[FrancesHinden]

mikeh, on Jul 15 2005, 03:45 PM, said:

Over 3♣, I hope none of my partners perpetrate a 3♥ rebid on xxx Axxxx Ax 10xx. A clearer 3♦ bid hardly exists! 3♦ does NOT promise a suit. It is not an offer to play ♦. It is a forcing bid, usually showing something in the suit, inviting a ♥ preference with 3 cards and otherwise (usually) suggesting 3N should opener have a ♠stopper. Of course, it could also be the start of bigger and better things, on different, stronger hands.

To play 3D as artificial after 1C - 1H - 3C is certainly an agreement you can have, but it's not so standard that you just assume partner plays it.

I would rebid 3H on the given hand. Simple call, showing a 5-card heart suit an a game force.

I would bid 3D holding hearts and diamonds.

[mikeh]

FrancesHinden, on Jul 15 2005, 04:32 PM, said:

I would bid 3D holding hearts and diamonds.

[QUOTE]

So would I

But it is analogous to 1♣ 1♥ 2♣ 2♦.

Yes, I would bid it with ♦, but I would also bid it with any forcing hand unsuited to another, more natural, call. While I admit that my personal knowledge of 'true experts' is confined to a small sample, mostly Canadian or North-West US players, and those I encounter here, my belief is that very few such true experts would expect that 2♦ or (in the given auction) 3♦ absolutely guaranteed long ♦.

Maybe it would be unsafe to assume that 3♦ would be understood by the average player, but I think that a real expert (I do not know you, but from what I have seen/read, I would have no hesitation in bidding 3♦ with you, if that is any consolation ) would expect the bid with the given hand.

And, of course, reserving 3♥ for a real suit, allows opener to raise to 4♥ on Hx.... what would you do as opener after 3♣ 3♥ with say xx Kx KQx AKJxxx? If you bid 4♣, will responder insist upon ♥ with xx QJ10xxx Axx xx, or would he think he has already shown his ♥?