[cencio]

---

[mycroft]

First, I need to know the meaning of 2♥. Most people will play this as a strong hand (more than competitive, so INV at least), but what else it shows is agreement-dependent. If I play my preferred version, it shows clubs (no reason for preference except ease of memory).

Assuming partner knows I'm interested in game (and maybe 3♣ is agreeing support for my shown clubs), then the most common reason for a 3-level cuebid is "looking for stoppper/showing stopper for 3NT". Again, this goes down to agreements; I play "two suits show, one suit ask", so for me (West having shown two suits), this shows a heart stopper and asks for a spade stopper. Looking at North's hand, either they have a different agreement (some just always are asking), or they thought it was obvious we were just caring about hearts.

One thing for sure, it doesn't say "I want to play in hearts" :-).

[mike777]

Yes this actually can be pretty confusing. Does your partnership show stoppers or ask for stoppers. I play showing always as a Meta agreement. However here it looks as if North was asking partner do you have a heart stopper , if so bid 3nt please.

[jillybean]

2H is nonsense in a N/B forum. If this was a pickup partner on BBO, move on to another table

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2025-January-23, 13:31, said:

2H is nonsense in a N/B forum. If this was a pickup partner on BBO, move on to another table

I'm not sure it was a good bid in any other forum either, although it would have worked out perfectly in this case had he actually trusted his partner

[thepossum]

Interesting the bid is repeated

Clearly a strong forcing bid🙂

I would have taken it as support for diamonds

Edit. Just checked my system. Limit raise or better in diamonds

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2025-January-23, 15:30, said:

I'm not sure it was a good bid in any other forum either, although it would have worked out perfectly in this case had he actually trusted his partner

True!

[AL78]

I've looked up defences to two suited overcalls before, and my understanding of at least a generic agreement is cueing the opp lowest suit shows a good hand with the lower of the other suits, and cueing opp highest suit shows a good hand with the higher of the other suits. In the given hand after 1♦ - (2♦) - ?:

2♥ = good hand with clubs
2♠ = good hand with diamond support
3♣ = weak, distributional with clubs
3♦ = weak distributional, support for diamonds

My interpretation of North's two bids is the first one shows a strong hand with a club suit and the second one is fishing for 3NT, asking for a stop. South therefore bids 3NT and can make +3 thanks to every finesse working.

[johnu]

AL78, on 2025-January-24, 08:34, said:

I've looked up defences to two suited overcalls before, and my understanding of at least a generic agreement is cueing the opp lowest suit shows a good hand with the lower of the other suits, and cueing opp highest suit shows a good hand with the higher of the other suits.

Generically known as Unusual vs Unusual if anybody wants to look up writeups by various bridge writers. I would expect nearly everybody at my local clubs above novice level to play this or something related. I don't know if novice players have this in their lesson plans.