.

 

The modern trend for 4cM systems is to bid them up the line, so when W opens 1C he isn't denying a 4cM. That said, I can see the point that a forcing club raise on the East hand is perhaps more descriptive than bidding the 98xx.

 

However, having never had a partnership with firm agreements about how to proceed after inverted raises (is it a stop? is it a suit? no, it's superman a generic force) I'd start 1C-1S; 2C and likely continue 2D (3SF); 2S-3C; 3H-3NT, possibly resting there or ending up in clubs (6 of them, since this is pairs where 5m= is as bad as 6m-1, wtf kind of scoring is that :)). A problem for East is that it's not clear whether we can avoid two spade losers - picture West with the hand he has but 3316 and now there's no way to avoid two spade losers.

 

On the actual auction, if your partner might raise with 3 cards and you have only 4 you must offer something else (here 3NT) rather than jump to 4S.

 

ahydra

[rmnka447]

I'd bid 2 ♣ planning to raise ♠ next if partner makes a forward going bid. It isn't clear what partner holds at this point. If we're on a 4-3 fit and partner has ♥ shortness, ♠ could be terrible if the opponents force long hand ruffs in ♥. There's also the possibility that partner could be 5-4 in the majors and rebids ♥.

[Caitlynne]

No question here: rebid 2S.

 

Any normal (i.e., non-special-meaning) rebid in clubs is unacceptable for two reasons: (1) it strong suggests fewer than good 3 card spade support while - to this point in the auction - the spade support is the most encouraging among the hand's assets; and (2)a 2C rebid understates while a 3C rebid overstates the likely playing values of the hand.

 

Beyond that, rebidding clubs focuses partner on clubs, so the suit purity is surely of suspect merit in that the good 3 card support for partner's long suit is obscured. If you rebid clubs, you basically neuter partner's ability to contribute intelligently to the discussion.

 

2S - a raise of a suit in which partner promises length - is the most encouraging thing you can do without overstating your honor values. It really is not close. You have a NICE minimum range opener in support of spades - yes, only a dead minimum 11 HCP, but a void, the top trump honor, and a club suit with promising potential to serve as a source of tricks.

 

Even 2H is better than any rebid of clubs. Partner will be obliged to show a fit or rebid a 5 card spade suit as top priorities. So if partner does rebid 2S, you could simply continue with a non-forcing but encouraging raise at only a modest overstatement of value. And, if partner can only bail (presumably with some Lebensohl-like contraption), you probably belong in 3C and will surely play there. It's an overbid for sure, but 2H produces an informative auction that empowers opener to reliably gauge the goodness of the partnership's fit. For that reason, the overbid is unlikely to earn a truly bad result. There is a big potential payoff too - partner might have 5+ spades with four good hearts. It does not take much to make a slam a strong proposition when there is a good heart fit (e.g., KQxxx, AKxx, xx, xx and 6H looks good while with KQxxx, AKxxx, xxx, void a combined 23 HCP grand slam is virtually cold. 2H might hit the jackpot.

 

2S= 100 points

2H = 40

2C = 10

3C = 10

[miamijd]

No question here: rebid 2S.

 

Any normal (i.e., non-special-meaning) rebid in clubs is unacceptable for two reasons: (1) it strong suggests fewer than good 3 card spade support while - to this point in the auction - the spade support is the most encouraging among the hand's assets; and (2)a 2C rebid understates while a 3C rebid overstates the likely playing values of the hand.

 

Beyond that, rebidding clubs focuses partner on clubs, so the suit purity is surely of suspect merit in that the good 3 card support for partner's long suit is obscured. If you rebid clubs, you basically neuter partner's ability to contribute intelligently to the discussion.

 

2S - a raise of a suit in which partner promises length - is the most encouraging thing you can do without overstating your honor values. It really is not close. You have a NICE minimum range opener in support of spades - yes, only a dead minimum 11 HCP, but a void, the top trump honor, and a club suit with promising potential to serve as a source of tricks.

 

Even 2H is better than any rebid of clubs. Partner will be obliged to show a fit or rebid a 5 card spade suit as top priorities. So if partner does rebid 2S, you could simply continue with a non-forcing but encouraging raise at only a modest overstatement of value. And, if partner can only bail (presumably with some Lebensohl-like contraption), you probably belong in 3C and will surely play there. It's an overbid for sure, but 2H produces an informative auction that empowers opener to reliably gauge the goodness of the partnership's fit. For that reason, the overbid is unlikely to earn a truly bad result. There is a big potential payoff too - partner might have 5+ spades with four good hearts. It does not take much to make a slam a strong proposition when there is a good heart fit (e.g., KQxxx, AKxx, xx, xx and 6H looks good while with KQxxx, AKxxx, xxx, void a combined 23 HCP grand slam is virtually cold. 2H might hit the jackpot.

 

2S= 100 points

2H = 40

2C = 10

3C = 10

 

The only auction where 2C gets you in trouble is (A) in MPs where partner has 5 spades and a minimum (and not even all of those) or (B) in IMPs, 5 spades, a minimum, and 0-1 clubs. Certainly possible.

 

2S is probably wrong when partner has 4 spades, 2+ clubs, and a minimum. Also possible.

 

If partner has more than a minimum, either bid should be OK so long as you have decent methods (2D third-suit forcing if you rebid 2C or a way to check back on 3 vs 4 card support if you bid 2S).

 

Thus, assuming you bid 2D and you don't play Reverse Flannery, then if partner has a minimum with 5S, 4H, and 0-1 clubs, he just bids 2H (non-forcing) to ask you to pick a major (you'll bid 3C with a huge pile). If partner has an invite or better with 5 spades (maybe 4 hearts too, maybe not), he uses 2D third suit forcing, and you'll be able to hit all of your major suit fits.

 

If you do play Reverse Flannery (2H is a 5+/4+ minimum response; 2S is a 5/4 invite), then 2H is a game force with 4+ hearts and 2D is probably best played as game forcing also, though you can play it as a one-round force, too. Again, you'll hit all your major suit fits.

 

Either way, no need to make a crazy reverse into 2H, and no huge loss from bidding 2C.

 

Cheers,

Mike

[nige1]

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System: Natural four-card majorsPairsWhat is your hand worth? Do you re-bid clubs and if so, at what level? Do you raise spades on a three card suit?[/hv]

Agree with CyberYeti. I rank

1. 2♠ = NAT. Provided you've agreed that partner won't raise with with less than 5
2. 2♣ = NAT.
3. 3♣ = NAT with 3 ♠s (if you have that agreement).
4. 2♥ = REV. Not enough power.
5. 3♦ = SPL. Minisplinter (if you have that agreement) but again you owe partner a ♠.

[msjennifer]

Why imagine what hand partner can have?The 1S bid does promise only 6 HCP and a 4 card suit.Why imagine that he can have this or that and make a wrong bid? Allow partner to make another bid if he can and if he can not then nothing is lost.This hand is short of bidding 3C and the S support only three carded.Our 1C opening can be 3 carder .wont you bid two spades on Axxx-,Kxx-Qxx-AJx?.One has to describe ones hand as well as possible.Supposing you are sitting in partners seat what can you say about Openers hand if the auction is 1C-1S-2S ?.Now please tell me ,is the given hand iimaginable normally?I Personally,

I do not like to make guesses that we can make 4S or 5or 6clubs or even three NT making some imaginary guesses about responders hand only on just one bid of 1S.

My bid is a plain and simple 2C awaiting further developments,if there are any.I do not wish to fool my partner with any other bid.!

Since it has been specifically mentioned that It is a four card majors system ,I shall alter the hand a bit. Will you open 1Spade on xxxx-KQx-Ax-AJxx? If your answer is no then the auction will again be 1C-1S-2S !

[msjennifer]

Another poster has suggested bids of 2H/2S/3C /3D putting a condition “ provided you have prior previous agreements”.This problem has been posed in the “intermediates and advanced column”.Some “advanced” may understand these bids,but honestly speaking it is beyond the perception of “ intermediates “.