Interesting Hand 8
This time something different
1.Are the following bidding sequences forcing:
Partner opens 1
,
you reply 1
,
partner then bids 2NT. If you now bid 3
is this asking partner to choose between 3NT / 4,
or can it be left?
2. Partner opens 1
,
you reply 1,
partner then bids 2NT. If you now bid 3
can it be left?
3. Partner opened 1
with this hand
A98653 
void
AKJ106 A3
You reply 1,
so now what does partner re-bid?
The replies
Question one
I think this is 100% forcing to game
Question two
Again I think this is forcing - I can pass 2NT
Question three
Some would argue one heart as you have taken partners 2 diamond bid away if partner is very very weak with a mass of diamonds.However I would bid 2 hearts as the hand is so distributional - if it were just 5/4 and 16 points I would bid 1 heart .However if partner had responded a spade I would definitely reverse as partner with a very very weak hand can still rebid spades at the two level
2.
I’ve not taken very long to think about the hands (about 3 minutes) so may wish to change my answer after more thought.
Hand 1. I would take it as forcing to game. If you have a minimum hand, the best thing would be Pass. So to bid 3H would be to imply three card support and interest in game.
Hand 2. Yes
Hand 3. I’d bid 2H. This should show a good hand with a 6-5 holding. If you only had four hearts then 1H would be the correct bid – even if strong.
3.
Q1.The 2NT rebid is a limit bid showing 17/18 HCP and is therefore passable.If responder is so weak that game is not on, then with 3 card Heart support he should probably just raise the Hearts to the 2 level instead of bidding 1 SpadeWith only 2 card heart support and a poor hand (less than game values) responder would pass 2NT
If responder is stronger with slam ambitions, then a new suit at the 3 level is 100% forcing
So back to the question, the 3 heart bid in this situation must be asking opener to pick the game contract with 3 card Heart support and game going values or a much stronger hand that responder was intending to make a delayed game raise, now if opener bids 3NT responder can bid 4NT (RKCB for Hearts). This second option would not occur if the partnership was playing the Jacoby 2NT.
Q2.The 2NT rebid is a limit bid showing 17/18 HCP and is therefore passable.Here if responder is very weak say a min 6 HCP and a 4 card spade suit and 4 card support for Clubs he would bid 1Spade, after the 2NT rebid, 3Clubs would deny values for game and show the Club support. With values for game responder would raise to 3NT.With stronger hands a new suit at the 3 level would be forcing and a jump to 4 Clubs show minor suit slam ambitions as you have bypassed 3NT
Q3.This hand has 16HCP and 4 losers with nice shape. Responders bid of 1 Diamond is the worse response you could have had, but wit the 6-5-2 distribution you should still make the reverse onto 2 Hearts if you play a new suit at the 1 level is passable. You will be unfortunate to find partner with only Diamonds and all HCP there.If you play any change of suit is forcing for 1 Round then there is a case for 1 Heart, as opener can show his strength and distribution at his next bid.
4.Hand 1 – Partner’s 2NT is showing 17-18 points and your 3H reply says you have exactly 3 hearts and enough points for game. Our agreement (except when I forgot the other day!) is that bidding 3H is forcing a choice between 3NT and 4H. If you don’t feel game is possible then you have to leave it in 2NT.
Hand 2 – We don’t have an agreement on this. Thinking it through, the difference to hand 1 is that you might have 4 clubs, but in hand 1 you can’t have 4 hearts else you would have supported straight away. The other obvious difference is that game in clubs is more tricks than game in hearts, and even more than game in NT! As responder you might for example have only six points with 5 weakish spades, four clubs, a heart singleton or void. You don’t really want to play in 2NT, certainly don’t want to play in 3NT, so 3C seems the best way out. I think logic says it should be possible to leave 3C, seeing as the game choice is either 3NT or 5 clubs, and 5 clubs is likely to be just too many tricks.
Hand 3 – just 1H. Plenty of time to show your strength later.
5..1) 3H can be
left. It is showing a minimum of 4 spades, at least 3 hearts and while not
forcing, partner is in a position to judge whether 3NT or 4 Hearts could
make and it would rarely be left but is not forcing. If I had a balanced
hand with only 6 points I would leave 2NT so I must, if weak, have no points
worthy of mention in the minors. Thus it is showing a weak to moderate hand
with weakness in the minors. With a good balanced hand I would bid 3NT myself
over partner's 2NT.
2) Similar to look at but very different as the preferred suit is a minor.
I would take this as having a stronger hand than that above but a shortage
in either red suit which would make 3NT inadvisable. I could well have 4
clubs but preferred to mention a 4/5 card major first. Basically I think
it is asking for 3NT or 5 clubs.(I've a feeling that I may be barking up
the wrong tree here.)
3) Not easy. IH could be passed, it is an ideal reverse situation but partner
has just bid 1D. Probably bid iH and hope that partner bids again so that
I can bid 2h, showing the 6-5 shape.
6.1. If 2NT = 17-18pts with 4H , a 3H response would imply 6-7pts with 5S & 4H - then not forcing. (Assumes NT re-bid limits Hearts to 4). An unlikely bidding sequence.
2. 3C re-bid implies 6-7 pts, 4-5S, 3-4C. Not forcing. (assumes 2NT = 17-18pts & probably 5C).
3. Re-bid 2H (reverse).
7. 1. Non Forcing (but see stats below)
2.Forcing ( all suit rebids other than responders are 100% forcing)
3.Rebid 1H (If resp is very weak with 5+D`s You don`t want to go higher, if he as able to muster another bid you are then able to bid 3H to show the shape and reverse strength and lack of D support)
Notes
1 the treatment of 1/2 above are in line with Crowhurst`s
latest analysis
2 It is important to define which "Very Weak Hands" should be rebidding their suit to play in the definition of point 1.
Assuming a 2nt rebid is 17-18 balanced, and that any weak/very weak responder will have a min of a 6 card suit then we can consider the group of relevant hands as 4-6 counts with 6/7 cards in the bid suit.
Probable outcomes are (100 deal sets)
a) 7 cards 6HCP 4(H/S) 88% 3NT 44%
5 HCP 4(H/S) 70 % 3NT 25%
4 HCP (4H/S) 50% 3NT 18%
b) 6 cards 6HCP 4(H/S) 70% 3NT 35%
5 HCP (4H/S) 48% 3NT 17%
3(H/S) 85% 2NT 46%
My view
Q1. 3 hearts, (showing a 3 card suit)should offer a choice of games, between 3NT and 4H
Q2. Non-forcing. If you held J10742
5 KJ42
543, you would respond 1spade but,then
a contract of 2NT /3NT looks very dodgy.There must be a good play in 3 clubs
What actually happened on hand 3
Partner re-bid 3 hearts (!), which I took to show a 6-5 distribution in clubs and hearts. Routinely asked for aces and kings and then bid 7 clubs. Made easily, but 7NT failed with the heart queen being offside. You have 6 club tricks ,3 diamond tricks, 1 spade trick and 2 heart tricks = 12. This was in a social game so took my partners score from just positive to a winning score.