[dickiegera]

Now what do you bid?

Is 2♥ the best bid after 2♣ opening?

North had 8 clubs and the A,Q,J of spades
West has the Ace diamonds and Jack of hearts

Thank you

---

[TylerE]

Just bid 4♥. I don't really see the problem here.

2♥ accomplishes exactly 'f' all. 4♥ or pass if you're feeling tricky.

[HardVector]

If this was a live event, north just psyched a 2c bid or their partner failed to alert a precision 2c bid and you should call a director. I actually would have passed 2c just to see where they try to stop. I'd expect it to go 2c-2d-3c-3s-4c, then I'd bid 4h. They might actually double it.

[Cyberyeti]

HardVector, on 2018-November-12, 23:31, said:

If this was a live event, north just psyched a 2c bid or their partner failed to alert a precision 2c bid and you should call a director. I actually would have passed 2c just to see where they try to stop. I'd expect it to go 2c-2d-3c-3s-4c, then I'd bid 4h. They might actually double it.

No reason to suppose that, he could have a 12 trick hand for all you know AQJ, void, A, AKQJxxxxx.

[The_Badger]

I am assuming that 6♥ makes. So the point I am making is that how many times in a lifetime do you expect to be in a makeable small slam after the opponents open a genuine(ish) 2♣ opener? I think many players would say zilch.

I think 4♥ is the wrong bid here as it just says pre-empt, pre-empt, pre-empt. I actually prefer 2♥ followed by 4♥, however when the opponent just bids 5♣ you are just stymied. You expect your partner to have nothing given the bidding. It is just an unlucky board.

[Tramticket]

When RHO opens 2♣, you look at him and check for a red nose and a flower in his lapel which squirts water.

If you judge that he isn't a clown, then you have to take the bid seriously and assume he has very long clubs and probably a number of spades. I would actually pass at the first turn. The philosophy is that any direct intervention over 2♣ is weak and bidding following a pass is reserved for the very rare occasions when you have genuine values. So I pass and then bid 4♥.

Having taken the "strong route" to 4♥, I would not double 5♣, but I hope that partner would double 5♣ holding the ace of diamonds and knowing that I hold genuine values.

[nige1]

Now what do you bid?
Is 2♥ the best bid after 2♣ opening?
North had 8 clubs and the A,Q,J of spades
West has the Ace diamonds and Jack of hearts

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Over (2♣), I like Dickiegera''s 2♥
then after (5♣), perhaps you should double: cards/frustration

---

[gszes]

4h right away. We do not want to give the opps a chance to uncover a spade fit if possible. This might not be so important at IMPS but could be huge at MP.

[P_Marlowe]

X, ..., after 5Cx= I shrug, next board.
In the real world, I would most likely know my oppoenents,
have an idea, what to expect, and may bid 5H.

[mikeh]

As has been suggested by others, I think we need to know what North had. There are rules, pretty much wherever one plays, about the strength requirements for an artificial, forcing 2C opening. I suspect that something like AQJ x x AKQJxxxx would be permitted, although in my opinion it is very bad bridge for several reasons, one of which is that my sort of tongue in cheek rule is that one should never open 2C unless one is pretty sure that one can successfully double any slam they bid. Here, with that example, it is trivial to construct non-freak hands where they make either or both 6D or 6H.

Anyway, back to the real world: I don't have any specific agreement with any partner about 'immediate actions are weak, delayed actions are strong', probably we don't design our defences to strong 2C openers with a view to bidding slams

Assuming a natural structure (which I do not play....I like suction over 2C), I would bid 4H and then uncomfortably double, which says that I was bidding 4H to make. It also says that I have outside values....I wouldn't be doubling, say, on 9 solid hearts and a side Ace!.

Partner has rights over this auction: whether partner should bid depends on his or her hand, but my auction gives probably as good a description of this hand as one can expect in an auction where one has only 2 chances to bid.

[rmnka447]

If RHO has bid correctly, then it's almost certain that the hand is very black with almost all the black honors. That would make the hand very distributional to say the least.

So, I don't think doubling 5 ♣ makes much sense because there's no way to know if it will go down or not. From the looks of your hand, even if 5 ♣ goes down it doesn't seem like you'll beat it more than one or possibly 2 at the most. I don't know what you expect partner to do once you double, either.

I think it comes down to either making a bid or passing. Passing could let them play in their last makeable contract. Bidding could push them to a makeable slam or be spectacularly wrong if the distribution lies the wrong way.

At the table, I'd probably just put the 5 ♥ bid card on the table. If I find one helpful card in partner's hand, I think there's a decent chance of making.

[blackshoe]

"'strong' means whatever the player making the bid thinks it means". -- Official interpretation of current ACBL regulations.

[steve2005]

I don't know how much effort you should put into slam bidding after opps open strong 2♣. It just ain't happening enough to worry about and besides their is no science to freaks like this. Make your bid and take your chances.