Hi William; Thanks for your passionate response :) Your bidding is very standard and right out of a textbook. I, however, have a few differences to my bidding theory - When someone opens 2C, they have a big hand (in hcp and/or playability) - I generally bid 2D (waiting) because it gives the 2C opener as much room as possible to describe their hand - I don't respond 2NT to a 2C opening because it contravenes the previous point and it can wrong-side the contract On this auction, South was able to show the 5+ spades and the unbalanced nature of their hand and that is game forcing (this last point is mine). When North makes a simple raise, the rule of fast arrival is in play (because 2S was game-forcing), so North has shown their potential slam interest. South makes a cue-bid because he wants to know if the diamonds are stopped by North. Cue-bid auctions are superior because they allow you to find making slams and stay out of unmaking slams. Clearly North has enough to go to slam opposite a 2C opening, almost all the time. In your auction, there are a couple of concerns. - If North has 1 ace, which one is it? - If its the ace of hearts, then there could easily be two diamonds losers off the top - North's raise to 4S in your auction is a sign-off, showing a minimum with 3 spades and no slam interest (even in your textbook) - Is North really slammish? With 12 hcp opposite a 2C opening, I would say they are. There's a reason that all the pros use cue-bids. They remove ambiguity. My final point is to suggest that in almost all 2C auctions, it is responder who should be deciding if slam is viable, not the opener. Opener has a strong, easily described hand. Responder is the big unknown. I trust my partners to use their judgement. Have a great day.
No way should North be asking. Respond 2NT on the North hand ( 8-12 ,Balanced). Now 3S-4S- 4NT-5D( 1 Ace )-6S.
Hi William;
Thanks for your passionate response :) Your bidding is very standard and right out of a textbook.
I, however, have a few differences to my bidding theory
- When someone opens 2C, they have a big hand (in hcp and/or playability)
- I generally bid 2D (waiting) because it gives the 2C opener as much room as possible to describe their hand
- I don't respond 2NT to a 2C opening because it contravenes the previous point and it can wrong-side the contract
On this auction, South was able to show the 5+ spades and the unbalanced nature of their hand and that is game forcing (this last point is mine). When North makes a simple raise, the rule of fast arrival is in play (because 2S was game-forcing), so North has shown their potential slam interest. South makes a cue-bid because he wants to know if the diamonds are stopped by North. Cue-bid auctions are superior because they allow you to find making slams and stay out of unmaking slams.
Clearly North has enough to go to slam opposite a 2C opening, almost all the time.
In your auction, there are a couple of concerns.
- If North has 1 ace, which one is it?
- If its the ace of hearts, then there could easily be two diamonds losers off the top
- North's raise to 4S in your auction is a sign-off, showing a minimum with 3 spades and no slam interest (even in your textbook)
- Is North really slammish? With 12 hcp opposite a 2C opening, I would say they are.
There's a reason that all the pros use cue-bids. They remove ambiguity.
My final point is to suggest that in almost all 2C auctions, it is responder who should be deciding if slam is viable, not the opener. Opener has a strong, easily described hand. Responder is the big unknown.
I trust my partners to use their judgement.
Have a great day.