BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

What should South respond after partner opens 1Nt (weak)?

Despite the fact that there cannot be more than 31 points between the N-s hands, you should be thinking about a slam on this hand.

if partner has two or three aces, and a fit for your heart or diamond suits, a slam is quite possible. However, if he has no fit, a slam is not a good proposition without 33 points.

Bid 3♥, which is forcing, to find out whether he has a heart fit. if he bids 4♥, you bid 4Nt, which in this situation would be Blackwood asking for aces, and not a quantitative enquiry that we have featured previously.

if he bids 3Nt, then you can bid 4♦ to discover whether there is a diamond fit, and he will get the message that you are quite interested in a slam.

Your hand is not suitable for an immediate bid of 4Nt, because a maximum hand opposite is still not good enough without a fit.

Nor is the hand suitable for 4♣ (Gerber) since, although you need to know whether he has at least two aces, this is not the only information you need.