There are some who play that any hand with an ace is worth a response, especially with 3-card trump support. I am with K364 and would always raise partner with that. I also play 5-card majors, which is a little different from if you play Acol 4-card majors.
I have discovered that Funbridge will tell you if you make a bid that does not match your system. It does not tell you at the time, but after the hand you can see if it flags your bidding as wrong.
I held a 5332 10-count with AQxxx spades and three little hearts. Playing 2/1, partner opened 1H. I bid 1S and then over 2 of a minor, bid 3H. I expected this to be invitational. Partner raised to game on a 12-count, down 1. Afterwards, Funbridge flagged my 3H bid as wrong because it is game forcing and I need 14+ points (which sounds like too many anyway).
I guess in the Funbridge 2/1 I have to ignore my spades and respond 1NT and then bid 3H.
I had a fun hand last night. I opened 1NT (12-14), partner bid 2C (Stayman) and passed my 2D response. I made all 13 tricks. Partner had 7 diamonds headed by AQJ and I had KT, I had CAQJxx and there was Txx on the table. The lead was a club and RHO went up with the King. So I made 12 tricks in the minors and an outside ace. This scored a bottom as someone else bid 3N and made 7 on the same lead.
Good thing you can see the funny side. For my money your partner chose the wrong time to get creative - what was he planning to do over a positive Stayman response? I’ve seen players punt 3NT straight off on hands like that, but if he wants to stop why not just pass 1NT?
Also - your opponents had a big double fit in the majors and they got a top for letting you play 2D? That’s some serious luck on their part.
So, you have to bid 2 Coeurs, and partner will try 3 Coeurs with anything slightly better than a minimum just in case you have the invitational hand. Sounds like the old Goren system.
Bidding goes 2C (strong) on your left, and 3C by partner. You play Michaels but using it over a strong 2C has never been discussed.
I have some questions - is this Michaels or just a club suit? Would you make this bid with a Michaels hand considering it might be misinterpreted? How strong do you feel about your answers?
Michaels is not on over a conventional bid for me, but I have no strong feelings if that is the superior agreement. If you told me it was playable over strong 2C, precision openng bids etc I’d take your word for it.
Rolling out ambiguous Michaels bids (or any convention) when you’ve got a natural way to bid your hand is just demonstrably awful, though - I’d expect a consensus opinion on that. Undiscussed just bid 2S and be happy you’ve bolloxed up their auction if opps are not strong. If they are and can deal with inteference you can prob bid hearts at some point anyhow.
It’s a more difficult question when you’re certain you’ve discussed it, but are fairly sure pard’s forgotten it
It’s clubs and I would never invite disaster by trotting it out with a Michaels hand.
If you want to show two-suiters over 2C (and over a strong 1C), there are conventions. One such is CRASH. The calls of double, 2D and 2NT show, respectively, two suits of the same Color, RAnk and SHape.
You can also play this after 2C - P - 2D, but now the calls are Double, 2NT and 3C.
My partner held x QJ10xx KQJxx Ax. He opened 1H, LHO doubled and partner bid 4C, splinter, back to him. Now what? We had only played a few times together and he did not know whether my cue-bidding style is to start with aces, or whether any 1st or 2nd round control is fine. If the latter, he could bid 4D. But he worked out he could bid 4NT, RKCB. If I have 3 key cards, he can bid slam; if fewer, the most I can bid (barring voids) is 5H, so we stay out of slam.
But I bid… 5S. I had extra heart length (Kxxxx), and it is generally accepted that you can show the queen in that event as Kxxxx opposite Axxxx (probably with the jack) is high odds to play for no loser. My hand was KQx Kxxxx Axxx x.
So, partner’s well thought out bid was foiled by me. In slam missing 2 aces despite using RKCB. This was a joint bottom with one other. The funny thing is that the two A pairs in the field both bid to slam off cashing aces, and all the B and C players avoided it.
Another hand from the same session. You hold xxx J9x AJ10xxx Q9. Partner opens 2C. You bid 2D, which guarantees at least 1 control and is game forcing. Partner bids 2NT, 22+ balanced. Now what?
Yup. Your bid showed two aces and the queen, right? Tut tut! Time for, “Sorry partner, I pulled the wrong card from the bidding box.”
On your second hand what is the point range of the 2NT rebid? There’s got to be a top end, right? If it shows 22-24 points then 3NT is very tempting. If it’s open-ended, I rebid 3D. In an ACOL auction after partner opens 2NT (20-22) I bid 3NT; if the auction goes 2C - 2D - 2N showing 23-24 points then I get interested in a slam.
Not at all. Showing the queen when you hold extra length instead is a fairly standard thing to do. See the section Extra Length in this, from your side of the pond (although you can’t trust those Lancastrians): Wigan Bridge Club, Lancashire England
Nope. 22+. We are in a game force . No need to jump around - let’s avail ourselves of all the methds we have over 2NT for finding a major suit fit (not relevant on this hand, but it often is).
3D would be a transfer to hearts. After 2C - 2D - 2NT, we bid just as if we opened 2NT. Our 2NT opener is 20-21, so in this sequence it is 22+
I sympathise with both of you… using Blackwood with only one key card in that sequence would be totally unexpected but the hand has perfect texture and just needs controls.
The second one I bid 3D if it’s natural and pass 3NT. If 3 of a major is bid over 3D I then bid 3NT. This implies a mild slam try with a good suit. If Jacoby is on, 3S is used by some to get out with a bust hand with a long minor. If so I just raise to 3NT.
We play Jacoby Transfers with 2S is a relay to 2NT, and responder follows: 3C/3D is the weak hand, and 3H/3S show a good hand with clubs/diamonds respectively. That’s over 1NT of course, 2NT is the same idea though.
I have yet to master the hunt for the Queen but ISTM from that link that you’re using a second-round response and not a first-round one.
In that case I’m going to bid 3S as a minor-suit transfer. Partner can either accept the transfer by bidding 4C or reject it by bidding 3NT. If partner accepts the transfer by bidding 4C I correct to 4D and partner can go Blackwood if he wishes or just bid 5D.