What Not to Do
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|  7 |
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 J 10 9 5 4 3 |
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 Q J 6 4 |
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 8 2 |
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| A J 6 4 |
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8 5 2 |
| Q 8 2 |
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A K 7 6 |
| K 5 |
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8 3 |
| 10 9 7 6 |
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Q J 4 3 |
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K Q 10 9 3 |
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------ |
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A 10 9 7 2 |
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A K 5 |
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| South | West | North | East |
| 1 |
Pass |
1 NT | Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 3 | Pass |
| 3 NT | All pass |
This is what happens when you absolutely refuse to tell your partner you have a good fit. It's true that oftentimes you can find a quick 9-trick no trump game with a fairly decent minor suit fit. It's also true that I've said (q.v.) Don't Sneer at the Minors (q.v.) And how do you know when to zig and when to zag?
On a weak hand, such as this one, I think you'd want to tell your partner immediately of a fit. You might not get a second chance. Indeed, the hand is so weak, you might want to simply pass 2 diamonds as your most promising resting spot. As it happens, N-S would seem to have a minor suit game here, but it's a lucky game, with virtually no hcp's wasted. Indeed, you would seem to need the 10 9 of spades. So I would be far, far less ashamed of missing game here than in bidding 3 no going down 2 while a perfectly good diamond suit goes to waste.
I would say the nature of an unbalanced hand (a singleton spade), the miserable heart suit, plus the weakness should dictate a suit preference in diamonds.
But when North has once bid hearts and South has rebid diamonds, then the insistence on that moth-eaten heart suit is downright lunacy. Yes, sometimes if you're fixed for no trump, with stoppers in every suit your partner hasn't bid and good hcp count, you might suppress knowledge of a minor suit fit. Other than that, I would say it's one of the best things you can do for a partnership when you have a fit is to tell your partner at your first practical opportunity.