[Antrax]

Matchpoints, favourable. Three passes to you.

---

Playing 15-17 NT, 2/1, do you open anything other than 1♣?
Over 1♥ from partner, what do you bid?

[billw55]

2♦ followed by hearts seems like a pretty complete description.

[wyman]

1C-1H; 2D wtp? Actually I guess the problem is "what is going on in the spade suit?"

Also subtitle is a card short

edit: missing the A, K, or Q of clubs, I'd raise hearts directly though.

[dustinst22]

I too would want to raise hearts, but I'm afraid 2H might be an underbid and 3H could be bad. Guess I'll temporize for now with 2D and show heart support later.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Antrax, on 2012-December-26, 13:29, said:

Matchpoints, favourable. Three passes to you.

---

Over 1♥ from partner, what do you bid?

With such good ♥ support and the stellar ♣ suit, I'd upgrade the hand to a game force using Gnasher's Gameforce Gadget ( over a 1H response ):

1C - 1H
2S! - 2NT! ( asks clarification )
??
... 3C = no 4s, no 3h; just long ♣
... 3D ( other minor ) = 4+s, no 3h
... 3H = no 4s but have 3h ( and normally 5+♣ )
... 3S = have 4s and 3h

After:
3H! - up to responder now

[kenberg]

I will follow the herd, or a large part of the herd, and bid 2♦. It's what happens next that I am working on. Quite possible partner now bids 2NT Lebensohl. If ever there was a hand where I can override the relay, this seems like it. So I bid 3♥. Whatever partner does over that, I am inclined to respect his decision.

[rmnka447]

I really hate reversing into such a terrible suit. I'd rebid 3 ♣.

[aguahombre]

kenberg, on 2012-December-26, 18:40, said:

I will follow the herd, or a large part of the herd, and bid 2♦. It's what happens next that I am working on. Quite possible partner now bids 2NT Lebensohl. If ever there was a hand where I can override the relay, this seems like it. So I bid 3♥. Whatever partner does over that, I am inclined to respect his decision.

As part of the herd, I don't think partner will do 2NT leben with 5 hearts, and I will stick with the 3C continuation showing no extras beyond the reverse. Our reverses are pretty strong.

[kenberg]

aguahombre, on 2012-December-26, 19:46, said:

As part of the herd, I don't think partner will do 2NT leben with 5 hearts, and I will stick with the 3C continuation showing no extras beyond the reverse. Our reverses are pretty strong.

If he holds five hearts then, I suppose, he bids 2♥. I would call this good news.


And with a little more care I should have said 2♠ Leb instead of 2NT. Of course it's a matter of agreement. Either way I can understand accepting the relay. But that heart holding is just too tempting.

[Phil]

Reversing looks easy. Raise 2♥ to 3 but no way I'd break a lebensohl relay with this (which should be GF).

[lycier]

1-open 1♣
2-
a)rebid 2♣ over 1♥ respond.
b)rebid 2♥,but it need 3344 convention to clarify the pattern of hand at the subsequent auction.

[kenberg]

Phil, on 2012-December-26, 20:31, said:

Reversing looks easy. Raise 2♥ to 3 but no way I'd break a lebensohl relay with this (which should be GF).

I woke up agreeing with this. Especially since my preferred agreements here are:

a. If pard has a gf hand and a fit for a minor, he bids the fir even if he has five hearts, and then I show my three hearts.if I have them.
b.. If partner does not have a gf but does have five hearts, he bids them now.

Thus, if pard is planning on a sign off he does not have five hearts, and I guess I really don't want to go higher if he lacks values and lacks hearts.


Quite often I find that if my opponents would let me redo a hand after I have a night to think about it I would do better.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Are you going to show us Partner's hand ?

[MickyB]

Disappointed that the title has been changed, I thought 1335 described this hand well. Still, there's no alternative to 2D. People reverse on three-card suits, sometimes even doubletons, so how can there be an issue with xxxx?

[Antrax]

Yeah, I thought it was obvious I deliberately treated the diamond suit as 3 cards, otherwise there really is no bidding problem IMO. So, thanks but no thanks to the title change

The hand opposite was something like

Spoiler

♠Axx ♥JT9xxx ♦Qx ♣xx

not sure exactly because this hand was from bidding practice and I don't know if I can find those in my history. Anyway, no matter what partner rebids you will likely end up in a making game, so it's only interesting in isolation IMO (and even then, there seems to be most support for reversing into ♦ despite the weak suit)

[Phil]

Antrax, on 2012-December-27, 22:38, said:

Yeah, I thought it was obvious I deliberately treated the diamond suit as 3 cards, otherwise there really is no bidding problem IMO. So, thanks but no thanks to the title change

The hand opposite was something like

Spoiler

♠Axx ♥JT9xxx ♦Qx ♣xxx

not sure exactly because this hand was from bidding practice and I don't know if I can find those in my history. Anyway, no matter what partner rebids you will likely end up in a making game, so it's only interesting in isolation IMO (and even then, there seems to be most support for reversing into ♦ despite the weak suit)

Well, at least we know whose hand the missing card ended up in.

[Antrax]

Thanks, edited.

[RSClyde]

People never want to jump to 3H on those hands but if they reverse intending to show it later they end up at least that high anyway.
I hate with a firey passion opening 1D on hands of that shape, however this could be the hand for it: over partner's 2D correction of 2C a bid of 2H at this point shows extras in my book. So
1♦ 1♥
2♣ 2♦
2♥
Shows 3 card heart support and about this strength level. If partner fails to correct 2C is probably a safe contract.

But that's catering to only one possible auction: often partner will bid 1S or the opponents will jump in and you'll wish you had started showing your shape accurately. I sort of feel like just opening 1C and raising to 2H and hoping that partner can breathe for me. Incredibly heavy but nothing's perfect here.

[RSClyde]

My rule with reverses is "prepare for shortness in your suit".
1♣ 1♥
2♦ ?
Responder should be anticipating a very likely singleton heart. Hence I don't converge with the conventional notion that "2♥ just shows 5 hearts and is forcing". I mean really? You don't want out on a misfit? When responder has 6 hearts and nothing special, he would like to bail out. There are plenty of forcing bids available.