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Bidding Quiz 3rd January, 2007
Board 3 Dealer South E-W Vul
Our 2♥ was Fourth Suit Forcing to game. Then Partner’s 3♣ showed at least 5-5 in the minors. What next? We’re certainly in a somewhat awkward spot here: - We have extra values here, which we have yet to show - Partner may be minimum or may have substantial extras, we have no idea which - We don’t know whether we belong in Clubs, Spades or No Trump - We don’t know whether we belong in game or slam - We are already at the 3-level - But, other than that, we are in excellent shape!
But enough of the hand-wringing, how do we move forward? - 3NT? This is unilateral in two different ways … it gives up on slam, and it insists on No Trump when we have a marginal holding in the unbid suit … surely we can do better than that! - 3♠? We don’t think that the Spades are good enough … after that bid we’d expect Partner to raise with a small doubleton or singleton Queen, for example … if that’s the case we won’t enjoy losing those trump trick in 4♠ when we could be rattling off umpteen minor suit tricks in No Trump. - 4♣? Heading off to a Club slam might well be the way to go, but we cannot be sure of that. We have an 8-card Club fit and extras but not enough to insist on slam. And if there is no Club slam we will probably have gone past our best spot of 3NT.
If none of the above, then what? Our suggestion would be 3♥, which we would hope that Partner takes as a temporizing move rather than as an attempt to show a major two-suiter (have you discussed this sequence with your Partner?). Now, if Partner bids 3NT we’ll pass, if she bids 3♠ we’ll play in 4♠, and if she bids 4 of a minor we’ll take our chances in 6♣. Suppose that Partner misreads our 3♥ and raises to 4♥ … in that case we’ll just have to take a shot at 6♣ (no point in playing in 5♣ when the rest of the field is making 10 or 11 tricks in 3NT).
A very difficult hand, and we would be the first to admit that the above strategy could well lead to a missed Club slam. So, let us suggest an alternative … bid 4♣ (forcing), but only if 4NT by Partner is now natural! Yes, it’s nice to be able to use Redwood in these situations, and to keep 4NT as a potential place to play if the slam try fails.
Board 6 Dealer East E-W Vul
After the previous mind-numbing deal, this one is a piece of cake. Yes, notwithstanding the vulnerability, East bids 2NT, which, by a passed hand, must show the minors. A little bit risky to commit to the three-level with this 9-count? No guarantee of success, but we do have two nice suits from which Partner can choose and we are void in the opponents suit … so lots of offense if only we have an 8-card fit.
Board 7 Dealer South Both Vul
Would you have doubled 1♥ at your first turn? It could well work, but we are not crazy about the bid … when there is only one unbid major, and when we have minimum values, we’d prefer to have 4 cards in that unbid major. Also, we are vulnerable and it’s easy to see us going down a couple in a Spade partial on a 4-3 fit. Call us Nervous Nellies if you must, but we won’t be nervous about reopening with a double in the balancing seat, that one is a no-brainer!
Board 7 Dealer South Both Vul
We have an extra trump and it behooves us to go to the three-level in a competitive auction. Why wait? We’d bid 3♥ directly, rather than let the opponents get their suit into the auction, and then bid 3♥. Two reasons: - Either, West might bid 3 of East’s 5-card minor, enabling the opponents maybe to compete to the 4-level (somewhat unlikely, in these situations the opponents are usually happy to have pushed us to the 3-level) - Or, more likely, West’s bid will help East find the right opening lead against 3♥.
Board 8 Dealer West None Vul
Here we have another of those pesky hands with 4-5 in the minors. The choices are:
You’ll get votes for all of these, our own choice would be C … for A we would need more beef in our Clubs. In general, B is our least favorite but many fine players absolutely swear by it!
Board 8 Dealer West None Vul
West’s Double of 1♠ was a Support Double showing 3 cards in East’s Heart suit. Here, South has 14 HCP’s opposite an overcall, not enough to insist on game. In fact, with all that Club strength under the Club bidder, and with the Q♥ between two Heart bidders, the hand has some serious defects and is barely good enough for a game invitation. But, we would invite, and the question is how? We’d suggest that the most descriptive game try is 2NT, especially as 3NT may well be the best contract … just give Partner 3 small Spades, a Heart card, and good Diamonds and it probably will be.
Board 8 Dealer West None Vul
Partner’s 2NT appears to be a natural game try, inviting us to bid game in 3NT or 4♠. We are certainly not playing this in No Trump, so it’s a simple choice between 3♠ and 4♠. Do we bid the game? Sure we do! We may be minimum in terms of HCP’s, but we have two big, big plusses … the void in Opener’s suit, and a 4th trump, which should be plenty good enough to give game a good play.
Board 9 Dealer North E-W Vul
Do you pass hoping to extract a worthwhile penalty? Or do you bid 1NT? One important parameter here is the vulnerability, and here we have the worst situation of all, we are and they are not. This gives rise to the following thoughts: - If we cannot make game then surely we can make a part-score, and we’ll probably need to beat 1♠ doubled by two tricks in order to compensate - If we can make game, then we must hold Declarer to a paltry 3 tricks in Spades, a tall task indeed when we consider that North holding just ♠ AK987 and a side-suit Ace opposite a complete Yarborough will be enough for her to scrape up that all-important 4th trick (provided that she does not try to draw trumps).
Yes, we’d be a lot happier passing the Double if they were vulnerable, and also if we had better Spade spots … when you have 5 trumps fighting against 5 trumps, the 4th and 5th rounds of the suit become important and the lowly Sevens and Eights grow in stature!
So our guess (and these situations do involve quite a bit of guesswork) would be to bid 1NT, which on the actual hand makes +120 with normal play. How about 1♠ doubled? Down one or two, it’s hard to predict, though as it happens North can escape to the safety of her 5-card Heart suit.
While we are on this subject, let’s look at a couple of other Penalty Pass situations from this week’s hands. First, South on Board 20:
♠ A65 ♥ A72 ♦ 97 ♣ QJ762
West North East South 1♣ Dbl Pass ??
Here both sides are vulnerable, so at least the Penalty Pass has the upside of a potential +200 on a part-score hand. However, two reasons not to make the Penalty Pass are the weakness of our Clubs and the fact that we are so close to making game ourselves. We’d bid 2NT here, and on the actual board that gets our side to 3NT making 3 for +600. And 1♣ doubled? Down only two, not enough!
Finally, we look at North’s hand on Board 28:
♠ 85 ♥ AK8 ♦ KQJ98 ♣ JT2
West North East South 1♦ Pass Pass Dbl Pass ??
So far, our attempts to nail the opponents at the one-level have not been a great success, but surely this time we’ve got them! 4 trump tricks, side-suit AK, opposite a Partner with some values, this one rates to be a slaughter! Not so fast! First of all the vulnerability is red versus white, so, as we saw before, we’ll need to hold them to 3 tricks if we can make game. And secondly, as the Double was in the balancing seat, Opener’s partner gets the chance to escape to another suit. Nonetheless, on this one we would elect for the Penalty Pass. The bottom line? N-S cannot make game (South has a light balancing Double), so down two is all that is required for a good result … that is achievable in 1♦ doubled, but East will escape to 1♠ doubled which is down two only on the right opening lead (which, in these situations, is often a trump).
So, there ends our brief tour of Penalty Pass situations, handle them with care!
Board 11 Dealer South None Vul
It’s something of a guess whether or not to open this in 4th seat, passing or bidding could both be right. One useful rule of thumb here is the Cansino Count … add your HCP’s to your Spades and if the number is 15 or higher then open. Here our Cansino count is 14 which tells us to pass, the right decision as it happens as bidding will lead to a minus score. And if we were forced at gunpoint to open? We’d bid 1♠ for its preemptive value, further reassured that Partner can use Drury as a way of staying low.
Board 12 Dealer West N-S Vul
South’s 1NT overcall shows 15-18 HCP’s in most partnerships … and also something in Spades, of course. South’s hand fits that description, and 1NT would be our choice. But it’s far from ideal to overcall with that take-out Double shape, and you’d get some votes for a take-out Double here, followed by a 2NT bid if Partner does not bid Hearts … this sequence ostensibly shows 19-20 but who’s counting?
To be honest, we could go either way on that one, but we draw the line on the following hand, which was held in today’s game on Board 20 by North: ♠ QJT4 ♥ 863 ♦ AKJ4 ♣ A5 West opens 1♣, and again we are in the 15-18 range with their suit stopped. But this one really is a take-out Double … with Club shortness and only one Club stop, bidding 1NT would be quite wrong.
Board 15 Dealer East N-S Vul
Here we look at the N-S auction with both hands in view:
South West North East Pass Pass Pass 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ All Pass
South North ♠ T93 ♠ AK2 ♥ K652 ♥ JT ♦ 5 ♦ QT98 ♣ AJ943 ♣ 8652
We can see that E-W have ended up declaring 2♥ (making 8 tricks, and 9 if the defenders are not at the top of their game). We can also see that E-W have a nice Club fit (which, as it happens, yields 9 tricks), and we are wondering if there was anything that N-S might have done to get into the auction. Who was asleep at the switch?
Well, North has the stronger hand point-wise, perhaps she should have done something. How about a light third-seat opening bid with that 10-count? Some would open 1♦ with that hand, but surely we cannot blame her for not bidding that moderate suit, it’s not as if she is desperate for a Diamond lead. How about North’s Pass of 1♥? Other than Pass the only alternative was Double, and that is hardly attractive with only 3 Spades … it’s all too easy to visualize Partner competing to 2♠, and going -200 in the 4-3 fit.
So, we’re giving North a clean bill of health on this one and pointing the finger Southwards. She has only a humble 8 HCP’s but she also has the right hand-type to enter the fray. Nothing wrong with the opening Pass, of course, but over 1♦ South should have chanced her arm with a Double. It’s no sure thing, but she is a passed hand, so Partner will not expect too much. This was her one and only chance to get into the auction and she missed it.
True, there is still the danger of playing in a precarious 4-3 fit (this time in Hearts), but Hearts might play quite well with a Diamond ruff or two in the short hand. And if Partner is 4-4 in the majors, you can be sure she’ll bid the Spades first (planning to compete next to 2♥), so the 4-4 major fit will be found easily enough.
Board 19 Dealer South E-W Vul
We want to be in 3NT if Partner has a Spade stop and there is a gadget especially designed for the occasion. 3♠ here says: “I have a solid suit (presumably a minor), bid 3NT if you have the Spades stopped”. So, 3♠ it is! If Partner does not have a Spade stop we’ll just have to play in some number of Diamonds.
Someone once suggested the reverse meaning for 3♠: “I have a Spade stop, bid 3NT if you have a solid minor”, but for some reason this one never caught on.
P.S. Suppose they open one of a minor … should you use the same gadget? You certainly could, but a more common treatment is to play the bid as natural and preemptive.
Board 23 Dealer South Both Vul
Only 7 HCP’s but quite a hand! With our good fit and exciting shape we certainly want to be in game, but what’s the best way to get there? Let’s eliminate 4♠ first of all, this hand is just too good. How about 2♥, planning to support Spades next time around? It’s a possibility, but if that is the way we choose to bid the hand, then we should really be looking at this problem: North East South West 1♠ 2♦ 2♥ 3♦ Pass 5♦ ?? Yes, that’s exactly what will happen if we bid 2♥. Now we would feel rather guilty if we did not support Partner’s Spades, and if we do then 5♠ will be down one.
To avoid this unpleasant situation it’s advisable to announce that 4-card Spade support immediately and over that 2♦ bid our choice would be a Splinter bid of 4♦ … a bit light in the HCP department, but there is compensating playing strength. Now, with Spade support under our belt, we are less concerned about them bidding 5♦. Worried about missing a Heart fit? There’s really no need to be when we have a perfectly serviceable 9-card Spade fit.
Board 23 Dealer South Both Vul
Partner has given us Splinter support, committing us to game and asking us how we like our hand for slam purposes opposite Diamond shortness. The answer to this question is “Not particularly!” To start with we are missing 4 Key Cards … we also are short in Diamonds ourselves so no ruffs on the board … with shortage in Diamonds, Partner is likely to have more than two Clubs, so for slam it looks like she will need a perfecto including K♠, A♥, and AQ♣. Partners rarely have a perfecto and, anyway, that hand seems almost too good for a Splinter bid.
OK, if we’ve decided we don’t like our hand, should we Pass or bid 4♠? Which is the weaker, which is the stronger? There are differing styles here: - Some play that Pass is the weakest bid possible, a treatment which certainly has an intuitive feel about it. - The alternative treatment is that “bidding to the level to which our auction is forcing” is the weakest bid … in this case, Partner forced to 4♠, so 4♠ here would show weakness.
We prefer the latter method, but the more important thing is that both partners play the same method. If this situation comes up with a strange partner (aren’t they all?) then your best guess is to assume that Pass shows weakness, it’s the more common treatment.
Pass and 4♠ are not the only possible bids here. 4♥ would be a cue-bid, of course, and, as such, highly encouraging (and also highly unsuitable for the actual hand!). How about Redouble? For some thoughts on that, please follow the link.
Board 24 Dealer West None Vul
West’s 3♣ bid tells us that we belong in slam, quite likely a grand, but it has managed to crowd the auction. Playing IMPs we would make a bee-line for 7♦ … we’d bid 3♦, then invoke Roman Key Card, and if we have them all we’d bid the grand … this is on the assumption that we might need to ruff a Spade (Partner might be 2-2-5-4, for example).
However, we are playing matchpoints, so it would be a shame to give up on 7NT. Therefore, our choice would be 3♥. It’s the 4th suit in an already game-forcing auction. What does it mean? Who knows, there’s no real consensus, but at least it gives Partner the chance to show 3-card Spade support. If he does, we’ll check for Key Cards and go to 7NT, otherwise we’ll be back in 7♦.
Board 26 Dealer East Both Vul
Here are our choices: - Pass? Absolutely not! We surely cannot suppress such a good suit in a hand with such offensive potential. - 2♦ or 3♦? Both would be better than Pass, at least these bids mention our prime asset. - 1♦? That would be our choice … only 19 on the Rule of 20 scale, and only 9 HCP’s, but look at all the compensating factors! … lovely shape, a void as well, great Diamond fillers, and the potential for a Heart contract (if we preempt, that will be lost)
Board 26 Dealer East Both Vul
First time around we had to fudge things a little with that 2♣ bid, normally we’d have a 5-card suit for that, but it was the only sensible option. Now, when the bidding gets back to us, our hand has improved immensely! Let’s make some deductions: - We cannot be sure but it looks as if Partner is void in Spades … opposite a void, our three small is as good as it gets! - Partner did not bid 5♣, so we can be reasonably sure that he does not have 4 Clubs (we’d expect support with a 4-card fit and a void, almost regardless of the rest of his hand) - Therefore, with only 3 black cards Partner must have 6 or 7 Diamonds
That should be enough for us to want to raise Diamonds. In fact, 6♦ might well make if Partner has something like: ♠ ♥ K642 ♦ AQJT93 ♣ QT5 Actually, we don’t think that Partner has that good a hand, that looks like a 5♣ bid (over 4♠) to us. So, we would reluctantly bid only 5♦, just too many imponderables for slam (not least of which is that Partner may indeed have a Spade).
Board 28 Dealer West N-S Vul
North has made a Penalty Pass of 1♦. Do you sit for it, or do you run for cover? We would bail out with an SOS Redouble, hoping to find more placid waters elsewhere. Suppose that Partner now bids 1♥ and they Double one more time … well, we would redouble one more time! SOS again, saying “Let’s try Spades or Clubs”.
There’s no guarantee that bailing out will find us a better spot, but what often happens in these situations is that the opponents are unable to find the Double even when it is right.
Board 29 Dealer North Both Vul
When we hold opening values, but not reverse values, those 5-6 hands in the red suits can be a problem. Do we bid the 5-card Heart suit first? Or do we open 1♦ and stretch the hand into a reverse? We are not averse to a little stretching, but with only 11 working HCP’s this is not the hand for it. So, with no enthusiasm whatsoever we would open that feeble Heart suit and keep that wonderful Diamond suit a temporary secret.
Actually, this hand is so extreme, we might even consider a third possible strategy: open 1♦ and never introduce Hearts at all! No doubt we would deign to raise Partner’s Hearts, but if she cannot bid them we’d just rebid Diamonds. Sure, we’ll miss a few 5-3 Heart fits that way, but still not an unreasonable strategy, at least we’ll always play in Diamonds when it’s right.
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