Waste Not, Want Not

Not vulnerable, your partner is the dealer. You, South, hold

♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

West	North	East	South
	1 ♥	Pass	2 NT1
Pass	3 ♠2	Pass	??

at least four hearts, forcing to game singleton or void in spades

After partner's 1 ♥ opening, you can entertain visions of slam if partner has the right cards. Your 2NT bid was the Jacoby 2NT convention, promising at least four hearts and game-going values. Partner's response is a conventional response, showing a singleton or void in spades. What now?

ANSWER: Drop the anchor in 4 ♥. Your hand just got a lot weaker across from spade shortness; the king and queen of spades aren't pulling their full weight. If you had a slightly stronger hand -- perhaps with the king and queen of clubs -- you could keep the ball rolling with 4 ♦ to show a diamond control.

THE PRINCIPLE: When partner shows shortness in a suit, demote any honors you hold in that suit; those values have turned to dross. Partner might have shown shortness by conventional bids such as a splinter raise or the Jacoby 2 NT raise, or simply by bidding the other suits. By the same token, if you have mostly small cards in partner's short suit, partner can likely ruff those losers. If partner had instead bid 3♣ showing a singleton or void in clubs, that would have been good news indeed.

BONUS MINUTE: When responding to a Jacoby 2NT bid, showing a secondary five-card suit takes priority over showing a singleton or void. Establishing a secondary fit is usually a better source of tricks for slam. After opener promises a five-card major and then a secondary five-card suit, responder can also assess her values in the other two suits accordingly.

	♠ — ♥ A K 8 7 4 ♦ K Q 9 5 3 ♣ 10 5 2
	N W E S
	♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

North should bid 4 ♦ rather than 3 ♠. South will recognize that her black-suit values are likely to be facing shortness.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)