[awm]

♠KQJxx
♥xx
♦AKx
♣Kxx

Playing 2/1 without much time for discussion, you choose to open 1NT (15-17) on this balanced 16-count despite the five-card major. Partner bids 3♠. You have agreed to the popular method whereby this shows 13(45) or 13(54) distribution (singleton spade, three hearts) and game-forcing values but haven't had in-depth discussion of this sequence beyond that. What is your next call? How slammish do you expect partner's hand to be, and are you concerned about the heart suit?

[Fluffy]

Partner needs a lot for slam to be playable, 3NT is very likelly our last making spot besides 4♠ wich its not playable anymore.

If partner reopens I don't think I'd colllaborate.

I am worried about hearts a bit, but there ain't much I can do about it.

[hrothgar]

This looks like a BAD hand for 3NT

A heart lead seems very likely and partner probably won't have more than one stopper.
I expect that I need to lose control in Spades before I can cash many tricks.

I'm leaning towards a 4NT. Hopefully, partner will interprete this as "Choose your minor".
I intend to pass a 5m rebid.

One last point, having the opening lead go into partner's hand could be worth a fair amount...
(Partner could easily have a positional stopper in Hearts)

[karlson]

I bid 3n. If the hearts are a problem in 3n, then they seem likely to be a problem in 5m too. I don't think partner has to be slammish, but even if he is, I don't see why my hand is particularly good.

[ArtK78]

I bid 3NT. Just because you know that hearts may be the problem for your side, the opponents don't know that. The opps combined heart holding is only one more than their combined spade holding, so they might lead partner's singleton, expecting that they have at least 8 of them between their two hands.

Query - could partner be 0-3 or 1-2 in the majors for his 3♠ bid?

[awm]

ArtK78, on 2010-October-22, 10:43, said:

Query - could partner be 0-3 or 1-2 in the majors for his 3♠ bid?

No specific discussion of this issue. Our other agreements over 1NT include four-way transfers and 3♦ showing 5-5 minors and GF, so at minimum there would be other bidding options with the hand types you describe.

[mtvesuvius]

3NT. I have KQJxx in my partner's singleton, pretty much the worst possible holding. I am slightly concerned about the heart suit, but if they are taking 4 or 5 heart tricks and a spade trick, 5m isn't going to be any better.

[gwnn]

They almost always lead dummy's singleton here vs 3NT except if they have some nice heart sequence (QJT or better). Well I hope LHO doesn't have some nice heart sequence.

[MickyB]

gwnn, on 2010-October-22, 11:43, said:

They almost always lead dummy's singleton here vs 3NT except if they have some nice heart sequence (QJT or better).

Yup, especially if you tank before bidding 3NT

I would have bid 3NT without much thought at the table, I guess it is closer than that but I still think 5m requires a lot and I don't like my hand for slam purposes.

[CSGibson]

If hearts are a problem, we are likely losing 2 hearts & a spade in 5 of a minor anyway, or a spade & a heart, with the necessity of playing the minors for 0 losers. Balance that against the possibility that they won't lead a heart on this auction, and 3N becomes standout IMO.

[campboy]

The only layouts I can think of where partner is 13(45) and we can make 5m but not 3NT involve his spade being the ace (would he even bid 3♠ with that?). Otoh I can think of plenty where we can make 3NT but not 5m.

[mike gill]

I would bid 3NT because I think 5m needs a lot. However, I think it's usually correct to lead the 3-card suit in these situations than it is to lead the singleton, and I think many good players know this.

[bucky]

Clearly 3NT. Why would I assume that partner doesn't have good stoppers in hearts?

[Phil]

hrothgar, on 2010-October-22, 09:57, said:

This looks like a BAD hand for 3NT

A heart lead seems very likely and partner probably won't have more than one stopper.
I expect that I need to lose control in Spades before I can cash many tricks.

I'm leaning towards a 4NT. Hopefully, partner will interprete this as "Choose your minor".
I intend to pass a 5m rebid.

One last point, having the opening lead go into partner's hand could be worth a fair amount...
(Partner could easily have a positional stopper in Hearts)

While some of this is true, how many tricks do you think you will take in 5m if we are losing a spade and have a single heart stopper? Its possible that partner has a positional heart stopper, but this also requires the ♠A to be in the right hand and it requires hearts to be offside.

I bid 3N and do not consider it to be a problem. Doing anything is more is overthinking an easy hand and speculating what partner has in hearts. You frequently get a spade lead on this auction anyway.

By the way, I have a partner who insists that you need a heart honor for 3♥, instead of just a fragment.

[655321]

Agree that 3NT is obvious.

Another point against bidding something else is that if partner has a good hand he will place most of our spade cards in other suits, and bid some bad slams.

[nige1]

awm, on 2010-October-22, 09:51, said:

♠ KQJxx ♥ xx ♦ AKx ♣ Kxx
Playing 2/1 without much time for discussion, you choose to open 1NT (15-17) on this balanced 16-count despite the five-card major. Partner bids 3♠. You have agreed to the popular method whereby this shows 13(45) or 13(54) distribution (singleton spade, three hearts) and game-forcing values but haven't had in-depth discussion of this sequence beyond that. What is your next call? How slammish do you expect partner's hand to be, and are you concerned about the heart suit?

IMO 3N = 10, 4N = 2, _P = 1. Even if partner has three small hearts 3N may be your best hope of game. Presumably, partner can't be much worse than
♠ A ♥ xxx ♦ Jxxxx ♣ Axxxx

[awm]

Here's what happened at the table. This was my partner's hand (first-time partnership). She was worried about hearts, and decided to bid 4♣. I held:

♠x ♥ATx ♦Qxxxx ♣AQJx


I decided that the 4♣ call meant she didn't have much wasted in spades, and so we could probably make slam in our best minor suit fit. I tried 5NT (pick-a-slam) aware that she might have 3-3 in the minors. This landed us in 6♦, which has no real play on a heart lead... but the opponents lead clubs at trick one and the diamonds broke, so 6♦ made.

At the other table, opponents were also playing the same convention, but opener rebid 3NT after 3♠ and they played there. Win a bunch of IMPs, but perhaps not really deserved.

[mycroft]

Interesting - I have no clue what I would take 4NT as, but what would 4S be? And if it's "spade cuebid, slam-going, I'll tell you what suit later", wouldn't it be more efficient to reverse 4S and 4NT (so partner can blame transfer bid 4NT to ask me to bid my better minor? Or is 1NT-3S; 4S-4NT 6-ace blackwood so necessary?

[the hog]

mycroft, on 2010-October-26, 09:50, said:

Interesting - I have no clue what I would take 4NT as, but what would 4S be? And if it's "spade cuebid, slam-going, I'll tell you what suit later", wouldn't it be more efficient to reverse 4S and 4NT (so partner can blame transfer bid 4NT to ask me to bid my better minor? Or is 1NT-3S; 4S-4NT 6-ace blackwood so necessary?

Well, we played 4S as showing no wasted values in S, obviously forcing to either a 4-3 game in H, or 5m, but resp could investigate a slam with suitable hands.

On the given hand I think 3NT is an absolute stand out.

[Cascade]

My first priority is to tell partner that I have incredible wastage in spades.

If I bid a minor or something partner will never expect this much in spades and may well bid too much.

Yes I am worried about hearts but that has to wait.