[pescetom]

MP

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Last hand of the Friday evening tournament, you are well placed.
Well known but not regular partner, not fond of discussion let alone about competitive auctions.
Your own style is to avoid unnecessary jumps and that an unexpected 3NT is quite likely to be speculative based upon a stop and an undisclosed running minor.
Partner's style is generally natural but also used to masterminding with weaker players.
Your call now?

[DavidKok]

Pass and discuss after the event why such jumps create problems for partner.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

Partner denied a 3 card heart suit.

[apollo1201]

If partner s style is natural opposed to our own jumps that are gambling, then they should have somewhere around 12-15 HCP, rather balanced, not fitter with H and no good minor to show. So a sg H is virtually ruled out, and p is doubleton. Hx could be good for 3NT but not xx.

If partner masterminds sometimes, they could even have a 3-cd H suit and decided that we belong in NT.

All these tend to pull to 4H despite tje risk of not being able to use dummy s S for discards (KQxx e.g.).

This just emphasizes that space consuming bids should be narrowly defined.

[mw64ahw]

apollo1201, on 2026-May-03, 00:20, said:

If partner s style is natural opposed to our own jumps that are gambling, then they should have somewhere around 12-15 HCP, rather balanced, not fitter with H and no good minor to show. So a sg H is virtually ruled out, and p is doubleton. Hx could be good for 3NT but not xx.

If partner masterminds sometimes, they could even have a 3-cd H suit and decided that we belong in NT.

All these tend to pull to 4H despite tje risk of not being able to use dummy s S for discards (KQxx e.g.).

This just emphasizes that space consuming bids should be narrowly defined.

On the above assumption, which I would make with a random partner, would pulling to 4!H be a slam try aka. bidding 4m? The hand has some merits opposite ♥Hx.

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2026-May-03, 01:06, said:

On the above assumption, which I would make with a random partner, would pulling to 4!H be a slam try aka. bidding 4m? The hand has some merits opposite ♥Hx.

4H is not slam try, why should it.
If you want to make a SI try, bid 4C / 4D, 4H is to play.

I fail to see, what makes you think the hand has merrit, the hand
is min opener, p told you, he has wastage in spade, and your suit
is rotten.

[pescetom]

Thanks to all who replied.

I passed, I wasn't sure what was going on and it's not my style to put Responder's decision in doubt unless it looks like we have a slam.
Partner made 3NT on a clubs lead but it turned out to be a bottom, with most in 4♥+1 and the others in 3NT+1 (which would still only have been about 40%).
South was messing around a bit and I guess West had his bid, if that is your style.

MP

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[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-May-03, 04:04, said:

4H is not slam try, why should it.
If you want to make a SI try, bid 4C / 4D, 4H is to play.

I fail to see, what makes you think the hand has merrit, the hand
is min opener, p told you, he has wastage in spade, and your suit
is rotten.

If partner takes you out of a definitive 3N there has to be a reason and that is most likely a slam try.
For me 3N can be wide ranging from a good 12 to a bad 18. If partner is towards a maximum then the slam is close, but even, as here, on a minimum I'd expect to make 5♥

[johnu]

mw64ahw, on 2026-May-03, 11:26, said:

If partner takes you out of a definitive 3N there has to be a reason and that is most likely a slam try.
For me 3N can be wide ranging from a good 12 to a bad 18. If partner is towards a maximum then the slam is close, but even, as here, on a minimum I'd expect to make 5♥

If opener rebids 4♥ over 3NT, I would expect a minimum unbalanced hand with extra long hearts.

Playing 3NT as 12+ to 18- is way too wide a range. You will miss a lot of slams when partner has max minimum hand that can't move over 3NT which is going to be mostly in the 12+ to 14 range according to bridge odds.

Expect to make 5♥ on the given hand? You have a diamond and a club loser as a minimum, with a possible 2nd club or diamond loser possible. And bringing in the hearts for no losers is around 40%. I want no part of 5♥.

[mw64ahw]

johnu, on 2026-May-03, 15:24, said:

If opener rebids 4♥ over 3NT, I would expect a minimum unbalanced hand with extra long hearts.

Playing 3NT as 12+ to 18- is way too wide a range. You will miss a lot of slams when partner has max minimum hand that can't move over 3NT which is going to be mostly in the 12+ to 14 range according to bridge odds.

Expect to make 5♥ on the given hand? You have a diamond and a club loser as a minimum, with a possible 2nd club or diamond loser possible. And bringing in the hearts for no losers is around 40%. I want no part of 5♥.

This isn't a good 12 so I wouldn't be bidding 3N in the first place, but we're not talking about a regular partner

[akwoo]

I would expect to make 10 tricks on a club lead on that layout, with clear possibilities for 11 on reasonably likely misdefense. Partner might need some cardplay lessons...

What I really wanted to point out though is that there are potentially disclosure issues on this hand that I don't see how to practically address. If, as East, I knew South could have that kind of hand for their 1♠ overcall, I'd certainly think more about pulling to 4♥. On the other hand, given North lead a club while holding a spade honor, it seems at least possible that North knows South can have a terrible suit for their overcall. Unfortunately, it seems very hard to disclose or ask about these kinds of small stylistic differences at the table, even with the best intentions.

[mike777]

One spade overcall NV at MP seems normal enough
Why?

See this result.
.

[P_Marlowe]

akwoo, on 2026-May-03, 18:12, said:

I would expect to make 10 tricks on a club lead on that layout, with clear possibilities for 11 on reasonably likely misdefense. Partner might need some cardplay lessons...

What I really wanted to point out though is that there are potentially disclosure issues on this hand that I don't see how to practically address. If, as East, I knew South could have that kind of hand for their 1♠ overcall, I'd certainly think more about pulling to 4♥. On the other hand, given North lead a club while holding a spade honor, it seems at least possible that North knows South can have a terrible suit for their overcall. Unfortunately, it seems very hard to disclose or ask about these kinds of small stylistic differences at the table, even with the best intentions.

I dont unserstand the club lead.
I am fine with 1S.

[pescetom]

 akwoo, on 2026-May-03, 18:12, said:

What I really wanted to point out though is that there are potentially disclosure issues on this hand that I don't see how to practically address. If, as East, I knew South could have that kind of hand for their 1♠ overcall, I'd certainly think more about pulling to 4♥. On the other hand, given North lead a club while holding a spade honor, it seems at least possible that North knows South can have a terrible suit for their overcall. Unfortunately, it seems very hard to disclose or ask about these kinds of small stylistic differences at the table, even with the best intentions.

If North didn't know South can have a terrible suit for their overcall, West made it clear to her in the auction.

I wouldn't want a partner overcalling on that hand (not just for the rotten suit but also the flat distribution), but I'm dangerously close to doing it myself, especially on a Friday night

Which brings us as you say to the question of style and disclosure. I think it's too important for a thread drift here, I'll open a specific thread when I have time (or do it yourself, please).

[bluenikki]

DavidKok, on 2026-May-02, 13:11, said:

Pass and discuss after the event why such jumps create problems for partner.

If your partnership has a _non-descriptive_ game-forcing call available on the auction, that's so.

But if you don't, the alternatives to the jump all say something definite about your hand (other than strength and secure stop) that may be untrue.

[pescetom]

bluenikki, on 2026-May-04, 03:50, said:

If your partnership has a _non-descriptive_ game-forcing call available on the auction, that's so.

But if you don't, the alternatives to the jump all say something definite about your hand (other than strength and secure stop) that may be untrue.

His point I think was that this jump should be (at best) a speculative sign-off, if not simply undefined and deprecated.
Also that (of course) a partnership should discuss these things.
I agree on both, but unfortunately one sometimes has to accept the partner available and not all partners are open to much discussion.
I like to play but I don't like playing guessing games.

[johnu]

akwoo, on 2026-May-03, 18:12, said:

I would expect to make 10 tricks on a club lead on that layout, with clear possibilities for 11 on reasonably likely misdefense. Partner might need some cardplay lessons...

The question is whether you want to be in 5♥ for absolutely no good reason except that you play a bad system. And that answer should be no.

[bluenikki]

pescetom, on 2026-May-04, 05:38, said:

His point I think was that this jump should be (at best) a speculative sign-off, if not simply undefined and deprecated.
Also that (of course) a partnership should discuss these things.
I agree on both, but unfortunately one sometimes has to accept the partner available and not all partners are open to much discussion.
I like to play but I don't like playing guessing games.

What if you have balanced opening strength with two spade stops, no strength in any other 4+ suit? If you have no completely artificial force, what do you do? 3NT has to be a better call than bidding a 5432 suit.

[bluenikki]

johnu, on 2026-May-03, 15:24, said:

If opener rebids 4♥ over 3NT, I would expect a minimum unbalanced hand with extra long hearts.

Extra long hears that will not run at notrump.