[lxt08]

hi all

I BBO ID lxt08

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EW use 2/1.

EW How to bid the best contract?

[Codo]

If I start with
1 ♥ 1♠
I can find a 4/4 spade fit, but after some response, particulary 2 ♥ I have no convincing way for a forcing heart raise.
So I start with a gf 2 Club- if partner raises, we can always retreat to hearts and if he holds 4 spades, we can still find the spade fit:

1 ♥ 2 ♣
2♥ 3 ♥ (5+ hearts, Min) (Slam Int.)
3♠ 3 NT (Spade control, serious 3 NT)
4 ♦ 4♠ (control, spade and club control- you should ask...)
4 NT 5 ♣ (RCKB, 1or 4)
5♥ 5 ♠ (to play opps. zero (VERY unlikely, Queen ask opp. 4..), no Q of H
5 NT 6 ♣ (kings?) King of clubs)
6 ♦ 6 ♥ (something else? No sorry...)
pass

[Zelandakh]

Codo, on 2013-July-17, 05:30, said:

If I start with
1 ♥ 1♠
I can find a 4/4 spade fit, but after some response, particulary 2 ♥ I have no convincing way for a forcing heart raise.

This is something of a double-edged sword. If we start with 1♠ and partner bids 2♥ then we have lost an easy GF but gained the knowledge that partner has 6 hearts. There is something to be said for LOL-Standard here (1♥ - 1♠; 2♥ - 4♣ is obviously RKC Gerber). For a truly convincing auction to 6♥, you have to discover the slow club lower somehow. I would be interested what percentage 7♥ is - I imagine some pairs would be in it at a large high-quality event.