How to show partner a good hand

Gertrude Stein wrote, “A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising, and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables.”

Each time you pick up a bridge hand, you are hoping for a promising result. Although little by little it grows nothing but tricks, if you get the necessary number, you will end with a plus score.

Look at the South hand. You open two no-trump, and partner responds three diamonds, a transfer bid showing five or more hearts. You complete the transfer with three hearts, and partner rebids three no-trump. What would you do now?

Partner is asking you to choose between three no-trump and four hearts. With three-card heart support and a doubleton, you should prefer hearts. (Yes, you have nine top tricks in notrump, but partner could have a weaker hand.) So, it looks obvious to bid four hearts. However, how do you rate your hand?

You should like it because you have good controls (aces and kings) and a ruffing value. You can tell partner by controlbidding four clubs. This says that you prefer four hearts to three no-trump and that you like your hand in case partner was close to suggesting a slam.

If partner has only game values, he will sign off in four hearts. Here, though, partner was thinking about a slam, so he will now jump to six hearts.

How will the play go after West leads the diamond king?

The percentage play in hearts is to finesse through West, which does not work here. But then you finesse in clubs through East to get home.