[Cyberyeti]

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Acol, 2♣ only strong bid, vul v not first seat, 1♠ or 2♣ (GF if unbalanced) ?

If you open 1♠, partner bids 1N, what do you rebid ?

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2024-September-26, 14:09, said:

If you open 1♠, partner bids 1N, what do you rebid ?

That's why I open 2C.

[DavidKok]

1♠-1NT; 3NT shows a game force with 6(+) solid spades for me (18-19 bal rebids 2NT), though I've played Gazzilli for long enough that it's affected all my knowledge of ranges. I think our hand is suitable for the 3NT rebid though. Without this agreement rebidding 4♠ seems fine.

[mw64ahw]

Looks like a good Namyats 4♣ if you play that

[jillybean]

1♠ 1NT 4♠

[mikeh]

I used to open 1S with these hands but I think it’s a 2C opening bid. When all we need for game is the club queen or the heart king, opening 1S seems too risky for me.

Having opened 1S, I must make at least some effort to show the power of the hand. While grand is remote, and may not be biddable even when cold, 6S should be reachable at least some of the time it makes. Picture xx xxx Axx AQxxxx. 13 to tricks. Ok,it’s not that I’m really catering to that, but x Kxxx Axxx Qxxx makes for an almost laydown 6S.

So I bid 3C. Even absent specific agreements, it’s pretty standard to play this as game force AND as not promising lots of clubs. It’s the standard ‘punt’ when opener wants to drive to game and has no long side suit and doesn’t want to commit to notrump or 4S. As it happens, I usually play Jeff’s Magic Elixir (the name he ascribed to the method many years ago) where 1S 1N 3C is one of:

Blacks, 5-4 or better, gf, or
Majors, 5+ spades, precisely 4 hearts, gf, or
Monster one suiter in spades, too good for namyats (if played) and too good to jump to 4S…it announces slam interest, since with no slam interest one bids 4S

Responder normally bids 3D as a relay but can show genuine spade support (4S is a hand too weak for 2S and 3S is a LR) or long hearts (3H). He can’t raise clubs because 3C could have very short clubs.

But I’d still rather have opened 2C.

[DavidKok]

mikeh, on 2024-September-26, 16:13, said:

Responder normally bids 3D as a relay but can show genuine spade support (4S is a hand too weak for 2S and 3S is a LR) or long hearts (3H). He can’t raise clubs because 3C could have very short clubs.

Without agreements to the contrary I would expect:

• 1♠-1NT; 3♣ can be short.
  
• On this start, responder's rebids are:
  • 3♦: Diamond stopper, showing concern for hearts.
    
  • 3♥: 5(+)♥, offer to play 4♥.
    
  • 3♠: Catchall/punt. Contains hands with diamond concerns.
    
  • 3NT: Offer to play, not concerned about hearts or diamonds.
  You include hands with support in 1NT and seem to have no room for stopper investigation, while the 3♦ asking bid functions as a punt.

I think the 3♣ rebid has more downsides without your detailed agreements, which provides another argument for opening 2♣.

[Cyberyeti]

I opened 1♠ and rebid an ostensibly natural 3♣, partner bid 4♣, I somewhat surprised him by plonking 6♠ on the table.

By David's scheme I think he rebids 3♥ and I'm not sure what I do from there.

Partner's hand was void, KJ10xx, Jxxx, Axxx, 6♠ is pretty good, they have to lead a diamond, trumps no worse than 4-2, then either ♥Q coming down in 3 or the club finesse or as happened at the table RHO having 4 hearts and 4 clubs and you dropping the ♣Q via the show up squeeze. Unfortunately they led a diamond and spades were 5-1.

[bluenikki]

Cyberyeti, on 2024-September-26, 14:09, said:

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Acol, 2♣ only strong bid, vul v not first seat, 1♠ or 2♣ (GF if unbalanced) ?

If you open 1♠, partner bids 1N, what do you rebid ?

Is the following method played at all after 1M - 1NT - ?

3M = gf, M + ♣

3♣ = 1-suited M, inv+

[mw64ahw]

bluenikki, on 2024-September-27, 06:05, said:

Is the following method played at all after 1M - 1NT - ?

3M = gf, M + ♣

3♣ = 1-suited M, inv+

A bit like a Grue switch?
I play 1♠-1N-2♠ as 5sx4, but reserve the immediate jumps for distributional 64s or straight 6s as fast arrival.