[maggieb]

1C 1S P P
1N X P 2C

What is 2C (or what should it be)?

[helene_t]

It might be natural but I would prefer it to mean "pick a read suit".

[aguahombre]

two-way bid.

It is natural when I hold X XXX XX XXXXXXX
It is reds when I hold X XXXXX XXXXX XX

[peachy]

Natural. Advancer is short in spades, opener has about 18+ with probable 4-card spade suit.

[whereagles]

Natural. Likely hands:

opener: bal 18-19
overcaller: bal 15-17
responder: misery
advancer: misery with clubs

[Fluffy]

natural unless he redoubles next

[neilkaz]

Natural...advancer holds a club bust.

[gnasher]

I'm surprised at these answers, but maybe we have different expectations for partner's double.

If I were the doubler I'd have a semi-three-suiter with club shortage, and 2♣ would be trying to find the best fit outside clubs. Advancer might have both red suits, or 2-4 in spades and a red-suit.

[jdonn]

My default agreements would have this being natural. Choice of suits sounds useful as well, but many of those hands are balanced and will just want to pass and take their chances anyway.

[Phil]

Natural. Odd we'd want to create a force, or even make pard choose a new suit with LHO and pard having a strong hands and we passed 1♠.

Is ♣QJT-7th so unusual here?

[Jlall]

I think it asks partner to pick a red suit.

[kenrexford]

Opener ostensibly has 18-19 balanced. Partner ostensibly has much of the remainder. So, when would I pull?

Seems that either very long one-suiter and garbage or wild two-suiter and garbage both make sense. I think either is possible. So, what makes more sense?

If you want to maximize options, maybe 2♣ should be clubs and a red suit, and red suits natural? Then you actually cover four options rather than three.

Not sure what standard is. I would have thought natural without discussion.

[maggieb]

kenrexford, on Dec 14 2009, 04:09 PM, said:

If you want to maximize options, maybe 2♣ should be clubs and a red suit, and red suits natural?  Then you actually cover four options rather than three.

I think this is a mirage, because partner is extremely likely to have a singleton club anyway, and partner doesn't know if our red suit is in hearts or diamonds, so it's not like he can make an educated decision about whether he wants to play clubs or our red suit.

Jlall said:

I think it asks partner to pick a red suit.

If you bid 2♣ and convert 2♦ to 2♥, presumably this shows something like 2434? Or is this some other hand?

[Jlall]

maggieb, on Dec 14 2009, 05:19 PM, said:

kenrexford, on Dec 14 2009, 04:09 PM, said:

If you want to maximize options, maybe 2♣ should be clubs and a red suit, and red suits natural?  Then you actually cover four options rather than three.

I think this is a mirage, because partner is extremely likely to have a singleton club anyway, and partner doesn't know if our red suit is in hearts or diamonds, so it's not like he can make an educated decision about whether he wants to play clubs or our red suit.

Jlall said:

I think it asks partner to pick a red suit.

If you bid 2♣ and convert 2♦ to 2♥, presumably this shows something like 2434? Or is this some other hand?

2C then 2H is 2-4

[Codo]

I think that natural makes more sense because I will more often hold a hand where I need to stop in 2 clubs then a hand where I need partner to pick the better red suit.

Partner is short in clubs, opener has a balanced hand and his partner did not preempt in clubs or convert 1 NT to 2 clubs . It is quite likely that we must hold some clubs.

[Apollo81]

One thing is certain.

1C 1S P P
1N X P 2C
X P P XX

... definitely says pick a red suit.