[cherdano]

Suppose your partner dealt you

Scoring: MP

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and opens 1♠, pass, your bid. You play 2/1 absolut game force and invitational jumps. Your bid?

(I post this because I was surprised by the replies on RGG on this, which got me curious whether we would get a consensus on this here...)

[Free]

I can't vote, cause I don't care about ZAR points schmoints. I just bid 2♣ since this is a CLEAR GF imo... I don't need any evaluation method for this decision

[inquiry]

Ok, I have to admit for me this is an easy 1NT forcing. The reason being, my partner and I open very light, and even hands sligthly stronger than this do not start with 2♣.

However, I suspect most 2/1 willl bid 2♣ with this hand, and that is ok with me. Playing with anyone but my very regular partners I would respond 2♣ as well.

How do i separtate moster 1NT hands like this (top of the holding) from weaker ones? The answer depends upon the auction, but 2NT rebids by the 1NT bidder shows a good UNBALANCED hand just like this one, also if partner bids 2♣ over 1NT, I have some extra tools as well to show fit and great hand. (Again, for me, my 2NT rebid here by the 1NT bidder is artificial and shows a very good hand for the auction and not a balanced hand).

Sadly for me 3♣ is not an option on this hand.

[cherdano]

Free, on Aug 2 2004, 06:11 PM, said:

I can't vote, cause I don't care about ZAR points schmoints.  I just bid 2♣ since this is a CLEAR GF imo...  I don't need any evaluation method for this decision 

Feel Free to ignore the comments Think of them like campaign ads in an election -- you vote for the party you agree with despite their horrible ads

[1eyedjack]

If an invitational 3C is in the armory, it is difficult to see a hand that qualifies if this one doesn't. It is slightly on the strong side for invitational 3C but then it is a long way to 5C.

[luis]

2♣ without doubts.

[EricK]

This is a 2♣ bid for me.

Swap the majors and (if playing the stated methods) I would bid 3♣.

Eric

[paulhar]

I'm with EricK. 2C, but if pard had opened 1H, then 3C invitational.

[inquiry]

While we wait for the 2♣ resoponses to swamp out all the other options, let's see how I continue with this hand using my modified 1NT "semi-forcing".

My 1NT bid

1) never includes 3 card or longer support for partner major,
2) never inludes a balanced hand of good 10 or more points (generally 11 or more)

See these threads for more details.
Unloading 1NT

Drury after first and second seat openings

Ok, so best news is if I bid 1NT and partner bids 2♣, I have a leap to 3♠ to show a huge club fit and doubleton ♠ honor, Or I can bid 3NT over 2♣ showing this hand with a doubleton spade and a heart splinter. I can get away with these bids because I don't have balanced hand (3NT no longer natural, so fit) or 3 card spade support (jump to 3♠ has to be club fit and doubleton spade honor).

If partner bids 2♠ weak, I can make a game stab with 2NT (unbalanced maximum, forces 3♣... partner bids 3♣ in paradox mode.. bidding clubs only if he doesn't want to go to game opposite a hand like this when my suit is clubs. The same thing if partner bids 2♦ or 2♥, I can bid 2NT with the same paradox type response. If I had weak hand with clubs, I would bid 2♠ or 3♣ or pass (2♠) as the feeling struck me.

I can imagine the hand now....Partner holds


If partner bids 2♠ (weak and three card fit

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My bidding goes..

1S-1N
2C-3N
4D-4N
6C-P

3N = splinter with 2♠ and excellent clubs
4D = kickback (can't use 4C as minorwood here, becasue of chance of need to get out of notrump). So you can bid these things quite aggressively after the fit is found.

Ben

[flytoox]

this hand looks like good enough for a game, i bid 2c and plan to bid game.

[jtfanclub]

Interesting. I'm not an expert by any means, but...

I bid 1NT, because I think I'm going to need all the space I can get. If we're just going to game, then 2C will do fine. But if I make a slam try, partner needs to know that I've only got one suit stopped.

On the other hand...I've never played 3C as invitational- I play it as WJS. So what does 1S-1NT-2C-3C show in this system?

[fred]

Playing IMPs 2C is clear in my view.

Playing MPs with partner who opens light, there is a case for 3C,
but I would still bid 2C.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[1eyedjack]

inquiry, on Aug 2 2004, 02:45 PM, said:

While we wait for the 2♣ resoponses to swamp out all the other options, let's see how I continue with this hand using my modified 1NT "semi-forcing".

To save me looking it up, if 1NT is semi-forcing I take at that means that it is not actually forcing. So, what sort of hand might opener pass 1NT and are you not worried about missing 3N on such a hand?

[inquiry]

A semi-forcing 1NT is just that. It meant to be "forcing", but it

1) Denies a fit for openers major (none of that 1NT then jump to 3S stuff). In fact, the way I play this semi-forcing 1NT, responder has at most 2-card-fit.

2) It denies balanced hand with as much as a good 10 hcp.

3) It can include a misfit hand with void, singleton, or doubleton in opener's suit, and a nice long suit of its own. This hand shows in this thread approaches the strongest such hand you could have to use the semi-forcing 1NT. And you hope very much to get to use one of the cool tools to show clubs and doubleton spade honor or clubs, two spades, and splinter in hearts.

4) If opener passes the semi-forcing 1NT there is an excellent chance you are high enough, since it is almost never passed. In general the pass shows 10-12 hcp, very weak spade suit (T or J high), and scattered stuff in the other suits. So far wehn the bidding has gone 1M-1NT-Pass, we have always been a great spot.

[luke warm]

i have a question... since a 3c response is invitational, what would

1S : 1NT
2D,H,S : 3C

show? oh btw, i couldn't bid 3C over 1S anyway, because of bergen or maybe a fit jump

[the hog]

have a question... since a 3c response is invitational, what would

1S : 1NT
2D,H,S : 3C

A worse C suit.

Incidentally, if I don't have an invit 3C then I bid 1N forcing.

[luke warm]

The_Hog, on Aug 3 2004, 01:01 AM, said:

have a question... since a 3c response is invitational, what would

1S : 1NT
2D,H,S : 3C

A worse C suit.

ty... is there a theoretical advantage to having 1nt then 3c show the weak hand, as opposed to 1s : 3c?

[the hog]

Yes; we play that 1M 3C shows 2/3 top hons. If opener has 1C hon, it fills the suit and makes 3N a very desirable contract. Going via 1N denies 2/3 top hons.

[luke warm]

ahhhhhhh... ok, makes sense

[whereagles]

I bid 2C here. I have great playing strenght.