[awm]

Scoring: IMP

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Here's a hand from a recent team game. Playing whatever methods you prefer, what would be your auction? Can you reach the best contract?

My auction with Elianna (playing sayc with extras):

1♠ - 2♣
2♥ - 2♠
3♦ - 3NT

Here 2♣ is natural (4+♣), forcing one round; 2♠ is nonforcing (often doubleton); 3♦ shows a game force without clear direction; 3NT guarantees a diamond stop.

At the other table (playing 2/1):

1♠ - 1NT
2♥ - 2♠

Here 1NT was forcing and 2♠ is a (somewhat heavy) simple preference.

We lost some imps on the board, as the opponents lead a diamond and the club king was off (so they took 2 diams, 2 hearts, and 1 club with good cashout skills). However, 5♣ seems excellent on this board (much higher percentage than 3NT) and 4♠ is also good.

[cherdano]

The only thing I don't like about your auction is that 2♣ shows only 4 clubs. Is this still true even after 2♠?

My auction would start
1♠-3♣ (invitational one-suiter, 6+cards, usually good suit)
3♥-3NT
Now opener is on a guess. Now I will have to say that the singleton and nice 3-card support and richness in controls would persuade me to prefer 5♣ over 3NT, but I am honestly not sure what I would have done without having seen the other hand.

Of course I would have bid 5♣.

Arend

[mikeh]

Here is a sequence which would NOT happen on these cards, but does lead to 5♣

1♠   1N
2♥   2N
3♠   5♣

1N = 1 rd force
2N = cannot imagine only 2♠ at imps
3♠= shows ♣: transfers over invitational 2N unless opener's second suit was ♣ (need to be able to get out with 3♣ on horrible hands)

3♠ would be reasonable on AKxxx QJxx x AJx: avoids the embarrassment of having the opps run the ♦ suit while preserving all reasonable contracts as available: 3N, 4♣ or 5♣

But with the actual hand, I would never bid 3♠. I would raise 2N to 3N happy as a clam.... altho how one determines the state of happiness of a bivalve mollusk has always puzzled me.

[HeartA]

awm, on Oct 27 2005, 05:52 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

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Here's a hand from a recent team game. Playing whatever methods you prefer, what would be your auction? Can you reach the best contract?

My auction with Elianna (playing sayc with extras):

1♠ - 2♣
2♥ - 2♠
3♦ - 3NT

Here 2♣ is natural (4+♣), forcing one round; 2♠ is nonforcing (often doubleton); 3♦ shows a game force without clear direction; 3NT guarantees a diamond stop.

At the other table (playing 2/1):

1♠ - 1NT
2♥ - 2♠

Here 1NT was forcing and 2♠ is a (somewhat heavy) simple preference.

We lost some imps on the board, as the opponents lead a diamond and the club king was off (so they took 2 diams, 2 hearts, and 1 club with good cashout skills). However, 5♣ seems excellent on this board (much higher percentage than 3NT) and 4♠ is also good.

How about:
1S - 2C
2H - 2S
3D - 3N
4C - 5C?

[mike777]

1S=1nt
2h=2nt
3c=5c

Note in this style partner will often have long minor and invite hand and no way to show it or standard balanced nt type hand. BTW responder could have a stronger hand than this one.

3Clubs may be 5404 or 5413 with nt doubt.
This allows partner to bid 3nt or 3d with long invite hand in D to play if they want out. They even have the option to play in 4-3 heart fit or 5-2 spade fit now.

btw2 responder may even make a slam try over 3clubs now.

[Cascade]

awm, on Oct 28 2005, 10:52 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

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1♠ 2♣
2♥ 3♣
5♣

This looks ok for me.

2♣ is 10+ with clubs
3♣ confirms six clubs and shows a minimum

The jump to 5♣ is based on partner preferring NTs with a good diamond stopper.

[FrancesHinden]

Luckily this isn't the SAYC or 2/1 forum, because in my normal partnership (Acol style 2/1s this is completely trivial)

1S - 2C (F2S only, about 9+ HCP)
2H (F1) - 3C (NF, invitational in clubs)
4D (splinter) - 4H (cue)
4S (cue) - 4NT (minimum for actions so far)
5C

my bigger danger is getting to 6C, though that does at least have play (much of the time 3NT makes so will 6C)

At pairs I might end in 4S, after 3C bidding
...3D 3S
4S

[whereagles]

awn, you and pard bid it perfectly.

[Fluffy]

Playing 2/1 GF:

1♠-1NT
2♥-2NT
3NT

Not playing it:

1♠-2♣
2♥-3♣
3♠-4♠

[Free]

1♣ - 1♦ (15+ any ; negative, 0-5 SlamPoints)
1♠ - 3♣
3NT

Or something like that...

[han]

Adam, would the following auction be forcing?

1S-2C
2H-2S
3C

If so, then I like it much better than the ambiguous 3D bid. I would play this as forcing, else just pass 2S, but I can imagine that you and Elianna play this non-forcing.


Playing with myself I would also bid 3C over 1S.

[awm]

Seems like most of the auctions involve opener unilaterally deciding to bypass 3NT. Interesting, especially since most people would have responder making the same invitational bids with:

x
QTx
KQxxxx
Kxx

I suppose 5♣ has play if spades break and opponents don't lead a heart, but I'd much prefer to be in 3NT on this one.

Opener's hand has pretty weak clubs and help in both reds; it seems kind of weird to just unilaterally bypass 3NT on such a hand. Frances' splinter holding stiff ace opposite a limited partner seems a bit off to me as well.

After subsequent discussion, Elianna and I decided 3♣ by opener should be forcing (as Hannie suggests) since we wouldn't normally prefer a possibly 4-3 club fit to a 5-2 spade fit, and if opener is really 5-4-0-4 we will normally have play for 5♣. After the 2♠ rebid, it's true that responder will almost always have 5+♣; exactly 2-3-4-4 is possible though.

Seems to me the best auction is something like (in our methods):

1♠-2♣-2♥-2♠-3♣-5♣ (3♣ forcing, responder now knows about the diamond stiff and can prefer the minor suit game).

Playing 2/1 I like something resembling:

1♠-3♣-3♠-4♠-5♣? (3♣ invitational, 3♠ game-going, nominally showing six spades but in this case a very strong five with doubts about both reds; holding the example hand above responder would try 3NT but on the actual hand a 4♠ raise is most reasonable; opener may or may not correct to clubs)

[luke warm]

1h : 1nt
2s : 3c
5c

[FrancesHinden]

The splinter is certainly aggressive, but opposite

xx
x
Jxxx
AKQxxx

slam is where you want to play