If 4NT could be Blackwood ...

Playing in the STaC game today, I was stuck for a bid on the third hand of the night. I was South and I held:

N

North

♠

Jxxx

♥

A

♦

QJ10x

♣

KQxx

Lead: ♦3

S

South

♠

AKQxxx

♥

Kxx

♦

Kx

♣

Ax

Partner dealt and opened 2D.  This is mini-Roman and shows a 4-4-4-1 hand with an unspecified shortness.

I have this vague feeling that his shortness might be spades. But I need to find out, so I bid 2NT, asking him where his shortness was.

I nearly fall out of my chair when he bid 3H. His shortness in hearts.

Now what?

3S is merely invitational (2NT was just a one-round force).

4S is fast arrival. I don't think we are quite done yet.

5S would ask him how good his trumps were.  Holding four little trumps, there ain't no way he's raising to 6.

How on earth does one explore slam after Mini-Roman?

Well, I bid 4NT. I intended it as plain-old Blackwood. Partner reasoned that since we had no suit agreement, it was quantitative.  I thought that since neither of us had bid NT naturally, it could not be quantitative. Quite obviously, we had not discussed what 4NT meant in this situation and our general principles were in conflict.

Fortunately, partner did not pass the 4NT.

Instead, he raised to 6NT!  I gulped. We had blown right past 6S!

They led a diamond, dummy came down and I claimed 12 tricks.  It was a cool top because everyone else was in spades.

Some days you just can't lose and today was one of those days.

Take, for example, another hand:

S

South

♠

KQJx

♥

—

♦

Kxx

♣

1098xxx

If East opens 1NT (15-17), what do you do?

I overcalled 2S!  Yes, I have only four of them, but what do you expect me to do? Pass with this offensive monster? Bid 3C (2C would have been the majors) on a 10-high suit? I decided to overcall 2S.

West Texas-ed to 4D, partner bid 4S and over East's 5H, partner bid again! Mercifully, this did not get doubled. West now led a small diamond and this was the dummy that came down:

N

North

♠

Axx xxx

♥

AKx

♦

—

♣

KQxx

Lead: ♦3

S

South

♠

KQJx

♥

—

♦

Kxx

♣

1098xxx

East turned out to have AJx in clubs, so 5S made on the nose.

This too was close to a top.

Thanks to results like these, we finished with a 68% game for first in A, B and C and have some hope of getting a nice district award.