[Stephen Tu]

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IMPS, unfavorable.

How much should partner have to double, should their double guarantee 4cd heart? What's the least hcp *partner* should stretch to bid 3nt on themselves?

[awm]

Certainly partner would bid with 12+ points. With 10-11 I'd expect a call if he has short spades, but not if he has three spades and not necessarily with two. With 0-9 partner's pretty much always passing. Double from partner should almost always have four hearts in my style; I prefer to bid 3NT with partial stoppers than to double with only three hearts. Perhaps 1354 and 10-11 is a double though.

On the given auction I think double is pretty bad. Given that we have Kxx of spade, partner will virtually never leave double in. If partner bids 4m over double it will generally be bad (4-3 club fit? 5-3 diamond fit with ♠Kxx hitting the table?); even if partner has a heart suit and bids 4♥, it's not hard to imagine that we are better in notrump (especially if partner has two spades).

The options would seem to be 3NT or pass. Obviously pass could be a winner, but I'm a bidder. 3NT.

[Phil]

You have to bid 3N here.

I'm probably getting played by LHO who has AQJxxx(x) of spades and an Ace.

[Stephen Tu]

Thanks, I was just checking if 3nt was the more or less expected stab in the dark with this sort of hand. I was playing with GIB, who apparently has no idea what this should be. I tried 3nt, GIB had passed a 3343 12 count !!, and tried 6nt!, thinking I had some 21+ construction. Contract made when it showed up with the crucial major suit tens and D9, with hearts behaving.

[AyunuS]

Just go for 3NT. Figure everyone other than you has close to 7 points each, as even the bidder was too weak to make a strong bid, and then you'll probably have good support in the non-spades suits.

[Statto]

Different vulnerability would get different results, but at this vul the majority verdict is clear