As east, I bid 3♥, because it's natural bridge, absent lengthy discussions about follow-ups to many investigatory conventions. It's a test for me, an opponent, to be polite and avoid a major case of the giggles as EW try to untie the knot into which they've ...
For partner to have that hand, you must play 1♣ P 4♠ as some kind of conventional bid. If our style is to set traps for ourselves, I guess we'd have agreed that this type of auction is not forcing. But isn't it normal that when ...
For years -- my regular partner and I played this long before it had a name -- a jump response, even 4♥ on this auction, was forcing. With less, we'd bid 2N, then bid game. Perhaps not most efficient, but very difficult to confuse, and I don't recall a ...
See also: http://www.philly.com/philly/food/Craig-LaBans-favorites-in-Phillys-Chinatown.html
LaBan is the Inquirer's restaurant critic and usually is spot on with recommendations.
Wastefully, perhaps, extended strong NT values in a hand with tricks, likely a decent suit somewhere, as opposed to a more amorphous hand of similar high card strength, that doubles.
I'm naïve about Good-Bad auctions, but why is it necessary here, after south has passed over 2♠? Assume it's not a psychic or semi-psychic control.
And why not 3♣ at North's second turn? Given north's hand, on this auction, south will have 4♣ ...
For casual partnerships, after 1♥ - 1N - 2♥: Raise to 3♥ is better than an immediate simple raise with 3 trumps; 2♠ has similar high card values with 2 trumps. Mnemonic is 3♥ shows 3-card length.
Seems right to me. But, if I'm to agree play them, they do not absolutely deny 3-card support -- only show 3-card support in a hand worth a raise. Thus, it denies a flat, minimum opening with poor honor distribution.
The first auction has two different cases, one where doubler's partner has not shown values (leb 2N or 3 of a suit when you're not playing lebensohl;) the other, where partner has shown values, such as a non-leb 2N or an encouraging 3 of a new suit. In ...