Julian Pottage
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I do not think you should be raising hearts with a singleton. When you are playing Benjamin, partner’s 2D opening shows a very strong hand but does not promise a very long suit anywhere. 2D-2H-(2S)-3H-4C-4D-5C seems a reasonable auction.
In the olden days bidding opener’s suit showed a very strong hand (not far short of an Acol 2C opener). These days hardly anyone plays that because with a very strong hand you can double and then bid again, bidding opener’s suit on the second round if need be.
These days most people play a bid of opener’s suit as showing a two-suited hand, at least five cards in two suits. If the opening is a minor, the bid of opener’s suit shows the majors. if the opening is in a major, the most usual agreement is that the cue bid shows the other major plus an unspecified minor. People call these Michaels Cue Bids, named after Michael Michaels who lived in Florida.
If you have four cards in one major and only two in the other, you are very likely to have some club support, so I agree with David that making the extra constraints is unnecessary. If you have four cards in one major and only two cards in the other and only two clubs then that leaves you with five diamonds and you can probably rebid in no-trumps.
If you jump to 4NT over 3C to show two suits, you are ruling out playing in 4H or 4S, which is inefficient. I have just started playing (3C)-4D as diamonds and a major with (3C)-4C as both majors – but not many people would be playing this.
Some people play (3C)-4C as both majors and some as any two suits. Probably the former treatment is more common but either method is playable so long as the partnership is on the same wavelength.
If you are playing a responder’s reverse as forcing for one round only, East has to jump to 3NT over 2H or bid 2S fourth suit forcing. West’s hand suggest you are playing the 2H reverse as forcing for one round only but if you playing it as forcing to game then West should bid very differently, responding 1H initially. I would be bidding these hands 1D-1H-2D-2NT-3H-3NT.
David, I can see the advantage there but with your methods suppose the bidding goes 1C (1D) X (3D) and opener has four spades. Opener might want to bid 3S facing four spades but not want to play in 4C if responder’s 4-card major is hearts and has to give preference to 4C. Possibly that is less often an issue than the example you cite.
With one partner I play 1C (1D) X as exactly 4 hearts (akin to playing 1C/D (1H) X as exactly 4 spades). With most I play the X as 4-4 in the majors. I would strongly suspect that Bernard plays it as 4-4 in the majors but do not know for sure.
If the 1NT bidder’s partner has made an immediate weak takeout into diamonds, then double would be for takeout. If the actual sequence is the way the opponents make a weak takeout into diamonds then logically double would also be takeout. It is, however, a bit of a strange auction if the dealer passes twice before coming in.
With 15 points it was reasonable to jump to 3S – sorry it did not work on this occasion.
As Brian Davies correctly suggests, the reason why a double of the 2C overcall cannot promise 4-4 in the majors is that bidding a major would promise at 5 five cards in the suit.
After responder doubles, a cue bid by opener would show a strong hand with doubt about the correct contract. Opener would not want to have to jump all the way to 4S for example when responder has not promised four spades. Opener might have four cards in each major but the cue bid certainly does not promise that. It would not show a minimum hand.
Without a spade lead, a slam is almost a certainty. However, after North and South have both bid spades, a spade lead is likely. Possibly East could make a further move, though this is tricky with no spade control. I play that West’s 2S bid does show something in spades, often an unsupported ace, though I suspect this East-West were simply using the bid to show a strong hand.
Bernard’s rule I think you are misquoting – it is after your side bids NT that doubles are penalties. Please could you give the full auction and then I can advise further.
In this situation the double promises 4 cards in at least one major and the ability to cope if partner bids the other major. The North hand is simply awkward and I think I would bid it the same way.
With your partner’s hand i would by opening 3S if vulnerable and 1S if non-vulnerable, maybe 1S even if vulnerable. the hand is definitely too good for a weak 2S,
You should have bid differently too. If you are expecting 6-9 points and a 6-card suit, your combined strength is 30-33 points and with a source of tricks too. You should start with a 2NT enquiry and see what develops.
Playing a 2D waiting response to a strong artificial 2C opening has two advantages (i) it keeps the bidding low, enabling opener to rebid in NT or show a suit at a convenient level (ii) if opener is balanced and the partnership is using transfers after a 2NT rebid, starting with a waiting response increases the chance that the strong hand becomes declarer.
Sorry I do not know the exceptional hands on which Bernard would recommend a different response. What I play is that a response of 2 of a 5 major shows a 5-card or longer suit headed by two of the top 3 honours.
Some people do still play a 2D response to 2C (and a 2H response to a strong artificial 2D) as negatives but it is more common nowadays to play them as waiting bids.
It is a matter of agreement whether the double is takeout. Standard BMB teaching is that if your side opens 1NT and an opponent overcalls then double is for penalties, so if you have agreed to play Bernard’s method then it is for penalties. However, a lot of people play the double for takeout (I play it as takeout with all my partners).
