What do you bid in bridge if partner has opened 1H and you hold S-AQ9 H-KQJ4 D-QJ7 C-J76?

Answer 1

You should force your partnership to 4 Hearts, using this logic:

You have 4 cards in hearts (a major suit) so you know you have at least an 8 card fit.

You hold 16 points, so you know your hands have a combined valued of at least 28 points.

You need 25+ points to bid for "game" in a major suit, which will give your side a "game bonus".

Experienced players would make a strength-showing bid first (like 2 Clubs, or a conventional bid like Jacoby 2NT) and then bid 4 Hearts*.

*A direct raise to 4 Hearts shows a weak hand with many hearts, which makes it hard for the opponents to enter the auction. For example:

♠3

♥KQ983

♣T943

♦986