How do you find out about a singleton

[Hanoi5]

♠AKJxx

♥AKQx

♦T9

♣T2

 

Butler, partner opens 3NT, how do you handle this?

 

I heard some people use 4♦ as a shortness asking. What are the answers?

 

How would you handle it if they enter the bidding, say with 4 or 5 in a minor?

[helene_t]

4♥: stiff heart

4♠: stiff spade

4NT: no stiff

5♣: stiff diamond

5♦: stiff club

 

Not sure if you can show a void specifically. I guess not.

[kenrexford]

4♥: stiff heart

4♠: stiff spade

4NT: no stiff

5♣: stiff diamond

5♦: stiff club

 

Not sure if you can show a void specifically. I guess not.

Ditto.

[hrothgar]

I'm not sure whether this is a right hand to ask for a stiff.

 

You're hoping for a magical construct in which partner partner holds a stiff opposite your doubleton. If partner has shortness, its much more likely to be opposite your 5 card suit. (If I had to make a guess at partner's shape, I'd place him with either a 1=2=3=7 or a 1=2=7=3 pattern)

 

So long as the opponents can't cash two tricks off the top, you have 12 tricks. Personally, I'd be looking for ways to try to dissuade a minor suit lead rather than asking for a stiff. You might even consider blasting to 6m and hoping that the opponent on lead guesses wrong.

[helene_t]

Or blasting 5m, assuming the opp on lead guesses right.

[Old York]

I thought it was standard, after the 4♦ slam try, to use 4NT to show a singleton in the other minor

 

http://homepage.mac.com/bridgeguys/Convent...ng3NoTrump.html

 

This allows responder to pass if the hand is unsuitable for slam, but still gives responder the opportunity to blast away at 6m or 6nt if he feels the oppo are crazy

 

Tony

[dake50]

I show Major stiff on the way to 5m and immediate 5m asks other minor stiff.

[Free]

I prefer 4♦ as shortness ask, but we reverse the answers:

4♥ = short ♠

4♠ = short ♥

4NT = no shortness

5m = short Om

 

This way, if partner has short ♥ you can still play 4♠ :)

[OleBerg]

I show Major stiff...

Be careful where you do that!