TWO4BRIDGE

And if Opener wants to agree ♥, he can make a Ctrl cuebid : 1NT - 2H! 2S - 3H ( ostensibly 5-5 ) 4C! ( cue) - 5D ( Exclusion ) 5NT ( 3rd step = 2 - ♥Q ) - ?? No reasonable way to find out about ♠ K and Q

If Advancer ( West ) made a Responsive DBL ( instead of 2S ) , it would show the minors here and deny 4 cards ♠ .

That crossed my mind too until I re-read the opening sentence: " What is best after the [ EDIT: Opener's ] superacceptance of a minor suit transfer on a 1NT opening " ...

I like John's 3-3 ♣ split angle ( post # 6 ) .

I have this in my files..... wonder how many years it will take to use it: 1NT - 2S! ( MSS ) 2NT ( no 4 card minor ) ..... - 4C ( freak 6d/5c, "Smolenesque" ... shorter ♣ ) ..... - 4D ( freak 5d/6c, "Smolenesque" ... shorter ♦ )

My thoughts were the same as Marlowe's. Another option would be to transfer to ♠, eventhough it is the shorter Major, and then bid 3H, ostensibly showing a ( 5/5 )+ and GF. If opener then agrees ♠ with a 3S bid, you could jump to 5C-exclusion RKC or just cuebid 4C . If partner instead wants to agree ♥, he has 4C and 4D as advance cuebids for ♥ or 4H with no slam interest . But the 5s/6h shape is never really gotten across . Another option is 2C Stayman followed by Smolen if partner replies 2D : 1NT - 2C 2D - 3H ( Smolen, ostensibly 5s/4h, GF ) 3NT ( 2s/3h ) ..... - 4D! ( transfer to ♥ showing 5s/6h ) 4H - 5C ( Ctrl cuebid ) etc...

Side issue: For those who use 3C! as the limit raise and 3D! as the mixed raise, there is no room for a "general game try" when ♥ are trump-- 1H - 3D!

At least 6D... surely pard has the K ( or A ) of ♥ for his 3NT call.

What were the hands ?

Not that it would matter here, but why 3D instead of 3H ?

I can't seem to come up with a lower-level GF auction agreeing ♥ where North can make a 4D Ctrl-cuebid , hence denying a ♣-Ctrl . Maybe have to be content with a 5-level Ctrl-cue auction: 1H - 4H 5D - 5H all pass or 1H - 1S 3D - 4H 5D - 5H all pass

In the case of both majors, the first Major to be supported : ♥ is agreed as trump . 3S! therefore is a Ctrl cue bid . 4D = ♦ Ctrl, denies ♣ Ctrl . 4NT = RKCB for ♥ ..... - 5C = 0 or 3 5D ( ♥Q-ask since the 3H support bid could be as few as 3 cards ) ..... - 6H ( ♥Q but no outside Kings )

West has 5 cards ♦. I got ♦ count from the spoiler ... East has 3 cards ♦ ... Q T x .

As stated, it is difficult to show ♥ & ♠ double-fits . Usually, when a Major is first agreed, it becomes the trump suit. A subsequent other-major-bid becomes a cue-bid . Ahydra [ post # 8 ] mentions "fit-jump-bid" responses to solve this problem.... and a 1H open is the only suit that Responder can show a fit-bid [ at a low level ] provided NO interference . Since I play Bergen Raises along with Jac2NT, I suppose 1H - 2S! could be a fit-bid "5+ cds somewhere", w/4+ cds♥. Just experimenting here: East - West 1H - 2S! (fit-bid somewhere, limit+ , 4+ cards ♥; 5+ cds ♣/♦/♠ ) 2NT! ( asks for suit which is a fit-jump for Hts ) ....... - 3C ( ♣ ) ....... - 3D ( ♦ ) ....... - 3H ( ♠ ) After: - 3H 3S ( = 3+ cards ♠-- double-fit ; any other bid would deny 3 cards ♠ ) ....... - 3NT ( no minor Ctrl to cue ) can't be to play with each side having 8+ card fits in BOTH Majors 5D! ( 6 Ace Exclusion ) ....... - 6C, 4th step ( 2 + ♠Q ) [ ♥ Q is rolled into the in the K-ask ] 7S ( East now can count 5s, 6h, ♣Ace, ♣-ruff in West hand [ can discard East's ♣ on long ♥ ] EDIT: Zelandakh uses 1H - 2S! as a mini-splinter or in-between splinter . I would think splinters would occur much more frequently than fit-jumps .

I think West is 2 2 5 4 because if 5-5 in the minors,West might have bid Un2NT . So, with 2 cards ♠, they have to be either x x or Q J tight . Your guess is as good as mine whether to play A K off the top or finesse East twice ( you still have 2 entries in ♥ ) .

I think South should just blast . With 4 key cards what is the point of 5D-exclusion ? You know ahead of time that the reply will be 5H . You could just go regular RKC and find out about the ♦A, but I also don't see a big advantage. If North's points is "stuff" in ♦, you get ♣ discard(s). If no stuff in ♦ then there must be stuff in the black suits.

I thought the current wisdom is that DBL is T/O ( "cards" ) not penalty.... ( and 4NT is 2-suited as already stated ) .

What is the 3S super-accept supposed to mean other than 4 cards ♥ ? Does it normally mean 4 cards ♠ as well , or a ( worthless ) doubleton ? or other ??

West Q x, x x, K x x, A K Q T x x East A 9 x x x, A K 8 x x x, A J, void East West 1H - 2C ( 2/1 GF ) 2S ( at least 4/5 ) .... - 3C 3S ( 5/6 ) .... - 3NT or 4H pass

A non-jump 4D is fit-showing w/♥ ??

pass

I think there is an alternative method to show "source of tricks" ( in other words there are 2 ways to bid ♣,♦, or ♥ at the 4-level: 2NT - 3H! ?? 4C/4D/4H = doubleton in bid suit versus: 2NT - 3H! 3NT - 4C ( forced ) ?? 4D/4H = source of tricks in bid suit 4S = source of tricks in ♣ suit

Is it "unpopular" because it is Brown Sticker ? 1H - 1S! : " ... if a bid is weak (or potentially weak having multiple options) and does not promise 4 cards in a defined suit (when weak) then it is likely to have a brown sticker. " BTW, I liked the treatment when I first saw it ... but then I was told it was brown sticker .

Would that be any doubleton holding ... or a "worthless" doubleton ??

Side Bar: Because of the "room" problem, Meckwell uses 2S over 2D as GF... and has said is now a "popular treatment" ( I'm not sure about that ). This was Responder's hand in their example from Dec, 2009 Bridge World: AKJT98654 -- 9 A94 1H 1S 2D 2S = GF