[lilboyman]

OPENER RESPONDER

1 Club 1 Spade

2 NT(18-19 Balanced) 3 Spades

In a 2/1 or SAYC context, is 3 Spades to play or a choice of games?

[mike777]

fwiw I play a meta agreement, anybid over 2nt is gf. that means with a bad hand responder must just pass 2nt. Note the opp have been silent.

It also helps to play 3c and/or 3d here as some version of checkback.

So I can never play at the three level here in any suit.

This helps alot with your game and slam bidding at the cost of not being able to run out of 2nt.

[CSGibson]

It depends upon your agreements, obviously. It is common in developed partnerships to have a way to get out in 3 of a suit, especially if you respond aggressively - I've played both 4 way transfers and wolff sign-offs with checkback. With no discussion, I would bid as though it were forcing with slam interest, but I would never make the bid undiscussed with a game forcing hand opposite an unknown partner or a known intermediate/lower player for fear that partner would not be on the same page.

[Fluffy]

3♠ slam try in spades.

[Codo]

Neither, it sets trumps and is a slam try.
I would expect anybody I play with to bid 3 ♦ as a choice of games and 1 ♣ 2 ♠ or 1 ♣ 1 ♠ 2 NT pass with a weak hand....

[phil_20686]

CSGibson, on 2012-September-11, 17:57, said:

It depends upon your agreements, obviously. It is common in developed partnerships to have a way to get out in 3 of a suit, especially if you respond aggressively - I've played both 4 way transfers and wolff sign-offs with checkback. With no discussion, I would bid as though it were forcing with slam interest, but I would never make the bid undiscussed with a game forcing hand opposite an unknown partner or a known intermediate/lower player for fear that partner would not be on the same page.

I dont think its that common. I gave up all my NF bids to improve slam bidding, and I think that is pretty common, certainly more common among advanced players.

I would recommend that you just a play all these bids as natural and forcing, its superior to checkback usually. I don't think 3S is necessarily a slam try, and just shows 5+ spades and is GF. Partner will respond 3N with a poor hand, over which responder can cue bid to self agree spades, or opener will respond with a cuebid if he has three spades and a reasonable hand for slam. If he has three spades and a bad hand for slam, then he can just rebid 4S over 3S.

[lowerline]

lilboyman, on 2012-September-11, 17:12, said:

OPENER RESPONDER

1 Club 1 Spade

2 NT(18-19 Balanced) 3 Spades

In a 2/1 or SAYC context, is 3 Spades to play or a choice of games?

It is a good idea to play something like Wolff Signoff/Checkback Stayman...
Then:

• the hand that wants to sign off in 3♠ goes via 3♣
• the GF or better hand with 5crd suit goes via 3♦
• the GF hand with 6crd suit bids 4♠
• the slam going hand with 6crd suit bids 3♠

Without such agreements, no signoff is possible and finding the 5-3 fit will go via the other minor. So the meaning is still slam going with a 6crd suit.

Steven

[Quantumcat]

Alternative is the play transfers after a 2NT rebid. This way you can show all your suits at a lower level and also escape with weak hands if that happens to come up.

[SteveMoe]

Need to brush up on my SAYC -
If New Minor Forcing is available, then 3♠ is a slam try in line with everyone else.
Wolff Relay allows signoff with weak hands and accurate slam exploration with weak 6+ card major suits.

If NMF is not available, then we need to have a way to offer choice of strain while forcing game. As old as it sounds 3♠ is it. We do not invite opposite a 1 HCP range.