FrancesHinden, on 2015-March-15, 05:09, said:
1) It is a contract suggestion, a very strong hand with 5 spades and no heart stop, offering choice of spades or diamonds.
2) This is harder, because I think 3S over 3D is forcing playing lebensohl. If you are uncertain of that, then see (1) above. But assuming you are certain, then (i) it can't be natural, because you'd have bid 3S over 3D; (ii) it can't agree a minor, because 4H would have done that (I don't think 4D is forcing over 4C). That makes it mean one of two things, either
a) a cue for one of the minors without a heart control, or
b) natural, a hand such as AKQJ xxx Axx KQx
I think it probably ought to be a), but I wouldn't do it on the basis of my general rule that in murky auctions with no clear strain, 4M is always a contract suggestion.
Either way it must have support for one of the minors.
And does this still apply if an immediate 3H by N would have been a stopper-ask? So is there a difference between this auction and (2H)-P-(P)-3H;(P)-4C-(P)-4S?
I agree it is a murky one.
With this Western cue agreement I wondered if N could ever have a rock crusher in spades for dbl->cue->
♠, or would he always bid some number of
♠ at his second turn with this, no matter how good his hand was?
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