[awm]

Scoring: IMP

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Opponents silent. You're dealer:

Pass - 1♦
1♠ - 2♣
2♦ - 3♣

What's your next call?

[Fluffy]

I gave this a deep though, at first I though 3♦ was enough and voted for it, but I have rethough, doubleton club is not great, but we can ruff with top diamonds for free most of the time. 4♦.

[pclayton]

I voted for 4. I'm not going to hang pard for making a light invite in a minor.

[655321]

3♦.

We are not vulnerable, partner sounds like a 5/5 16-17 or so.
If he is stronger, and we make a game, he may still be able to bid on.

[pclayton]

Considering 3♦ could be made on a non-fitting dog with doubleton support, it seems rather cautious.

[kenrexford]

An interesting situation that I have not considered as fully as I am now considering.

Partner opens 1♦ and you bid a major. Partner now bids 2♣, a call that may be quite strong, and you bid 2♦, a call that may be a courtesy correction. Partner now bids 3♣, declining to bid either major to show a fragment and complete pattern, suggesting that he lacks a fragment, of course.

It seems to me, at this point is the sequence, that declaring in a major contract is out. Given that assumption, it seems that 3♥ and 3♠ should be calls that have meanings, of course. I'm just not sure what meaning should be attached to those bids. If these are not artificial calls of some variety, then it seems that some value must be shown, perhaps shortness if in the other major, perhaps slow values if if the first. Perhaps reintroducing the major suggests a 5-2 game fit?

Fortunately, this specific hand leaves that issue unnecessary to resolve, directly. However, it does seem to impact the meaning of 4♦.

[han]

Ken, I would assume 3H = looking for 3NT lacking stopper and indeed 3S = good 5-card suit suggesting 5-2.

[mikeh]

Not sure that 4♦ is right... a diamond lead may embarrass us if partner's clubs aren't good, and a major lead might embarrass us if trump are 4-1. And it isn't as if we are maximum. But we have the equivalent of 3 working cards and nothing wasted, regardless of his major suit strength (the doubleton club may be as useful as Qx, and wouldn't we fall in love with xxxxx xxx AKx Qx?)

So we have to bid 4♦ and hope that partner isn't the hyperaggressive type.

As for the meanings of 3Major... I think that we should be bidding the major we stop, rather than trying for the 5-2 fit.. not that I'm entirely convinced of this. But it seems to me that we will more often hold something like xxxx Axx KJx Jxx for our auction than a suit that will support game on a 5-2. Just because we bid 1♠ doesn't mean the opps won't lead it against 3N on a sequence in which we prefer diamonds and then confirm a heart stopper.

Incidentally, this sequence (in the OP) is ideal for a Bluhmer (spelling?) if we held a super accept: say xxxxx Ax KJxx xx... we could bid 4♠ over 3♣, reaching slam opposite x Kx AQ10xx AKxxx.

[whereagles]

I'll bid 4♦. This hand is worth much more than your average 7 hcp, i.e.

Kxxx
Kxxx
Jxx
xx

[P_Marlowe]

3H.

Asking for a heart stopper.

Bidding 4D can wait.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Apollo81]

Funny that nearly all the posters said 4♦, but 3♦ has more votes.

My porridge is just right.

[jdonn]

I like 4♦ even though it would normally be four card support.

[helene_t]

3♥ asking for a stopper? Couldn't it be 5-5 majors?

[jtfanclub]

mikeh, on Mar 3 2008, 07:23 PM, said:

Not sure that 4♦ is right... a diamond lead may embarrass us if partner's clubs aren't good, and a major lead might embarrass us if trump are 4-1.

So, if you had...

7
6
QJ5432
AKQ32

would this be 1♦, 2♣, 3♣? Or 1♦, 2♣, 3♦?

I guess this is another one I don't get. Partner must have better clubs than he has diamonds, probably much better. I'm having a lot of trouble picturing a 5-5 hand that bids this way.

7
65
QJxxx
AKQxx

This hand doesn't bid above 2♦.

7
Ax
QJxxx
AKQxx

Lots of ways to bid this one, including opening 1 club and rebidding 2 diamonds, and bidding 2NT over 2♦. It wouldn't occur to me to bid clubs twice on a hand with a heart stop.

Partner has a hand where the 3 level is safe even if my suit preference was a courtesy correction and I have a minimum with all my points in the majors. And yet, he has a hand that couldn't bid 2NT (or reverse, or jump-shift) and is missing the AK of diamonds.

I think he's got to have six diamonds.