Bidding Quiz                                              9th August, 2006

 

Board 1      Dealer North      None Vul

 

 

Over 2♦, West has a choice between Double and 2♠, and it's something of a coin toss, we would say.  Murphy's Law tells us this:

(a) If we decide to double, Partner will be 3-3 in the majors and we'll never find our 5-3 Spade fit;

(b) If we decide to bid 2♠, Partner will perversely be 1-5 in the majors with a moderate hand, and we'll miss our 5-4 Heart fit 

 

In other words, whatever you do, you'll end up understating one major or the other.  There's no right answer on this one, in our opinion, just two reasonable actions, either one of which could work out better on any given day.  Care to know which was the winner on the actual hand?  Well, Partner turns out to have a weak hand so it makes no difference, you'll end up on opening lead against a Diamond partial.

 

Board 3      Dealer South      E-W Vul

 

 

N-S are White versus Red, North has a maximum of one trick on defense, and a fit for Partner’s Club preempt.  Surely the opponents can make at least 11 tricks in a major, probably 12.  How many Clubs should North bid?

(a) 4♣?   No, that would be altogether too feeble … you can be sure that the opponents will get to 4♥ or 4♠, after which you will want to sacrifice in 5♣ … so, why not go to 5♣ directly, and apply more pressure?

(b) 5♣?  This is surely better than that pusillanimous 4♣ bid, but is it enough? 

(c) 6♣?  This applies maximum pressure right away.  Of course, if LHO now confidently bids 6♥ or 6♠, you’ll have to make the final guess. 

 

At times like this you will be on much safer ground if you can rely Partner not to preempt in first or second seat with defensive tricks.  Then again N-S are White versus Red, and most red-blooded players like to preempt frequently in this situation.  So North is entitled to look askance at Partner's 3♣ opening ... who knows what atrocity South might have committed in the name of favorable vulnerability?  She might well have a 6-card suit and a defensive trick (or two), in which case 5♣ is (hopefully) a good save against their game, but bidding more than that might be too expensive.  Alternatively, she might have a pure, true-blue preempt (such as the one she was actually dealt), in which case we want to get to the 6-level or 7-level as quickly as possible.

 

It's all well and good to toss out White versus Red preempts with a high frequency, on a variety of hand types, but the downside is that, on hands like this, North will be at a disadvantage.  As North, opposite a stolid preemptor, we'd bid 6♣ to apply maximum pressure.  But if Partner is known to be quite adventurous in these situations, perhaps 5♣ is sufficient.

 

A Gadget for Energetic Preemptors

If you and your Partner like to preempt high and often in White versus Red situations, even in first or second seat, then you might want to try the following gadget, one which allows the Partner of the preemptor to check on the soundness of Partner's preempt.  Here it is:

           After Partner opens (or overcalls) with a preempt, a bid of 4NT is a raise to 5 of Partner's suit, and

           gives the preemptor the license to bid to the 6-level if his preempt is "pure".

 

See how well this gadget works on the actual auction.  After 4NT, South can choose between 5♣ and 6♣ depending upon just how kosher is the opening preempt.  South's actual hand is:

   ♠ 5

   ♥ T97

   ♦ T6

   ♣ KQJT875

That's about as kosher as a 3♣ preempt can possibly be!  No A♣, solid Clubs otherwise, a 7th Club, a singleton, absolutely zero defense, but good offense.  Over 4NT, Partner is clearly not going to bid just 5♣.  Is he allowed to bid 7♣, as his hand is such a perfecto?  No!  He's only allowed to bump it up to 5♣ or 6♣.  Or, if he's really imaginative he might bid 5NT!  Yes, this tells Partner, "I'm going to the 6-level, but my hand is a perfecto, don't be afraid to bid 7 if you think it's right!"

 

Of course, if South is an adventurous preemptor when White versus Red, he might hold this horror:

   ♠ 54

   ♥ Q97

   ♦ K6

   ♣ KJT875

Yes, a somewhat offbeat 3♣ preempt to say the least, with an abnormal amount of defense and poor offense.  After Partner's 4NT, this would be an obvious 5♣ bid.

 

If you use 4NT in the manner described here, how do you get to trot out Roman Key Card Blackwood when Partner preempts 3♣ or 3♦?  Regardless of whether they use the gadget above, many players use the sequences 3♣ 4♦ and 3♣ 4♦ for this purpose ... a treatment well worth playing, in our view.

 

 

Board 4      Dealer West      Both Vul

 

 

Perhaps this one should not be in the Bidding Quiz, but here it is in the absence of a Cautionary Tales section.  Would you perpetrate a 1♥ opener here?  Amazingly, there are many players out there who just cannot resist opening light in 3^rd seat and who would not dream of passing an 11-count in this situation.  But, here he’s vulnerable, has a crummy suit, and no distribution … just not worth getting involved, in our humble opinion.

 

The cautionary side of this tale manifests itself on the opening lead against the opponents' 3NT.  On the actual deal, that (in our view pointless) light opening bid will deflect Partner from his normal contract-beating lead.  That will be -600 instead of +100.

 

By the way, we are probably in a small minority on this one, we'd bet that 90% of the field won't be able to resist opening this hand, so that -600 may even be close to average!

 

 

                                                    Board 4      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

South's 1NT overcall is usually played as showing 15-17 or 15-18, and most partnerships play that "systems are on", meaning that the methods used after a 1NT opening (Stayman, Jacoby, etc) are also used after a 1NT overcall.  Furthermore, if you play Lebensohl there's no reason not to play it in the auction above.

 

Of course, if you are playing Lebensohl here, you don't have much of a bidding problem here because 2NT is no longer available as an invitational bid ... in the absence of that you must go to game on your own.  However, we would bid game with this hand even if we had an invitational 2NT at our disposal ... it's only 8 HCPs, but the 5-card suit and the fillers are enough to bid game.

 

 

Board 5      Dealer North      N-S Vul

 

 

Only 13 HCPs, and one of those is wasted ... but such a nice hand ... 4-card support for Partner ... a chunky 5-card side suit ... control in the opponent's Diamonds ... and a singleton Club.  We are highly tempted to bid 3♠ here, but perhaps it is a tad aggressive, at least playing matchpoints, so we'd settle for a beefy 2♠ instead.

 

Board 6      Dealer East      E-W Vul

 

 

Should West invite to game (via Stayman) opposite a 15-17 1NT?  The general rule is to invite with good eights and moderate nines.  This is a moderate eight at best (no working fillers), it’s just not good enough for an invitation.

 

But it wouldn't take much to bring it up to snuff, just a little rearrangement to something like this:

        ♠ QJ74

        ♥ 632

        ♦ AJT5

        ♣ 86

Exactly the same distribution as before, also the same high (and low) cards ... but now our honors are working well together, and it's starting to look very much like an invitational kind of hand.

 

Board 7      Dealer South      Both Vul

 

 

It takes but 9 tricks to make game in No Trump, and West has 8 of them.  So, despite the shortage of HCPs, West is fully justified in taking a shot at 3NT, he needs so little from Partner.  The 3NT bid here should be characterized by a stopper in the opponent's suit, and a source of tricks (invariably a minor, of course) ... this hand certainly qualifies!

 

                                                    Board 7      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

What kind of hands hands do South and West have for this auction?  Let's start with West ... that 3NT bid is no doubt based on minor suit tricks, so here it is reasonable to assume that he has a running Club suit and a Heart stopper.  And, South?  What does that Double show?  If South is trying to say "I can beat this contract if you will lead my suit" then he is about to be sorely disappointed ... but perhaps a more useful treatment is for the Double to be takeout-oriented, after all that 3NT bid can almost be categorized as a minor suit preempt.

 

Anyway, we'd assume that Partner's Double was inviting us to do something intelligent, and 5♦ seems highly intelligent, at least to us.

 

Board 9      Dealer North      E-W Vul

 

 

Over 1♣, East had a choice between 1♥ and 2NT (showing the two lower unbid suits).  As the Hearts are so much better, we prefer 1♥ here.  However, switch those red suits around, and we would prefer a 2NT bid ... as usual, our bidding favors the majors.

 

Board 10      Dealer East      Both Vul

 

  

North has 10 HCPs and 3-card support for Partner’s Heart suit, but she should curb her enthusiasm.  As 10-counts go, this one is no great shakes, really not close to a limit raise.  On the other hand, it’s too good to bid 1NT and then (over Partner’s 2♦ rebid) bid 2♥.  So, even though the hand looks rather No Trumpish, we suggest a 2♥ bid here … if Partner makes a game try, we’ll offer 3NT as an alternative contract.

 

As it happens, North does well to bid just 2♥ here.  South would accept any game try with her shapely 1-5-4-3, but the maximum on the hand is 9 tricks.

 

Board 11      Dealer South      None Vul

 

 

You may be tempted to try for game with that 15-count opposite Partner’s Weak Two.  But, in our view, trying for game would just be too ambitious … inadequate trump support … and too many side-suit losers.  Sure, it's possible to construct a perfecto for Partner where 4♥ makes, but for every one of those there are 10 hands where even 3♥ is too high.

 

It's our sad duty to report that 4♥ does indeed make!  Partner does not have anything like a perfecto, but the layout of the enemy cards is remarkably fortunate.  A top for the overbidders!

 

Board 12      Dealer West      N-S Vul

 

 

We subscribe to the No-Four-Card-Major-Left-Behind school of thought and this is a good example.  Yes, West should certainly try for a 4-4 major fit after Partner’s 1NT opening, notwithstanding that pitiful Heart suit.

 

Board 13      Dealer North      Both Vul

 

 

North has a choice of opening bids here.  1NT?  Or 1♣, planning a reverse to 2♦?  1♣ is unequivocally the way to go, that prime 17-count with a luscious KQTxx side-suit is just too good for an opening 1NT.

 

Board 15      Dealer South      N-S Vul

 

 

Let us not make the mistake of responding 1♠ on this one.  With a game-going hand it's usually better to bid your long suit first.  So, bid 2♣ here, which has the added benefit of creating a forcing auction.  Still not convinced?  Then consider this:

(a) If there is a 4-4 Spade fit to be found it will come to light in the next round of bidding, somebody will bid 2♠, which can be supported at the 3-level, and, if appropriate, a slam try can be made below game.

(b) If the hand belongs in Clubs (perhaps slam), we may never get there if we bid 1♠ initially, any 5-3 Club fit will surely be lost.

 

Board 18      Dealer East     N-S Vul

 

 

Should East bid a preemptive 3♥ directly over 2♣?  We think that the hand is too good (and we don’t like that outside Ace one bit).  And, anyway, if East does jump to 3♥, North will no doubt balance with a Double, and South will bid 4♣, thereby reaching the correct contract despite the preempt.  The big danger of a 3♥ preempt (especially at this vulnerability) is that West might be persuaded to try a 5♥ sacrifice against 5♣ … imagine his chagrin when Dummy goes down and he sees that the A♠ is the setting trick against 5♣, while his 5♥ is down two or three doubled.

 

Is East good enough to make a limit raise via a cue-bid?  Not at all, so we suggest that you bid 2♥ first, and then 3♥ on the next round, if necessary.

 

 

Board 21      Dealer North      N-S Vul

 

 

We highly recommend that you play Lebensohl over a Weak Two, doubled by Partner.  Using this treatment, North bids 2NT (a relay to 3♣) to get out at the 3-level with a weak hand … with invitational values, North bids her suit directly.  So, in the above auction, North would bid 3♣, showing something in the 9-11 range, or thereabouts.

 

And, what is our suggestion for those players who do not play Lebensohl in this situation?  Please learn it, because, without the convention, North's hand is impossible to bid sensibly.

 

 

Board 21      Dealer North      N-S Vul

 

 

Thanks to Lebensohl, North's 3♣ was natural and invitational, showing something in the 9-11 range, or thereabouts.  As South, you have a monstrous hand, and need just the AK♣ to make a grand slam.  If you are afraid that 4NT might be misinterpreted, you can always try 5NT here ...yes, the Grand Slam Force, asking Partner to bid 7♣ if she has 2 of the top 3 trumps.

 

That Grand Slam Force is a most useful tool once every couple of years.  But we don’t mean to be sarcastic, it’s simply that the advent of Roman Key Card Blackwood and Exclusion Blackwood have greatly reduced the convention’s frequency of use.  In fact, you could have achieved the same result with a bid of 5♠ (over 3♣) ... for those that play Exclusion, this bid would ask Partner to make her normal Roman Key Card response, but excluding the A♠.  Normally, you would be void in the exclusion suit (Spades here), but you don't have to be.

 

 

Board 22      Dealer East      E-W Vul

 

 

How do you play 3♠ by North in this situation?  Is it preemptive?  Or a Splinter?  Either’s fine, our own preference is for 3♠ to be a Splinter.  If that is your partnership's agreement, then look no further than a 3♠ bid here ... otherwise, you'll have to make a forcing Diamond raise of some sort ... and, if you don't have one available, then you'll have to fudge things with a 2♣ bid.

 

 

                                                Board 23      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

West's 2♥ was Michaels, showing Spades and a minor.  So, Partner's 2♠ bid is effectively a cue-bid in a competitive auction, which is customarily used to show a fit and at least invitational values.  Opposite such a hand, South has enough for game.  Does that mean that she should just up and bid it?  No, we don't think so, this hand is a bit too good for that ... Partner might actually have a pretty decent hand herself, there was no upper limit on her 2♠ bid ... so, along the way, we suggest a 3♦ call.

 

At this point in the proceedings, 3♦ is somewhat ambiguous ... it could be a game try, or a hand with slam aspirations.  Partner will assume the former until she has reason to believe otherwise.  But the movie is not over yet, please scroll down to the next item in the Quiz!

 

 

Board 23      Dealer South      Both Vul

 

 

When we bid 2♠ we showed at least a game-invitational hand with Heart support ... when Partner bid 3♦ she was showing one of two hand types:

(a) a hand which is still interested in game but not quite good enough to bid it directly;

(b) a hand with (at least mild) slam aspirations .

South has extras of her own, don't you think?  Actually, she has extra extras, so, rather than just lazily bidding the game, we recommend a bid of 4♣ over 3♦, a cue-bid offering some hope for Partner if she has higher aspirations.

 

Now, what is our response to 4NT?  Assuming that we are playing Roman Key Card Blackwood, and further assuming that we are at the top of our game, we can count 2 Key Cards and an absence of the Queen of trumps.  Is this a 5♥ response?  No, not at all, North has extra trump length, and can tell that her side has at least 10 trumps, making the Queen an unnecessary luxury (most of the time) … in these circumstances, North is allowed to claim ownership of the Q♥.

 

 

Board 26      Dealer East      Both Vul

 

 

As West, in the balancing seat, are you tempted to push on to 3♥?  Yes, that 6-4 shape is most appealing, and it's hard not to be tempted.  Nonetheless, being vulnerable, we wouldn’t advise it, and, on the actual deal, 3♥ is destined to be doubled, down one or two with normal play. 

 

If E-W play Support Doubles, then East can double 1♠ to show 3-card support.  In the absence of such a Double, West knows that his side has an 8-card Heart fit at best.

 

 

Board 28      Dealer West      N-S Vul

 

 

Some players avoid wherever possible opening 2♣ with a two-suited hand, as would we when the first suit to be bid naturally is a minor.  But here, after 2♣ and the customary 2♦ “waiting”, we can bid 2♠, and will probably be able to show our second suit at the 3-level … in other words, as an economical auction seems likely, this looks like a reasonable 2♣ opener to us.

 

 

Board 32      Dealer West      E-W Vul

 

 

You may be tempted to pass here, no doubt getting ready to lead your 4^th best Spade against 3NT.  However, that is not going to happen very often, much better, in our view, to get into the auction early with a 2♠ bid (or whatever method you use over 1NT to show a Spade one-suiter).  Waiting in the bushes is usually not a winning strategy, direct action seems to work better most of the time.

 

 

                                                    Board 32      Dealer West       E-W Vul

 

 

If that wretched South had not chimed in with her pesky 2♠ we would have simply transferred to 2♥ and called it a day.  But now, here we are, with a combined 22-24 HCP's, with no obvious action.  What are the options?

   A Craven Pass?  It's been our experience that craven passing is often a winning strategy at matchpoints, and it might well be here.  But, with such a preponderance of HCP's, somehow this just seems altogether too craven, don't you think?

   A Heart Move?  It may well be that the perfect spot here is 3♥, and if we are playing Lebensohl we have a way to get there ... we'll just bid 2NT, relaying to 3♣, and then sign off in 3♥.  The trouble with that of course, is that we may be consigning our side to a 5-2 fit at the three-level when the opponents were already in trouble at the two-level.

   A Co-operative Double?  Yes, that would be our choice here, assuming that our methods allowed it.  A good treatment here is that a Double of their overcall of Partner's 1NT is value-showing ... it shows at least a hand which would have invited to 2NT, with at least two of their suit.  And, we'd be the first to say that this hand is not quite up to snuff, and further that we wish we had better defensive values, and a hand that was less about Hearts.  More often than not, Partner will pass this Double, and occasionally they will make it ... but at least they will be a bit more cautious next time they sit at your table and you open 1NT!

 

 

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