Matchpoints. N-S vulnerable.
♠A 2 ♥— ♦A Q J 8 3 ♣A Q 10 9 7 5
| West | North | East | South |
| 3♥ | ? |
What’s your call?
| 3♠ | 3NT | |||
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Dbl | Pass |
With 14 4NT bidders, again the panel speaks as one (almost). “Minors,” say the Coopers. “What else? When playing non-leaping Michaels, we can bid 4♥ with this hand, showing both minors with better clubs (some use it for the better hand).”
Rigal says that there are some sequences where good and bad minor-suited hands can be differentiated. “Here, the choice is between 4NT (my choice) and an ambitious 5NT. Maybe my spade control should make me bid more but because I may have gone down in slam on the previous deal, I don’t want it to become a habit.”
The Sutherlins plan to keep going once partner picks a minor. “We will cuebid 5♥ indicating a good hand and interest in seven.”
Stack bids 4NT, but says that an alternate way to show the minors would be to cuebid 4♥ and then correct 4♠ to 5♣. “This is probably not Bridge Bulletin Standard, but it is a very good way to handle this type of hand when it comes up.”
Robinson also bids 4NT. “If I doubled (which makes me ill and I’d give it a zero), I would have a big problem showing both minors over partner’s expected spade bid.”
Cohen is looking through the bidding box for his 4-1/2 NT card. “I am happy to be vulnerable vs. not, so partner will expect a good (albeit not quite this good) hand.”
Meyers, too, is relying on the unfavorable vulnerability to adequately convey the strength of this hand.”
The Gordons and Colchamiro bid 5NT. “Another mystery 5NT,” quips the scorer. “If 4NT is super unusual, is 5NT the turbo version?” And the answer is yes, kind of.
The Gordons explain: “Double begs for disaster. 4♥ and 5♥ should mean something different (one-suit powerhouse and major/minor respectively) and 4NT is just strength showing.”
Colchamiro calls it close between 4NT and 5NT and opts for 5NT to describe his slam-driving hand in the event lefty raises the preempt to 6♥. “Partner should treat this as a forcing pass situation. Also, 4NT will make it harder to get to a cold seven if partner has both minor-suit kings.”