[Cascade]

Scoring: MP

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Opposite a strong NT do you show a weak hand, invite or force to game?

This hand was more difficult for us in the sense that we had a wider range NT. At this Vulnerability we play a mini-NT with a wide range (10-13).

Our auction uncontested began:

1♦ 1♥
1NT ...

So the decision was to checkback and pass, invite or GF. 1NT is 14-17. We can invite at the two-level since the first step response to a 2♣ checkback is any minimum.

I know these ranges are wide that is a deliberate decision that we have made so that we can open light.

Presumably the 1♦ opening is likely to make you more pessimistic about this hand.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Invite.

We played

1NT - 2C
2D - 2H

as inv. with 5-4, so the hand would be
no problem.


With kind regards
Marlowe

[Flameous]

Stayman and invite if p has major, play in 2H if he doesn't.

[655321]

Opposite a strong NT I stayman, then bid 4M over 2M, or 2♥ (not invitational) over 2♦.

If a gun was pointed to my head and partner showed a 14-17 NT it might depend on our agreements. Would partner ever raise hearts with 3 cards and a hand in the 14-17 range? And does partner bid a 4 card spade suit here, or always 1NT?

But probably I would pass 1NT even if partner does rebid 1NT with all 14-17 hands without 4 hearts.

[jdonn]

I'll check back. The nice thing about 1♦ 1♥ 1NT is partner essentially can not have a singleton heart.

[Codo]

At imps I invite with checkback.

[gnasher]

This isn't much of a hand if our best fit is a 5-3 heart fit, especially if partner has shown diamonds.

Facing a 15-17 or 14-17 1NT opening, I'd bid Stayman, planning to raise a major and to sign off in 2♥ over 2♦.

If partner has shown 14-17 with diamonds and denied four spades, I sign off in 2♥.

If partner has shown 14-17 with diamonds and may still have four spades, I'd like to be able to show a weak hand with 4-5 in the majors, and then raise 2♠ if that's what he bids. I gather that your methods don't allow that, but it seems wrong to be worse placed after a 1NT rebid than after a 1NT opening. If it's a choice between losing the spade fit and committing to 2NT or more, I opt for losing the spade fit.

[ArtK78]

I play frequent raises with 3 cards, even with strong 1NT type hands. So there is little chance that partner has 3 hearts on this auction, and, if he does, it is unlikely that hearts will play better than notrump.

And I do not agree that partner might have a singleton heart. He could be 3-1-5-4.

So, as strange as it may look, I will pass 1NT.

[OleBerg]

What a nasty hand. So many ways to make a wrong decision.

Checkback and invite. (If I had the option of checkback and sign-off vs 2♦ I would.)

[mikeh]

Opposite a strong notrump, we have to invite.. picture AQx AKxx xxx QJx: an admittedly unlikely hand, but not even a 17 count, and we've all been in worse slams... heck, I've been in worse grand slams.

Obviously, we are not going looking for slam here, but this example shows why we cannot simply sign off.

So it is 2♣ for me. However, I am not as optimistic as some, in terms of signing off in 2♥ over a 2♦ response: for me, 2♥ is pass or correct: I expect partner to pull to 2♠ with 3=2 in the majors... not a big deal.