What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for November 2008

The best submission for November came from Brian Thorp.

 Hand:   Dealer North, NS vulnerable, I was West holding:

52  AKJ753  A  Q532

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
		Pass	1	Pass
	2	Pass	3	Pass
	4	Pass	5	Pass
	5	Pass	5NT	All pass

Comments:    We missed our 6 contract as partner thought I had fve clubs and as a result I thought partner had zero hearts (he was 5-1-4-3 with the heart ten).

As 3 is a game force, I now think I should have bid 3 instead of 4. But the hand raises the question of "fourth suit forcing" at the four level. How do you recommend it should be played at this level?

Second question (whilst on the topic).
I play a 5-card-major, weak-NT system and, like most people, play FSF at the 3 level as asking and game forcing.

However at the 1 and 2 levels I play it as forcing for one round only. Also, at the one level I still play it as asking, though I believe some players think it best to play it as showing. Do you think my 1- and 2- level treatments are best?

Thanks,
Brian Thorp

Sartaj's Reply:

Hi Brian,

I think it's just brilliant when the person who poses the problem proposes the answer too :)

Yes, I agree that 3 is the best bid. The most common use of 4 in that auction is of a cue-bid agreeing diamonds. However, I do know that at least some world class pairs play it as showing 6 strong hearts and 5+ strong clubs.
And a very strong hand (as 4 bypasses the safety of 3NT on what appears to be a misfitting hand).

The other question about fourth-suit forcing, it appears that there is some English influence on your bidding style! The Great Britain area seems to be the only part of the world where some people prefer the 1-round forcing approach. More or less, in the expert community, fourth suit is played as game-forcing. At the risk of sometimes overbidding to a game, it makes the regular game-forcing auctions more intelligent and gives us a better chance both to play the best game and towards investigating potential slam issues.

At the one level there is only one auction 1 - 1; - 1 and although Tony and I play that as artificial game-forcing, the "standard" expert policy is that 1 is natural, forcing one round (while 2 over 1 is played as fourth-suit game-force).

You might also be interested to know that all the natural Italian pairs are these days trying a new scheme. After 1x- 1Y; 1Z they play 2 as artificial, invitiational and 2 as artificial, game-force (even if someone has already bid diamonds)

Cheers,
Sartaj

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