[dickiegera]

---

What is your bid?

[ggwhiz]

Not an opener in 1st or 2nd chair for me, (responder drives to game with 12 counts over these) but I expect to be in the minority.

You should include a 2♥ option which I would be tempted by if we opened these hands.

[rmnka447]

I can understand some people not opening this hand. But it is a solid 11 HCP hand with 2 1/2 QT, 7 losers, an intermediate in the long suit, and all points working together. So I see no problem opening it.

The hand is an absolute minimum opener however. What you rebid may be a function of how you show a minimum hand versus a 2/1 bid. Some folks will play that 2 NT and 2 of the opening major both show minimums. Some of those might also require stoppers in the unbid suits for the 2 NT bid. For those requiring stoppers, this would then have to fall into a 2 ♠ rebid. For those not requiring stoppers, a 2 ♠ rebid presumably shows 6 ♠ while 2 NT shows 5-3-3-2. (But opener might still have to rebid 2 of a major with 5 when holding a hand not good enough for a high reverse -- ♠ AQ10xx ♥ xxx ♦ x ♣ KQxx.)

As long as I've opened it, I'm rebidding 2 ♠ no matter how I play 2 NT to give responder maximum room to tell his/her story.

[kenrexford]

2H. Nothing else even close.

[kenberg]

It's close as to whether I open, but probably I do. With many I play 2D shows five, but even so I am I am not raising diamonds. I can see the logic of 2H, sort of, but I try to avoid such things. So 2S.

Quite possibly we can't make any game anywhere, that's what can happen when you open a bit light playing 2/1, but I did it and now we hope for the best.

[Phil]

2S. Nothing else comes close.

This is an opening bid in 2016.

[TylerE]

I open pretty light, but I don't open this hand. My 11's that I open 1st/2nd will either be AK suits or have somet sort of distributional upgrade.

Having said that, there are essentially 2 approachs here, both of which are playable, just as usual you need to be on the same page with partner.

Either 2NT promises extras, and the 2♠ rebid does NOT promise a 6th spade, or 2NT does NOT promise extras and 2♠ *does* promise a 6th spade.

[Kaitlyn S]

TylerE, on 2016-August-21, 13:50, said:

I open pretty light, but I don't open this hand. My 11's that I open 1st/2nd will either be AK suits or have somet sort of distributional upgrade.

Having said that, there are essentially 2 approachs here, both of which are playable, just as usual you need to be on the same page with partner.

Either 2NT promises extras, and the 2♠ rebid does NOT promise a 6th spade, or 2NT does NOT promise extras and 2♠ *does* promise a 6th spade.

I think the two approaches are: 2NT shows stoppers (not extras) and 2S doesn't promise 6, or 2NT shows any balanced hand (or possibly 5-2-2-4 with weak clubs and a heart stop) and 2S "promises" 6. Both are playable.

3D tends to focus more on diamonds being a final contract. There's not much advantage to bidding 3D to avoid having to bid 2S or 2NT since you still have a problem hand: AQxxx, KQx, xx, xxx and you have to make your decision on this hand, so you might as well make the same decision on the actual hand.

The problem with 2H is that partner may drive to a heart slam with H-Axxx and another loser. If you later try to get out of hearts by emphasizing diamonds, partner will play you for a singleton club and misevaluate his hand.

[kenrexford]

Every option has a danger. That said I think everyone would agree that if two hearts does not find a 4 bagger opposite then two hearts turns out to have been the golden bid. If the in contract will be in Spades or no Trump then it to heart rebid will have been just the ticket. Bed where you live.

The second beauty is that if the end contract is 4 hearts, we are probably in the right major strain.

I would even go so far as to say this. If you were not prepared to rebid two hearts after a Two Diamond response, then you should not have opened this hand one spade.

5332 with KQx in diamonds instead has no rebid problem, as a contrast.

[Kaitlyn S]

kenrexford, on 2016-August-21, 14:43, said:

Every option has a danger. That said I think everyone would agree that if two hearts does not find a 4 bagger opposite then two hearts turns out to have been the golden bid. If the in contract will be in Spades or no Trump then it to heart rebid will have been just the ticket. Bed where you live.

That depends on how much credence your partner puts into your bids when trying to figure out your shape for slam. For example, if your partner is interested in 6D, he will either not think you have 3 diamonds or will not think you have 2 clubs - either of these could be bad news. However, if you habitually bid 2H on these hands, this isn't a problem for you because your partners are aware you might have 3 hearts. My partners may make some really bad assumptions while looking for slam about my distribution.

kenrexford, on 2016-August-21, 14:43, said:

The second beauty is that if the end contract is 4 hearts, we are probably in the right major strain.

I think I'd rather be in 4S opposite Kx, 10xxx, AKQxx, Qx or Jx, Axxx, AKQxx, xx.

kenrexford, on 2016-August-21, 14:43, said:

I would even go so far as to say this. If you were not prepared to rebid two hearts after a Two Diamond response, then you should not have opened this hand one spade.

I disagree. If your partnership doesn't promise stoppers with 2NT, then 2NT is okay. If your partnership instead doesn't promise 6 spades with 2S, then what's the problem with a 2S rebid?

kenrexford, on 2016-August-21, 14:43, said:

5332 with KQx in diamonds instead has no rebid problem, as a contrast.

Again, it depends on how seriously your partner takes your distribution when looking for slam. Bidding 2D over 1S-2C isn't a problem if looking for game. If partner isn't going to be really upset when looking for slam when you show up with a balanced hand after rebidding 2D, then go for it.

[Stefan_O]

If you open at all, the system-bid is to rebid 2♠.
It only promises 5, which is what you have --- so why bid anything else that can only put you in (deeper) trouble?

[MrAce]

2♠ is clear rebid.

I would open it.

[mr1303]

I bid 2S here and don't consider it a problem. 2H is vile. I hate 2nt with an outside low doubleton, so would prefer 3D to 2NT. But 2S is standout for me.

[Kaitlyn S]

mr1303, on 2016-August-21, 17:11, said:

2H is vile.

I do not see a partnership with K. Rexford in your future

[msjennifer]

I too will open.Rebid is easy 2Spade.This DOES NOT show six spades.

[kenrexford]

I really don't understand this discussion. People seem willing to do things that don't make much sense to me.

No one wants to be one card short in the heart suit. I understand that. However the third suit is less frequently the Trump suit. And if there is a general rule that the suit between the two over one and the original suit is suspect this is an easily handled problem.

In rejecting that some people are willing to rebid Spades with only five. In other words the most likely Trump strain is one that you're willing to fudge on. You give no additional explanation of your hand when you do this however. You don't gain the advantage of showing a feature. You don't gain space for partner to raise spades cheaply.

Others are willing to bid two no-trump. This Summer's wrong siding many contracts. It also deprives the partnership showing a feature. It takes up valuable space. While it does show a pattern feature namely balanced which is better than the two spade option, the combination of wrong sighting and not showing the feature is a bad thing.

The third option of showing Diamonds by bidding 3 diamonds is the worst of all worlds in all respects.

The end result in an auction like this is that everyone sees the potential harm done by all 4 calls but then excused as their own as a necessary evil. That necessary evil is one catered to later. However it seems axiomatic that if you were going to have one call be impure then it seems best to make the call that is cheapest impure especially if that call has the benefit of being a bid where you live option. I understand the hesitancy 2 fudge with a major. That said if you realize this principle of making the cheapest call a potential fudge then the call no longer is truly a fudge. In simpler terms if a 2H rebid in the sequence only promises a fragment then life is a lot easier in the sequence. If you assess this situation not from the standpoint of conventional wisdom Brooke from the standpoint of efficiency and a willingness to reconsider conventional wisdom then the problem seems to be solved best by making two hearts suspect.

[Vampyr]

kenrexford, on 2016-August-22, 05:04, said:

In simpler terms if a 2H rebid in the sequence only promises a fragment then life is a lot easier in the sequence.

A very interesting treatment, but probably not available to the OP

By the way, it is obviously more convenient to speak your posts, but please proofread because sometimes your posts contain some impossible-to-interpret gobbledygook.

[The_Badger]

rmnka447, on 2016-August-21, 10:40, said:

I can understand some people not opening this hand. But it is a solid 11 HCP hand with 2 1/2 QT, 7 losers, an intermediate in the long suit, and all points working together. So I see no problem opening it.

The hand is an absolute minimum opener however. What you rebid may be a function of how you show a minimum hand versus a 2/1 bid. Some folks will play that 2 NT and 2 of the opening major both show minimums. Some of those might also require stoppers in the unbid suits for the 2 NT bid. For those requiring stoppers, this would then have to fall into a 2 ♠ rebid. For those not requiring stoppers, a 2 ♠ rebid presumably shows 6 ♠ while 2 NT shows 5-3-3-2. (But opener might still have to rebid 2 of a major with 5 when holding a hand not good enough for a high reverse -- ♠ AQ10xx ♥ xxx ♦ x ♣ KQxx.)

As long as I've opened it, I'm rebidding 2 ♠ no matter how I play 2 NT to give responder maximum room to tell his/her story.

Agree with everything here. Kaplan and Rubens hand evaluator puts this at a 12.25 count. I prefer 2♠ because if we arrive in 3NT I want my partner playing it on a potential ♣ lead.

[maartenxq]

ggwhiz, on 2016-August-21, 08:55, said:

Not an opener in 1st or 2nd chair for me, (responder drives to game with 12 counts over these) but I expect to be in the minority.

You should include a 2♥ option which I would be tempted by if we opened these hands.

2♥indeed. 4-3 fit will not be horrible and maybe even the way to a winning 4 ♥. Downside is of course when partner thinks like us with AJ10.
Agree with your initial pass. I hate partners who open hands like this and then bid 2 ♠, lying about strength and distribution.

Maarten Baltussen

[ggwhiz]

kenrexford, on 2016-August-22, 05:04, said:

the most likely Trump strain is one that you're willing to fudge on.

Keep politics out of it.