Help with bidding

[James Dow Allen]

Both vul at IMPs North deals and bids 1 Heart (SAYC) with
8
AJ963
KQ
KQ982

Opponents passing, South responds 1 Spade with
KT9743
52
AT876
(void)

How should the auction continue?
Am I correct that North is much too weak to jump to 3 Clubs,
especially with singleton in partner's suit?
(But if North does jump to 3C, how would bidding then continue?)

Cheers,
James

[cshe...@gmail.com]

1H-1S
2C-2H... weak suit-preference bid.
South's spades are not strong enough to bid with a 7-HCP (misfit) hand and a diamond bid would be 4th-suit forcing.

[John Hall]

In message <ff194ee1-2519-4c52...@googlegroups.com>,
James Dow Allen <jdall...@yahoo.com> writes

>Both vul at IMPs North deals and bids 1 Heart (SAYC) with
>8
>AJ963
>KQ
>KQ982
>
>Opponents passing, South responds 1 Spade with
>KT9743
>52
>AT876
>(void)
>
>How should the auction continue?
>Am I correct that North is much too weak to jump to 3 Clubs,
>especially with singleton in partner's suit?

I agree. Though it's notionally a 5-loser hand, the quality of the long
suits isn't great and as you say the singleton spade is a disadvantage.

>(But if North does jump to 3C, how would bidding then continue?)

It's a horrible misfit and I fear the worst after that 3C. Most people
would play 2D over 2C as fourth suit forcing, but I'm not sure that that
still applies after the forcing 3C. But even if natural it must still be
forcing. With the misfit, the bidding might end in 3NT, but that's a
horrible contract. You'd need to be lucky with the trump position to
make 4S, should you finish there.
--
John Hall "[It was] so steep that at intervals the street broke into steps,
like a person breaking into giggles or hiccups, and then resumed
its sober climb, until it had another fit of steps."
Ursula K Le Guin "The Beginning Place"