[Hanoi5]

Say it goes:

1♦-1♥
3♦

Partner shows a medium hand with at least 6 diamonds, not 4-card support and no side suit. I suppose anything we bid is forcing, what would some continuations mean? What would you bid with: ♠KJxx♥KJxx♦9x♣Txx?

[helene_t]

I would bid 3♠. It is somewhat ambiguous with respect to heart length, so opener might now bid 4♥ which I would pass.

3♠ shows a stopper. 3♥ would show a five-card suit and give partner room for showing a spade stopper.

[aguahombre]

Will try 3NT as a practical least of evils and hope clubs can take care of themselves. I think Opener's first priority over 3S would be 3-card heart support, not a club stopper; and, since I am not a passed hand, this train could really derail. What if she bids 4C? Advance cue for hearts or extra strong for Diamonds? I would be forced to bid the 4D stall or 4NT, and then what will she expect?

[billw55]

3NT. I would love to see a spade lead come around, which is so much less likely if I have bid the suit.

[mikeh]

Hanoi5, on 2013-June-26, 08:34, said:

Say it goes:

1♦-1♥
3♦

Partner shows a medium hand with at least 6 diamonds, not 4-card support and no side suit. I suppose anything we bid is forcing, what would some continuations mean? What would you bid with: ♠KJxx♥KJxx♦9x♣Txx?

Great question, imo. This seems like a mundane, everyday auction yet is one of those sequences that seems to be rarely discussed.

The previous 2 answers seem to encompass the likely options.

I'd go with Helene's choice of 3♠.

Firstly, I think that 3N is probably the most common game contract after this start, and it may be critical to make sure not only that they can't run a suit because we have no stopper but also that we right-side the contract. Partner is often 6322 and if her clubs are Kx (as one example), then we'd really rather she declared.

Secondly, we can always bid 3♥ on a 5 card suit, which really invites partner to bid 3N or 3♠, the latter if she needs a club stopper, so we don't have a pressing need to use 3♠ to invite a 4♥ call. We have limited bidding space below 3N, and since 3N is the most likely game I think it behooves us to use our space to maximal advantage in exploring that game.

ATT, in weakish field at mps, I might make the agricultural 3N because LHO may well choose a spade rather than a club even when a club is 'right', and as aqua says, the clubs may take care of themselves. At imps, I'd be a little more careful.

[HeartA]

3NT.

[Hanoi5]

I miswrote the hand. It was ♦9xx♣Tx