Could the auction
1m-(1
) - X - Pass
1NT - (Pass) -3
have a meaning?
Yes, I think so. The X is unlimited. The 3
is presumably strong. A strong hand with 5+ hearts would have bid 2
on the first round. So 3
is a strong hand with four hearts.
Hey, opener does not have four hearts so why bother?
Ok, I will channel Al Moyse, the namesake of the Moysian fit. Sometimes a 4-3 fit is just fine. Maybe not often, but sometimes.
Ax
QTx
KJTx
Axxx
xxx
AKJx
Qxx
KQx
Playing in NT a spade is led. You have 8 top tricks, you cannot hold up more than one round. Maybe the clubs split. Maybe they don't.
Playing in hearts you duck the first spade. They can continue whatever they choose. Say they play another spade. You win, you don't touch trump, you play on diamonds. Someone gets his Ace, and maybe they can then give partner a diamond ruff. That's it, you lose a spade, the diamond A, a diamond ruff. And they might not get the diamond ruff. As long as hearts are no worse than 4-2 you are fine.
So I think 3
is a possible bid. Opener, if he holds KQx of spades, will bid 3NT. But with Ax in spades and a decent three card heart holding, he can consider 4
.
And if, by some chance, the defense does not begin with a spade and another spade, then you still have your A so you draw trump in four rounds if needed and play on Ds.
I cannot recall this ever coming up but I think that if a partner bid 3
at the table I would construe it just as above. He is asking me to choose between 3NT and 4
. I would choose.
If , instead, it went
1m-(1
) - X - Pass
1NT - (Pass) -4
I might be a long time in figuring that one out.