[maris oren]

what is the correct response to an opening bid of 1 H with a hand of 12 HCP, 5 Clubs and 4 Spades?
2 C or 1 Spade?
Opponent passed

[hrothgar]

maris oren, on 2019-December-28, 06:43, said:

what is the correct response to an opening bid of 1 H with a hand of 12 HCP, 5 Clubs and 4 Spades?
2 C or 1 Spade?
Opponent passed

There is no "correct response".

This is completely a matter of agreement. If you are playing a MAFIA style (Majors Always First in Responding) then you bid 1♠.
If not and you believe that your hand is strong enough to game force, then I suspect that 2♣ would be more popular.

If you are playing with a pick up partner and have no agreement, then you want to position yourself to best win the post mortum.

[nullve]

hrothgar, on 2019-December-28, 07:29, said:

MAFIA style (Majors Always First in Responding)

I thought 'MAFIA' were short for 'MAjors FIrst Always'.

[johnu]

First thing you have to determine is whether that hand is worth a game force. That depends on the location of your honor cards, your support for opener's hearts, spot cards like 10's and 9's, etc. Also, whether your partner tends to open light. Do you have 3 card heart support and are you playing 5 card majors?

Then, what bidding system are you playing. I don't (and won't) play Acol, but I'm guessing that 2♣ would be a common response. In a "standard" 2/1 game force system, if you decide this hand is worth a game force, then 2♣ would usually be the response (i.e. if club were ♣xxxxx you may decide to treat clubs as a 4 card suit and respond 1♠. If you decide that hand is only an invitational bid, then 1♠ would be the choice.

I'm not going to say anything bad about MAFIA responses, but just note that if responder bids 2 suits, the suit lengths are ambiguous and you need well defined agreements on subsequent rounds to figure out what's going on.

[dsLawsd]

I will just add: when you respond visualize in advance what may happen on the Next round. When on the bubble between game force and invitation make the auction flow for your partnership. Better to find the right denomination even if a level too high.

Of course the type of event will often dictate your strategy.
Matchpoints may dictate an underbid subject to correction. In this case bid spades only when better than hearts or some other place.
Some play that 1♠ denies 4 spades or that 1♠shows 5 and 1 NT possibly four. K-S players have a good discussion about some of the above. The system is listed on the web pages of The Bridge World.

[pescetom]

nullve, on 2019-December-28, 09:07, said:

I thought 'MAFIA' were short for 'MAjors FIrst Always'.

Some say 'Majors Always First In Answer'. Just as 'ALITALIA' should be 'AeroLinea Italiana' but some insinuate 'Always Late In Takeoff, Always Late In Arrival'.

[GrahamJson]

If you need to ask this question then the answer is 2C. The style in which you always respond in the major is fine, but only if you have detailed agreements. Suppose the bidding goes 1H-1S-2H-3C. Planning traditional methods opener can be sure of at least five spades opposite, making the rest of the bidding easier. With Mafia style how does opener know the relative suit lengths and hence where best to play? Experienced partnerships will have this sorted, but it perhaps requires a lot of effort that might be better expended in other areas.

[AL78]

If it were me, the hand would be good enough to first bid 2♣, and if partner repeats their hearts at the two level, then bid 2♠. I wouldn't necessarily expect 2♠ here to be game forcing in Acol, merely game invitational, forcing to 2NT or three of one of the bid suits. AIUI it is when responder reverses that it becomes game forcing.

[aawk]

All a matter of style. I would bid 2♣ because the hand is game forcing so partner knows I have a 4xx5 pattern if my second response is in ♠.

[miamijd]

I will assume you are playing a standard 2/1 system (if you play ACOL, I can't help you; if you play SAYC, please do yourself a favor and learn 2/1). I will also assume you don't have 3 hearts (if you do, then 2C is right, because you have a game force hand).

The answer depends on whether you think your hand is worth a game force. After a 1H opener, some 12 HCP hands with 5c and 4s are; some aren't. For example:

A. Axxx Qx xx KQJTx

B. QJxx J QJx KQxxx

I think every expert player would force game on A and, for that matter on most 12 HCP hands opposite a first or second seat opener. B is an extreme case, but it is an example of a hand that probably isn't good enough to force game opposite a 1H opener.

I would bid 2C on A. Show your hand. Game force with a club suit. Hey -- that's what you have! Bidding 1S just confuses things. If you bid clubs later, that will be a game force, and now partner will think you have five spades and 4+ clubs. Or you might lose the club suit altogether. If you bid 2C, you will still be time to bid the spades later, and that will show your hand nicely. And sometimes, partner will have a hand like:

x AKxxx Axxx Axx

and now you will be able to reach a very nice club slam that probably would have eluded you had you responded 1S.

Or perhaps partner will have

Jx AKJxx xxx Axx

And now you will get to 4H (after partner raises clubs, you bid 3S, partner bids 4C, and you bid 4H) instead of to an awful 3NT contract.

On the other hand, if you have a hand like B that is NOT worth a game force, you need to start with 1S, because a 2C bid is a game force and your hand isn't quite that good.