mike777, on 2015-June-22, 02:21, said:
wow
so many posters live in a world where 3d does not promise natural and high quality d suit.
But none of you I repeat none of you alert it....silly..
5d seems easy unless you play secret....
unless 3d does not promise d.....wow.
Mike, I think all of us play that the jumpshift to diamonds 'shows' diamonds, just as in standard methods, absent specific agreements, we play that 1
♦ 1
♠ 2
♣ 'shows' clubs. There is a profound difference, in bridge bidding, between showing something and promising something. One always ought to have what one promises. One need not have what one shows.
Consider that in standard methods (I include variants such as 2/1 gf), there are hands that don't fit into the neat little categories that are shown in all bidding texts and lessons. There are hands that aren't adequately described by any one call in a given sequence, and we have to distort.
For example, in a method in which you have agreed that a 1N rebid promises at least 2 spades, what do you bid with say x AQJx 8xxxx AKx after 1
♦ 1
♠?
We are too weak to reverse, and we can't (by agreement) bid 1N, and we really don't want to rebid that diamond suit, so what do we do?
Some would say we distort by bidding 1N. Others that we risk playing a 5-1 diamond fit, but many would advocate a 2
♣ bid.
In a similar vein, with a monster 6=3=3=1, too strong for a 3
♠ rebid, not good enough for 2
♣, and unable/unwilling to insist upon spades, we have to do something, and many of us would prefer to bid 3
♦ as the smallest lie. Others might prefer 2N as the lie, but the point is that while a call may 'show' something, there will be and should be many times when it shows but doesn't promise.
As an example, which seems contrary to the way you play (and I wonder if you alert your idiosyncratic treatments), the sequence of 1
♠ 1N (forcing) 2
♠ not only shows 6+ spades, but it also promises 6+, since there is no legitimate bridge reason to use this call as a distortion.
In a similar vein, bidding a major in response to stayman shows and promises a 4+ major. However, imagine playing 10-12 1N and picking up xx Jxxx xxxx xxx.
Passing 1N is hiding one's head in the sand. It is in my view preferable to bid 2
♥ (assuming that one doesn't play transfers) despite the fact that this 'shows' 5+ hearts.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari