[Ant590]

Hey,

Suppose you're one of the 1M -- 2♣ is natural GF or balanced GF crowd that seems to be the in thing here on the forums.

How would you play the following sequence:

1♠ -- 2♦
2♠ -- 2NT

2=2=6=3 ish? Or something more exotic?

Cheers,
Ant.

[lowerline]

Ant590, on Apr 7 2010, 05:40 AM, said:

Hey,

Suppose you're one of the 1M -- 2♣ is natural GF or balanced GF crowd that seems to be the in thing here on the forums.

How would you play the following sequence:

1♠ -- 2♦
2♠ -- 2NT

2=2=6=3 ish? Or something more exotic?

Cheers,
Ant.

Why not 2=4=5=2 or 2=2=5=4? Or should I have bid 2♣ with these as well?

Steven

[ArtK78]

Could easily be 1-3-6-3 or 1-3-5-4 or even 1-4-5-3.

This really is not a big problem. 2NT after 2♦ shows a balanced or semi-balanced hand, a diamond suit, some values in the rounded suits and no spade support worth mentioning. If 2♦ was game forcing, it might have extra values which can be shown later. If 2♦ was not game forcing, then 2NT could be either game forcing or invitational, depending on whether the partnership limits its non-forcing 2/1 to rebids by responder of his suit.

But the basic point is that 2NT is natural with a diamond suit and no spade support in this auction.

[cherdanno]

2N is the cheapest possible bid and can be used with many hands. It does not promise a balanced or semi-balanced hand, nor does it promise stoppers in the unbid suits.

To say it differently: 3S shows 3 spades, 3H shows LOTS of stuff in the reds (6-4 typically), 3D shows goood diamonds, and 3C really shows a lot in the minors (can be 5-4, but then really with a lot of concentration of values and probably no heart stopper). 2N is everything else.

[Jlall]

2N shows neither a balanced hand nor both unbid suits stopped.

[gwnn]

cherdanno said it very eloquently, not much to add or remove.

[jdonn]

Even if 2♣ can be balanced without clubs you still generally want to bid 2♦ on 2353 I would think.

[gwnn]

only on good diamonds I would think, say 60% of all 2353s. oh now I see you said 'generally'

[jdonn]

2♦ would be the rule rather than the exception I would think. In other words 'good diamonds' being like 80% of the time. Anyway whatever % the point being this shape goes in the 2NT rebid as well.

[Ant590]

Ok, cheers everyone --- message received and understood