the_dude, on 2011-April-07, 04:48, said:
Furthermore, don't you want to be able to show delayed with a doubleton honor in the 4SF auction?
The showing of three-card support showing 16+ refers mostly to when you freely volunteer the information, like:
1: 1
♦-1
♥, 2
♣-2
♦, 2
♥
2: 1
♥-1
♠, 2
♦-2
♥, 2
♠
Not fourth-suit forcing auctions.
This makes sense if you think about the fact that with a 11-14 hand, it would be normal to pass opposite simple preference. Bidding again would normally show interest in game. To have interest in game opposite a maximum of ten HCP, you would have to have 15+ HCP. So that's why you need 15+ HCP to bid 2
♥. And this leads to the fact that to avoid missing a 5-3 major suit fit when you have 11-14 and your partner has 6-10, you have to raise with 3, or else you will always play in 2
♦ in auction 1 or 2
♥ in auction 2.
For example, leaving the agreement behind, consider these examples:
1
♦-1
♥, 2
♣-2
♦, 2NT
Opener should have a 15-17 count but for some reason couldn't open 1NT (maybe singleton heart, maybe he doesn't like having 2 doubleton majors in his 1NT opening)
1
♦-1
♥, 2
♣-2
♦, 3
♦
Opener shouldn't just be making noise with an 11-count and 6-4, he should be inviting game while describing his shape.
Do you agree with me on these examples? If so, the freely volunteered delayed support when if you had a weaker hand you would pass showing 15+ should make sense too.
What I meant before was that in the auction given, since the OP said that showing 3-card support was the priority in
their 4th-suit-forcing auctions, then if the 3
♥ bid definitely showed 3-card support, not having the agreement I mentioned might leave you wondering as to what values you have, while you are now at a highish level and the auction feels like you should know already what values you have (game, slam or grand slam values). Whereas if you had the agreement you would know.
In normal-people 4th-suit-forcing auctions, the 3
♥ bid is most likely a doubleton, it just happens to be the best piece of information you are able to give.