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Bidding Quiz 22nd November, 2006
Board 3 Dealer South E-W Vul
What version of Stayman do you play opposite a 2NT opening? If it’s regular Stayman then, with this hand, you have no practical alternative to bidding 3NT here, hoping that the Spade suit does not prove to be a fatal weakness. However, if you play Puppet Stayman, Opener is able to show not only 4-card majors but also a 5-card major. Puppet Stayman over a 2NT opening is fairly common on the tournament circuit, and recommended for those pairs who wish to invest some time in improving their methods.
If Puppet Stayman is such hot stuff, then why not use 2♣ for that purpose opposite a 1NT opening? Well, you could, and a few partnerships do. But that interferes with certain other sequences and our own preference (far from universal, we hasten to add) is for 1NT 2♣ to be regular Stayman, and 1NT 3♣ to be Puppet Stayman. Please check the links and make your own choice.
Board 4 Dealer West Both Vul
Yes, it’s 10 HCP’s and 4-card support, and give us a bit of shape and a couple of Tens and we would make a limit raise. This one doesn’t qualify. We raise to 2♠ and are prepared to compete further to 3♠ if necessary (though not with great enthusiasm!).
This one is a good “constructive raise” in the world of Bergen.
Board 5 Dealer North N-S Vul
At IMPs, with North’s hand, we would invite to game (via 3♥) like a shot, all the more so given the vulnerability. At matchpoints it’s somewhat less obvious and there is a lot to be said for passing out 2♥.
Board 6 Dealer East E-W Vul
With a weak hand and 4 trumps opposite Partner’s 5-card (at least) suit it’s customary to preempt here to 3♠. But let’s look again! We are White vs Red, which is always an excuse to be a little more extreme! And our hand is quite perfect for preempting … a bit of shape, values in our suit, no unexpected defensive values. Yes, let’s go ahead, no pusillanimous 3♠ for us, this hand calls for 4♠!
Bold action certainly works on this hand. The opponents are cold for 6♥ but that 4♠ preempt makes their life so much more difficult!
Board 6 Dealer East E-W Vul
Here we won't even look at the hands, just the auctions.
This board will produce a number of spirited auctions, with N-S vigorously preempting and E-W, whose hand it clearly is, trying to fathom when to stop bidding and when to start doubling the opponents. Let’s look at two possible starts to the auction:
West North East South 1♣ 1♠ 2♥ 3♠ 4♥ 4♠ ?? Is this a Forcing Pass situation? In other words, if West now passes is Partner now prohibited from passing? We are not saying that this is a Forcing Pass situation (you’ll have to see our new Forcing Pass article for that answer), we merely seek to introduce the concept here. The benefit of a Forcing Pass agreement with Partner? It’s simply that, when we are in a known Forcing Pass situation, we have a third string to our bow … we don’t have to Double or bid on … we also have the option of passing, typically indicating uncertainty as to what is right.
West North East South 1♣ 1♠ 2♥ 4♠ 5♥ 5♠ ?? On this auction the opponents have preempted more vigorously and the bidding is one level higher. Is this a Forcing Pass situation? Obviously, the higher the auction the more likely that a Forcing Pass will be available. We evaded the issue on the previous auction, here we won’t, we’ll confirm what must be pretty obvious and that is that N-S are not going to play 5♠ undoubled and so the Pass is forcing.
Do you and your Partner have good Forcing Pass agreements? If you don’t, then please visit the System Library where we have just added an article on the subject.
Board 7 Dealer South Both Vul
We are vulnerable holding an uninspiring 10-count. Did you make a sleepy Pass? Not good, this hand is worth a Double! We have close to a maximum for our previous Pass, and we are 4-4 in the majors, it’s far from out of the question that this is our hand in 2♥ or 2♠. There is a fair degree of safety in this Double, Partner has three suits to choose from, and we won’t come to grief very often. If we find this Double, Partner will bid 2♥, a contract which makes. Failure to double will let the opponents steal it in 1NT (making or down one).
Partner happens to have a 3-4-3-3 hand with 10 HCP’s. That’s not the sort of hand that wants to jump into the auction opposite a passed Partner. As usual, it’s the hand with the right shape that must take the initiative. That hand is South.
Board 9 Dealer North E-W Vul
We don’t have any problem rebidding 1NT with a singleton in Responder’s suit, but this does not seem like the right hand for such a bid, given the fact that North has neither of the unbid suits stopped. So, scratch that one off the list, and also scratch off 2♥, we are clearly not anywhere close to reverse strength. That leaves 2♣, a bid which does not promise 6 cards, but that’s what it’s usually based on. Nonetheless, 2♣ is surely the right rebid.
Board 9 Dealer North E-W Vul
Most of us are familiar with New Minor Forcing in an auction such as this one: 1♣ 1♠ 1NT 2♦ Here the 2♦ bid is artificial, normally made in pursuit of a 5-3 or 6-2 fit in Responder’s major. The bid is not forcing to game but it does promise invitational values (could be more).
Well, New Minor Forcing is just as useful when Opener rebids her minor, and we suggest you play it in the same way, whereby Responder may or may not have Diamonds. If that’s the agreement, we have an obvious 2♦ bid here.
Here’s a variation: 1♦ 1♠ 2♦ 3♣ Yes, 3♣ is also a New Minor Forcing bid, but, because of the level, it’s practical to treat this one as game-forcing.
Board 11 Dealer South None Vul
If you don’t play Bergen Raises, then this looks to us like a hand that should raise to 2♠ and then strongly consider competing to 3♠ based on the 9th trump (Partner is presumed to have 5).
OK, now for the Bergen Brigade. Those who play Bergen Raises invariably go straight to the 3-level with 4-card support for Partner’s major. The decision here would be whether to show a preemptive hand with 3♠ or a so-called constructive raise (most players use 3♣ for that purpose). To be honest, we don’t much care for either bid. It hardly seems right to preempt with a potential defensive trick in each of the three side-suits, nor does the hand have enough offensive potential for a constructive raise, in our view. So, even playing Bergen Raises, we would be inclined to bid just 2♠. Of course, Law of Total Trick addicts will be aghast at such a suggestion, they’ll always go to the 3-level immediately, one way or the other.
Board 15 Dealer South N-S Vul
South has a pretty good hand, but it’s not quite good enough to force to game so she should make do with a 2♥ rebid. And, if Partner rebids 2♠? That bid could be based on two-card support, so it’s wrong to assume that we have agreed Spades here. So, we’d bid 2NT over Partner’s 2♠, the most descriptive game invitation available.
Board 21 Dealer North N-S Vul
Even vulnerable it seems right for North to balance, and the choices are: (a) As he is a passed hand, North can bid 2NT for the minors; (b) Or, North can make a simple Take-out Double.
We much prefer the Double. It will gain whenever Partner is lurking with a Spade stack, and when Partner has 5 Hearts. What is the down-side to the Double? Using standard methods, there’s the danger that N-S will end up in a 4-3 Heart fit instead of a 5-4 or 5-3 minor fit. So, on balance we like the Double, and we like it even more if we are playing the Scrambling 2NT opposite balancing Doubles.
No doubt we’ll add this to the System Library in the not too distant future, but in the meantime the basic rules for the Scrambling 2NT are as follows: - only on opposite a balancing Double of their 2♥ or 2♠ bid - if that is the situation, then we bid directly to the 3-level when we are sure where we belong (usually, we’ll have a 5-card suit) - otherwise, we’ll bid 2NT, putting the partnership into “scrambling” mode The relevance of this is that the availability of scrambling methods makes a balancing Double all the more safe.
Board 21 Dealer North N-S Vul
If you got to this point and have not read the previous item (introducing the Scrambling 2NT) then please backtrack. OK, let’s proceed. Partner has doubled and we have to guess where to place the contract. Here are some of the distributions Partner might have opposite our own 4-2-3-4: - 1-4-4-4: We’d like to play in 3♣ - 1-4-5-3: Now, 3♦ is the place to be - 1-4-3-5: A 9-card fit in Clubs! - 1-3-5-4: 3♣ or 3♦ will likely be equally serviceable.
We’d hate to bid 3♣ with this South hand and catch Partner with the 1-4-5-3 hand. What’s the solution? Yes, it’s the Scrambling 2NT! We’ll bid 2NT expressing doubt and increasing our chances of landing in the right spot. More on this convention at a later date.
Board 23 Dealer South Both Vul
Perhaps we are getting old, but we would not overcall 2♦ with this hand. Yes, we have a 5-card suit and opening values, but let’s look at all the negatives: - we are vulnerable - only 5 Diamonds (a 6th would make it so much safer) - no fillers in our suit - miserable distribution - wasted values in Hearts - we’re likely to be on lead, so less reason to bid for the lead It doesn’t pay to play this game forever fearing the worst, boldness usually brings its rewards, but there is a time for caution and this appears to be one of them.
Board 24 Dealer West None Vul
What a nightmare auction! First of all, we opened light (but not unreasonably so), then the bidding revealed that we were in a mega-misfit. Partner keeps bidding those wretched majors, and now we must choose between 4♥ and 4♠.
What is Partner’s distribution? Well, the Spades are clearly longer. With 6-6, for example, Partner would bid Spades, Hearts, Hearts, Hearts. How about 6-5? Probably not, that’s usually a Spades, Hearts, Hearts, Spades sequence. No, our guess would be 7-5, in which case we’d bid 4♠ with our magnificent support of the Three-spot. The 7-1 looks like a better bet that the 5-2 (though, sad to relate, on the actual hand, the 5-2 works better, going down only one).
Board 25 Dealer North E-W Vul
We offer this one as a cautionary tale! It’s always so tempting to preempt at favorable vulnerability, but there are limits. You can decide for yourself whether this one is over the limit, that’s part of developing one’s own bidding style. We’d probably bid 3♣ here, but only at this vulnerability. Are we sure that this is clearly the right bid in the circumstances? Not at all! And what happens on the actual hand if we do chime in with 3♣? It will be -800 and a zero if the opponents decide to go for the jugular.
If your Partner suffers from indigestion or a heart ailment, we’d recommend 2♣ here … it’s safe and lead-directing and less likely to provoke a medical emergency.
Board 25 Dealer North E-W Vul
In the previous segment we debated whether South should preempt. Now, West must decide whether or not to pass in the expectation of a reopening Double or whether to bid 3NT. As so often happens in our infuriating (but wonderful!) game, it’s a close call. We advise you to guess right in this situation as often as possible!
But the real point here is that we must bid in tempo. When the opponents preempt they give us both a privilege and an obligation. The privilege is that we are allowed a little extra time to bid (but only 5 or 10 seconds extra). The obligation is that we must use those 5 or 10 seconds even when we have absolutely nothing to say … fast Passes over their preempt are just as bad as very slow Passes!
Suppose that, over South’s 3♣ bid, we agonize for a while, for longer than would be normal. Now, we just cannot pass and expect the opponents to be happy when Partner finds the reopening Double. Once we have expressed discomfort or uncertainty with our tempo we have to make a bid, passing just opens us up to suspicion and scrutiny.
Board 25 Dealer North E-W Vul
Yes, it’s a clear reopening Double. Partner might be lurking behind the preemptor with a bunch of trump tricks. This one is really not much of a problem in our opinion, perhaps the real problem would occur if, after our re-opening Double, Partner bids 3♠. Now what? We got a split vote on this one, some passed, some bid 4♦, which they assured us was not forcing.
Board 26 Dealer East Both Vul
We really, really hate to open 1♦ on those 4-5 minor suit hands, and we have various defense mechanisms against having to make that bid. Most of the time, we’ll open 1♣, planning to rebid as follows: - with 3-1-4-5, we’ll usually rebid 1NT if Partner responds 1♥ - and, with 3-1-4-5, we’ll raise Partner if he responds 1♠ - and, with 2-2-4-5 and a worthless holding in the unbid major, but a chunky Club suit, we’ll rebid 2♣ - etc, etc.
However, on this hand we would reluctantly open 1♦. If we open 1♣ and Partner responds 1♥ we’ll have no good option. Our choices will be: - 2♣ on a crummy 5-card suit - 1NT with a worthless doubleton in the unbid major
Mark us down as reluctant 1♦ bidders here.
Board 27 Dealer South None Vul
Do you or don’t you? Show your 4-card major when your 1NT opener is completely square, or not? We encountered this situation on Board 16, November 15th, please follow the link for a refresher course.
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