[jillybean]

There's a big crowd and a lot of interesting hands in the Open Pairs.
Here's one of them.

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CORRECTED

[DavidKok]

1♠. Are there any gadgets to anticipate, e.g. Gazzilli, XYZ/XYNT/two-way checkback, Crowhurst, other? What is opener's range on 1♥-1♠; 1NT?

[mikeh]

I played in the event but don’t recognize the hand

There is one where south holds this exact hand but partner surely didn’t open 1H. On board 21 from the second session, north would open 1D. I think it still leads to an interesting auction, depending upon methods.

[jillybean]

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Start again! Partner opened the other red suit. Sorry

1m 1M 1nt 15-17
XYZ yes but it's a moot point now, RKC1430, what else do you need?

[DavidKok]

2♥ third suit game forcing would be nice, that way I can confirm diamonds as trumps in a GF auction next round by bidding 3♦ (unless partner bids 3♦/3♥ to pattern out). Absent that gadget it's between 4♦ (forcing) and 4♥ (splinter). Partner might have a 1=4=5=3 and be worried about a misfit in the major suits (in fact, if partner doesn't have four hearts, why are the opps not bidding at these colours?), but our spades are weak so that would actually be good news. I'm leaning towards 4♦, we are a bit too strong for a splinter and that jack of hearts might improve partner's possible holding.

If I can maneuver partner into asking for aces we can describe our entire hand without going past 5♦.

[akwoo]

Yes - 2H 3rd suit forcing would be nice, but absent that gadget, I'm bidding 3C.

I'm still guessing if partner then bids 3S (I'll go for 4D), but at MPs I want to give partner a chance to get to 3N.

[jillybean]

Mike, can you take over North's bidding now? We did not shine.

2♥ for us would be forcing but not gf, yet. (perhaps it should be)

[jillybean]

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I'll try to continue with it, I'm sure others will bid it expertly later.

[DavidKok]

4♦ over 3♥, setting trumps. Partner now knows that we know of the probable 1=4=5=3 and can evaluate the hand in context. Unfortunately it is pairs so 5♦ will be a big loser, but I think slam is still very possible. As little as ♠x, ♥Axxx, ♦KQxxx, ♣Kxx looks terrific, but even ♠x, ♥KQTx, ♦KQxxx, ♣Qxx has chances despite the wasted hearts. I still hope I can get partner to bid Blackwood, so if partner bids 4♥ control I will bid 4♠ control. If partner bids 5♣ over that (last train) I'll jump to 6, if partner signs off in 5♦ I probably have to pass (but I'm not sure - signing off instead of asking for aces is compatible with that second hand, since partner cannot handle a 2 KC response by us).

[Cyberyeti]

I'm on my own here, we would have started 1♦-2♦ because our inverts can contain a 4 card major, for most of the world it's 1♦-1♠-2♦ and now you really want an artificial bid over this (for us 2♥, for some others 3♣) for partner to describe their hand.

[jillybean]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-April-22, 12:19, said:

I'm on my own here, we would have started 1♦-2♦ because our inverts can contain a 4 card major, for most of the world it's 1♦-1♠-2♦ and now you really want an artificial bid over this (for us 2♥, for some others 3♣) for partner to describe their hand.

1m:2m gf, could contain a 4cM was how I was playing but I was convinced here into bidding 4cM and changing 1m:2m back to inv+, no 4cM

I won't post any more bids because as I said above, we did not bid this correctly.

[DavidKok]

My inverted minor can contain a 4cM, but usually doesn't. We might stumble back into the fit but don't have a dedicated way to find it. On this hand I prefer showing the spades first, especially if 1♦ can be balanced.

[AL78]

I am a bit late to this thread and am not in the same league as others who have commented, but I was thinking of first responding 1♠, then when partner rebids diamonds, splinter with 3♥. I'm thinking a diamond slam is in the picture if partner doesn't have heart wastage.

[Stephen Tu]

AL78, on 2023-April-22, 16:08, said:

I am a bit late to this thread and am not in the same league as others who have commented, but I was thinking of first responding 1♠, then when partner rebids diamonds, splinter with 3♥. I'm thinking a diamond slam is in the picture if partner doesn't have heart wastage.

How sure are you that 3H is splinter though? That requires agreement. Why can't it be 5-5 majors, GF? or 5-5 majors, inv? Those hands are kind of important to show also, in olden SA bidding typically 1d-1s-2d-2h-?-3H was inv, 1d-1s-2d-3H was 55 GF.

The question is if you play 2H as completely artificial GF, or quasi-natural F1, or quasi-natural FG, and how you handle lesser both major hands, which can be influenced if you play reverse flannery by responder.
Personally, with no discussion, I'm much more comfortable bidding a quasi-natural 3c followed by 4d, which should show heart shortness by inference, than bidding hearts followed by 4d, which would seem more accident prone to me, partner either assuming hearts are agreed (if hearts was raised to 3h), or that we have club shortness.

[sfi]

I'd be very comfortable bidding 3H as a splinter. The general rule I tend to add is that if we can show a forcing hand with that suit, bidding the suit at the next level is a splinter unless it's game. Forcing hands with hearts start with 2H, so 3H shows shortage.

[Cyberyeti]

sfi, on 2023-April-23, 03:47, said:

I'd be very comfortable bidding 3H as a splinter. The general rule I tend to add is that if we can show a forcing hand with that suit, bidding the suit at the next level is a splinter unless it's game. Forcing hands with hearts start with 2H, so 3H shows shortage.

So how do you bid the following after 1♦-1♠-2♦ or do you have a different response to 1♦ for some/all ?

QJxxxx, QJxxx, void, xx

KJ10xx, KJ10xx, x, xx

KJ10xx, KJ10xx, x, Kx

[jillybean]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-April-23, 05:18, said:

So how do you bid the following after 1♦-1♠-2♦ or do you have a different response to 1♦ for some/all ?

QJxxxx, QJxxx, void, xx

KJ10xx, KJ10xx, x, xx

KJ10xx, KJ10xx, x, Kx

2♠

2♥

2nt

[AL78]

Stephen Tu, on 2023-April-22, 17:17, said:

How sure are you that 3H is splinter though? That requires agreement. Why can't it be 5-5 majors, GF? or 5-5 majors, inv? Those hands are kind of important to show also, in olden SA bidding typically 1d-1s-2d-2h-?-3H was inv, 1d-1s-2d-3H was 55 GF.

The question is if you play 2H as completely artificial GF, or quasi-natural F1, or quasi-natural FG, and how you handle lesser both major hands, which can be influenced if you play reverse flannery by responder.
Personally, with no discussion, I'm much more comfortable bidding a quasi-natural 3c followed by 4d, which should show heart shortness by inference, than bidding hearts followed by 4d, which would seem more accident prone to me, partner either assuming hearts are agreed (if hearts was raised to 3h), or that we have club shortness.

I was thinking 2♥ is forcing so it seems like a waste of bidding space to leap to 3♥ to also force and be natural, although I can see it is playable for it to show 5-5 and strong, or a splinter warning to stay out of 3NT with inadequate cover in the suit or the start of slam investigation.

[akwoo]

First of all - I'm bidding 2H only if it's forcing AND ARTIFICIAL.

If partner bids 3N, I pass.

If partner bids a natural 3H over an artificial 2H, I bid 3N.

[the hog]

steve2005, on 2023-April-22, 17:30, said:

2♣ is a terrible bid with 4-3-3-3
It is clear to bid your only 4-card suit. You can game-force with 4-th suit forcing next round or jump to 3NT/4♥

bidding 2♣ is a distortion of your shape, you will never be able to find 6♣ on hands where it is right if you bid 2♣ on these type of hands

1♦ 1♠2♦ 2♥with the 2♥ bid either natural or forcing is an effective convention. This ties in well with 1D 2H shows 5S and 4+H limited.
On the given hand I would expect strong players to bid:
1D 1S2D 3H splinter.