[Helmer]

Scoring: IMP

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Biddings:
South opened 1 ♣
West overcalled 1 ♥
North 3 NT

All pass - and one down.

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South said he didn't want to go for (bid) 5 - 6 ♣, because of the poor suit, though usually partner would have some kind of club support - and another reason some if not for the many wasted points in hearts.
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North said you do not know how to bid, I promise club support (KJ !), and when you do not have heart stoppers you should move to clubs etc.

What do you think?

[mike777]

I think very hard hand.



1c=ok

over 1h I will risk pass.......very hard hand.

Now pard rebids.

[EricK]

Not an easy hand, and I don't really like 3NT. But I think leaving partner in 3NT is ignoring both the suit-orientedness of this hand and its massive slam potential (even taking into account the likely wasted values in ♥, you don't need much in the other suits from partner to make 6♣ seriously odds on)

[hotShot]

North can't bid 3NT without ♥ stopper and some ♣.
South ♣ will be of source of tricks in 3NT as well.
For a ♣ contract responders promised ♥ values are wasted, so a ♣ slam is less likely to make. So from South view 3NT is a reasonable contract.

[Codo]

Hard hand, I may had reproduce this biidng and hate it.

3 NT is bad w/O a full stopper, but you need to have good agreements to aks for a half stopper, so w/o these it can be a reasonable shoot opposite a pick up partner. Opposite a regular partner you should have a way to ask for help in HEarts.
(I can bid 2 heart followed by 3 Heart, but this is not standard).

South has an not too easy pass over 3 NT, but opposite a balanced hand with good heart values, 6 Club is far far away.

So to me it is north only.

[mtvesuvius]

North. In every partnership there should be a method of asking for partial stoppers. Mine, like Roland's is 2♥ followed by 3♥. After North asks for a partial stopper, South's hand improves alot. Over 3♥ South might just shoot out 6♣. Otherwise 4♣ rebid or something else forcing will work well. South cannot pull 3NT, partner "promised" heart values, which are known to be wasted. Partner should have a few clubs, but 6♣ is out of the question.

[ggwhiz]

I voted only north. When I bid 3nt those red suits are reversed.

I don't mind 2♥ or pass at all and if I'm in the mood and depending on my pards sense of humour, I might even make a negative dbl followed by notrump hoping pard gets the idea that I have 3 spades and doubt about the strain.

Jumping on pard when they run hearts after this auction is particularly clueless when you have so many alternatives to 3nt.

[mcphee]

N 100%. If N believes this is a hand to play 3N and then choose to remark S should bid differently the player has a serious problem. I would never dream of pulling 3N as S.

I might bid 2D rejecting the neg dble as a 4-3 S fit does not appeal with the long trump hand needing to ruff H. I would not be upset if partner made a neg dble with this hand either.

[P_Marlowe]

Mostly North.

North has a problem, but he is the one bidding NT without
a stopper, if it does not work ou, he is responsible, he is
also the hero, if it does.

Now, if you dont bid NT, you have a problem.
Most likely X is the bid to choose, of course this assumes,
that you can cancel the message, p I have 4 spades, some
here on the forum think, this is not possible, ... I do.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

2H would promise a fit, you may think given the opening
in the minor, the stopper ask is more valuable, but I would
be very vary to try 2H out without discussion.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jdonn]

North is getting WAY too much blame. South passing 3NT is absolutely unthinkable.

At least in North America these suggestions of ways to ask for a half stopper strike me as a bit silly. 2♥ just shows club support, and 3♥ essentially asks for a stopper. Partner was not obligated to show one over 2♥. On the first round north must risk notrump or passing or else bid 2♦.

North had a tough hand with no good bid that he solved in a somewhat reasonable way. South simply showed bad judgment. So I vote 'mostly south'.

[Codo]

Josh, yes most still play the silly way that 2 HEart shows only support.
What a waste of space in my eyes. You can show support by raising, to the 2,3,4 and 5 level. You can bid fitjumps or splinters, so you have about 10 ways to raise partner.

But to have all these ways to raise a MINOR and to have no way to ask easily for a stopper and a halfstopper sounds silly.

After all, the most common game with a minor fit is still 3 NT.

But tradions are always strong in bridge.

[Fluffy]

take out doubles solve north's problem, sadly nobody plays them nowadays.

[EricK]

yes, North made a dubious bid, but that doesn't mean he should get the blame. Swap the ♦K and ♥T for ♥K and ♦T, and North's bid is much less dubious and South's pass is equally bad, and the contract still wrong.

[benlessard]

North should make a neg double. For real players it can be done with 3S.

[the hog]

Mostly North. Agree that Nth should make a sputnik double and for real players this would be a 1S bid! 3NT is the bid of a butcher.

South's pass is pretty naf. I think 4C is a standout over 3NT.

[gwnn]

Ron didn't you use to advocate 1♠=4+sp, x=0-3sp? I can find a quote if you deny!

[Fluffy]

that's what he said csaba

[rbforster]

Tough problem for North - 3N is the values bid, but questionable w/o a stopper and didn't work out. I think upon reflection I'd try 2♦ and follow up by 3♥ over whatever partner bids trying to get to NT.

[helene_t]

Agree with Rob, and hard to argue with post number 333333 anyway.

Maybe, instead of assigning the blame, NS should make better agreements about what this 3NT bid shows.