Bidding Quiz                                          6th February, 2008

 

 

                                                    Board 3      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

There are three ways to handle those opening hands with 5 Spades and 6 Hearts:

(a)    Open 1♠ and then bid Hearts (twice if possible and appropriate), treating the hand as 5-5.  It’s not ideal to distort the distribution like that, but perhaps the best solution with a weak hand, especially if the Spades are appreciably stronger than the Hearts.

(b)   Open 1♥, planning to rebid 2♥ if Partner responds 1NT.  This method gives up on any 5-3 Spade fit, but nonetheless a reasonable approach with a weak hand, all the more so if the Hearts are strong and the Spades are weak.

(c)    Open 1♥, planning to rebid 2♠ (twice if necessary) if Partner responds 1NT.  This accurately describes the distribution, but it is a reverse, requiring a good hand.  Our own tendency is to stretch these hands into a reverse unless they are really weak, after all 5-6 hands do have a lot of playing strength.

 

Those are the options, what is your choice?  Only 13 HCP’s, but they are all working in the long suits, and the hand has only 4 losers.  Definitely a reverse, so we open 1♥, planning to bid Spades later.

 

 

                                                    Board 3      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

This one is a methods check.  4♦ was a Splinter, that much is pretty clear, but what is that 5NT response to Roman Key Card?  The most common treatment is that it shows two Key Cards and a void.  Perfect!  That’s all you need to bid 7♠ with assurance.  Well, maybe not complete assurance, though surely Partner has the K♥ for that strong bidding, and, failing that, even Kxx in Clubs without the K♥ would be enough.

 

 

                                                    Board 3      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

The opponents are in a strong auction and are likely heading slamwards, Partner has the minors, we have a fit in both suits, and the vulnerability is favorable.  What more do we need?  We suggest a simple 6♦ here (anything less would be feeble in the extreme), but 7♦ is also tempting.

 

The Twilight Zone

Professor Oddbid tortured us with a bizarre thought and we saw no reason why we should suffer alone.  Suppose that E-W get to 6♠ (played by East, of course), and that North makes a lead-directing (Lightner) Double.  South would conclude that a Heart lead was called for, no doubt North can ruff that, getting the defense off to a good start.  But the fact of the matter is that 6♠ doubled making only 12 tricks (because of the Heart ruff) still scores worse for the defense than 6♠ undoubled making an overtrick.  With that thought in mind, what would 5♥ (or 6♥) by North mean in the problem auction?  The Professor thinks that this should be lead-directing against their Spade contract, cleverly avoiding the possibility of conceding a doubled slam to the opponents.  And his point is?  Well, how about a 5♥ bid in the problem auction?  If this fake lead-director does not keep the opponents out of seven then nothing will!

 

 

                                                    Board 7      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

This is an awkward hand.  North has not yet shown those extras but is not strong enough to insist on slam or charge into a Roman Key Card auction.  What would 4NT mean here?  For many partnerships that would indeed be Roman Key Card (with Diamonds the agreed suit), but experience shows that using 4NT for minor suit Blackwood is not effective.  There are better methods available, such as Minorwood and/or Redwood.  If Minorwood is being played by N-S, then 4♦ would be available as the Roman Key Card ask, this auction passing the two basic tests:

-         The auction is game-forcing

-         Diamonds had been agreed

 

So, playing Minorwood, does that mean that North should bid 4♦, asking for Key Cards?  We don’t think so, our own choice would be 4NT.  As this is no longer needed for Blackwood it can be used as a general (and non-forcing) slam try.  On the actual deal, South held: ♠ KJ, ♥ QT543, ♦ AK732, ♣ 7.  That’s a pretty good hand in the circumstances and worthy of a 6♦ bid.

 

 

                                                    Board 8      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

After this 2/1 auction, is the East hand worth a slam try?  For example, could West not hold: ♠ xx, ♥ KQJxxx, ♦ Kx, ♣ Axx?  No, we don’t think so, West would be expected to make a 4♣ cue-bid on the way to 4♥ with a hand that good.  We think that a sensible Pass is called for, even the 5-level may be too high if West has an unsuitable hand.

 

                                                    Board 9      Dealer North       E-W Vul

 

 

East’s 4♠ bid obviously shows a really strong hand, usually a two-suiter, and looking at our hand that is presumably Hearts and Clubs.  If Partner has a “pure” preempt, let’s say ♠ KQJxxxx, ♥ x, ♦ xxx, ♣ xx, then 6♠ is a fine sacrifice against their making slam.  But all too often at this favorable vulnerability, Partner is apt to ratchet things up a bit and could well have an imperfect preempt, perhaps even with only 6 Spades.  Anyway, our suggestion is to make a lead-directing Diamond bid along the way … 5♦ or 6♦, depending on your Partner’s White vs Red preempting style.  In both cases, the intention is to play in Spades, and to suggest a Diamond lead along the way.

 

Another Idea

Actually, we believe that there’s a better way to handle this situation.  Sure, it was nice to mention Diamonds on the way to the 5♠ or 6♠ sacrifice, but the real problem was how high to sacrifice.  If Partner has the A♠ or some unexpected high card in a side-suit then 5♠ is probably enough.  But if the preempt is not polluted with defensive values then we’d like to sacrifice in 6♠.  There’s a method to solve this problem!  The Partner of the preemptor bids 4NT here, it’s not Blackwood, it simply says “I am going to 5♠, and you can bid on to 6♠ if your preempt is relatively pure.”  Here are some impurities which should persuade the preemptor not to bid beyond 5♠:

-         One less trump than advertised

-         The Ace of the preempt suit

-         A potential side-suit trick

OK, let’s suppose that you like this idea, and you hold: ♠ xxx, ♥ xxx, ♦ xxxxxx, ♣ x  Yes, it’s a bit lacking in the HCP department, but at favorable vulnerability, after that 3♠ 4♠ start to the auction, how about trying 5NT?Using the same logic, the preemptor bids 6♠ or 7♠ based on her degree of purity.  Preempt purity.

 

 

Board 11

South               North

♠ K                  ♠ A54 

♥ KJ4              ♥ A8

♦ 643               ♦ AQT2

♣ AKJT93      ♣ 8652

 

1♣                   2♣

2♥                    2NT

3♣                   3♦

4♣                   4♥

6♣                   Pass

 

The time has finally come for The Wednesday Game to tackle the thorny subject of Inverted Minors, and it is featured as our Convention of the Week.  There are various Inverted Minor follow-ups, this was the meaning of our featured auction:

-         2♣: Invitational values or better, no 4-card major.  North might have bid 3NT (showing 13-15) but reasoned that she was too slammish for that.

-         2♥:  As played by this pair, 2♥ showed something in Hearts and was game-forcing.

-         2NT:  Natural

-         3♣:  Still forcing, of course, presumably interested in a Club slam.

-         3♦:  Shows something in Diamonds, cooperating in the slam hunt.

-         4♣:  Minorwood

-         4♥:  Using 1430 responses, so this shows 0 or 3.

 

 

                                                    Board 14      Dealer East       None Vul

 

 

If South’s Diamonds were stronger, the hand would be suitable for a 1♦ opening and a 3♦ jump rebid.  But we’d hate to jump rebid that mangy suit, and it also seems misdirected to open 1♦ and rebid 2♦.  So, although we are not particular fans of 1NT openings with a 6-card minor, here it seems like the best opening bid available.

 

                                                    Board 15      Dealer South       N-S Vul

 

 

Despite the alarming vulnerability, our choice would be to bid here, as selling out at the two-level with such good distribution is a losing proposition in the long-term.  Sure, if we bid here, we’ll occasionally get the dreaded -200 (or worse!), but more often than not something good will happen, either we’ll buy the contract successfully or else the opponents will be pushed overboard.  The good news is that we are 5-5, offering sound playing strength and also two potential places to play.  So, we’d bid 2NT here, showing a two-suited hand (doesn’t have to be restricted to the minors in this situation)

 

 

                                                    Board 15      Dealer South       N-S Vul

 

 

South’s balancing 2NT is not natural, of course, no doubt she has a two-suiter, and it doesn’t have to be a minor two-suiter, either.  Without that Double, North would have to bid 3♦ here, being prepared to play in Diamonds or Hearts.  But the Double gives North the option of passing and that is the correct bid here.

-         If South now bids 3♣, North bids 3♦, offering Diamonds or Hearts

-         If South bids 3♦ then presumably she has the red suits and we can find refuge in the 9-card and better-scoring Heart fit.

 

                                                    Board 18      Dealer East       N-S Vul

 

 

East’s (game-forcing) 3♣ is part of the New Minor family, he may or may not have Clubs, and Opener’s first duty is to show 3-card Spade support if he has it.  What was the meaning of that 3♦ bid?  Less than 3 Spades, that much is clear, but other than that we’d say that the bid is somewhat nebulous, and, in this case, was being made in the hope that Partner could offer two-card Heart support at the 3-level.  Now, after West finally does support Hearts, what is East’s next call?

 

East has a maximum hand for that 2♥ rebid, so in this forcing auction it would be lazy simply to bid 4♥.  We’d suggest 4♦, a cue-bid showing a maximum hand for the bidding to date.

 

 

                                                    Board 18      Dealer East       N-S Vul

 

 

4NT was Roman Key Card, 5♦ showed 0 or 3 Key Cards.  Then 5♠, being the cheapest non-signoff, asked for the Queen of trumps.  5NT showed the Q♥ (6♥ would deny that card), and 5NT also denied a side-suit King (which was impossible, anyway, considering the 2♥ rebid).

 

After all that bidding, West still has a choice to make … 6♥, 6NT, 7♥, even 7NT?  East clearly has ♥AKQxxx and the A♦, so assuming that Hearts are 3-2 there are 12 tricks on top in either Hearts or No Trump.  What are the chances of a 13^th trick?  East can hardly have much more than ♥AKQxxx and the A♦, otherwise he would have rebid 3♥.  He won’t have a 7^th Heart, probably not the Q♠.  The J♣ is a possibility, perhaps, though something of a long shot.  It looks as if the most likely chance of a 13^th trick is to ruff out the Spades, but even then there might be entry problems, especially if the defense leads a Club, knocking out one of West’s entries before it can be usefully put to work establishing the Spades.  All in all, our guess would be to bid 6NT, making 12 easy tricks when the Hearts are 3-2, but down a few if the opponents lead a Diamond and Hearts are 4-1.

 

On the actual deal, East’s hand was: ♠ 74, ♥ AKQ742, ♦ A73, ♣ 63.  Playing in Hearts, if the defense leads a Club (they probably will on the lie of the cards), the Spades can only be established when the suit breaks 3-3.

 

 

                                                    Board 19      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

Playing Jacoby Transfers, it is customary to “super-accept” whenever the opening bidder has 4 cards in the transfer suit.  Here is a simple method (after 1NT 2♥):

-         2NT:  A good hand with 4 Spades.

-         3♠:  A middling hand with 4 Spades

-         2♠:  A poor hand with 4 Spades (or any hand with 2 or 3 Spades)

 

The definitions of good, middling and poor can be left vague, but they should be based as much on hand-type as on HCP’s.  For example, a 4-4-2-3 15-count with Aces and Kings looks much more like a 3♠ bid than would a square and quacky 16-count.

 

Why do we like this particular method of super-accepting?  Because it doesn’t volunteer unnecessary information to the opponents in the way that some other methods do.  Anyway, using that method, we’d say that this tasty-looking 15-point hand is easily worth a 3♠ super-accept, showing a middling hand.

 

 

                                                    Board 20      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

 South’s Double was for take-out and 2♦ was North’s choice of contract.  Will 2♦ make?  No, of course not!  Should East double?  Absolutely not!  Beating 2♦ undoubled and vulnerable will surely be worth +200 or +300, good enough for most of the matchpoints as E-W clearly do not have game.  East can count Partner for 4-5-0-4 distribution after this auction, so the opponents have a 7-card Spade fit, presumably with the 4 in the South hand.  If East doubles, one or other of N-S will no doubt run to 2♠, a contract which happens to make!  So, let us not be greedy here!

 

                                                    Board 23      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

There are two reasons why 6♥ may not make … there may be two fast Spade losers … and, even if South is short in Spades, there may be only 11 tricks anyway.

 

There is a useful gadget after a 4♠ or 4♥ opening bid, namely that a change of suit is an asking bid in that suit.  Here’s one set of responses:

-         5♥ shows two (or more Spade losers)

-         4NT shows the protected K♠

-         6♥ shows a singleton Spade

-         5♠ is a first-round Spade control (presumably a void)

Yes, it’s possible to come up with something more sophisticated, perhaps using the 5♣ and 5♦ bids to help clarify the trump situation.  We’ll leave it up to the reader to do that, we’d prefer to keep things logical and simple in this once-in-a-great-while situation.

 

Back to the problem.  Now that you have a method available with which to diagnose the Spade situation, do you use it?  Or do you try for 6 in the hope that a 12^th trick will somehow materialize?  A close choice in our view.

 

P.S.  The winner on the actual hand was to try for slam, Partner was 0-8-5-0, and the 12^th trick came from the Diamond suit.

 

                                                    Board 27      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

West usually has 6 Clubs for that 2♣ rebid so competing to 3♣ is an option.  But not a good one, the Club support is minimal, and the hand is a tad too strong.  Is it possible that E-W belong in Hearts?  Unlikely, at least if E-W are playing Support Doubles, because West’s 2♣ would have denid 3-card Heart support.

 

Our suggestion for East here is to double.  Not as a penalty Double, though, the Double simply says “I don’t know what to do Partner, but I have a decent hand with some values, perhaps you can figure out what to do”.

 

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