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- UNBALANCED HEART CONVENTION
-
-
- Responder uses UHC with five or more hearts and an unbalanced hand:
-
- Opener Responder
- 2NT 3D
- 3H 3S - UHC
- 3NT - lacking adequate support for hearts
- 4C/4D - notrumper cue bid, heart support
- 4H - normal heart raise
-
- Opener bids 4H to show support when neither minor holding is
- suitable for a notrumper cue bid.
-
- When opener rebids 3NT, responder may show a second suit or a six-
- card heart suit:
-
- Opener Responder
- 2NT 3D
- 3H 3S - UHC
- 3NT 4C/4D - second suit, 5-4 or 5-5
- 4H - six or more hearts
-
- Showing a two-suited hand this way implies an unbalanced hand. With
- a 5-4-2-2 hand and slam hopes, bid the four-card suit immediately
- after opener's 3H bid. Opener will then be more inclined to sign
- off in 4NT than he would be after a UHC sequence.
-
- The 4H bid needs an explanation: Responder did not raise opener's
- 3H bid to 4H, which also shows six or more hearts, because that
- would show a balanced hand (and a strong suit). In this case
- responder has an unbalanced hand and some slam interest. The hearts
- may be weakish or strong, no telling. With a balanced hand, slam
- interest, and a weakish heart suit, he would have started with
- Stayman. With no interest in slam he would have started with a
- Texas transfer (4D).
-
- Using UHC instead of just raising the 3H response with a six-card
- suit gives opener a chance to make a notrumper cue bid in support
- of hearts. A fit discovered in this way could lead to a good slam
- that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to bid. With a
- balanced hand you just raise 3H to 4H to try for slam, indicating
- a need for good cards rather than fit.