Dear Ed and Peter,

Hi! Partner opens 2NT. My hand:

So should I say 3♣, using Smolen, or should I transfer?
Just to "tickle" you: I have an answer from Eddie Kantar but I don't understand it!

Best regards and hope to hear from you,
Brita Flach

Reply Ed Hoogenkamp (South)

Dear Brita,

In Netherlands (Peter and I are both Dutchmen living abroad, but our bidding style still is typically Dutch) it is rather common to play a form of Puppet Stayman, in order to be able to cater not only with a four-card but also a five-card major in the 2NT opener's hand:

¹ Puppet Stayman

- 3♦: one or two four-cards major
- 3♥: five-card hearts
- 3♠: five-card spades
- 3NT: no four- or five-card major

I mention this since, playing Puppet Stayman, South cannot bid 3♣ with your hand, because of the possibility of the 3NT answer. After that answer South would be in a fix. If he were to bid 4♥, he would risk North having only two hearts. If he were to pass, he would risk missing a 5-3 fit in hearts.
So our only option is: 

¹ Jacoby-transfer
² Natural (four spades), forcing

You however, obviously do not play Puppet, but normal Stayman, as is necessary when you play Smolen as well.
So your question is, whether you should bid as we do (perforce) in Netherlands, see above, let's call it option Jacoby or whether you should go for option Smolen:

In both options South shows 4-5 in spades-hearts

So what to choose (your question still hasn't been answered)?
You could agree that one option denies slam interest and the other one shows it.
For instance: via Smolen South shows a hand with mild slam interest.

Maybe Peter has more ideas about this. But don't get your hopes up: last time I checked he thought Smolen was a vodka brand...

Un saludo desde Barcelona

Dear Brita,

I hope you get this far, because Ed never seems to come up with an answer... He started by answering (all this Puppet stuff) a question you have not asked. Finally he says 'you could agree...'. Thank you Ed!

To be honest, I edited his answer; the bidding diagrams and explanations are mine. And I also made the remark that your question still has not been answered...
I agree with Ed that one sequence should show slam interest, the other should deny it. To be even more honest: I'm not sure what to prefer...

OK, here's my advice: I think perhaps the Jacoby-sequence should be the stronger of the two options, showing slam interest (so I tend to disagree with Ed). Since the partner of the 2NT opener has a good hand now as well, it is not a major disadvantage to end up in that (slightly weaker) hand. And that is exactly what will happen in the Jacoby-sequence, if the 2NT opener has two hearts and four spades.

So Smolen should show the weaker hand. This way the 2NT opener will never feel the need to break the transfer (see ³ in the footnotes at the Smolen auction), risking to end up as dummy. (This is not a strong argument, however, for the use of Smolen on weaker hands: after the breaking of the transfer the use of a so-called 're-transfer' often can still make the 2NT opener declarer. The strong argument for Smolen to be used for weaker hands is that the Jacoby-sequence is best suited for slam invitations, since it sometimes unavoidably leads to responder ending up as declarer, as mentioned before.)

With your actual hand you certainly don't want to end up declaring 4♠. So for your hand the (weaker!) Smolen option is best: over your 3♠ bid partner will have only two options then: 3NT or 4♥. He will always end up being declarer.

Sorry about my (and Ed's) unclear opinions; the problem is we have never used Smolen, the convention is rather uncommon on the European continent). Perhaps Eddie Kantar's answer was clearer after all...

En hils fra Orkanger

PS: Ed's remark about my thinking Smolen was a vodka brand, is blatantly untrue. I do not know any vodka brand, since I think vodka is alcohol mixed with water; why give it a brand name? The stuff is very well suited for disinfecting but not for drinking. Gentlemen drink single malt whisky (and not only gentlemen: I do so too...).