[msheald]

Hello! Today, we had this hand.

https://tinyurl.com/2xht4t7h

What is the best way to find 3NT?

Since my 1D bid denied a 4-card major, I suggested that a 1Spade bid over my 1D bid would show a spade stopper since it would not have meant to play. My partner suggested that jumping to 3D shows strength, and, given his spades, likely meant a heart stopper. I jumped to 5D for fear that partner would pass out any other bid, and a diamond game had a higher chance of success at that point than a 3NT bid by me.

What would have been the best way to proceed?

Thank you and best regards.

Mike

[DavidKok]

Hello! There are some general points on bidding that I think are relevant here:

• 1♦ does not deny a 4cM. In Walsh style it frequently denies one, but there are plenty of exceptions. I think it is mistaken to treat this as an absolute.
  
• Stopper showing is, in general, less important than showing shape. It really pays to tell partner about the degree of fit and the possible strains we might well play in. This helps with hand evaluation, establishing a safety level, and determine how important it is to consider NT. Your partner should absolutely rebid 1♠ over 1♦, showing an unbalanced hand (for me!) with primary clubs and secondary spades.
  
• For many players the auction 1♣-1♦; 2♣-3♦ is not forcing. This limits your options. Experts have gadgets here to assist them (in my case, 2♥). However, the more general point is that it's good to observe that you have a problem here, and that fully natural methods are ill-equipped to deal with this. You've got a tough hand, and the solutions aren't obvious!
  
• Your partner's comment about the heart stopper is bad to the point of being dangerous. First they failed to show the spades, now they claim they can draw inferences from it? Be careful! The key to good bidding is to describe your hand and involve partner in the decision. I would shy away from attemping to infer that partner has specific stoppers because we don't have them - that's little more than wishful thinking.