[harikannan]

Opponent's silent, our hands are:

North: ATx, KT986, J, JT87
South: K9x, AQx, xx, AKxxx

South opened 1NT-2D-2H-3C and what now?

Is 3H showing slam interest asking partner to cuebid and 4H sign off? What is 4C? If the small heart in my hand was a spade, how to find club slam?

Thanks.

[Cyberyeti]

I can take or leave being in this one, it's around 50%.

Let's make the slam good by changing ♣J10 into the Q

1N-2♦-2♥-3♣- what does 3♠ mean for you ? or do you just bid 3♥

I suspect with 16 opposite 9 or 10 you're not bidding this

[mw64ahw]

---

North for me isn't strong enough for a slam try.
I use 3♣ as a slam try asking for a minor so in this case the response would be 3♥ showing 3235 or 4♣ showing 5♣3♥. Now you have a chance.

[AL78]

One question I have is does transferring into a major followed by showing a minor show any game going hand, a game going hand expressing some doubt about 3NT, or a hand with slam interest?

I doubt I would find a slam here assuming the ♣J is replaced with the ♣Q. As South I would probably show the heart fit with 3♥ but there isn't the ability to tell North about the club fit as well, and the slam is heavily dependent on that double fit as a source of tricks combined with controls in the other two suits (in other words, the hands match extremely well).

[Huibertus]

harikannan, on 2025-May-08, 05:00, said:

Opponent's silent, our hands are:


Is 3H showing slam interest asking partner to cuebid and 4H sign off?
What is 4C?

Thanks.

3♥ shows maximum values with ♥ fit. It provides the OPTION to cue should partner have slam interest. It's not mandatory, he may just have a game force without slam interest. You can't unilaterally investigate slam with a narrow ranged 1NT opening.
4♣ Shows a good hand for a ♣ contract, works the same way. I'm used to it denying a ♥ fit, but that's a matter of partnership agreement.

I do feel 3♣ is overbidding. This barely is a game force (I'd only want to be in game IF you have a ♥ fit, but I understand you force it on this hand, I'd do it by bidding 3NT instead). It's also an illustration why a stayman/jacoby transfer NT complex is inapt. This hand really should be able to show a ♦ splinter as a first response leaving open the options to play NT/♠/♥ and ♣ games.

[hrothgar]

Huibertus, on 2025-May-08, 06:05, said:

I do feel 3♣ is overbidding. This barely is a game force (I'd only want to be in game IF you have a ♥ fit, but I understand you force it on this hand, I'd do it by bidding 3NT instead). It's also an illustration why a stayman/jacoby transfer NT complex is inapt. This hand really should be able to show a ♦ splinter as a first response leaving open the options to play NT/♠/♥ and ♣ games.

To me, this is the key point

Playing conventional methods, North has already overbid with 3!C
If South doesn't show some livelihood, North shouldn't do anything else

With this said and done, after that 3!C overbid, South is aware that there is a double fit

I'd bid 3♥, planning to use cue bidding to discover whether North has a Diamond control
(I bid first and second round controls, so this will work well for us)

[DavidKok]

For me:

• If responder only has an interest in 3NT vs 4♥ their proper rebid is 3NT. Consequently bidding 3♣ shows doubt about 3NT or slam interest. At this stage we don't know which one.
  
• I have previously played systems here, and it is currently fashionable to play transfer extensions, especially in combination with 1NT-2♣; 2red-2♠ being NF invitational. I think the method is not great and not terrible, but if you want to fit in, claim that it's the best thing since sliced bread.
  
• Keeping it simple, I think natural continuations over the natural 3♣ are fine. In particular:
  • 3♦: max 2 hearts, 5(+)♦.
    
  • 3♥: 3(+)♥
    
  • 3♠: 5♠, max 2♥
    
  • 3NT: max 2♥, no concerns about ♠ or ♦.
    
  • 4♣: A hand more suitable for 5♣ than 3NT on this auction.
  I included all the weird 'max' and '+' mentions to cater to offshape 1NT openings, which is also popular.
  
• Opener has a really nice double fit and control-heavy hand, and should be thinking of slam on this auction. My methods don't cater to that well, especially if 4♣ categorically denies a heart fit. In practice I think this slam will be difficult to find. More generally I'm unhappy with a lot of mainstream NT methods, and the lack of slam tools is an aspect of that.

[mike777]

harikannan, on 2025-May-08, 05:00, said:

Opponent's silent, our hands are:

North: ATx, KT986, J, JT87
South: K9x, AQx, xx, AKxxx

South opened 1NT-2D-2H-3C and what now?

Is 3H showing slam interest asking partner to cuebid and 4H sign off? What is 4C? If the small heart in my hand was a spade, how to find club slam?

Thanks.

3C is natural and gf.
3H rebid by south agrees hearts.
4C rebid by south agrees clubs.
3S rebid by south agrees clubs. Rare bid.

With the double fit the south hand is huge, at imps I would try 3S, North is captain, North is in charge. Note lack of 3D rebid by south, note lack of double or diamonds bids by opponents.

At MP probably just rebidding 3H,agreeing hearts.

Very tough to bid a low HCP minor suit slam, very hard.

[mw64ahw]

Anyone super-accepting with the South hand?

[P_Marlowe]

Some play, that 3H in the seq.

1NT - 2D
2H - 3C
3H ...

showes a fit in responders 2nd suit, and other suit bids show a
fit for responders major. Hopefully I got that right.

[Cyberyeti]

mw64ahw, on 2025-May-08, 09:19, said:

Anyone super-accepting with the South hand?

Not over 1N, we do superaccept with the stronger version of this hand over 2N

[Huibertus]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-08, 11:37, said:

Not over 1N, we do superaccept with the stronger version of this hand over 2N

No, superaccept needs a 4 card support, normally MAX, but when you play MIN like me, still it requires 4.

[Huibertus]

Cyberyeti, on 2025-May-08, 11:37, said:

Not over 1N, we do superaccept with the stronger version of this hand over 2N

No, superaccept needs a 4 card support, normally MAX, but when you play MIN like me, still it requires 4.

[mw64ahw]

Huibertus, on 2025-May-08, 12:59, said:

No, superaccept needs a 4 card support, normally MAX, but when you play MIN like me, still it requires 4.

There are 3-card approaches where you can break the transfer.

[mikeh]

Imo, there are three valid reasons for responder, having transferred to 2M, to show a side minor suit, and two of them are really the same, but worded differently.

One is to look for a slam. That’s flat out silly here. To see why, ask yourself how your slam action would be different if opener held KQx AJx xx AQxxx. And be honest.

The other reason or reasons relate to seeking a minor suit game as an alternative to either 3N or 4M. One rarely looks for 5m after 1N then a transfer to 2M, and the only good reason for doing so is a worry that 3N will fail due to opener being weak in our shortness….which could be in one or two suits, especially if 5-5.

Here, we do have reason to be worried about 3N, so it’s plausible to show clubs. Unlike David, I’m very happy with the strong notrump structure in my main partnership. It’s quite complex and most definitely incorporates extended transfers….here we’d bid 2N over 2H, to show gf values with at least 5=4. It doesn’t promise, nor does it deny, slam interest…our initial goal is to seek the best strain.

One advantage of extended transfers is that opener can accept the second suit at the 3 level. To see how that might work, consider Kxx Ax AQxx Axxx

Opener can agree clubs below 3N. If you need to bid 4C in order to show clubs, you’ve eliminated 3N. And if you choose to bid 3N, you’ve eliminated (opposite a different hand) much chance of bidding 6C.

As opener, I’d be conflicted. Clubs is almost certainly the safest strain for slam if responder has slam interest but bidding 3C makes it almost impossible to play 4H, and responder is often, as here, worried about strain rather than level. Relying upon the aphorism of game before slam, I’d bid 3H. Over which responder should bid 4H.

Cuebidding over 3H says that ‘I showed clubs because I have slam interest’, which responder DOES NOT HAVE unless he’s cheating and knows opener’s hand. So the notion of finding out that responder has the spade Ace and diamond shortness is…to be kind…farfetched