[Antrax]

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Now responder can't really set spades as trump in a forcing way. 3♠ is an invite, 12 HCP and 5 spades. 4♠ is obviously passable. 3♦/♥ show a second suit and 5+ S, but 3♣ doesn't, it shows rebiddable clubs and 4+S. 4-level bids are not splinters, and NT bids are basically to play.

Should I've started with a 2/1?

[wank]

is 3c over 1nt something odd for it?

[Stephen Tu]

no, starting with a 2/1 is definitely non-std, and would lead partner to think you are 5-6 if spades get rebid. GIB just needs better followup definitions available on this auction.

IMO:
- it should get rid of the "retreat from notrump" treatment where 1d-1s-1nt-3c is a weak 4sp 5+ club. For one thing it really should be 4-6 if it plays this at all. Other strikes against are that hardly anyone plays this, and it is rare that a hand comes up for it (if 4-6).

Then:
- either 1d-1s-1nt-3c or 1d-1s-1nt-2c-?-3c should some GF 5-5 hand (since GF 4-5+ blacks would start 2c, not 2s). The other sequence should be the inv 5-5.
- should be some way to force with diamonds, also, this unlike clubs would not guarantee 5+ spades.

[Antrax]

wank, on 2013-July-01, 22:13, said:

is 3c over 1nt something odd for it?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's what GIB calls a "bar bid", 5/5 in the blacks and 6-9 HCP.

[HeartA]

If 3♦ shows 3(+)♦s (picture bid), then 4♦ should be splinter.

[georgi]

Over 2♠, 3♣ could let partner bids something to help you.
3♥ would show something like 3442 or 4♣ would show 3244.

Otherwise splintering in partner's suit before knowing some shape might force him to bid 4♥ and to emerge to slam which you don't want to. Especially if he is 3343.

Over 4♣ you could bid 4♦ cue, getting 4♥ cue and so on, but with 12-13HCP you need at least king in hearts and queen of spades or certainly ♦A and , otherwise to find partner with nothing in ♠, ♦AK and ♥A might not help that much although good controls as you would face 40% or less slam where you need to resolve clubs and trumps well.

[Antrax]

My problem with 3♣ was that it doesn't set spades as trump. Is that a wrong explanation?

[1eyedjack]

Well, it may not (yet) categorically set spades as trump, but it still allows for the possibility (the clue is in the "+" in "4+ S").
Anyway, is there anything yet stopping opener from having 4 card Club support? 6C might JUST be in the picture. Probably too delicate to look for, perhaps.
What happens to the auction after you bid 3C?

[georgi]

3♣ shows 4+♠ 4+♣ and GF.

Over 3♣ having 4 cards GIB would raise up. So you would know he has 4-4 in the minors and 3-2 majors.

Here it might be difficult to make blackwood over spades, only over clubs, but it might be better to be in 6C with 4-4 (having 5-4 here) instead of 5-3 in spades.

For next version very likely it will be tweaked partner's final choice of contract, so if that's contract where one of the partners shown 6+ or pair shown 7+ it would be agreed and not moved by GIB.

As here so you could ask over clubs as that's the expected blackwood, but bid 6S instead of 6C GIB won't move.