[Cthulhu D]

My bidding got deservedly critiqued by oppo after this board, but I really had zero idea what to do at the table.

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1C was a clubs or balanced style in a 5CM context.
1D was a transfer to hearts.

Lacking anything intelligent to do after 2D I just bid 4H and that made (3 imps in), but 6C and 6H both have play but I wasn't sure how to get there.

Bids that occured to me

• Start with 3D? I felt like that probably asks for a stopper for 3NT, and I'm not sure I know anything else if partner bids 3NT at this point.
  
• 3S is surely a splinter, but I hardly have 4 trumps (though, of course, if I'm bidding 4H anyway...).
  
• 3C is clearly NF and my hand is currently GOLD particularly if I can arrange to declare, so that feels bad.
  
• 4C.. I'm not sure what 4C is. Something good though, but I'm not sure it suggests I have hearts.

Without interference, 2NT would have been 3 hearts 6 clubs and a big hand (or another handtype, but whatever), but with interference it sounds a lot like 17-19 balanced with a diamond stop to me, and while my hand is good, that is not what I have. Also the huge tank up to this point meant bidding 4H was pragmatic, but I'm not sure I should be doing.

[mgoetze]

I have this neat convention called the "support double" which applies here.

[Cthulhu D]

mgoetze, on 2015-January-09, 00:46, said:

I have this neat convention called the "support double" which applies here.

HA. Yeah, good point, though, again, I don't like with the bidding - they rate to have a 9 card spade fit right? I guess doubling and backing in with clubs is the right solution.

[whereagles]

Playing good-bad 2NT, this is a no-brainer 3♣. Without that 3♣ might feel an underbid but it's still reasonable (and what I'd bid)

I don't think the hand is golden in support of hearts because you might lack entries to setup the clubs. Really, if dummy is forced at trick 1, you'll have a hard time making something out of the club suit.

As for support doubles, I refuse to play that convention, as I think it's inferior.

[ahydra]

Agree 3C is an underbid. 4C should be 4-6 in the round suits and you're not strong enough for 3D-then-4H which should show a slam try, nor do you have enough trumps to make a 3S splinter. 2NT should be a balanced hand as you say. So that leaves only X, then raise a heart rebid to 4H else bid 3C.

ahydra

[MrAce]

Cthulhu D, on 2015-January-09, 01:26, said:

I guess doubling and backing in with clubs is the right solution.

This would be my plan.

[kenberg]

I don't play transfer responses but I would assume that if I did then, as has been suggested, X should be three card support and I can't think of why I wouldn't do that. In particular, if I were going to bid on in hearts then this seems to be the way to do it.

To put it another way, I don't see this as different from 1C-(Pass)-1H natural -(2D) and I don't see why I would not make a support double there. It's true that a common problem with support doubles is that AQx is a lot different from xxx but still I think I start with my three card support.

Am I missing something?

[nige1]

Cthulhu D, on 2015-January-08, 23:43, said:

My bidding got deservedly critiqued by oppo after this board, but I really had zero idea what to do at the table.
1C was a clubs or balanced style in a 5CM context.
1D was a transfer to hearts.
Lacking anything intelligent to do after 2D I just bid 4H and that made (3 imps in), but 6C and 6H both have play but I wasn't sure how to get there.
Bids that occured to me

• Start with 3D? I felt like that probably asks for a stopper for 3NT, and I'm not sure I know anything else if partner bids 3NT at this point.
• 3S is surely a splinter, but I hardly have 4 trumps (though, of course, if I'm bidding 4H anyway...).
• 3C is clearly NF and my hand is currently GOLD particularly if I can arrange to declare, so that feels bad.
• 4C.. I'm not sure what 4C is. Something good though, but I'm not sure it suggests I have hearts.

Without interference, 2NT would have been 3 hearts 6 clubs and a big hand (or another handtype, but whatever), but with interference it sounds a lot like 17-19 balanced with a diamond stop to me, and while my hand is good, that is not what I have. Also the huge tank up to this point meant bidding 4H was pragmatic, but I'm not sure I should be doing.

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IMO

• Double = 10. Providing it's not penalty.
• 2N = 7. Even if this is ambiguous, both possible meanings are strong, so it should be forcing.
• 4♣ = 9, Should imply a fit because it bypasses 3N.
• 3♦ = 8. Space-consuming, uninformative, and vulnerable to ♠ pre-emption -- but otherwise fine
• 3♠ = 6. But setting hearts as trumps is premature. If partner has some clubs, then ♣ contracts are likely to play better than ♥ contracts.
• 3♣ = 4. Dangerous underbid