Bidding Quiz                                          1st November , 2006

 

                                                    Board 2      Dealer East       N-S Vul

 

 

The 2♣ bid in the featured auction is DONT, showing a two-suiter in Clubs and another suit.  What are your partnership’s methods in this situation?  One simple and effective method is to use the Double as Stayman, and to augment that with the rest of your No Trump system (perhaps Transfers and whatever else) as per usual.

 

Yes, the treatment described above is an example of “Stole My Bid”, whereby the Responder to the 1NT opening doubles his overcalling RHO when she “steals” the bid that the Responder was about to make.  “Stole My Bid” works just fine when the stolen bid is 2♣, as per the above, and some partnerships extend the concept to auctions such as:

 

            West    North   East     South

                                    1NT     2♥

            ??

Now, if you really must, you can double 2♥ to say “She stole my bid, I was about to transfer to Spades”.  We generally try to be open-minded about conventions, most of them have some redeeming qualities, even if they don’t happen to be our personal favorites.  But this one is a real clunker!  “Stole My Bid” only works well if the overcall is 2♣, if they bid anything higher we do much better by playing:

-         2-level suit bids natural and less than invitational

-         Lebensohl to handle other situations

 

Obscure System Note:

Well, maybe not that obscure.  Suppose, as we suggest above, that we are playing “systems on” when they bid 2♣ over Partner’s 1NT opening.  Let’s suppose further that we are playing 4-way transfers, so, if systems are really on, then 2♠ would still be a transfer to Clubs.  It’s hardly useful for this to show Clubs if they are showing Clubs, so it surely should show some kind of good hand.  We don’t believe that there is any consensus on this one, but our suggestion is as follows:

-         if their 2♣ bid does not promise Clubs, then the 2♠ bid is still a transfer to Clubs;

-         if their 2♣ bid does promise Clubs, then the 2♠ bid shows shortness in Clubs, the purpose being to warn Opener away from No Trump and in the direction of a suit contract (perhaps even 5 of a minor) unless Opener’s Club holding is most secure.

 

A similar situation occurs when we overcall 1NT, and where we also play “systems on”.  Suppose that the auction goes:

            West    North   East     South

            1♥        1NT     Pass    2♦

Here we are, transferring into their suit again, and we suggest the same shortness-showing treatment.

 

 

                                                    Board 3      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

West’s Double showed some extra values, and so did North’s Redouble.  Both players were trying to say to their Partner’s “This may be our hand if you’ve got some values over there”.  In the meantime, South showed her 4-card Hearts in preference to her 5-card Clubs.  Why?  We can offer four good reasons:

-         Opener is more likely to have Hearts than Clubs

-         Hearts score better than Clubs (well, at least they do if the contract happens to make!)

-         Bidding 2♥ is more preemptive (it may make it harder to find a Diamond fit, for example)

-         If we bid 2♥ we may get a chance to bid 3♣ later on, offering Partner a choice at the 3-level

 

Anyway, after the Double and Redouble, does South have any of those aforementioned values?  We would say so.  North probably is 16+, and at this point in the proceedings South has promised absolutely nothing.  She was obliged to find a bid after Partner’s Double, and could have 0 HCP’s for her 2♥ bid.  As it is, she has a couple of useful-looking Queens, each of them backed up by those Tens, and she also has a promising 5-4 shape.  So, we would bid 3♣ here, saying “Well, I do have something, I’m not completely broke, maybe Clubs are better than Hearts”.

 

                                                    Board 4      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

The choices are 3♠ or Double.  These hands are always something of a guess, obviously either bid could work on any given day.  Do we bid that nice 5-card Spade suit (true, Partner might reasonably expect six)?  Or do we Double, notwithstanding the discrepancy between the good 5-card Spades and the anemic 3-card Hearts?  Conventional wisdom is to Double here, on the grounds that this is the bid that gives the partnership most flexibility, and keeps the most irons in the fire.

 

When we first started writing up this week’s hands we thought this one was almost a no-brainer in favor of the Double.  But, that turns out not to be the case!  We did a simulation and it actually turned out to be pretty much neck-and-neck.  Bidding 3♠ not surprisingly did a better job at finding the right major, but only by a small margin … on many hands both majors were quite playable, and over 50 deals, on the hands where a major was the place to be, 3♠ was the narrow winner over Double.  But, there were a few hands where Clubs was the place to be, and needless to say for those Double was the winning bid.  All in all the simulation was a virtual dead heat between Double and 3♠, so you choose.

 

                                                    Board 5      Dealer North       N-S Vul

 

 

What do 3♣ and 3♦ mean here?  Clearly they are game tries, we’ve agreed Hearts, we are not now seeking to play it in a minor suit.  If South is too good merely to compete with 3♥, then she can bid 3 of a minor to suggest game if North has a good 2♥ bid.  Which minor should South bid if she has a game-invitational hand?  We just like to bid what we’ve got, but there are other viewpoints.

 

Anyway, you must decide for yourself if the South hand is worth a 3♣ or 3♦ game try (based on extra playing strength) or merely a competitive 3♥ (based on the extra trump).  We think that it’s a close decision at matchpoints, but at IMP’s we would try for game.

 

 

                                                    Board 7      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

Here, it’s a straightforward choice between 3NT and a Penalty Pass.  If we were Red and they were White, we’d just boot out 3NT and hope for the best.  But Red vs Red, as here, we’d pass hoping for one of these good things to happen:

-         We cannot make game, yet we get them for 200 (or more) on a part-score hand.

-         We can make game, but as that requires some extras from Partner, perhaps those extras are enough to extract an 800 penalty.

 

Having said that, we are not entirely thrilled to pass here.  How much nicer if our square 10 HCP hand was organized thusly:

            ♠ QJT8

            ♥ 982

            ♦ AK6

            ♣ T53

Yes, the point is that it’s the slow trump tricks which give us more bang for the buck on defense.  The second hand has superior defense and inferior offense.  So, when we double with the actual hand, we should not be licking our chops as we pass Partner’s Takeout Double.  But, on the second hand, we most certainly would be!

 

                                                    Board 10      Dealer East       Both Vul

 

 

OK, what are the possible plans?  There are three apparent choices:

-         We could overcall 2♣ … it’s a super-strong overcall, so our plan would be to take another call later in the auction … the only problem here is that it’s not obvious what that call should be … a Double with only 2 Spades is not appealing, nor would be a 3♣ bid with such a moderate suit and such a good hand.

-         We could make a takeout Double … this is generally a no-no with only two cards in an unbid major, only permissible with a really good hand … we don’t think that this hand is quite good enough, it’s a 5-loser hand which is one loser too many.

-         We could overcall 1NT.  Yes, that’s our choice!  A tad strong, perhaps, but if we buy it in 1NT we’ll surely be happy, and if the opponents persist in one of their suits we shouldn’t be too shy about competing to 3♣.

 

                                                    Board 11      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

Partner has 15-17, we have 17 with a super-duper 6-card suit.  Obviously we are in slam range, though the possibility exists that we are missing two Aces or the AK of Hearts.  Then again, the possibility also exists that we can make 7♠ or even 7NT.  How to proceed?

 

Well, we know what we would do.  It won’t always work, but we would throw science out of the window and just boot out 6NT.  Why overwork the grey matter looking for the perfect grand slam hand from Partner when we can expect at least an average plus just by bidding 6NT directly?  And bear in mind that if we decide to try a 2♥ transfer we are just opening ourselves up for a lead directing double.  So, 6NT is our suggestion, we like to keep things practical and simple.

 

 

                                                    Board 13      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

What does Double mean here?  We don’t think that it needs to be a powerhouse, just a hand that wants to compete further.  We would say that the most likely hand types are:

-         either, a balanced hand with 18+ (obviously, with 15-17 we would have opened 1NT)

-         or, an unbalanced hand with at least a few extras and no other convenient bid.

 

So, yes, we’d Double here, and though it’s not specifically for take-out, we’d be surprised if Partner passed.  The point here is that defending 1NT is usually not much fun, and anything we can do to dislodge them from that cozy spot is much to be desired.

 

                                                    Board 13      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

If you have read the previous section you’ll know that Partner is likely to have:

-         either, a balanced hand with 18+ (obviously, with 15-17 we would have opened 1NT)

-         or, an unbalanced hand with at least a few extras and no other convenient bid.

 

In the choice between 2♦ and 2♠ we would plump for 2♠.  It’s the better scoring contract, and Partner should have been ready for this bid when he doubled.  If it turns out that he has the big balanced hand without a Spade fit, he will bid 2NT and we can bail out to 3♦.  If he has more of a take-out kind of a hand, we should be in a good spot.  Note also that 2♦ here would allow North to chirp in with belated Heart support (maybe 3 small or honor doubleton), whereas 2♠ denies her that luxury.

 

 

                                                    Board 14      Dealer East       None Vul

 

 

 Are you tempted to pass here, hoping that Partner reopens with a Double, allowing you to pass in search of a juicy penalty?  It might work, but there too many negatives to this plan:

-         they are not vulnerable, so we need to defeat it by at least 2 tricks to beat our own part-score, and by 3 if we can make game

-         we have support for Partner’s Hearts, and doubling the opponents at the one-level tends to be less productive in those circumstances

-         if they run to 2 of a minor we’ll have to go beyond 2♥ in order to show our support and values, and this is likely to be quite dangerous opposite a third hand opening.

 

No, our suggestion would be to show support for Partner’s Hearts.  If you play Drury, it’s a good idea to play it in competition, and our suggestion would be a 2♣ bid here, saying “Is your third seat opening for real?  Or have you opened light yet again?”.  It turns out that Partner has opened light and 2♥ will be the final contract, and it further turns out that 8 tricks is all that E-W can make.

 

And what would happen if East pursued the penalty option?  South would run to 2♣ (which makes), and now East would be faced with a problem.  Supporting Partner with a 2♥ bid doesn’t seem quite enough, and going beyond 2♥ gets E-W too high.  Better to show decent support via Drury and give the partnership a chance to stay low.

 

                                                    Board 21      Dealer North       N-S Vul

 

 

What are the choices here?  Three possibilities come to mind:

-         Compete in Clubs with whatever methods you use for that purpose … we don’t like this choice one little bit, the hand is shapeless, the trump suit has no fillers, there is altogether too much defense, only modest offense, and, as if that was not enough, we are also vulnerable.

-         We could double, assuming that, in our methods, this shows a good hand, but it’s far from certain that we can beat it, and if Partner is really weak he’ll pull the Double and it could be us scoring the vulnerable undertricks instead of them.

-         We could just pass, hoping for a 2-trick set and the magic +200 on a part-score hand.  This would be our choice, the only real downside is that they will go down one when we can make a part-score.

 

On the actual hand, nobody can make anything at the two-level, and good defense beats 1NT by two tricks.  Double would have worked fine, too, South would probably scramble into a 2♥ contract, doubled and down one for the same 200.

 

                                                    Board 22      Dealer East       E-W Vul

 

 

First of all, how about that initial Pass by South?  We hate to pass with this type of hand, so much playing strength, and such a good Diamond suit.  But, when we open with one of a suit we are supposed to have some HCP’s!  And, if we were to preempt in Diamonds, we might bury the Heart suit.  Considering the favorable vulnerability, we admit to the fleeting naughty thought of a 3♦ opening, and are proud to say that we managed to resist this temptation.

 

OK, on to the next bid for South.  Are you tempted to bid 4♥ now?  If we could be sure that Partner really had Hearts for her take-out Double then 4♥ would be a reasonable shot.  But the danger is that Partner has a strong one-suiter in Clubs (or even Spades), in which case we have one trick for her at the most, and quite possibly none.  If that is the case, bidding might take us past our only making game of 3NT.  So, in the circumstances, we would just bid 2♥, a gross underbid, of course.  However, surely there will be more bidding on this hand, and we’ll get a chance to bid again.

 

On the actual hand, it is our RHO who saves the day.  The auction proceeds as follows:

 

South West      North   East

                                    Pass

Pass    1♦        Dbl      1♠

2♥        Pass    Pass    3♣

??

 

Thank you, Mr East!  Now what?  We’d bid 4♥ now.  Partner’s Pass showed that he has a regular take-out Double with some Hearts, and that should be enough for game to have a play.

 

P.S.  If you think that 2♥ is a bit risky (and it is!), then 3♥ would be fine, too.  In fact, 3♥ might be preferable if the opponents are of a timid disposition and are apt to sell out cheaply in part-score skirmishes.  That 2♥ bid was very much premised on someone taking a bid, it didn’t have to be Partner.

 

 

                                                    Board 24      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

We are not particularly in favor of opening a Weak Two with a 5-card suit, but sometimes it just seems right!  In this set we’ve had a few of those Spade suits which “just had to be bid!” and here’s another one.  And, if you really have to bid it (we would feel utterly compelled ourselves to do so), then what else but 2♠?

 

 

                                                    Board 28      Dealer West       N-S Vul

 

 

Non-vulnerable, with 5-card support and a weak hand, it’s tempting to bid 4♠ here.  But we think there’s really too much defense in this hand … our points are outside our suit, and, worst of all, we have a good Heart holding.  It would be very sad if we were to jam the proceedings with a 4♠ preempt, then for North to bid 5♥, and for Partner then to save the opponents’ bacon by blundering on to 5♠.  If he did so it would surely be our mistake, not his.  We prefer a 2♠ bid here, followed by a 3♠ bid if the opponents compete to the 3-level.

 

Suppose that we had the same basic hand, but were 5-1-4-3 instead of 5-4-1-3.  Now the defense to 4♥ is considerably less, of course, and we would preempt directly to 4♠, putting them to the guess as to whether to compete to the 5-level.

 

                                                    Board 29      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

Anyone for 2♠ here?  Not a good bid in our opinion.  We’ve had a few hands this week where the issue has been “To preempt or not to preempt?”  And, as usual, we have to weigh up our offensive and defensive assets.  We have the approximate hand strength and suit length for a preempt but altogether too much defense.  The A♠ is a likely defensive trick, maybe even the K♠, and we probably also have a trump trick against 4♥.  As was the case on Board 28, we don’t want to surprise Partner with all this defense, and encourage him to take a phantom sacrifice.  So, a simple 1♠ is surely called for here.

 

 

                                                    Board 29      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

Let’s assume that your methods here are for 3♥ to show a good Spade raise, and that consequently 3♠ and 4♠ are preemptive raises.  In that case, we have a clear choice between 3♠ and 4♠.  You’ll find votes for either of these bids, our own choice would be just 3♠, again based on the fact that we do have some defense.  We’d rather let Partner decide whether to sacrifice in 4♠, our own hand is not clear-cut.  Total Trick aficionados will no doubt be appalled by our suggestion.

 

                                                    Board 30      Dealer East      None Vul

 

 

We certainly have no intention of defending 2♠.  But the better question to ask ourselves is “Do we have any intention of defending 3♠?”  At this vulnerability, we’d say “No!”.  The next question to ask ourselves is “Will the opponents let us play in 3♥?”  We’d think that this is somewhat unlikely, considering that we have 9 or 10 Hearts, and they are likely to have at least half of the HCP’s.  Yes, everything points to a 4♥ bid here, bidding the hand to the max immediately and turning up the heat on South.

 

Bidding 4♥ here will often work out well, even when it is theoretically wrong.  4♥ down 2, undoubled, is a fine save against 3♠ making.  And, it’s unlikely that they will find a Double, it’s not as if either of them is likely to have any trump tricks.

 

On the actual hand South held 2 Aces and 4-card support, so she will try 4♠, not knowing whether she is bidding to make or bidding as a sacrifice.  It turns out to be neither, as both 4-level major suit contracts are down a trick.  Nice 4♥ bid, Mr East!

 

Bergen Note:

If E-W are playing Bergen Raises, West has a perfect “constructive” raise available.  After Partner’s 1♥ opening, he will bid 3♣, showing a 4-card raise that is too good for a preempt and not good enough for a limit raise.  Typically the range is around 7-9 HCP’s, but these point ranges need to be tempered with judgment.  One look at the singleton, and the Club side-suit should be all that it takes to elevate this hand above a preempt to constructive status.

 

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