[AL78]

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I have posted the full rather clumsy auction and hands in the hope of getting some insight on how to nail down some constructive continuations. I felt my hand had slam potential facing a maximum weak NT and the following bids were controls. After partner bid 3NT I thought for a bit and decided to pass on the basis it was MPs and 3NT doesn't sound like the diamond situation is favourable for slam. This worked well as we made 11 tricks and with the diamond suit frozen, 6♣ only makes if East leads a diamond and I guess correctly. After 1NT - 3X showing slam interest with a single suiter, how do you play continuations?

[LBengtsson]

I prefer a quantitative 4NT with the North cards. The 3♣ bid just wrongsides the contract. South bids 6NT with 13, 2 aces and his intermediates. Might be 50/50 but there is a small squeeze possibility or a lucky lead scenario also

[DavidKok]

I do not play 1NT-3X as a single suiter with slam interest, but I did have a similar auction (transfer to clubs, when partner accepts with a minimum, bid on) in my system.

Realistically I expect you will get a lot of well meaning but useless answers. People really go overboard with their custom 1NT responses and continuations, and it feels like every partnership will make an effort to reinvent the wheel here. I think it is a good idea to have a 'negative' bid available for opener, i.e. 3NT stating "in view of your slam try in clubs, my hand is awful. Be warned". With that available all other bids can show a somewhat positive hand for slam and a control, though ideally I'd like to convey more shape information before we commit to control bids. My personal experience with slam-interested long minor suit hands is that quite frequently it is important to stop in 3NT, and if you are OK with bypassing 3NT you get plenty of space to figure out whether or not to go past 5m. On occasion it is also helpful to have 4NT natural available on these sequences, especially at MPs.

[Tramticket]

I do play 1NT-3x as single-suiter with slam interest.

You can play more science, but the simple way to proceed is:
- 3NT no suitability for slam.
- Any suit bid, suitable for slam and lowest cue bid.

It is a difficult decision here with only two clubs. But two aces and a king suggest some suitability for slam. I would definitely continue with 3D at IMPs and probably would at pairs.

[Tramticket]

LBengtsson, on 2023-July-21, 07:37, said:

I prefer a quantitative 4NT with the North cards. The 3♣ bid just wrongsides the contract. South bids 6NT with 13, 2 aces and his intermediates. Might be 50/50 but there is a small squeeze possibility or a lucky lead scenario also

I'm not sure why 3♣ should wrong-side the contract opposite a weak no trump.

There must be many South hands where 6♣ will be a making contract and 6NT failing.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,


given that you play 12-14, I am not sure, I am looking for slam with the given
semi bal. hand and only 17HCP, Jx being part of the 17.

3H should show concentrated values, by passing a suit, should show a hole.
In other words, I would bid 3NT with the South hand, showing distributed values.

If you want to start with the North hand a slam investigation, there is no room
for South to have any wasted values.
A weak NT with 2 Aces would already be close to dream cards for a weak NT, and the
slam is still ...

If you want to have the option to investigate slam with single suited hands below
3NT, switch to transfers, this is one reason they got invented.

With kind regards
marlowe