Bidding Quiz                                               19th March, 2008

 

                                                    Board 3      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

We can think of 4 possible bids here and we present them in reverse order of awfulness:

-         Pass?  Not really that awful, it’s quite conceivable that this could bring in +300 on a part-score hand.  But, more often, we’d expect +500 on a hand where we can make game, or perhaps +100 on a hand where E-W can make +140 in 3♥.  The unfavorable vulnerability is a strong indicator that East should not be making a penalty pass.

-         3♥ or 4♥?  4♥ would be an overbid.  East has only a 9-count, and, playing in Hearts, it seems unlikely that the QJ♦ will play a useful role.  In that case it is a working 6-count and 3♥ is plenty.

-         3NT?  That would be our choice, putting the slow Diamond cards to good use.  Yes, it’s a slight overbid, and there is the danger that a 4-4 Heart fit will play better.  On the other hand, there is no guarantee that Partner actually has 4 Hearts, and, even if he does have 4, No Trump and Hearts may well play the same.

 

Now we must admit that, on the actual hand, our choice of 3NT was not the winner!  It’s 11 tricks in No Trump but 12 in Hearts.  Oh well!

 

                                                    Board 4      Dealer West       Both Vul

 

 

Merely raising to 2♣ would be unthinkable, the hand is way too good.  Does that mean that East should cue-bid 2♠, showing a limit raise in Clubs?  We don’t think so, the Club support is rather poor to be committing so heavily to a Club contract.  We suggest 2♦ here.  Perhaps it’s a bit light in terms of HCP’s, but the distribution and the fallback support in Clubs make the bid OK.

 

But it’s not over yet!  The auction proceeds:

            East     South   West    North

                                    1♣       1♠

            2♦        2♥        3♦        3♥

            ??

East’s hand is getting better by the moment!  There’s a double fit which is usually a good excuse to bid more.  Does the hand belong in Diamonds or Clubs?  We’d say that it belongs in Diamonds in order to protect the Heart holding from the opening lead.  Does that mean that East should bid 4♦?  We don’t think so!  We suggest 4♣ here, not because we expect to play it there (the opponents seem likely to bid again) but because we would like Partner to be in on the double fit situation, it might help him to judge better when the enemy bids 4♥.  After 4♣ the auction will proceed:

            East     South   West    North

                                    1♣       1♠

            2♦        2♥        3♦        3♥

            4♣       4♥        5♣       Pass

            ??

The plan seems to have worked!  Partner has been induced to bid again in the knowledge of the Club fit, but now we go back to Diamonds, protecting the Heart holding.  Nicely done by E-W, it turns out that 5♣ makes.  Alas, also does 5♦, it turns out that the Heart holding needed no protection as Partner has a singleton in the suit.

 

                                                    Board 6      Dealer East       E-W Vul

 

 

Anyone for a 3♣ opening bid by South?  True, N-S have the vulnerability in their favor, but that’s about all that the preempt has going for it.  On the down-side there are only 6 Clubs, mangy ones at that, and the two Aces provide altogether too much defense for an opening preempt.  The clinching argument is that South is in second seat, the worst place for an off-beat preemptive effort.  So, much as we like to jump in when White vs Red, this is not the right time for it.  In fact, if South does chance her arm with a 3♣ opening she will live to regret it when East balances with a Double and West makes a penalty Pass.  3♣ doubled is down three for a (well-earned) dreadful result.

 

                                                    Board 7      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

East has a minimum opening hand, and yet West and North could not find a bid.  What’s the inescapable conclusion?  Yes, it seems likely that Partner has some Hearts and is eagerly awaiting the chance to pass a reopening Double.  Don’t disappoint him!  If East reopens with 1♠ a golden opportunity will slip away.

 

Board 11

South               North

♠ AK92           ♠ J853

♥ 64                 ♥ K5

♦ KJ3              ♦ AQT95

♣ AK76           ♣ 94

 

South   West    North   East 

1♣       Pass    1♦        3♥

Dbl      Pass    ??

 

South might well have 4 Spades on this auction but North cannot be sure, no doubt South would have bid the same way with one less Spade and one more Club.  So, North will have to guess between 3NT and 4♠ and given the feeble nature of the Spades he might well try 3NT.

 

An awkward situation for N-S, is there a solution?  Actually, yes, there is!  North would have done better to bid 1♠ immediately, bypassing the better and longer Diamonds to get the major suit into the auction at the earliest possible opportunity.  Now the ensuing auction is unambiguous.

 

Bidding 1♠ here is an example of Walsh-style bidding.  After a 1♣ opening bid, Responder bypasses Diamonds whenever she has a 4-card major unless her hand is game-forcing.  The benefit of this method is that it goes straight to the heart of the matter, with the immediate focus being on finding a major suit fit.

 

 

                                                    Board 14      Dealer East       None Vul

 

 

It goes without saying that South does not have the values to commit single-handedly to game.  Sure, it is a nice hand, but not that good!  Nonetheless, 4♥ is exactly what South should bid here.  In this situation it is necessary to stretch a little.  South has 13, East probably has around 7 or 8, that leaves about half of the deck unaccounted for.  If Partner has her fair share then 4♥ is likely to have a reasonable play.

 

It turns out that Partner’s hand is:  ♠ J654, ♥ JT64, ♦ J, ♣ KJ74.  A pretty good catch, you might say, and opposite this hand 4♥ comes home (the Heart finesse loses but West’s Q♣ is surely guessable).  But not especially lucky, South might equally well have caught the West hand:  ♠ AKT83, ♥ K3, ♦ T2, ♣ Q862.  Yes, S-W can also make 4♥!

 

                                                    Board 17      Dealer North       None Vul

 

 

What are your methods over Weak Twos?  More specifically, what does a cue-bid mean?  Over 2♥ or 2♠ it is common to play that the cue-bid asks Partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in their suit (though some partnerships do play that the cue-bid is still Michaels).  Over 2♦ there is perhaps more reason to play Michaels, and here is what might happen in the two cases:

-         If 3♦ asks for a Diamond stopper:  In this case South will presumably bid 3♦ and 3NT by North will be the final contract.  That will be 10 tricks for Declarer (or a whopping 12 if East makes the unfortunate opening lead of a low Diamond).

-         If 3♦ is for the Majors:  Now South has the choice between a heavy 3♣ and an off-shape Takeout Double.  Neither is perfect, take your pick.  As it happens, Double is the winner, collecting a large penalty when North passes (+1100 on best defense!).

 

 

                                                    Board 19      Dealer South       E-W Vul

 

 

This one is a simple choice between 2♥ and 3♥, and the nice 6-4 shape, those fitting Club honors, and the excellent Heart fillers all conspire to make this one worth 3♥.

 

 

                                                    Board 21      Dealer North       N-S Vul

 

 

The first question here is whether to play in Diamonds, No Trump or Hearts.

-         Diamonds?  There’s not much point in playing in Diamonds unless it’s in slam.  Is the South hand slam-suitable?  Well, it does have the maximum in terms of HCP’s but the hand is square and surely one of those black Kings is wasted opposite shortness in Partner’s hand.  We wouldn’t bother to show Diamond support, but if we decided that we had to then we would have the cue-bids of 3♠ and 4♣ available for the purpose.

-         No Trump?  We would be nervous about 3NT, we have too many cards in Partner’s suits and it seems likely that one of the black suits will be vulnerable playing in No Trump.

-         Hearts?  Yes, our guess would be to play in Hearts for the aforementioned reasons.

 

3♦ was game-forcing, so that gives us two ways to bid Hearts.  Following the standard Fast Arrival principle, 3♥ is forcing and more slam-suitable than a direct 4♥.  Is this maximum hand slam-suitable?  Not especially, the distribution is square and, as already mentioned, we probably have a wasted King.  We’d just bid 4♥.

 

 

                                                    Board 22      Dealer East       E-W Vul

 

 

Only 6 points, and those are in Queens and Jacks, but nonetheless this is a 3♠ bid.  Looking on the bright side, there is a 5^th Spade, and (almost) no wastage opposite Partner’s marked Heart shortness.  In other words, South’s modest values are all working. 

 

Not convinced?  Let’s look at the North hand and see what happens if South feebly passes.  North holds:  ♠ K973, ♥ T, ♦ AQT, ♣ AKT98.  South passes 3♥, as does West, and North has a hand that is good enough for another Double.  Now it would be inconsistent for South to jump to 4♠ so she contents herself with 3♠, after which it can hardly be right for North to bid 4♠ opposite what might be a complete Yarborough.  The only way out of this awkward situation is for South to eke out a 3♠ bid immediately over 3♥.

 

 

                                                    Board 23      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

West has a pretty good hand, only 4 losers, and the question is whether to show a good hand by doubling or whether to overcall 2♣.  We like the overcall ourselves, though no doubt some will say that the hand is altogether too good for that.  But both bids are fraught with danger.  2♣ risks missing game, and after Double it’s virtually certain that Partner will bid some number of Spades.  An awkward choice, take your pick.

 

 

                                                    Board 23      Dealer South       Both Vul

 

 

This hand is not good enough for 2♠, all the more so considering the Diamond bid on our left.  Nor is it good enough for 2NT.  But it’s a hand we’d hate to pass, so our choice would be 2♦.  Ostensibly this shows a limit raise in Clubs.  We’re a bit light in the Club department, but surely that is better than feebly passing.  After 2♦ the auction will develop as follows:

            East     South   West    North 

                        1♦        2♣       Pass

            2♦        Pass    2♥        Pass

            ??

Now what?  Is it finally time to show our 5-card Spade suit?  No, that would confuse matters, and anyway Partner can hardly have 3 Spades on this auction (with 3=4=1=5 he would surely have doubled originally).  No Trump is where this hand belongs and East should bid 2NT.

 

 

                                                    Board 24      Dealer West       None Vul

 

 

Partner’s 2♥ in competition shows a decent hand but it is not game-forcing.  However, 3♦ here would be game-forcing and North’s hand is just not good enough for that.  Nor can North raise Partner or bid No Trump or pass, for obvious reasons.  By a process of elimination that leaves only 2♠, notwithstanding the absence of a 6^th card in the suit.  So, in this situation 2♠ is merely marking time (showing a minimum hand), and not necessarily showing something extra in Spades.

 

 

                                                    Board 27      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

After a 2♣ opening, it used to be fashionable for a positive response to show at least two of the top three cards in the suit, but that’s rather rigid, nowadays most partnerships allow a little more flexibility.  With such a good hand we would have no compunction about bidding either of North’s suits given the overall playing strength of the hand.  Having said that, which do you prefer?  2♥ or 3♣?  The more economical 2♥ is very much the way to go here.  We expect Partner to bid 2♠ next, now we can bid 3♣, showing positive values and getting both our suits in cheaply.

 

Look what happens if North bids 3♣ over 2♣, bidding her long suit first.  Now South bids 3♠ and North is completely up the creek!  The rest of the auction will be complete guesswork.  Things are not much better if South starts out with 2♦, reasoning that her suits are not good enough for a positive response.  Now South bids 2♠ and again North will have trouble getting both suits into the auction below the 4-level.

 

 

                                                    Board 27      Dealer South       None Vul

 

 

That 2♥ response was a pleasant surprise!  Surely Partner has at least one of the missing high Hearts so this one is a question of 6♥ or 7♥.  How do we find out about those cards?

-         Roman Key Card?  No, we have a void, if we bid 4NT and Partner shows 2 Key Cards, we won’t know if that includes the useless A♣.

-         Exclusion Key Card?  That’s a way of excluding the A♣ from the Key Card responses.  Would 5♣ here be Exclusion?  Maybe, but it looks awfully risky to us, we wouldn’t want to take the chance of playing in our void suit!

-         Grand Slam Force?  Yes, 5NT is the answer, asking about Partner’s trump holding.

 

Here is a common set of responses to 5NT:

-         With two of the top three, we bid 7♣ (regardless of what is the agreed suit), and let Partner place the final contract.

-         With none of the top three, we bid 6 of the agreed trump suit.

-         With one of the top three:

                        If Clubs are agreed, then just bid 6♣, as per the above.

                        If Diamonds are agreed:

                                    Bid 6♣ with the Ace or King

                                    Bid 6♦ with the Queen or less

                        If Hearts or Spades are agreed:

                                    Bid 6♣ with the Ace or King (now 6♦ asks for extra trump length)

                                    Bid 6♦ with the Queen (or extra length)

 

 

                                                    Board 28      Dealer West       N-S Vul

 

 

Too good for a 1NT opening?  Yes, with 17 HCP’s, prime values and a 5-card suit we would open this 1♣.  Partner then bids 1♠, now what?  If a hand is too good for a 1NT opening then it must be good enough for a jump rebid to 2NT.  But that’s not a good choice here considering our worthless holding in one of the unbid suits.  So we would try the old fake reverse and bid 2♦.  If Partner has Hearts he can bid the No Trump, perhaps protecting a holding such as Kx.

 

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