[dickiegera]

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#1. Is 3♠ a splinter bid in support of Hearts?
#2. What would 2♠ be?
#3. How would you ask for spade stopper for NT?

This was East's hand

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What is best bid by east? 2♥,3♥,4♥,2♠,3♠ Or something else.

Thank you

[inquiry]

East has a great hand in support of hearts. To begin with he has four card support to two honors plus great intermediates. Second, he has a great HCP with 16 and then 3 more distributional points in the form of a singleton spade. Add to that, a source of tricks in diamonds. His hand is clearly game force opposite the 1♥ response and it gets better when the ♠ overcall comes, suggesting partners HCP are more likely to be in clubs and hearts than spades.

So we can eliminate 2♥ and 3♥ out of hand as neither of them are forcing. Four hearts would show game forcing values (which East has) but I would not choose it because it doesn't paint the picture you want your partner to see. Three spades as a splinter bid does exactly that.

Now what does 2♠ and 3♠ (and even 4♦) means is open to partnership agreement. Some might play 3♠ as a request for partner to bid 3NT with a ♠-stopper. I play that with some partners, but most often and with most partners, 3♠ shows a hand something like this.

The 2♠ bid would be forcing, but would not even necessarily promise support, just a great hand.

[masse24]

dickiegera, on 2014-June-13, 21:33, said:

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#1. Is 3♠ a splinter bid in support of Hearts?
#2. What would 2♠ be?
#3. How would you ask for spade stopper for NT?


What is best bid by east?

#1. Yes
#2. No Trump query
#3. (see #2)

3♥ is an underbid. So the choices are 4♥ or 3♠. I like 3♠ since you may as well describe the hand on the way to game.

[dboxley]

dickiegera, on 2014-June-13, 21:33, said:

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#1. Is 3♠ a splinter bid in support of Hearts?
#2. What would 2♠ be?
#3. How would you ask for spade stopper for NT?

This was East's hand

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What is best bid by east? 2♥,3♥,4♥,2♠,3♠ Or something else.

Thank you

1. yes

2. strong hand, asking for further description, implies but does not promise ♠ support, denies requirements for a splinter (shortness and 4+ trumps)

3. 2♠. Although this doesn't specifically ask for a stopper, partner should show one if that is the most descriptive bid. Partner can also rebid ♥ with 5 or more, or lacking that, bid a new suit without a stop.

3♠ is the best bid.

[Lovera]

inquiry, on 2014-June-13, 22:02, said:

East has a great hand in support of hearts. To begin with he has four card support to two honors plus great intermediates. Second, he has a great HCP with 16 and then 3 more distributional points in the form of a singleton spade. Add to that, a source of tricks in diamonds. His hand is clearly game force opposite the 1♥ response and it gets better when the ♠ overcall comes, suggesting partners HCP are more likely to be in clubs and hearts than spades.

So we can eliminate 2♥ and 3♥ out of hand as neither of them are forcing. Four hearts would show game forcing values (which East has) but I would not choose it because it doesn't paint the picture you want your partner to see. Three spades as a splinter bid does exactly that.

Now what does 2♠ and 3♠ (and even 4♦) means is open to partnership agreement. Some might play 3♠ as a request for partner to bid 3NT with a ♠-stopper. I play that with some partners, but most often and with most partners, 3♠ shows a hand something like this.

The 2♠ bid would be forcing, but would not even necessarily promise support, just a great hand.

It's the first time i see jumping on this type of declaration (0/1 loser in the color of the opp overcall demonstrating strong hand). It seems to me there is possible a parallelism with Reese convention standing a color half-compact like diamond. I'm glad to see you again,bye.

[whereagles]

dickiegera, on 2014-June-13, 21:33, said:

#2. What would 2♠ be?
#3. How would you ask for spade stopper for NT?

Thank you

I have 2♠ defined as an "undetermined strong hand", forcing to game. The 2♠ bidder probably has no support: with support you bid at the appropriate level and/or splinter, as in this hand.

Typically responder will bid NT in response to the 2♠ if he has a stop or otherwise continues to describe his hand.

[Trinidad]

dickiegera, on 2014-June-13, 21:33, said:

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#1. Is 3♠ a splinter bid in support of Hearts?
#2. What would 2♠ be?
#3. How would you ask for spade stopper for NT?

1. Yes
2. A general game force, does not show or deny support, but denies a splinter, fit showing raises, etc.
3. 2♠

Rik

[Zelandakh]

1. splinter is the default meaning.
2. general force; my suggestion is to treat this the same way as you would fourth suit forcing.
3. 2♠ will elicit this information.
4. unless we cater to light responses, we would probably have rebid 3♠ without the interference; so it seems like a no-brainer to do so after the overcall when partner will often need to make another decision over 4♠.