Re: I'll take "reconstruct the hands" for $1 million, Alex!

On Apr 27, 4:10=A0pm, "John R. Mayne" <jrma...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

It is unplayable to not have a negative response available to a
reverse. Everything else should be a game force.

You cannot sensibly bid after a reverse without such a bid.

***********

I disagree.

It is not necessary for RESPONDER to have a sign off bid when he has a
5+ major to rebid if OPENER can be trusted to limit his hand with his
rebid.

For example, give responder

KJxx
xx
Qxx
xxxx

Now, he obvioiusly want to make a NF preference to 3c after 1c 1s 2d.
In old KS methods, he could do that by rebidding 3c, NF (responder's
weakest bid in KS).  In modern methods, 3c is forcing, so responder
needs somw way of showing weakness.  I personally like 2nt as two
way:  lebensohl-like with a weak preference to opener's mind and only
a 4-card major OR a balanced hand with a stopper in the 4th suit and
enough strength to force to game but not enough to be interested in
slam unless opener has a moose, perhaps a hand like

KJxx
KJ9
xxx
xxx

Now responder rebids 2nt and corrects 3c to 3nt showing this hand
type.

But when responder has a 5th spade, he can afford to rebid 2s,
unlimited, if opener can be trusted to limit his hand by rebidding:

2nt: minimum misfit, fewer than 6 clubs.
3c:  minimum misfit, 4-6 minors
3s: minimum 3-card sup****t

Hands like

xx
xx
AKxx
AKQJx

have to distort, either by opening 1nt or opening 1c and rebidding 2nt
(no heart stopper and not balanced shape), or by opening 1c, reversing
into 2d, and rebidding 2nt (shows the misfit but no heart stopper) or
rebidding 3c (not 6 clubs).

So while you are right that some signoff mechanism is required when
responder has a 4M only, it is not required - not by a long shot -
when responder has 5+, at least not if opener can be trusted to major
minimum rebids with minimum reverses and non-minimum rebids with non-
minimum reverses.

Henrysun909