Contract Bridge

1. Three notrump. There is a good chance for a small slam, but you have nothing better to do at the moment than to leap to three notrump. Partner clearly has a better than average opening hand (17 points or more), since he bid his suits in reverse order, risking a nine-trick contract if you had a poor hand and better support for diamonds than hearts. Partner should also have more diamonds than hearts.

It would be very wrong to bid only two notrump, as you’d also do that with a hand containing four or five points less than you actually have.

2. Three diamonds. Holding skimpy values for your initial response, you try to slow partner down by bidding three diamonds. This suggests that your one-spade bid was based on a weak hand, and that you prefer diamonds to hearts. It is tempting to bid two notrump instead, holding a sure club stopper, but you don’t have enough points to do that. Partner would surely bid again, expecting two or three more points from you, and you’d probably wind up having bitten off more than you can chew.

3. Four diamonds. Obviously, this hand is far stronger than the previous one, and you can identify those values with a jump-preference of four diamonds. It’s true that you’re bypassing three notrump, which could be the best contract. But first, there’s no assurance that three notrump is safer than five diamonds, and second, the potential for slam should be explored.

Thus, if partner has the A-K of diamonds and two other aces, a slam can probably be made. This possibility certainly should not be ignored.

4. Three clubs. There should be no doubt at all that a small slam in hearts is in the bag; the only real question is whether a grand slam can be bid and made.

Three clubs is 100% forcing and has the advantage of compelling partner to reveal more about his hand. It is quite likely that you will wind up asking for aces via Blackwood at your next turn. Regardless of how the bidding develops, though, you should make sure of getting to at least six hearts.