Bidding Quiz                                             31st October, 2007

 

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                                                    Board 1      Dealer North       None Vul

 

 

Obviously, South has slam aspirations, and would like to know more about the general character of Partner’s hand.  One useful gadget in this situation is 2NT, asking for one of the following responses:

            3♣       3-card support, bad hand

            3♦        3-card support, good hand

            3♥        4-card support, bad hand

            3♠        4-card support, good hand

 

On the actual hand, North responds 3♦, which is an encouraging start.  Next, South might try a 4♣ cue-bid, and if North can give us a return cue-bid of 4♦ we’ll be off to the races.

 

 

                                                    Board 4      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

When was the last time that you had such a great hand opposite a 2NT opening bid?  We are not sure that we ever have!  If we were playing a team game, we’d no doubt bid as follows:

            North   South

            2NT     4♥

            4♠        4NT

            5♥        6♠

            Pass

Yes, a nice simple auction to a safe slam.  4♥ is Texas, and 4NT is Roman Key Card.  How about this auction as an alternative?

            North   South

            2NT     3♥

            3♠        4NT

            5♥        6♠

            Pass

No, the standard treatment of this auction is that South is showing 5 Spades and invitational slam values.  Jacoby then 4NT is quantitative (that is, invitational to slam), and Texas then 4NT is Roman Key Card.  Exactly the same applies if the opening bid is 1NT (although some pairs use 1NT 2♥, 2♠ 4♣ as Roman Key Card, a fine treatment in our view).

 

OK, now that we’ve straightened out our Jacoby/Texas/Blackwood agreements and figured out our strategy for the Sunday Swiss, let’s get back to the actual problem, which is, of course, being played for matchpoints.  In those circumstances, we’d like to play in 7NT given all the Aces, and in 6NT if one is missing.  Of course, there is the danger that we are missing AK in one suit, but we’d say that is a fairly small risk, more than overridden by the more likely benefit of getting those extra 10 points in No Trump.  We wouldn’t mess around, we’d bid 4♣ (Gerber) and end up in 6NT.  During the auction, our Spade suit would not see the light of day, and we’d look forward to putting down, as Dummy, the unmentioned 9-card magnificence with a great flourish.

 

Lead-Directing Afterthought

Let’s slightly change the hand by swapping around the red suits.  So what, you might say, surely that makes no difference.  Actually, it does make a difference!  Now we would ask for Key Cards via a Texas auction rather than asking for Aces via Gerber.  Yes, we are not afraid of a lead-directing Double of 4♥ (we have the Ace of that suit) but would like to avoid the possibility of a Double of 4♣ where we have a singleton.  On the hand that was actually dealt we have singletons in both Hearts and Clubs, so both methods involve the same risk.

 

 

                                                    Board 5      Dealer North       N-S Vul

 

 

North’s 3♥ showed a limit raise or better in Spades and we were planning to decline gracefully that game invitation by bidding 3♠.  However, East’s Double gives us additional options, namely Pass and Redouble.  Here’s our suggestion as to how to use these two extra bids:

-         3♠ is a weak hand;

-         Pass is more encouraging than 3♠ (a variation of the Principle of Fast Arrival)

-         Redouble creates a Forcing Pass situation for the rest of the auction (in other words, we’ll be playing this in game or they will be playing something doubled).

-         4♠ (or Pass followed by 4♠) does not create a Forcing Pass situation.

 

 

                                                    Board 8      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

The first question is “Do we want to compete in this situation?”  It hardly seems right to let the opponents play in their cozy 8- or 9-card non-vulnerable fit when we have at least 22 HCP’s, so, yes, we should compete.  The next question is “How?”  We’d guess to play it in 3♣, even though we have only a 5-card suit, and the hand is a good commercial for Lebensohl.  Using that convention we can bid 2NT, relaying to 3♣, which is where we’ll play it.

 

                                                    Board 10      Dealer East       Both Vul

 

 

Playing simple and straightforward methods, this would be an ideal 2♦ bid.  But many pairs nowadays play Inverted Minors and this creates a problem here.  The hand is not good enough for an inverted raise to 2♦ (that would show invitational values, or better) and it does not have enough Diamonds for a preemptive raise to 3♦ (need 5 of them).  So, playing Inverted Minors, what is West to do?  Surely not 1NT with a singleton Spade, and our own choice would be to pass.

 

Board 10      Dlr East      Both Vul

            North               South

            ♠ AK9874       ♠ QJT

            ♥ 92                 ♥ T864

            ♦ 7                   ♦ KQJ5

            ♣ A865            ♣ Q3

 

West    North   East     South

                        1♦        Pass

Pass    1♠        Pass    2♦

Dbl      Pass    Pass    2♠

Pass    3♠        All Pass

 

An auction with a couple of subtleties.  South’s 2♦ showed Spade support and values, and North’s Pass of West’s Double showed a better hand than bidding 2♠ directly (see also Board 5).  South’s 2♠ said “I only have an invitational raise”, and North made one more try with 3♠.

 

In terms of just HCP’s, South has a pretty good invitational raise, but they are rather poorly placed.  All those Diamond values are probably wasted opposite a singleton and would be so much better in one of the other side-suits.  To illustrate the point, consider the playing potential of the combined hands, with the North cards opposite the following three assortments:

 

            ♠ QJT             Opposite this (South’s actual hand) Declarer can be

            ♥ T864            held to 9 tricks.

            ♦ KQJ5

            ♣ Q3

 

            ♠ QJT             Here the minor suits have been switched, there is far less

            ♥ T864            Diamond wastage, and it’s an easy 10 tricks.

            ♦ Q3

            ♣ KQJx

 

            ♠ QJT             Similarly, when the red suits are switched, it’s 10 tricks.

            ♥ KQJ5

            ♦ T864

            ♣ Q3

 

Yes, that Diamond wastage tells South to pass 3♠.

 

 

                                                    Board 11      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

The first Double showed general values, now what?  It may be tempting to double in the hope of exacting a worthwhile penalty, but is this really a good idea?  Those low-level Penalty Doubles have a higher percentage of success in the following circumstances:

(a)    We don’t have game, so don’t need a zillion tricks on defense to beat that game;

(b)   Alternatively, if we only have a part-score, life is easier if they are vulnerable, that way down just one is enough to secure a good score.

(c)    We also like some slow trump tricks, that is to say trump holdings such as QJTx or JT9xx, which are worth more on defense than on offense.  Our actual holding of KQ53 only pulls equal weight in 3NT as it would in 2♥ doubled.

(d)   We don’t have unexpected offensive values.  We would say that the undisclosed Club side-suit falls into that category, loads of potential tricks if we play the hand, and precious little defense if they play the hand.

 

All in all, we would say it would be wrong to double 2♥.  Which only leads us to ask the next question.  “Why did we double 2♦?”  If that Double was intended to show defensive values then we would say that it was misdirected.  This hand has altogether too much offense for that, surely it is better to make whatever forcing Club bid is available in your methods.

 

 

                                                    Board 13      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

North’s sequence shows 22-23, giving N-S a total of 32-33, and on the borderline for 6NT.  North also has three Tens and a nice 5-card suit so we’d say that it’s worth taking a shot at slam, so we’d just bid 6NT directly.

 

We’re sure that you have noticed that we might be missing two Aces.  Anyone for Gerber, just to be sure?  Not us, if we bid 4♣ we’d be afraid that it would give West the opportunity for a lead-directing Double, a bigger risk, we think, than the chance of missing two Aces.

 

 

                                                    Board 17      Dealer North       None Vul

 

 

What’s going on here?  First Partner passes 1♥, then she balances with 2NT.  What does this mean?  First of all, let’s eliminate the natural interpretation.  If Partner couldn’t find a natural 1NT bid on the previous round, she cannot have a natural 2NT bid now.  So, if not natural, then what?  Surely it is a No Trump bid of the scrambling persuasion, in other words an attempt to find a fit at the three-level, with a hand that has no obvious bid of its own.  Let’s make some educated guesses about Partner’s hand:

-         She has more than one place where she can play, with a single destination in mind she would have simply gone there directly.

-         She does not have 4-card Club support, if she did she would have bid 2♣ earlier.

-         She doesn’t have a 6-card suit, if she did she would no doubt be bidding that instead of 2NT.

-         She probably has less than 4 Spades, due to the failure to make a Negative Double earlier.

 

We cannot be sure, but we would expect partner to have a smattering of values, with a 5-card Diamond suit and 3-card Club support, and she would like us to choose between 3♣ and 3♦.  If we trust our judgment, we’ll bid 3♦, it’s usually better for the weak hand’s long suit to be trumps, as that eases communications between the two hands.

 

                                                    Board 19      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

Anyone for a 4♠ bid here?  We don’t think so!  Partner’s 3♠ is purely preemptive, and she is not expected to have much.  Although we have 17 HCP’s our hand is not that good.  The Q♥ looks completely wasted so we are now down to 15 working points.  Added to that, the enemy strength is on our left, and we can see some losing finesses in our future.  We advocate a Pass here.

 

 

                                                    Board 22      Dealer East       E-W Vul

 

 

Our passed-hand Partner’s 2♣ was Drury, he has invitational values and at least 3-card support.  That puts us in the slam zone if Partner has a well-fitting hand.  What’s your next move?  Without even waiting for your answer, let us ask another question.  How do you play 2NT here?  Our suggestion is to play it as strong and artificial, and our own suggestion is to play it in the same style as your Jacoby 2NT.  So, using standard Jacoby 2NT methods, Partner will show shortness if he can.

 

On the actual deal, Partner has Heart shortness.  Perfect!  We bid 2NT, he bids 3♥, and we can see no reason now not to leap majestically to 6♠.

 

                                                    Board 24      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

This problem is simply a methods check:

-         Partner’s 2NT does not deny a 4-card Spade suit (unlike a 1NT rebid)

-         New Minor Forcing (or some equivalent) is still worth playing in this situation, and 3♦ here would be appropriate if we were trying for a 5-3 Heart fit

-         If we were 4-5 in the majors, we would bid 3♦, giving us the opportunity to find an 8-card fit in either major.

-         If we were 4-4 in the majors, we would not bid 3♦ (we don’t have 5 Hearts), instead we’d bid 3♠.

 

So, this one is simple enough, we’ll bid 3♠, offering partner a choice between 3NT and 4♠.

 

 

Board 25          Dlr North           E-W Vul

Here we’ll look at both E-W hands, we’ll admire their sophisticated understandings, and then we’ll commiserate with them for the tragic end-result.

West                East

♠ 3                   ♠ 7

♥ Q3                ♥ A98754

♦ KQT42         ♦ AJ65

♣ AK972         ♣ J3

 

West    North   East     South

            1♠        2♥        4♠

Dbl      Pass    4NT     Pass

5♣       Pass    5♦        Pass

Pass    5♠        Pass    Pass

Dbl      Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Let’s start with West’s choices over 4♠.  What does 4NT mean here?  Unfortunately for this hand, it’s generally played as Roman Key Card for Hearts, so that’s not an option.  We’d suggest a Double, not especially for penalty, merely showing values and knowing that esteemed partner can be relied upon to do something sensible.

 

Over to East.  He has a couple of Aces which are good both offensively and defensively.  And he also has shortness in the enemy suit and 6-4 shape, both of which are good offensively.  Going to the 5-level in competitive auctions is a risky business but we think that is exactly what East should do here.  But how?  To bid 5♥ or 5♦ would be unilateral, what’s needed here is a way of involving Partner in the decision.  Yes, 4NT is the answer, a scrambling bid in search of the best 5-level contract.  But only if you and Partner are on the same wave-length, we’d say that this was a pretty sophisticated agreement.

 

After West bids 5♣, East bids 5♦ saying “Try again, Clubs was not one of the options”.  West passes naturally enough, and North gatecrashes the Partner with 5♠.  Needless to say, that is doubled, and 11 tricks materialize for Declarer.

 

Subtlety and sophistication were not rewarded here, but at least E-W will take some small comfort in their -650 (for 5♠ doubled) when they realize that 4♠ doubled with an overtrick would have been -690.

 

 

                                                    Board 26      Dealer East       Both Vul

 

 

Surely this hand is too good for a 2♠ raise, or for a 3♠ preempt.  There’s much to be said for blasting into 4♠ here, putting the opponents to the guess, but our own choice would be 3♣, showing a limit raise or better.  But it’s close, so you choose between delicate science and the bludgeoning preempt.

 

 

                                                    Board 28      Dealer West       N-S Vul

 

 

What’s your upper range for overcalls?  Some players say around 16 HCP’s (with more they double first), but that’s a bit low for our taste, and with this particular hand we would simply overcall 1♠.  OK, let’s say that the auction now develops as follows:

            North   East     South   West

                                                1♦

            1♠        Dbl      Pass    2♦

            ??

Here, we’d bid 2♠.  Yes, we are overstating our Spade length, but the suit is strong enough to play opposite shortness.  And, yes, we are understating our 18 HCP’s, but it’s a rather miserable 18, don’t you think?  Those unsupported Queens are less than thrilling.

 

 

                                                    Board 29      Dealer North       Both Vul

 

 

Partner’s 2NT was the Jacoby 2NT, we showed Club shortness with 3♣, and that was followed by three cue-bids.  What next?

 

Partner took charge of this hand when he bid 2NT, but now it looks as if we should be making the decisions.  Partner’s A♦ and K♥ cue-bids tell us almost all that we need to know, it now comes down to the trump suit.  Roman Key Card Blackwood does a good job of resolving the trump honors, but that won’t work here, we have a void.  Nor can we make a leap to 5♣ to invoke Exclusion Key Card, the auction is too high for that.  What is left is 5NT, the Grand Slam Force, after which (on the actual hand) Partner will leap to 7♠, showing two of the top three trumps.  Bingo!

 

                                                    Board 30      Dealer East       None Vul

 

 

Do we bid 2♣ or 2♦ here?  Clubs might be the better suit, but the correct bid is 2♦.  The reason for this is that, if the opponents bid 2♥, we’ll want to compete to 3 of a minor.  The way to get to 3 of Partner’s longer minor (he might well be 4-3 in the minors) is to bid 2♦ and then 3♣.

 

 

                                                    Board 32      Dealer West       E-W Vul

 

 

Do you ever open 1NT with a singleton?  There are rare occasions when it seems to be the least of evils and perhaps this is one of them.  Of course, you could open 1♣, planning to reverse to 2♥ if Partner bids 1♠, but we don’t think that this 16-count with a singleton King is good enough.  1NT here is a slight misdescription, but no more so than a lightweight reverse.  Our own rules for opening 1NT with a singleton are not universal, but here they are anyway:

-         The shape is 5 in a minor, and the 4 in a red suit, such as 1-4-3-5 or 3-4-1-5.  Not 4-1-3-5 (we have an easy 1♠ rebid, so no need to distort our hand by opening 1NT with a singleton), and not 1-3-5-4 (an easy 2♣ rebid).  Also not 1-4-4-4 type hands, they don’t have a rebid probem.

-         It’s a hand which is too good to rebid 1NT, but not good enough to reverse into our 4-card suit

-         The singleton is a Queen or a King.  If the singleton is a lower card, or the Ace, the hand is improved and we’ll reverse.

 

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