[The_Badger]

Rubber bridge, love all - small cards approximately shown - I was an opponent. My opponents are an experienced partnership who use slightly unusual methods. Play Reverse Benji where a 2♦ opener is usually any eight playing trick hand with a good 6+ suit (an old Acol strong 2 opener), and a 2NT response is either negative or waiting.

This was responder's hand. What do you feel is the best bid here? Thanks in advance.

---

[P_Marlowe]

The_Badger, on 2017-November-08, 06:40, said:

Rubber bridge, love all - small cards approximately shown - I was an opponent. My opponents are an experienced partnership who use slightly unusual methods. Play Reverse Benji where a 2♦ opener is usually any eight playing trick hand with a good 6+ suit (an old Acol strong 2 opener), and a 2NT response is either negative or waiting.

This was responder's hand. What do you feel is the best bid here? Thanks in advance.

---

What is wrong with 2S?
Should show 5+, ... unless it is weak?
If this is the case, than you have to go via 2NT, planning to show the 5 spades.
Be grateful you have the spades, opener cant kill you with a 3S response.
Given that you have the 2NT option, it should be possible to have a response
structure, that showes 2-suited hands, encoded in 3 level jump responses, including
jumps up to 4D. I believe I have seen something like this.
Nothing I would ever play, but since they are a partnership and are used to play a
bit different, this should be ok for them.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ahydra]

2S seems obvious.

ahydra

[GrahamJson]

I’m guessing that 3C is the winning bid, showing where your strength lays. If the opener has a strong two it will either be single suited or two suited. Either way he won’t be interested in any of your suits unless they are strong. For example, give him Ax in one black suit and a small Singleton in the other and he will assess the fit according to which one you bid.

Another advantage of bidding 3C is that it gives you an easy 3S bid over partner’s red suit rebid. As it will be your second bid partner won’t expect so much from the suit.

[The_Badger]

GrahamJson, on 2017-November-09, 03:59, said:

I’m guessing that 3C is the winning bid, showing where your strength lays. If the opener has a strong two it will either be single suited or two suited. Either way he won’t be interested in any of your suits unless they are strong. For example, give him Ax in one black suit and a small Singleton in the other and he will assess the fit according to which one you bid.

Another advantage of bidding 3C is that it gives you an easy 3S bid over partner’s red suit rebid. As it will be your second bid partner won’t expect so much from the suit.

Better than a good guess, Graham. Responder bid 2♠ and the partnership reached the wrong slam. Apologies for not being able to remember the whole hand - diamonds being declarer's suit - but when dummy was tabled I thought "I don't think I'd would have bid 2♠ with such a poor suit".

The reason I posted this hand is how I was thinking about the usual bugbear question of opening 5/5 with ♣s + ♠s, not that we need to say anything more on this subject as it has been discussed to death on BBO forums.

By bidding 3♣ first actually made it easier to describe the hand, and easier to rebid after declarer's 3♦. Responder's ♣ suit never got mentioned in the actual bidding.