Certainly the auction should begin 1
- 1NT - 2
. The idea would be that if partner bids again over my 2
, perhaps bidding 2NT, I will then bid a passable 3
. If partner has a fit and a non-minimum, he can raise to 4.
Now here we definitely have a fit! So: 1
- 1NT - 2
- 4
. Now
are trump. Opener is happy with the fit and happy with the
splinter, so 1
- 1NT - 2
- 4
- 4
sounds right. Now it is probably up to responder. He is the one who knows of the massive fit. He doesn't know opener has five, but still it sounds good. He could reasonably think that it now all comes down to key cards. So 1
- 1NT - 2
- 4
- 4
- 4NT. Maybe they have an agreement about responding with a void, maybe they don't (probably they don't), but opener remembers this auction started with 1
1NT, opener is looking at a 12 count, 12 count, 7 seems like a stretch, I think he just bids 6
. Among other things, he expects to lose to the
A at T1.
Added: Honestly, I am by no means sure I would reach 6
playing with my clone. We are missing the
A and the
K. Responder knows, after 1
- 1NT - 2
, that he has seven hearts and opener has at least four , and opener knows, after 1
- 1NT - 2
- 4
, that he has five hearts and responder has at least four. But nobody knows that then have a 12 card fit. I am thinking that after the 4
splinter, the 4
response, and then 4NT, perhaps opener can say to himself "Well, I only bid 2
over the 1NT, I have a pretty food hand for that 2
call now that I know we have a decent fit, the
splinter is nice, my
void is likely to be nice, partner is trying for a slam even after the 1
- 1NT - 2
beginning, this should be enough for him, so I bid 6
". Something like that. But it might not happen.