[Hilver]

Playing a Big Club (Precision style)You hold:
♠K Q 7 5 3
♥9 7 4
♦J 9 2
♣10 4

Your partner opens 1♣, Your RHO bids 1♦, You bid 1♠ (= 5/6-card ♠, 5-8 HCP).
LHO passess, and partner rebids 2♦(= GF). RHO passess and You bid 2♠. LHO passes again and now partner bids 3♦(= denying any 5+-suit).

So the bidding:
1♣ - (1♦) - 1♠ - (pass)
2♦ - (pass) - 2♠ - (pass)
3♦ - (pass) - ?
What do You respond now?

Thx
Jan

[the_clown]

I am bidding 3♠, I do not see any alternative. If I bid 3NT, the contract will be most likely wrongsided, (besides I only have a half stop in their suit), 3♥ would show either 4card suit or Hxx. If P bids 3NT i pass, if he makes a cuebid I will bid 4♠.

[mgoetze]

Hilver, on 2011-June-06, 08:54, said:

and now partner bids 3♦(= denying any 5+-suit).

Uhhuh, and what would 2NT have shown?

[mycroft]

So, has he categorically denied spade support? He's had two chances, although the first one reasonably wants to set the game force before showing suits (not sure I like it if I can't make a descriptive bid because I *have to* set the GF, though), the second one, if it's just denying a 5-card round suit, doesn't help.

Assuming that he has denied three spades, you're kind of stuck. Provided that you have another initial call for ♠KQTxxxx, I guess 3♠ is least bad - partner's going to take you for 6, but you have no diamond stopper (and don't really want to be declarer in NT anyway) and the 5-2 is probably better in your suit than the 4-3 heart fit.

This is the reason I play "p/xx NGF, systems on" after 1♣-(1♦) - not that it's going to be any better, except that 1♣-(1♦)-1♥ (showing spades) sets the game force, so we are one call ahead of you.

[Hilver]

mgoetze, on 2011-June-06, 11:19, said:

Uhhuh, and what would 2NT have shown?

2NT would have meant 22+ HP, balanced; not more then 2 spades.

[mgoetze]

Hilver, on 2011-June-06, 13:55, said:

2NT would have meant 22+ HP, balanced; not more then 2 spades.

So 3♦ shows (a) exactly 20-21 balanced or (b) exactly 1444 shape? Then logically we should be playing 3♥ = transfer to 3NT and 3♠ = transfer to 4 hearts. I bid the transfer to 3NT.

[jmcw]

Partner wants to know more about your hand, and I don't think he's fishing for a second suit.
Most likely he has a ♠ fit (he should have set trumps earlier), or possibly a big balanced hand(can 2NT be 25+)

With no control to show, I would just bid 3♠ or if the ♠ fit is "guaranteed" I can see bidding 4♠

[Zelandakh]

Is the auction not smoother if I rebid 2NT? This presumablly shows "something" in diamonds but should not need to show a full stop. Now if partner comes back with 3D I can bid 3S having shown exactly 5 spades and a half-stop in diamonds - seems a reasonable description, no?

[shevek]

3♥, having denied 4.
This allows me to bid 3NT over partner's 3♠ to show my ♦Jxx or partner to bid a delayed 3NT instead with his ♦Qx.

[JLOGIC]

Yeah 3H seems obvious. We cannot bid spades a 3rd time on 5332.

[bluecalm]

I think that maybe 3♦ should already promise some half stopper. If he has completely empty diamonds he should've preffered raising spades with two of them, I mean he may have AKQ and AKQ in round suits but it's still not enough for GF so with Hx of spades he could've raised and with Qx(x)/Txxx of diamonds he would bid 3♦. I am bidding 3NT as I don't want partner to visualize Kxxxx KQx xx xxx and going for heart game.

[Hilver]

bluecalm, on 2011-June-12, 04:54, said:

I think that maybe 3♦ should already promise some half stopper. If he has completely empty diamonds he should've preffered raising spades with two of them, I mean he may have AKQ and AKQ in round suits but it's still not enough for GF so with Hx of spades he could've raised and with Qx(x)/Txxx of diamonds he would bid 3♦. I am bidding 3NT as I don't want partner to visualize Kxxxx KQx xx xxx and going for heart game.

Openers hand:
♠ A x x
♥ A K 10 9
♦ A 10 x
♣ A K Q

[dcohio]

Partner already GF with 2♦, the 3♦ bid should be stopper seeking. Having extras and a fit in your suit (that you bid twice) I see no reason for the 3♦ call... 3♠ should show his hand nicely here. If you have a max you'll cue.