[fromageGB]

No hands, but looking for ideas on best to handle this situation where partner and I were on different wavelengths. The 1♣ opening is possibly a doubleton and is often a 12-14 balanced hand that can contain 4 card major(s). 2nd seat overcalls with a natural 2♣. What are your bids here as responder?

One idea might be compulsory transfers (weak or stronger) starting with a double for transfer to diamonds, and in a similar manner to an xyz 2♣ transfer, does not necessarily have diamonds but could be the first move on an invitational hand maybe with a 4 card major which is then bid ? A less than invitational 4 card major gives up and just passes?

Or a normal takeout X instead, but what sort of strength would you expect for that, and if responder has a 5 card major to bid naturally, how do you handle different strengths?

What do you do in this position?

[Cthulhu D]

The simplest is pretend partner opened a weak NT and play NT systems on, so dbl is stayman. Stayman needs to have values here so He can pass a dbl with the unbalanced club hand.

[mgoetze]

I have a metaagreement that over any natural club overcall, 2♦ shows hearts, 2♥ shows spades and 2♠ shows diamonds. Very useful also over e.g. 1NT-(3♣).

Double would obviously be takeout.

[PhilKing]

2♦♥♠ = nat nf 7-10(11)
2NT/3♣/3♦ = GF ♦♥♠
3♥♠ = nat inv

In other words, it's the same as 1NT-(2♣)nat but with different ranges, which hardly anyone plays. Since double is for take-out, there are a few awkward hands that can go down that route.

One can give up the invitational 3♠ to play it as a transfer to 3NT - universally recognised as the best convention in the history of the world.

[Cthulhu D]

I figure the objective of the two under transfers is to allow you to super accept or similar with the 1 under bid, but would this work as well?

1C-(2C)

2DHS Nat, NF
2NT: Stayman with a stopper?
3C: Invitational+ Diamonds
3D: Invitational plus hearts
3H: Invitational plus spades
3S: Transfer to 3NT?

You could scrap the stayman with a stop option and just bid everything 2 under as well if you wanted to keep that.

[PhilKing]

Cthulhu D, on 2014-December-18, 19:41, said:

I figure the objective of the two under transfers is to allow you to super accept or similar with the 1 under bid, but would this work as well?

1C-(2C)

2DHS Nat, NF
2NT: Stayman with a stopper?
3C: Invitational+ Diamonds
3D: Invitational plus hearts
3H: Invitational plus spades
3S: Transfer to 3NT?

You could scrap the stayman with a stop option and just bid everything 2 under as well if you wanted to keep that.

We have lost a lot of space on the forcing hands by playing 2x as non-forcing, so I like to use the three level bids to establish a game force and allow partner to explore.

I guess it depends how important you think the invitational hands are, but the weak no-trumper is allowed to raise 2x with a fit.