[MickyB]

Clear to show ♥ support.

Surprised everyone thinks 3♠ would be a cue, that's natural for me.

[Flame]

helene_t, on May 20 2007, 02:01 AM, said:

Not sure how likely 6♦ is to be better than 6♥, especially at MP:
- If opps lead a spade and p has the queen, I'd rather play the hand myself so that I can play the queen at trick one and see what happens. If my hand is dummy, declarer may have a tough call deciding on whether to play the ace at trick one. Note that reverse situation in clubs does not exist since there will probably be no option of getting rid of partner's club losers.
- If partner has the king of spades, we have the same losers whether hearts or diamonds is trump.
- If partner has neither ♠K or Q, and we get a spade lead, diamonds and hearts must both play without losers for a timely spade discard on hearts. And it may still fail if diamonds are 4-1.

So I bid 3♥. 4♦ to show the double fit is cute, though. Never thought about that.


3♠ followed by

if partner has

♥KQXXX
♦AQXX
and a control in ♣ we make 6♦ while 6♥ might be on finnese or just go down.
example:

---

6♥ goes down on ♠ lead while 6♦ is cold assuming suits breaks.

[kenrexford]

This is another somewhat difficult question to answer without truly knowing the style. However, some have proposed answers that bypass all of that with accurate summarizations that 3♥ is best for space conservation.

That being said, it would be useful to have some understanding as to the partnership style. I'm assuming that, when Responder makes an unbalanced GF like has apparently just happened, 3♥ agreeing a heart fit makes 3NT not a viable contract but a cue. If so, a 3♥ call from Opener sets up what will undoubtedly be a nice auction. Responder can cue 3♠, presumably, and then you can cue 3NT to give room for a 4♣ cue. If that does not occur, you sign off at 4♥. If partner cannot cue 3♠, he will undoubtedly cue 4♣, and you can last train him with 4♦, planning to leap to 6♦ if partner bids 4NT (6♦ clearly not being void-indicating, I would expect).

Any other course, initially, is trouble. Sure, you could bid 3♠, presumably a cue in support of diamonds (general -- slammish but not bypassing 3NT). If partner "accepts" and shows a non-bare-slam-try and a club control (4♣), then you can probably bid 4♠, which I'll assume to be RKCB for diamonds. If partner bids 4♦, however, will partner read 4♥ as sign-off? If so, then you lose definition in your minor-suit cuebidding sequences. If partner bids 3NT, you can pass and might be right, but I doubt it. Otherwise, 4♦ might be available, or even 4♥. However, these options are either going to be ambiguous (if not thorougly discussed) or, if defined by the partnership as cues, bars to 4♥ as a contract (bad, but possibly a necessary evil), or, if 4♥ is defined as a signoff, a bad limitation on cuebidding definition.

In other words, make life simple when you can. Major fits and cuebidding thereafter have fairly easy and trustable rules. Minor fits and cuebidding thereafter do not. Establish the major when possible.

[mike777]

BebopKid, on May 20 2007, 12:46 AM, said:

I'm going to say 3♠ to cue bid my first round controls which I would intend as support of the hearts, I opened 1 NT so my partner is the captain. Partner can choose where to put the contract and how to get there.

3s here is clearly clearly a cuebid in support of Diamonds, NOT hearts.

[junyi_zhu]

Flame, on May 19 2007, 09:32 PM, said:

As dealer You holds

---

1NT-2♦
2♥-3♦
I'll tell you my thoughts you tell me yours...
6♦ would be better then 6♥ so you might want to bid 3♠ showing support.
On the other hand, if partner is intrested in game only 4♥ is your spot and maybe you should bid the "obvious" 3♥.
Soppose you bid 3♥ and see partner going for a slam you can jump to 6♦ and hope for good.
If instead you bid 3♠ showing support for ♦ then if partner bid 3NT you are fine now because 4♥ must show fit and not a cue.
If on 3♠ partner bid 4♣ or 4♦ then 4♥ would probebly be a cue (is it ?) but maybe its just fine because if he cue we like slam the ♦ slam.
So ill go for 3♠, agree ?

I play 4D to show both fit and no C control. With only D fit, I never bypass 3nt.

[Codo]

Flame, on May 20 2007, 06:32 AM, said:

So ill go for 3♠, agree ?

It very much depends on the 3 Diamond bid.
If this shows 5+5 GF SI, then I surely bid 3 Spade
If this shows 5/4 (which makes more sense) I bid whatever will show a double fit.
If I have no way to show the double fit, I would choose 4 Heart if 3 Heart is non forcing and pray.