[vuroth]

1♦ P ?

Scoring: MP

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How about

Scoring: MP

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Part 2 is that

Spoiler

partner will rebid 2 diamonds over any suited response

V

[hanp]

1. 1H.

2. 2C.

With a gameforcing hand, bid your longest suit first. Hand 1 isn't strong enough to bid 2C first and then look for a major suit fit so make sure you bid a major.

Note that you should start with 1H on the first no matter what system you play.

A case can be made to bid 1H on the second one as well. With this shape you might miss a major suit fit even when you start with 2C (for example when partner rebids 2NT). I gave the above answer because generally you should bid your longest suit first with a game-forcing hand.

[mtvesuvius]

1♥ for both for me...

Along the same lines, just this morning I held:

Q9xx
AJxx
-------
KQJTx

1♦ - (P) - 1♥ - (P)
2♥ - (P) - 2♠* - (X)
3♣** - (P) - ?

*Raise Ask
**3 Card Support; Maximum

What's your choice now?

[hanp]

I would bid 3NT with your hand Adam, and hope partner has weak clubs.

You might play something like this over 2S:

2NT = 3-card support, minimum.
3C = 3-card support, max, weakness in lower ranking suit.
3D = 3-card support, max, weakness in higher ranking suit.
3H = 4-card support, minimum, no shortness.
higher = 4-card support, extras, no shortness, and then shortness: lower, higher.

Over 2NT responder can ask for weakness by bidding the cheapest step skipping opener's minor (so you bid 3C here but 3D if opener had opened 1C). Then again: low, high. 3D over 2NT would be to play.

[jdonn]

I came up with this at some point, and it seems both simple and useful.

1♣ 1♠
2♠ 2NT

3♣/3♦/3♥: 3 card raise, "natural" bids, could be min or max. Bidding 3♣ is 3-6 or 3(23)5, 3♦ is 3244 or 3145, 3♥ is 3424 or 3415. If partner signs off in 3♠ then you bid 3NT with a max. Technically these bids (at least in the minors) are NF even though partner could have a max, but passing would be rare. But sometimes you only want to be in game opposite a max with 4. Also the cheapest new suit bid can be a further ask for min/max and balanced or short in the last suit.
3♠: Min with 4.
3NT: Balanced max with 4, offering 3NT.
4+: Normal (splinters in new suits, etc.)

When hearts are bid and raised then there could be some switches in the answers between spades and notrump, but otherwise the same.

[rogerclee]

I would respond 1♥ with either hand.

[skjaeran]

rogerclee, on May 19 2009, 05:49 PM, said:

I would respond 1♥ with either hand.

Me too, not quite strong enough to GF with the second hand.

[kenrexford]

1♥ is about as obvious as it gets, unless you have a special convention for these hands.

What to do next is a matter of bidding style and how often partner raises with three-card support. Personally, and this may be funny to some, I would be assured of 4-card support of partner raised hearts, as in my partnerships we only raise with three-card support when holding a hand pattern necessitating a reverse to describe but with insufficient values to reverse, and that cannot happen after 1♦-P-1♥. The funny part, though, is that a slight problem actually arises if Opener bids 1♠, because we might very well bid 3-card spade suits with a COV in spades and 3253 shape.

FWIW, using this "too weak to reverse" approach, you sort of do something similar to Josh's approach. 2NT asks, and Opener rebids his minor with 3-card support only. In many situations, this shows a specific, known 5431 shape. If the outside suits could be 4-1 or 1-4, meaning after a 1♣ opening and a 1♠ response, that also can be unwound: (1♣-1♠-2♠-2NT-3♣!-3♦?-3♥ = 3415, but 3♠ = 3145).

[Phil]

hanp, on May 19 2009, 10:40 AM, said:

1. 1H.

2. 2C.

With a gameforcing hand, bid your longest suit first. Hand 1 isn't strong enough to bid 2C first and then look for a major suit fit so make sure you bid a major.

Note that you should start with 1H on the first no matter what system you play.

A case can be made to bid 1H on the second one as well. With this shape you might miss a major suit fit even when you start with 2C (for example when partner rebids 2NT). I gave the above answer because generally you should bid your longest suit first with a game-forcing hand.

Agree with this. I think the potential of a fit is too great and I don't want to play 'catch-up' with 1♥ on the 2nd.