[microcap]

Red versus white in a scoreless team match, you are in 4th position and hold:

---

Surprisingly, LHO opens weak 2♥! Partner overcalls 2♠, pass to your right and you get to speak...What should you do here and why?

[Lord Molyb]

3♠, might be taking the low road there though...

[Fluffy]

I would bid more agressive to 3♥. but 3♠ is close.

[ArtK78]

I make a game try. I bid game and let partner try to make it.

Seriously, this is a game bid. I suppose that the trump suit could be banked against us, but I am not going to bid less than game opposite a 2♠ overcall.

[Lord Molyb]

Partner probably has something very similar to ♠AQJxx ♥x ♦Kxxx ♣Kxx but we can hope for more.
So I'll change my mind to 4♠.

[gszes]

microcap, on 2013-January-10, 15:36, said:

Red versus white in a scoreless team match, you are in 4th position and hold:

---

Surprisingly, LHO opens weak 2♥! Partner overcalls 2♠, pass to your right and you get to speak...What should you do here and why?

4s

All we need is good spades and a club honor from p to have decent play for game. Rho is probably
going to have a lead problem (either reassuring us our heart honor(s) are valuable or into p).

[dwar0123]

I'd bid 3♥ then make a wise crack as I laid down the dummy that I thought my bid was natural.

[Codo]

I would not make a game try. 4♠ looks fine to me.

[the hog]

4S.

[lalldonn]

I like 3♥, with both majors looking offside. If partner rejects with his short hearts then I really don't think game will be a bargain.

[gnasher]

Lord Molyb, on 2013-January-10, 16:12, said:

Partner probably has something very similar to ♠AQJxx ♥x ♦Kxxx ♣Kxx but we can hope for more.
So I'll change my mind to 4♠.

That's quite a convincing example. Why did you change your mind?

[Lord Molyb]

gnasher, on 2013-January-10, 18:25, said:

That's quite a convincing example. Why did you change your mind?

Because I can't think of a single layout that partner would overcall 2♠ that 4 spades is not at least close, unless he has serious diamond wastage. Partner is short in hearts and he probably has a club honor as well (although he might not)
and you can make 4 spades on that layout if spades break normally.

[P_Marlowe]

4S

[gnasher]

Lord Molyb, on 2013-January-10, 19:41, said:

Because I can't think of a single layout that partner would overcall 2♠ that 4 spades is not at least close, unless he has serious diamond wastage. Partner is short in hearts and he probably has a club honor as well (although he might not)
and you can make 4 spades on that layout if spades break normally.

But with the example hand you gave 4S is quite poor. It probably needs ♠K right, the trumps breaking, and the ♣J onside.

[Codo]

gnasher, on 2013-January-11, 02:29, said:

But with the example hand you gave 4S is quite poor. It probably needs ♠K right, the trumps breaking, and the ♣J onside.

Not really. The hand is quite difficult to defend if you see the dummy. The ace of diamonds can be onside and they may try a trump through declarer and another trump to cut down diamond ruffs...
I bet at the table you have a real fair chance to make. And partner may hold a sixt spade quite often. His hand is not maximum at all...

[rhm]

ArtK78, on 2013-January-10, 16:09, said:

I make a game try. I bid game and let partner try to make it.

Seriously, this is a game bid. I suppose that the trump suit could be banked against us, but I am not going to bid less than game opposite a 2♠ overcall.

We know partner has a distributional hand short in hearts.
Assume you bid 3♠ and, unlikely though, partner passes. How likely do you think game would still be a good bet?
One trouble with jumping to game is that partner might not pass 4♠.

Rainer Herrmann

[gnasher]

Codo, on 2013-January-11, 04:01, said:

Not really. The hand is quite difficult to defend if you see the dummy. The ace of diamonds can be onside and they may try a trump through declarer and another trump to cut down diamond ruffs...
I bet at the table you have a real fair chance to make.

You win ♥A and lead a diamond. The 2♥ bidder takes the ace and plays a spade. You finesse, it loses, and they play back a spade. Now what do you do?

Quote

And partner may hold a sixt spade quite often. His hand is not maximum at all...

Yes, so we bid 3♥, asking him to bid game if he has extras. If he has AQJxxx x Kxx Kxx he bids game (which still isn't cold, by the way)

[MickyB]

I'd have thought it standard for 3H to be ART GF here. We already have one way of showing an invitational 3S bid, is having another really a priority? Obviously if you play 2N as natural and forcing then it's different but surely that's non-standard.

[ArtK78]

rhm, on 2013-January-11, 04:50, said:

One trouble with jumping to game is that partner might not pass 4♠.
Rainer Herrmann

I assume that you were on some sort of mind altering drugs when you typed this.

[gnasher]

MickyB, on 2013-January-11, 06:46, said:

I'd have thought it standard for 3H to be ART GF here. We already have one way of showing an invitational 3S bid, is having another really a priority?

I used to think that, but I've changed my mind. The range of a 2♠ overcall is so wide that I think we need two ways to raise. With a non-fitting game-force, bidding three of a minor will usually be at least as effective as a cue-bid.