Bidding Quiz                                             15th August, 2007

 

                                   Click here for print-formatted version of the Bidding Quiz

 

                                                    Board 2      Dealer East       N-S Vul

 

 

Some players adhere to the theory that whenever you hold a 6-card suit and enough HCP’s (let’s say 5+ or 6+) you always find a bid in this situation, either the hand is good enough to open, or else it’s a Weak Two.  Well, we like to get into the auction as much as the next guy, but we also think that there are some hands where Pass is the best option.  Somehow, we just cannot see ourselves bidding 2♥ here with such a lousy suit and two outside Aces, notwithstanding the preempt-favorable vulnerability.  Altogether too much defense and only moderate offense.  However, if we were in 3^rd seat, then 2♥ would be hard to resist at this vulnerability.

 

 

                                                    Board 2      Dealer East       N-S Vul

 

            North               South

            ♠ JT75             ♠ K632

            ♥ K                  ♥ AQ8

            ♦ Q63               ♦ KT92

            ♣ AKJ87         ♣ 62

 

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1♦

Pass    2♣       Pass    2♠

Pass    3♠        Pass    4♠

Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Let us assume that you play 2♣ as game-forcing.  In that case, we suggest this follow-up for Opener:

-         2♦ merely shows a 5-card (or longer) suit, could be made on all sorts of different hands

-         2♥ or 2♠ is natural, does not necessarily show extras, normally would deny a 5^th Diamond (with, say, 4-2-5-2 distribution it would be normal just to rebid 2♦)

-         2NT and 3NT are natural, with 3NT showing something extra (and, as 1NT was not opened originally, perhaps Opener is short in Clubs)

-         Jumps to 3♥ and 3♠ are splinters in support of Clubs.

 

If this is the general framework that is in use, then the featured auction just falls into place.  North’s 3♠ is forcing and South has no reason to make any kind of a slam try, however mild, so she just signs off in 4♠.

 

 

                                                    Board 4      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

2NT here would be natural, of course, not for the minors.  So, if East wants to announce his minor two-suiter, he has two options:

-         Bid 4NT, yes, this is for the minors, not Blackwood.

-         Bid 4♥, which, by partnership agreement is the same as 4NT but a very strong hand (one with slam aspirations).

 

We like the East hand, but it is not that good, we would bid 4NT.

 

It’s our sad duty to report that 4NT is quite disastrous!  Partner is 5-5 in the majors and 5♣ is destined to go down two tricks.

 

                                                    Board 6      Dealer East       E-W Vul

 

 

Let’s assume that you play Jacoby Transfers.  Do you also play Texas Transfers?  If so, then 1NT 4♥ would be a transfer to Spades.  So far, so good, but what is the difference between these two auctions?

            West    East                 West    East

                        1NT                             1NT

            2♥        2♠                    4♥        4♠

            4♠

In the first auction we got to 4♠ slowly via Jacoby, in the second we went there directly through Texas.  A common treatment is for the slow Jacoby auction to be a mild slam try, and for the Texas auction to show interest only in game.

 

The actual West hand is good enough for a mild slam try, we would say.

 

 

                                                    Board 8      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

Do you open this 1♣ or 1♦?  Playing a 5-card major system, it’s sometimes necessary to open 1♣ or 1♦ with a 3-card suit.  If we are 3-3 in the minors, we’d normally prefer to open 1♣, but here, with three small Clubs and Axx in Diamonds, it seems pretty clear to start with 1♦, for its lead-directional value.

 

Some players would always open 1♣ here, reserving their 3-card 1♦ openings for when they are 4-4-3-2.  That’s one approach, but we prefer to bid a suit where we can stand the opening lead of the suit.

 

 

                                                    Board 9      Dealer North       E-W Vul

 

 

We can think of 3 obvious ways to proceed here:

-         A Splinter of 4♦, showing Diamond shortness and Spade support

-         A Jacoby 2NT bid, showing game-forcing values and Spade support

-         2♣, planning to support Spades later.

 

Some partnerships make it a rule not to splinter in this situation with two (or more) losers in one of the two other side-suits.  Perhaps that rule is a little restrictive, but it certainly does seem wrong to splinter here when we have such a powerful Club suit and three Heart losers.  If we are going to use up 3 levels of bidding, it would be better not to conceal such a strong suit along the way.  So let’s eliminate the Splinter.

 

That leaves the Jacoby 2NT (attempting to get Partner to describe her hand) or 2♣ (attempting to describe our own hand).  We could be happy with either, but our preference would be to bid 2♣, this looks like a hand where we might be better off telling rather than asking.

 

 

Board 10

There were two hands this week where a “Good-Bad 2NT” situation arose, we discuss both of them in Board 22 below.

 

                                                    Board 11      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

Let’s assume that your partnership is playing Weak Twos, perhaps in the 5-10 range or thereabouts.  It’s a useful, descriptive bid and there is the reasonable chance that it will inconvenience the opponents because of its preemptive value.  But how about in 4^th seat?  There’s no preemptive value when passing out the hand was an option, so a good way to play East’s 2♠ bid is a really good Weak Two, maybe even a tad better.  That’s clearly what our featured East had in mind, and 2♠ is where he played it.

 

 

                                                    Board 12      Dealer West       N-S Vul

 

 

First of all, what do you think of that 1♣ opening bid on a mere 9-count?  We like it!  We’d hate to pass when we have such a good suit, and we think it looks more like an opening bid than a preempt.  If you like the Rule of Twenty, it’s just one point short, and it does have those lovely fillers in the trump suit.  Opening 3♣ would not be completely terrible here, but the outside Ace is a major defect, especially opposite an unpassed hand at favorable vulnerability, conditions where Partner may well sacrifice at a high level and be disappointed that we have unexpected defense.

 

OK, we’ve opened 1♣, Partner has raised us, and the opponents have got into the act.  If all that Partner could manage was a raise to 2♣, surely the opponents have game in one (or maybe both) of the majors.  That being the case, we must have a profitable save in 5♣, so, rather than mess around we might as well bid 5♣ directly, an “advance sactifice” putting the opponents to the test at the 5-level. 

 

The bottom line on the actual deal was that 5♣ doubled was indeed a good sacrifice.  As it happened the opponents could make 11 tricks in Spades, but it was by no means certain that they would find that contract.

 

 

                                                    Board 12      Dealer West       N-S Vul

 

 

First, let us say that South’s 2♠ showed some values but was not game-forcing and that, by most standards, N-S are not in a Forcing Pass situation.  At this point we know something that Partner does not, namely that our side has a Spade fit, and this suggests bidding.  On the other hand we have only moderate controls, no shortness, and two losers in the enemy suit, which suggests doubling or passing.

 

There was dissension in the ranks of the Wednesday Game editors.  One voted reluctantly to pass, and the other voted reluctantly to double.  And, perhaps, if we had a third editor there would also have been a reluctant 5♠ vote also!  Yes, it’s a tough problem, we think, happy guessing!

 

P.S.  OK, what was the winning bid in real life?  5♠ is where N-S want to be, they’ll get there unless North doubles here.

 

                                                    Board 13      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

Let us assume that you play the Gambling 3NT, whereby in 1^st and 2^nd seat an opening bid of 3NT shows a 7-card (occasionally 8) running minor and precious little else.  That’s fine, probably a more useful treatment than “25-26 balanced”.  But what about 3^rd and 4^th seat?  Opposite a passed hand it’s somewhat unlikely (though not impossible) that 7 solid Clubs and out will be enough to produce a 3NT game.  For this reason, it’s a good idea to have something on the outside in these positions.  How much outside stuff is permissible?  Not so much that a slam is possible, but, apart from that restraint, we’d say that anything goes.

 

West’s actual hand has an outside Ace and King, but it’s highly unlikely that his side can make 6♣ except opposite the most miraculous of dummies.  So we would trot out the Gambling 3NT as the most uninformative route to the most likely contract.

 

It turns out that the opening leader must lead a Spade to hold the contract to 9 tricks, anything else and it will be 10 tricks.  So much better to give the opponents an uninformative auction and a blind lead, don’t you think?

 

 

                                                    Board 21      Dealer North       N-S Vul

 

 

East’s 2♦ was DONT showing Diamonds and a major.  When we do not know what is their second suit, the standard and recommended procedure is to bid as if against a one-suiter.  In that case, 3♦ here would be Stayman.

 

Playing Lebensohl, we can give the auction some added definition:

-         3♦ is still Stayman, but it denies a Diamond stopper

-         2NT is a relay to 3♣, after which 3♦ is again Stayman, this time showing a Diamond stopper.

 

 

Boards 10 and 22

 

In both of these auctions Opener must choose whether to bid at the three-level.

 

Board 10                                                         Board 22

♠ Q754                                                            ♠ A4

♥ QJ76                                                            ♥ 8

♦ K                                                                  ♦ AKJ97

♣ AK76                                                           ♣ QT732

 

West    North   East     South                           East     South   West    North

                        Pass    Pass                            1♦        Pass    1♠        2♥

1♣       1♠        Dbl      2♠                                ??

??

 

On Board 10, notwithstanding the 15 HCP’s, we’d say that Opener has a minimum hand, we don’t think much at all of that singleton K♦.  Partner has 4 Hearts (at least) and he would like to dredge up a weak 3♥ bid, he does not want Partner thinking that he has extras.

 

On Board 22, Opener has only 14 HCP’s but rather a nice hand, we would say.  Here he would like to make an encouraging 3♣ bid, game is a definite possibility if Partner has a few tickets.

 

How can Opener make both weak and encouraging bids in this situation?  Yes, it’s another case for that flavor of Lebensohl known to some as the Good-Bad 2NT.  2NT is a relay to 3♣ and is how we make the weak three-level bids, so the full auction on Board 10 would be:

            West    North   East     South

                                    Pass    Pass

            1♣       1♠        Dbl      2♠

            2NT     Pass    3♣       Pass

            3♥        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

And on Board 22?  There, Opener bids 3♣ directly, it’s non-forcing but shows some extras, and this agreement will get E-W to the good Club game in the fullness of time.

 

 

                                                    Board 27      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

Most partnerships play that, after a Partner’s opening bid of 1♥ or 1♠, followed by a Double, a jump to 2NT is the Jordan convention showing a game-invitational raise (or better) in Spades.  It’s possible also to play this by a passed hand, as in the auction here, but the danger with that is that Partner may have perpetrated one of her light third-seat efforts, and maybe going to the three-level will be too much.

 

Of course, that’s why they invented Drury, and it’s a good idea also to play this over the opponent’s Double (and also if they overcall Partner’s 1♥ with 1♠).  If those are the methods in use, then we have an easy 2♣ bid here.

 

                                                    Board 27      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

Partner’s 2♣ bid was Drury, showing a decent (passed) hand and Spade support.  The bid commits our side to 2♠, and the question now is “Which is the stronger bid, Pass or 2♠?”.  You’ll get diametrically opposed views on this one:

-         One view is that Pass is always the weak bid in these situations

-         Others will use the Principal of Fast Arrival to argue that, as the auction is forced to 2♠, getting there quickly should be weaker than passing.

 

Either approach is playable, at least if both members of the partnership are using the same approach!

 

 

                                                    Board 31      Dealer South       N-S Vul

 

 

Regulars of the Wednesday Game will not be surprised to hear that we suggest a 1♦ opening bid here, it’s altogether too good for a Weak 2♦ in our view.  The hand passes the Rule of Twenty, has no flaws, lovely shape, a good suit, what’s not to like about this one?

 

 

                                                    Board 32      Dealer West       E-W Vul

 

 

This is a pretty miserable 8-count and one possibility is just to pass.  However, there is a slightly better than average chance that Partner has a 4-card major, so we would bid 2♣ here, planning to pass if Partner bids 2♥ or 2♠.  And if Partner unobligingly rebids 2♦.  Then we have a close choice between 2♥ (Garbage Stayman, looking in this case for a 4-3 major fit) and 2NT (hoping that this does not get us too high).

 

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