[jillybean]

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I'm sure we all know to transfer partner into spades and pass in a 1nt auction.
Does the same apply to a 2nt auction?

[apollo1201]

2 schools about that.

The normal like 1NT.

The one where transfer becomes GF and you pas that hand. Advantage, rectification becomes more specific (3 cards or 2 cards) and follow ups become clearer and less ambiguous re 2nd suit, control, etc. The drawback is you are stuck with this hand. But I do not know if you face 2 cards (or sometimes 1 considering the diversity of 2NT openings) what is best, 2NT or 3S, statistically.

I believe at IMPs more is to be gained for slam purposes of that choice vs partscore deals 3M vs 2NT.

The given habd is borderline though, 4HCP all in the same 5-cd suit could sometimes produce game.

[thepossum]

I think I would probably pass
I don't see much point in a bid

I guess you could be unlucky in NT and your few spades blocked

[johnu]

jillybean, on 2026-February-20, 10:49, said:

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IMO, this hand is too strong to transfer and pass opposite a 20-22 2NT opening bid. Opposite 3+ card spade support, this hand is a solid favorite to make game, double dummy. Opposite 2 card spade support, game is only around 1/3, but there's no way to know below game in most transfer systems. Of course, opener will average around 2-2/3 spades.

But certainly with a weaker hand, transfer and pass will result in a better result than passing 2NT overall.

[pescetom]

In our non-standard NT subsystem you can show this 5-3 majors hand precisely in Stayman, finding a 3-5 fit in hearts as well as well as 5-3+ in spades. Responder can stop in 3 of Opener's 5 card major, otherwise Opener has to choose some game (but then the usefulness of invites over 2NT is almost as limited as the space to implement them).

With a standard subsystem I think I would just Texas transfer to 4S on the actual hand (even at MP, although it's borderline there).