Help
I was stumped in this auction.
I'm comfortable with 2NT showing a stopper and limiting strength, but what am I supposed to do now lacking a hearts stopper?
To me 3♣ not only shows some kind of stop but (above all) suggests doubt about hearts.
Clearly GiB is not on the same wavelength as it repeats diamonds and still obstinately defines 3♥ by me as showing, not asking.
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Converging on 3NT with GiB
#1
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Posted Yesterday, 15:59
#2
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Posted Yesterday, 20:06
If the opponents have bid one or more suits, GIB will only ever care about stoppers in those suits, so I would just have bid 3NT over 2NT.
#3
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Posted Today, 04:26
smerriman, on 2025-March-08, 20:06, said:
If the opponents have bid one or more suits, GIB will only ever care about stoppers in those suits, so I would just have bid 3NT over 2NT.
I still don't get why after 3C it repeats diamonds in the first place (particularly if diamonds still could be 3 cards, as the description states) rather than bidding 3NT itself.
But in any case, if it won't bid 3NT or 3H itself then surely a subsequent 3H by me should ask rather than show.
#4
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Posted Today, 14:07
That all follows from the above - to GIB 2NT says that it holds the sufficient spade stopper for 3NT, but not the strength for 3NT.
With the stopper probe concluded, 3♣ shows.. 4 clubs, nothing more.
3♦ says.. "that's .. nice, but I still don't have enough strength to bid 3NT if you're a minimum, so have to correct back to our fit". In fact, I expect 3♣ "forces" 3♦ on every hand, though of course GIB doesn't know that at the point of defining 3♣.
3♥ doesn't "show/ask" anything related to stoppers, it's just another biddable suit (though would be 13+ since it forces the auction a level higher).
With the stopper probe concluded, 3♣ shows.. 4 clubs, nothing more.
3♦ says.. "that's .. nice, but I still don't have enough strength to bid 3NT if you're a minimum, so have to correct back to our fit". In fact, I expect 3♣ "forces" 3♦ on every hand, though of course GIB doesn't know that at the point of defining 3♣.
3♥ doesn't "show/ask" anything related to stoppers, it's just another biddable suit (though would be 13+ since it forces the auction a level higher).
#5
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Posted Today, 14:56
smerriman, on 2025-March-09, 14:07, said:
That all follows from the above - to GIB 2NT says that it holds the sufficient spade stopper for 3NT, but not the strength for 3NT.
With the stopper probe concluded, 3♣ shows.. 4 clubs, nothing more.
3♦ says.. "that's .. nice, but I still don't have enough strength to bid 3NT if you're a minimum, so have to correct back to our fit". In fact, I expect 3♣ "forces" 3♦ on every hand, though of course GIB doesn't know that at the point of defining 3♣.
3♥ doesn't "show/ask" anything related to stoppers, it's just another biddable suit (though would be 13+ since it forces the auction a level higher).
With the stopper probe concluded, 3♣ shows.. 4 clubs, nothing more.
3♦ says.. "that's .. nice, but I still don't have enough strength to bid 3NT if you're a minimum, so have to correct back to our fit". In fact, I expect 3♣ "forces" 3♦ on every hand, though of course GIB doesn't know that at the point of defining 3♣.
3♥ doesn't "show/ask" anything related to stoppers, it's just another biddable suit (though would be 13+ since it forces the auction a level higher).
Clear, thanks, and quite reasonable up to and including the "forced" 3♦ (promising only 3 cards apart), no harm temporizing here. But 3♥ after that really should be about a hearts stop one way or the other, IMO.
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