[Hanoi5]

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Playing transfers or negative free bids it would be easy enough. But what if you're playing plainly natural, 2♥ showing 10+. Double (negative) and then hearts? Pass and wait for partner to double?

[whereagles]

Yeah dbl + pull to hearts. The worst case scenario is pard bidding 2♠ on 4153, but you're ok with most other responses.

[rmnka447]

I'd pass and bid 2 ♥ if partner doubles.

The ♥ suit is terrible. Opposite a small doubleton in partner's hand, you could lose 3 or 4 tricks in it.

[the hog]

rmnka447, on 2015-January-25, 19:52, said:

I'd pass and bid 2 ♥ if partner doubles.

The ♥ suit is terrible. Opposite a small doubleton in partner's hand, you could lose 3 or 4 tricks in it.

In view of the 2C bid and the fact that you have the C King that scenario is highly unlikely. RHO is a high chance to hold a H honour.

[PhilKing]

Pass then 3♥ if partner doubles. Particularly at these colours, there's absolutely no reason why partner should reopen with some festering pile with two small hearts. A reopening double shows a good hand or good shape in my book.

It's clearer to pass in my style where all weak no trumps open 1♣.

[mikeh]

You have to pass originally, and this is a simple exercise in elimination.

2♥ shows more hcp than you have. You therefore can't bid 2♥. Note that the suit is weak, and the hcp far below the minimum required, so even with the upgraded club K, this is too far away to justify a 'stretch'.

You can't double, negatively, since that shows either both majors or one major and the ability to handle partner getting excited in the major you don't have. You don't have both majors and you can't handle even 2♠, let alone 3 or 4♠, since you lack the values for 3N (remember, partner's 3♠, if that be his call, may well be on shape as much as or more than high cards) or any other contract.

Since you can't make any call other than pass, pass it is.

Then, as for what you do next, well, that requires understanding what partner's options are.

He will look firstly at his clubs. If he has club length (3 or more) his inclination will be to pass, absent a strong reason otherwise, since there is little likelihood of your having a trap pass when he has longish clubs.

He'd still bid if he had a very long diamond suit...a decent 6 card suit would be a minimum...or if he held a huge hand, say 19 hcp or so, but most balanced hands with some club length will pass.

If he doubles, he will usually have tolerance for both majors, at least Hx, and the less he likes both majors, the better his hand will be. Thus if he doubles, your hand grows up.

You have far too much to be content with 2♥, the call you'd make a very weak hand and as few as 4 hearts.....picture xxxx Qxxx x xxxx.

Yet you can't force to game, since partner would reopen happily enough with KJxx Axx KQxxx x and game has zero play. He might raise 3♥ to game with that hand, but one cannot win them all...my point is that when 2♥ is clearly inadequate and 4♥ too much, once again elimination points to the best solution.

This method of analyzing bidding issues is very powerful. It forces you to think, as objectively as possible, about different options, rather than focusing on just thinking about the call that initially suggests itself to you.