A ♣AKQ5
? by Karen Walker, Champaign IL
|
Action |
Score |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
3C |
100 |
9 |
45 |
|
3NT |
70 |
3 |
16 |
|
2NT |
70 |
1 |
11 |
|
3D |
60 |
2 |
23 |
|
3H |
50 |
0 |
3 |
| West | North | East | South |
|
1C | |||
| 2H | DBL* | Pass | ? |
* Negative double
What's your call as South holding ♠9 ♥K10 ♦Q753 ♣AKQ872 ?
This was a good-looking hand when the auction started. Some panelists still had high hopes for it.
STRITE: "3NT. Seems like an obvious shot."
FELDHEIM: "3NT. No guarantees, but a practical bid based on the likelihood of seven tricks in my hand. The singleton spade should be covered by North's negative double. 2NT is another chicken-like possibility."
SPEAR: "2NT. Only at matchpoints."
The big reward could be there -- a heart lead into your king, two aces in dummy and your clubs run for six tricks. Then again, dummy could look more like the example offered by this panelist:
RING: "3C. On the heavy side, but my stiff spade suggests a misfit. I certainly don't want to get to 3NT opposite ♠KJxxx ♥xxx ♦Kxx ♣Jx . Hopefully, partner will bid again with extras."
The majority shared this pessimism, citing their poor holdings in the majors.
SOKOL: "3C. Partner might just have long spades and not quite enough for a 2S free bid. If partner bids 3H, I'll try 3NT."
KESSLER: "3C. Most of the time when 3NT is right, partner can bid again. This hand rates to lay poorly for North-South."
MATHENY: "3C. My heart king may be poorly placed, so this is still just a nice minimum. Partner can cue 3H if he's looking for 3NT."
SOPER: "3C. I'd bid 2NT if I thought partner wouldn't assume I had at least two spades."
RABIDEAU: "3C. Color me yellow. Pointed-suit finesses are likely to lose to RHO. There's still room for partner to cuebid hearts."
ENGEL: "3C. I'm not sure I'd bid 3D even if it didn't promise extras."
Two panelists and almost a quarter of the Solvers did choose 3D.
WARD: "3D. This doesn't preclude 3NT, and also gives a chance to get to clubs or diamonds when right. If partner passes, am I really missing anything opposite something like ♠KJxx ♥xxx ♦AJxx ♣xx ?"
PAULO: "3D. I considered 2NT. Against that, I hold a singleton, and the heart stopper is vulnerable from East. On the other hand, by rebidding 3D, I show at least five clubs."
There's disagreement among experts about whether opening 1C and rebidding 2D in response to a negative double should show reversing values (talk to your partner about this auction). Here, though, your diamond rebid is at the three-level, which will surely convince partner that you have something extra, especially since you're bidding a suit he hasn't promised (his negative double showed only spades, not diamonds).
If partner has RING's example hand, he'll have to either leave you in a weak 4-3 fit or look for 3NT, which will be down two at best. On a bad day (spade lead and heart switch), you could be down six (!).
The panel conceded that partner could have the perfect hand for 3NT, but they weren't willing to gamble on it. Based on the assumption that heart honors are on your left and dummy will have wasted values in spades, they thought this hand was looking more like a preempt than an opening bid, and they trusted partner to carry on if game was in the cards.
|
Action |
Score |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
4NT |
100 |
6 |
12 |
|
5NT |
80 |
1 |
7 |
|
7D |
70 |
3 |
12 |
|
5C |
70 |
2 |
18 |
|
6D |
60 |
1 |
27 |
|
4H |
50 |
1 |
2 |
|
6NT |
40 |
0 |
7 |
|
4S |
30 |
1 |
3 |
|
5D |
10 |
0 |
3 |
| West | North | East | South |
|
2C | |||
| Pass | 3D* | Pass |
3S |
| Pass | 4D | Pass |
? |
* 5+ card suit with 2 of top 3 honors
What's your call as South holding ♠AK7643
♥A4 A ♣AKQ5
?
There was a lot to think about on this deal, and the result was twelve possible solutions from the panel and Solvers. A popular choice among the Solvers was the blast to the small slam:
RING: "6D. I don't think either 4S or 5C is forcing, so I'll give up looking for the perfect contract and bid what I expect to be a good one. Partner may have no entry to hand in another strain so diamonds look best. Note to self: After session, badger partner about switching to strong club-based system."
Most others had a grand slam in mind, and some thought they already had enough information:
PAULO: "7D. After partner's rebid, I count on six diamond tricks, therefore we have 12 tricks. The thirteenth trick will be set up if necessary ... I hope."
FELDHEIM: "7D. Bidding diamonds is clear-cut. Ruffs may be needed to be establish the spade suit, and there may be no entry to the dummy in notrump!"
The rest of the panel chose to go slow and try to collect more information. One approach was a new-suit bid:
ENGEL: "5C. If partner's suit were solid enough for me to want to be in 7D, he probably would have rebid 5D last time."
SOKOL: "5C. Partner must have a lot more than just ♦KQxxxx . Otherwise, he should have just bid 2D to get out of the way of the big hand. 5C is absolutely forcing because the big hand is still unlimited. It keeps all slam contracts in play."
STRITE: "4H. Headed to 7D unless I can get a heart cuebid back from partner to steer us to 7NT."
Will partner know that 4H and 5C are cuebids and/or forcing? From his side of the table, he may envision a second suit and a diamond void in your hand. The 4H "cuebid" sounds especially passable.
The majority decided to investigate with Keycard Blackwood (confirming diamonds as trumps). Some hoped to eventually convince partner to bid the grand; others already had their hearts set on 7D and were looking for a possible 7NT.
KESSLER: "4NT, followed by 5NT. This must be a grand-slam try and partner should be able to bid 7D with ♦KQJxxx or ♦KQxxxxx. I think it almost shows the stiff diamond ace, and asks partner to bid the grand with a better-than-minimum diamond holding."
SPEAR: "4NT. Just checking for the king of hearts to bid 7NT instead of 7D."
WARD: "4NT. Followed by 5NT, trying to get partner to bid seven with something extra (spade queen or heart king) so I can convert to 7NT. Otherwise, I'll hope he can survive long enough to get to his hand to draw trumps in 7D."
RABIDEAU: "4NT. Then 5NT, of course, hoping partner will appreciate the value of the ♦J and bid 7D. Or maybe I'll bid it myself, hoping for ♦KQTxxx or better. And his first response will confirm whether we're on the same wavelength regarding the trump suit!"
These strategies make sense, but they're all based on some hoping and guessing and passing the buck to partner. If you want a more reliable way to ask about partner's diamonds -- and a shorter auction -- how about 5NT? This is the rare "jack-asking" version of Grand Slam Force -- since partner has already confirmed at least ♦KQxxxx, it has to be asking him for a more solid holding (the ♦J or a seventh trump).
Is 5NT too deep? My partner, Bharat Rao, who had about 150 masterpoints when this hand was dealt years ago, had no problem working it out. Holding ♠2 ♥K53 ♦KQJ1092 ♣643 , he even had the presence of mind to bid 6H on the way to 7D, which got us to the laydown 7NT.
The 5NT call was submitted by two solvers -- Arbha Vongsvivut and Bud Hinckley -- who, as it happens, are this month's contest winners. Nice bid, guys!
|
Action |
Score |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
Pass |
100 |
8 |
79 |
|
2D |
80 |
3 |
8 |
|
3C |
80 |
1 |
5 |
|
2H |
70 |
3 |
8 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1D | 2C | ||
| Pass | Pass | DBL | Pass |
| Pass | RDBL | Pass | ? |
What's your call as South holding ♠102 ♥76 ♦Q10 ♣AKJ9876 ?
Gee, thanks, partner. Although the redouble is a "command" to choose an unbid suit, only three panelists were willing to follow orders:
FELDHEIM: "2H. 2C doubled seems playable (I'm ahead of the game since I didn't bid 3C), but redouble is too expensive. So I'll be obedient but terrified."
STRITE: "2H. Despite my club length and strength, I expect two trump losers and 4-5 losers among my doubletons, so I can't sit. I'd overcall 2C again, however."
If you're going to run, these panelists offer what seems to be a more flexible approach:
PAULO: "2D. This cuebid allows partner to choose his own poison."
ENGEL: "2D. Hoping we don't end up saving in 3C doubled eventually."
SPEAR: "2D. Let's see . . . down 1 or 2 is 400 or 1000. I think that 2-of-a-major may get lucky and only go down 200, possibly getting a couple of matchpoints. I'll bid 2D and redouble to get to the better major -- also showing that two can play at this game! At least I won't have to play it."
Forcing partner to declare this mess may be the best reason of all to bid 2D.
BRIDGE BARON: "Pass. North asked us to rescue to the suit of the partnership's best fit. It's clubs, so we just did."
SOKOL: "Pass. No bid that I can make is likely to improve the result. I believe in the old bridge adage: 'What do you call a 7 card suit? TRUMPS!' "
RABIDEAU: "Pass. We start with five impregnable club tricks."
RING: "Pass. My hand is dead opposite a club void, so I gamble that minus 400 here beats minus 500 in 2 of a major doubled (or that minus 1000 here beats minus 1100 there!)."
SOPER: "Pass. Minus 1000 in 2C redoubled or minus 1100 in 2 of a major, merely doubled. Are we having fun yet?"
With all these panelists doing arithmetic, I'm surprised that none chose the unorthodox but logical rebid of 3C. If you decide to stay with clubs as trumps (I agree that's the least of evils here), the best way to limit your losses is to play a club contract without the redouble. I don't think partner will be putting down more than one trick for me, so I'm expecting 2C redoubled to go down two, which is minus 1000 and a sure zero. If I "run" to 3C, I'm down three doubled for only minus 800 (assuming that partner doesn't try to save me again!). At worst, that will tie the pairs who overcalled 3C with this hand, save a few matchpoints and give partner a good story to tell in the bar after the game.
|
Action |
Score |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
3C |
100 |
7 |
42 |
|
3S |
80 |
4 |
0 |
|
3H |
70 |
3 |
54 |
|
2NT |
60 |
1 |
4 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass |
1H | ||
| Pass | 2S* | Pass |
? |
* Strong jump shift
What's your call as South holding ♠K ♥AJ9854 ♦J102 ♣AQ10 ?
Partner is usually the captain after he makes a strong jump-shift response. Your goal as opener is to provide some information and allow him to clarify exactly what type of hand he has. The plurality of the panel decided to emphasize their club values. Their thinking is summed up by:
RING: "3C. After the strong jump shift, this shows a concentration of values, not necessarily a real suit. Hopefully we are playing Soloway-style jump shifts where partner can only have one of a few hand types, and partner's rebid will reveal the specific type."
Soloway jump shifts are widely accepted as "expert standard"
these days, so you can probably count on an experienced partner to be familiar
with them. This style defines a jump-shift as showing one of four types of hands:
1 - Strong (17-18+ pts.) with ONE long, strong suit (at least two of
the top three honors).
2 - Intermediate strength (13-16 pts.) with a long, solid suit (AKQ)
and good controls in the unbid suits.
3 - Balanced slam invitation (17-19 pts.) with a good 5-card
suit. .
4 - At least slam-try values (16+ pts.) with a good 5+-card suit
AND support for opener's suit (4+-card support for a minor, 3+ cards for a
major).
After a jump shift, you're going to be playing game or slam in partner's suit, your suit or notrump. One of the hands partner cannot have is a two-suiter with spades and clubs, as pointed out by:
SOPER: "3C. Partner probably knows what strain we'll be playing in, and it's not clubs. I'll show where my outside strength is and hope it helps."
PAULO: "3C. 3S would be a strong raise; 2NT would be rather weak; 3H would emphasize a suit that looks holey. So, I bid the suit where I have some strength, despite its shortness."
ENGEL: "3C. If partner needs diamond values, this will slow him down."
If you want to show partner where your strength is, how about:
FELDHEIM: "3S. I'm sure I'm in a minority on this one, but for me, jump shifts are either radically single-suited or contain a fit with partner's opening suit. North needs to know about the spade king."
KESSLER: "3S. I'm very old-fashioned and raise with one of the top three honors. If partner bids 4H, I bid 5C."
SPEAR: "3S. This is okay here, but I don't feel it's mandatory unless discussed. I will bet that my old-fashioned partner (who insisted on strong jump shifts) wants me to bid this instead of a broken heart suit or 2NT with unstopped diamonds."
WARD: "3S. This seems pretty normal. Tougher question is what to bid if partner follows with 3NT."
Many partnerships like to play that a raise of the jump-shift suit promises a high honor, and they'll do it even when the honor is singleton. With spade length but no honor, they'll make a concentration-of-values bid in another suit and show spade support later. Others prefer to guarantee at least a doubleton honor for the immediate raise. If you play strong jump shifts, this is a good topic for partnership discussion.
|
Action |
Score |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
2C |
100 |
7 |
22 |
|
2NT |
90 |
5 |
39 |
|
2S |
70 |
2 |
34 |
|
3NT |
30 |
0 |
5 |
|
2H |
20 |
1 |
0 |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1H | |||
| Pass | 1NT* | Pass | ? |
* Forcing NT
What's your call as South holding ♠AJ63 ♥KJ1032 ♦A5 ♣K4 ?
SPEAR: "2C. The least flawed bid, especially since it is the 'system' bid, so it is not my fault."
MATHENY: "2C. We may get too high if I rebid 2S or 2NT."
WARD: "2C. Follow with 2NT over whatever my guy bids. I think I am short, although not much, for 2S, and 2NT is an overbid with only 16."
RING: "2C. A direct 2NT shows a touch more than this. I'll bid 2NT on the next round over partner's 2D or 2H. I don't see the reason to bid spades when I don't expect partner to have them."
I don't understand the contention that a direct raise to 2NT promises a stronger hand than this. Yes, it's only 16 points, but with the strong hearts and an ace or king in every suit, it looks more like 18. If you're going to push the auction to 2NT anyway, why distort your hand by stopping off to bid clubs?
One downside of a 2C rebid is that partner may pass with a 3-1-5-4 hand, leaving you in a silly 4-2 fit. Another is that if he does bid again and you carry on to 2NT, he'll assume there was a reason you bid clubs first. He'll picture you with at least nine cards in hearts and clubs, which may convince him that the opponents have too much strength in spades for you to make 3NT.
Another option is a reverse rebid:
BRIDGE BARON: "2S. Exactly four spades, exactly five hearts, 17 or 18 points. 'What it says on the tin.' "PAULO: "2S. This rebid shows at least four spades with longer hearts, and a hand with the values for a reverse."
A semi-balanced 16 high-card points is a pretty skinny reverse, but at least it shows your "real" suit lengths. A reverse can be problematic, though, because it creates a more complicated auction. It also suggests a suit-oriented hand (usually with a singleton), so it may talk partner out of notrump.
I'm with the rest of the panel, who decided to keep it simple and let partner declare. They looked at their 4-5-2-2 pattern with honors in the short suits and saw a notrump hand, so that's the message they chose to send.
NELSON: "2NT. Looks like an invitation to me. I certainly am not bidding a two-card minor."
FELDHEIM: "2NT. Yet another argument for Flannery!"
STRITE: "2NT. Evaluate up."
|
Action |
S core |
Panel |
% Solvers |
|
4NT |
100 |
6 |
24 |
|
4C |
80 |
4 |
35 |
|
3S |
70 |
3 |
13 |
|
4D |
60 |
0 |
2 |
|
4H |
50 |
2 |
24 |
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
| 1H | Pass | 1S | |
| Pass | 3H | Pass | ? |
What's your call as South holding ♠AQ10654 ♥J6 ♦3 ♣KQ102 ?
A majority of panelists and Solvers thought this hand was in the slam zone, but most weren't confident enough to commit to it immediately.
RING: "3S. Forcing, perhaps only five spades. If partner can raise spades, I will investigate slam in spades. If partner bids 3NT or a minor, I bid 4H next. I'd feel better about a heart slam if my singleton were accompanied by a third trump."
SOPER: "3S. Postponing the tough decisions."
Partner's hearts are at least as strong as your spades, so I don't see the value in looking for a spade contract. A spade raise from partner won't even make me more optimistic about slam, as a singleton in his hand may be better than xxx.
MATHENY: "4C. This is a little too good for only 4H."
RABIDEAU: "4C. Gotta make some sort of positive move. I suppose this will be taken as an advance cuebid after I take partner back to hearts, but I don't know what else to do."
SOKOL: "4C. I have a lot more than I might have opposite a jump rebid, so I'll just temporize and see what opener does next."
FELDHEIM: "4C. Some would play this as a cuebid, which is a matter of agreement. This should be shape-showing and slam-going. If partner rebids hearts, I'll ask for aces. Meanwhile, although rare, this caters to the possibility of a 4-4 club fit."
As many of these panelists admit, 3S and 4C are essentially stalls before you head to slam and/or attempts to transfer the slam decision to partner. He may cooperate with a slam try, but he's already described his suit and high-card values, so it's very unlikely that he'll take control.
The plurality of the panel foresaw the problems of trying to describe all their values, so they made an executive decision:
SPEAR: "4NT. My first reaction was to bid 3S to see what happened, but I couldn't pass 4H, nor did I want to play in spades if raised."
STRITE: "3S. I play this forcing, with a weak spade hand I'd have to make a weak jump shift or pass. Too good to raise to 4H."PAULO: "4NT. Slam is probable, but any black-suit rebid would create some ambiguity."
NELSON: "4NT. Hoping for slam in hearts, so best I just ask partner the question of how many controls they have."
Keycard Blackwood may strike you as a bit pushy, but all the milder moves (3S, 4C, 4D) seem futile and potentially confusing. When in doubt, it's usually a good idea to choose a bid that confirms trumps and asks a simple question, even if it's a "stodgy" Blackwood call.
© Karen Walker