Club News Sheet – No. 206 www.pattayabridge.com 14^th Oct 2006

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Mon 9^th 1^st N-S Phil & Tomas 65% 2^nd Bill & Mike 56%

1^st E-W Jean-Marc & Michel 59% 2^nd Albert & Dennis 57%

Wed 11^th 1^st Bob P & Ken 65% 2^nd Noreen & Kevin Norris 59%

Fri 13^th 1^st Albert & Dave 60% 2^nd Alan & Lewis 58%

Bidding Quiz Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hand A you open 1♦, LHO overcalls 1♠ and partner bids

2♥. What do you bid?

♠ 3 ♠ KJ10752

♥ K94 ♥ 1095 With Hand B LHO opens 1♦ and partner overcalls 1NT. What

♦ AQ1095 ♦ K do you bid and what are your intentions?

♣ KJ43 ♣ 654

Hand C Hand D With Hand C RHO opens 3♠. What do you bid?

♠ - ♠ A3

♥ AKQJ1075 ♥ K6 (a) What do you open with Hand D?

♦ KQ83 ♦ J874 (b) If RHO opens 1♦ in front of you, what do you bid?

♣ A3 ♣ AKQ109

Hand E Hand F With Hand E you open 1♣ and partner bids 1♥. What do

you rebid?

♠ 54 ♠ 2

♥ AK5 ♥ AQJ42 With Hand F RHO opens 1♠ and you overcall 2♥. This is

♦ KJ32 ♦ J743 passed round to RHO who bids 2♠. What do you do?

♣ Q1092 ♣ K103

Hand G Hand H With Hand G RHO opens 1♦, what do you do?

♠ 9543 ♠ KQJ

♥ Q42 ♥ AJ106 With hand H LHO opens 1♦ and partner doubles. What do

♦ AKQ97 ♦ 52 you bid?

♣ K ♣ 7652

Hand J Hand K With Hand J partner opens 3♦, what do you bid?

♠ AK7653 ♠ AJ102

♥ AQ874 ♥ 10872 With hand K partner opens 1♣ and you bid 1♥. Partner raises

♦ 2 ♦ A74 this to 2♥, what do you bid?

♣ A ♣ K5

Hand L Hand M What do you open with Hand L?

♠ - ♠ QJ10642

♥ K102 ♥ - What do you open with Hand M?

♦ AQJ10876 ♦ KQ107

♣ 1052 ♣ 982

The Bidding Quiz is a bit large this week so it’s on the next page.

Bidding Sequences Quiz All of these sequences occurred last week.

N 2♥ 2♠ dbl What is the double?

P 1♦ dbl What is the double? How many ♦’s would you expect?

Q 1♦ dbl pass 1♥ How many points for 1♥?

R 1♦ dbl pass 1♥ How strong is 1♠? How many ♠’s?

pass 1♠ .

S 1♠ pass 2♣ 2♦ What is dbl by opener?

dbl

T 1♣ pass 1♦ 1♠ What is dbl by opener?

dbl

U 1♥ pass 2♣ pass What is 3♠ by opener?

3♠

V 1♣ pass 1♥ pass How many ♥’s does the 2♥ raise promise?

2♥

W 1♣ pass 1♥ pass What does 3NT mean?

2♥ pass 3NT

Obey the Law Board 5 from Friday 13^th

Simply put, compete to the total number of trumps: -

Dealer: ♠ 9 West North East South

North ♥ AQ973 - 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ (1)

N-S vul ♦ K985 2♠ (2) pass pass 3♥ (3)

♣ Q32 pass (4) pass 3♠ (5) all pass

♠ Q1082 N ♠ A7654

♥ 842 W E ♥ K

♦ A1062 S ♦ J3

♣ 75 ♣ AK984

♠ KJ3

♥ J1065

♦ Q74

♣ J106

(1) This is correct, it shows about 6-9 points and 3 or 4 ♥’s.

(2) This is correct, it shows about 6-9 points and 3 or 4 ♠’s.

(3) This is correct, it shows the same 6-9 points with 4 ♥’s. This is competing according to the Law.

(4) But this is incorrect. With a 4^th ♠ West should compete to 3♠.

(5) Luckily for West, East decided to bid on with his shapely hand.

And what happened? 3♠ made +2 but it was not a top as somebody else made +1 but were doubled. Two pairs bid to 4♠ going one and two down

The bottom lines: -

- Obey the Law.

Upgrade hands with a good suit Board 12 from Monday 9^th

Upgrade hands with good 5 or 6 card suits.

Dealer: ♠ A3 Table A

West ♥ K6 West North(D) East South

N-S vul ♦ J874 1♦ dbl (1) 2♥ (2) 2♠

♣ AKQ109 pass 3♣ (3) pass pass (4)

pass

♠ Q986 N ♠ 4

♥ A2 W E ♥ QJ8743 Table B

♦ AQ652 S ♦ 1093 West North(D) East South(B)

♣ 72 ♣ J83 1♦ 1NT (1) pass (5) 2♥ (6)

♠ KJ10752 pass 2♠ pass 4♠

♥ 1095 all pass

♦ K

♣ 654

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this North hand D(b) in this week’s quiz? It’s on the upper limit for a simple 2♣ overcall and double followed by a ♣ bid is reasonable; but I prefer my partner’s bid at Table B.

(2) This is a weak bid after a double.

(3) I prefer 2NT.

(4) South has already shown values with his free bid and it’s not clear what to do now. Had North bid 2NT at (3) he has an easy 4♠ bid.

Table B: (1) My partner got this right in my opinion. 1NT here is 15-18 with a stop, and if you do not show the stop and general fairly balanced shape now you may miss 3NT. Double followed by a No Trump bid is equally good.

(5) I would bid 2♥ (or 3♥), both are weak after a 1NT overcall.

(6) What did you bid with this South hand B in this week’s quiz? Opposite partner’s 1NT overcall South has it easy. Transfer and then bid game. This ♠ suit is great and the hand is well worth game opposite a 1NT overcall.

And what happened? 4♠ was bid and made at just two tables, with another bidding and making 3NT. The other four N-S’s played in partscores or allowed East to play peacefully in 3♥ (minus 2).

The bottom lines: -

- A 1NT overcall is a very descriptive bid – make it rather than double if you have a stop in the suit bid.

- It’s best to play that Stayman and transfers are still on over partner’s 1NT overcall.

- NoTrump scores more than ♣’s.

________________________________

We have an Irish member named Dick

who for partners can take his pick.

For he never fails to bid game

and his play is the same.

He makes his contract on the very last trick.

Support Partner Board 2 from Monday 9^th

A 5-3 major suit fit is not always better than No Trump, but it usually is if the 3 card trump hand has shortage elsewhere.

Dealer: ♠ J1052 Table A

East ♥ 107 West North East(A) South

N-S vul ♦ K42 - - 1♦ 1♠

♣ 9652 2♥ (1) pass 3♣ (2) pass

3NT (3) pass pass (4) pass

♠ A84 N ♠ 3

♥ AJ832 W E ♥ K94 Table B

♦ 76 S ♦ AQ1095 West North East(A) South

♣ Q107 ♣ KJ43 - - 1♦ 1♠

♠ KQ976 2♥ (1) pass 4♥ (2) all pass

♥ Q65

♦ J83

♣ A8

Table A: (1) This is forcing and guarantees 5 ♥’s. With just 4 ♥’s West would negative double.

(2) What did you bid with this East hand A in this week’s quiz? Bidding out your shape is often a good idea, but not when you already know of a 5-3 ♥ fit.

(3) With a ♠ stop this must be best.

(4) And East failed to support partner again.

Table B: (2) Most East’s got it right and reached the easy ♥ game.

And what happened? Two pairs out of seven bid 3NT and went down. Most of the rest were in 4♥ making 10 or 11 tricks.

The bottom lines: -

- A 2♥ response to partner’s opening (after an overcall or 1♠ opening) promises 5+ ♥’s.

- Go for the 5-3 fit if you have a singleton in the three trump hand – ruffs in the short trump hand are extra tricks.

Don’t double ♠’s holding 5+ ♥’s Board 32 from Monday 9^th

If RHO opens any number of ♠’s and you have a 5+ card ♥ suit, then bid it rather than double. Who would you blame for the disaster at table A?

Dealer: ♠ - Table A

West ♥ AKQJ1075 West North(C) East South

E-W vul ♦ KQ83 3♠ (1) dbl (2) pass (3) pass (4)

♣ A3 pass

♠ KJ8732 N ♠ A964 Table B

♥ 6 W E ♥ 8 West North(C) East South

♦ 62 S ♦ AJ4 2♠ (1) 4♥ (5) 4♠ 5♥

♣ KQ54 ♣ J9862 all pass

♠ Q105

♥ 9432

♦ 10975

♣ 107

Table A: (1) I believe that this pair were playing strong twos, hence the 3-level opening.

(2) What did you bid with this North hand C in this week’s quiz? I don’t really see the point of doubling. With a ♥ suit – bid it. I would simply bid 4♥. If you really want to look for slam I suggest not to double (partner may pass) but try 4♠.

(3) I would raise to 4♠ to make it difficult for South.

(4) But it looks like South found it difficult anyway.

Table B: (1) Most West’s opened 2♠

(5) And most North’s found 4♥.

And what happened? Results were all over the place with N-S playing in any number of ♥’s from one(!) to seven(!!). 3♠ doubled made for the E-W top. 5♥ was bid 3 times and scored exactly average when it went one down.

The bottom lines: -

- A double of any opening bid (up to 4♠) is generally played for take-out.

- However, partner is always allowed to convert it into penalties, and the higher the opening bid, the more likely he is to do so, especially at favourable vulnerability.

- So if you cannot stand to defend and have an extremely offensive hand (like this North) then do not double.

- Having said that, do not pass a double of 3♠ when you have 4 ♥’s.

- So to answer the question (who’s to blame) – both.

Be wary when the opponents play negative doubles Board 9 from Wednesday 11^th

If RHO opens, you overcall and LHO passes; be wary – LHO may have a penalty hand sitting over you. Contrary to popular belief, you do not often miss penalties when playing negative doubles; in fact you frequently clobber them one higher.

Dealer: ♠ 2

North ♥ AQJ42 West North(F) East South

E-W vul ♦ J743 - pass (1) pass pass

♣ K103 1♠ 2♥ pass (2) pass

2♠ (3) 3♦ (4) dbl (5) 3♥ (6)

♠ AKJ9643 N ♠ 85 pass pass dbl (7)

♥ 8 W E ♥ K1065

♦ K10 S ♦ Q65

♣ Q42 ♣ AJ76

♠ Q107

♥ 973

♦ A982

♣ 985

(1) I would open 1♥.

(2) East has a game invitational hand (2NT) but decided to take the money with a “penalty pass”.

(3) This is one of those rare hands where you should not re-open with a double. This hand has great offence and little defence to 2♥ doubled. Since North is a passed hand (and thus has limited values) West knows that partner is probably sitting with decent values and a ♥ stack and I would not argue with a 3♠ bid.

(4) What did you bid with this North hand F in this week’s quiz? North should be able to work it out. His partner is silent and opener has shown a weakish hand with little defence to ♥’s. So where are the ♥’s and the “missing” points. The answer has to be - with East. North should pass.

(5) And East carried through with his plan of taking the penalty.

(6) South should pass – a 4-4 fit plays better than a 5-3 fit.

(7) And East is very happy to defend a ♥ contract one level higher

And what happened? 4♥ doubled went for 500 and a good score to E-W. Just one pair bid and made 4♠ for 620. The rest were in ♠ partscores. Whether E-W would have reached the game had North passed at (3) we will never know, but I suspect that East would have passed as partner’s 2♠ bid was not strength showing.

The bottom lines: -

- Be wary of bidding again in this sort of situation when the opponents are playing negative doubles.

- You should say to yourself “where are the ♥’s” and “where are the points”. If you think about it the answer, with LHO, will occur to you.

The take-out double Board 8 from Wednesday 11^th

N-S got too high on a 4-3 fit on this board, with North’s gross overbidding being nearly matched by South’s underbidding.

Dealer: ♠ 9543

West ♥ Q42 West North(G) East South(H)

Love all ♦ AKQ97 1♦ (1) dbl (2) pass 1♥ (3)

♣ K pass 1♠ (4) pass 2♠ (5)

pass 4♠ (6) all pass

♠ A2 N ♠ 10876

♥ K83 W E ♥ 973

♦ J1064 S ♦ 83

♣ AJ93 ♣ Q1084

♠ KQJ

♥ AJ106

♦ 52

♣ 7652

(1) I would open 1♣. I always open 1♣ when 33 or 44 in the minors.

(2) What did you bid with this North hand G in this week’s quiz? If the opening bid had been 1♣ then dbl would be reasonable but over 1♦ a take-out double is preposterous. Pass is the only sensible bid unless you want to try a somewhat off-beat 1NT overcall.

(3) What did you bid with this South hand H in this week’s quiz? A non-jump like this shows about 0-8 points. The correct bid is obviously 2♥.

(4) This shows a hand too good to overcall 1♠ (so 18+ points) and obviously a very good 5+ card suit!!

(5) I would be looking for slam, but presumably South knows that his partner bids like this? If so then his doubles really need to be alerted as “an opening hand with any shape” and the 1♠ rebid need to be alerted as “could be as poor as ♠xxxx”.

(6) Confirming that he has about 18+ points and a great ♠ suit.

And what happened? 4♠ was actually reached at two tables. One went two down and the defence got it all wrong at the other when 4♠ actually made. 1♠ made exactly at one table and there were a couple of sensible results.

The bottom lines: -

- Do not double “to show an opening hand”.

- A take-out double should be short in the suit bid and playable in the other three suits.

- A non-jump response to a take-out double is 0-8 points.

- Double and bid again shows a bid hand (too strong to overcall) and a very good 5+ card suit.

- ♠9543 is not a very good 5+ card suit.

- It’s usually best to pass with length and strength in RHO’s opened suit unless you are strong enough for 1NT.

- We really should not be getting sequences like this from a well established pair.

- If you partnership agreements are way outside the norm and you think that everything that I write in the news-sheets is twaddle, then you should pre-alert the opponents and alert all doubles and subsequent bids which are non-standard.

A new suit opposite partner’ pre-empt is forcing Board 24 from Wednesday 11^th

This is an interesting deal in both the bidding and the play: -

Dealer: ♠ QJ10942 Table A

West ♥ 5 West(L) North East(J) South

Love all ♦ K3 3♦ (1) pass 4♠ (2) pass

♣ 9864 pass pass (3)

♠ - N ♠ AK7653 Table B

♥ K102 W E ♥ AQ874 West(L) North East(J) South

♦ AQJ10876 S ♦ 2 3♦ (1) pass 3♠ (2) pass

♣ 1052 ♣ A 4♦ (4) pass 4♥ (5) all pass

♠ 8

♥ J963

♦ 954

♣ KQJ73

Table A: (1) What did you open with this West hand L in this week’s quiz? I think that this hand is a bit good for a 3♦ opening, especially as it will play very well if partner has ♥’s. It conforms with the rule of 20 with three 10’s to spare and I would certainly open 1♦, but I guess it’s a matter of style?

(2) What did you bid with this East hand J in this week’s quiz? This East simply took an unnecessary (wrong) guess.

(3) North obviously passes – E-W may have a better spot.

Table B: (2) This East got it right. 3♠ is forcing and this allows the partnership to find a possible ♥ fit.

(4) Some players would bid 4♥, showing a feature, but I think that you should only do that with tolerance for partner’s suit.

(5) And East has room to mention his 2^nd suit.

And what happened? Results were all over the place. 7NT (-5) and 6♥(-3) meant that East at table A scored an undeserved average when he went just two down.

But the other interesting point about this hand is the play, assuming that you land in a sensible contract of 4♥.

I’m not sure about the play in the ♥ suit, but it looks best to cash the ♥A and then finesse ♥10. This is a safety play and ensures an entry to West’s ♦’s unless North started with ♥Jxx. When the ♥10 wins you then have to tackle the ♦ suit. How do you play ♦x opposite ♦AQJ10xxx? One player finessed – that is a poor option that only works with ♦Kx onside. You should play to the ♦A and then play the ♦Q – a ruffing finesse. This line makes 12 tricks, losing only one ♥ trick

The bottom lines: -

- A new suit opposite partner’s pre-empt is forcing.

- Be aware of the ruffing finesse.

An unnecessary jump is a splinter Board 23 from Friday 13^th

Dealer: ♠ 87 Table A

South ♥ J West North East South

Both vul ♦ A543 - - - 1♥

♣ AJ10732 pass (1) 2♣ pass 3♠ (2)

pass (3) 3NT (4) pass 4NT (5)

♠ AQJ1063 N ♠ K952 pass pass (6) pass

♥ 64 W E ♥ K53

♦ 972 S ♦ KQJ86 Table B

♣ 96 ♣ 4 West North East South

♠ 4 - - - 1♥

♥ AQ109872 1♠ (1) 2♣ 2♠ 4♥ (7)

♦ 10 4♠ pass pass 5♣ (8)

♣ KQ85 pass pass (9) pass

Table A: (1) I would overcall 1♠ or 2♠, but then this table would not have been so interesting.

(2) A splinter agreeing ♣’s

(3) West could double, but then this table would not have been so interesting.

(4) North thought that the 3♠ bid was natural.

(5) Meant as Blackwood (with ♣’s agreed). But after a natural 3NT then 4NT is always a quantitative raise.

(6) And with a minimum North passed.

Table B: (1) This West decided to overcall 1♠, fine.

(7) North’s 2♣ bid has improved South’s hand and with a self-sufficient ♥ suit he bid game.

(8) South is not giving in, and gave partner the option of a ♣ or ♥ game.

(9) With the ♥J being a good card North could have opted for the higher scoring 5♥, but understandably chose the ♣ game.

And what happened? 5♣ made +1 for an exact average. 4NT was two down and one pair found 5♥ for the top as nobody bid 6♣ (but South at table A did try).

The bottom lines: -

- An unnecessary jump (one above the forcing bid) is a splinter agreeing partner’s last bid suit and looking for slam.

- A bid of 4NT when partner has bid a natural 3NT is never ace asking, it is a natural raise.

Don’t lead what declarer leads Board 16 from Friday 13^th

Dealer: ♠ 62

West ♥ Q103 West North East South

E-W vul ♦ A82 pass 1NT (1) pass 3NT

♣ KQJ75 all pass

♠ A10854 N ♠ K97

♥ A976 W E ♥ J854

♦ 96 S ♦ J753

♣ 102 ♣ 86 (1) playing a weak No Trump

♠ QJ3

♥ K2

♦ KQ104

♣ A943

There’s nothing to the bidding (except that this hand was a good one for the weak no trump as the defenders did not know about north’s great ♣ suit).

Anyway, this time it’s about the play. East led the fairly clear ♥4 which was ducked in dummy. West very reasonably played the ♥9 and declarer won with the ♥10. Declarer now has 9/10 tricks (1 ♥, 5 ♣’s and 3/4 ♦’s) but it’s pairs and 10 tricks would be nice without having to guess the ♦’s. Declarer figured that it was unlikely that a defender would lead a ♠ with the ♠QJx showing in dummy so he played the ♥3 to the ♥K and West won with his ♥A.

What should West do now? Unless North is a very poor player (he was me, so I guess that that’s debateable) he had a good reason for leading the ♥ and so West should switch to a ♠ or ♣ (the ♠ switch holds declarer to 10 tricks). Anyway, West continued with a ♥ and declarer won his 11 tricks (2 ♥’s, 5♣’s and 4♦’s) when both defenders threw a ♦ on the run of the ♣’s.

And what happened at other tables? Everybody was in 3NT. One other declarer made 11 tricks, one made 10 and two just 9.

The bottom lines: -

- Declarer usually knows what is what, so it’s best not to play on a suit that declarer has himself played, even if it was partner’s initial lead.

Open a hand with a 6-card major Board 7 from Friday 13^th

Dealer: ♠ 953 Table A

South ♥ 542 West(M) North East South

Both vul ♦ J842 - - - pass

♣ Q76 pass (1) pass 1♥ 2♣

2♠ pass 4♥ (2) all pass

♠ QJ10642 N ♠ K8

♥ - W E ♥ AJ109632

♦ KQ107 S ♦ A3 Table B

♣ 982 ♣ K3 West(M) North East South

♠ A7 - - - pass

♥ Q87 2♠ (1) pass 3♥ (3) pass

♦ 965 3♠ (4) pass 4♠ (5) all pass

♣ AJ1054

Table A: (1) What did you open with this West hand M in this week’s quiz? I have no idea why West elected to pass, looks like a classic 2♠ opener to me with 3♠ being the only reasonable alternative.

(2) East has a self-sufficient ♥ suit and no idea that partner has 6 ♠’s.

Table B: (1) This West decided to open 2♠, fine.

(3) Forcing

(4) I don’t like ♥’s

(5) No problem.

And what happened? 4♥ was bid at three out of the five tables; one made because of a defensive error and the other two went one down. 4♠ made once and 5♠ went one down.

The bottom lines: -

- With a good 6 card major and 8 points, open with a weak two.

A raise by opener only guarantees 3 cards Board 12 from Friday 13^th

Dealer: ♠ Q876

West ♥ QJ6 West(E) North East(K) South

N-S vul ♦ Q65 1♣ pass 1♥ pass

♣ AJ8 2♥ (1) pass 4♥ (2) all pass

♠ 54 N ♠ AJ102

♥ AK5 W E ♥ 10872

♦ KJ32 S ♦ A74

♣ Q1092 ♣ K5

♠ K93

♥ 943

♦ 1098

♣ 7643

(1) What did you bid with this West hand E in this week’s quiz? 2♥ certainly would be my choice and is far better than 1NT with these great trumps and a weak doubleton in an unbid suit.

(2) What did you bid with this East hand K in this week’s quiz? 3NT is the bid, showing cover in the unbid suits and offering 3NT as an alternative if partner has just three trumps.

And what happened? 4♥ went one down for a poor score. Deep finesse says that 4♥ makes, but that is double-dummy with trumps splitting 3-3 and 3NT is certainly the contract that you want to be in.

The bottom lines: -

- Sequence V, 1♣ - 1♥ - 2♥ usually shows 4 ♥’s but it can be three with a very weak suit somewhere.

- Sequence W, 1♣ - 1♥ - 2♥ - 3NT offers partner the alternative of 3NT if he has just 3 trumps.

Don’t automatically “cover an honour with an honour” Board 4 from Friday 13^th

Dealer: ♠ 74 West North East South

West ♥ 87 pass pass 1♠ pass

both vul ♦ AK5 2♠ pass 3♥ (1) pass

♣ 976432 4♣ pass 4♠

♠ 9853 N ♠ AKJ106

♥ A964 W E ♥ KJ102

♦ 9742 S ♦ Q

♣ A ♣ K105

♠ Q2

♥ Q53

♦ J10863

♣ QJ8

There’s nothing much to the bidding (just one table stopped in 2♠). 3♥ at (1) is a help suit game try but it can also be natural in case partner has 4 ♥’s and only 3 ♠’s.

Onto the play. South led the ♦J and declarer ruffed the 2^nd round. He cashed the ♠A and ♠K (eight ever nine never) and then had to decide what to do in hearts. You should finesse but it’s a guess which way. But you can improve on that. East led the ♥J and if it was not covered he would play the ace and finesse north for the ♥Q. But South covered with the ♥Q! That’s the extra chance you get by playing the ♥J. Since East has bid the ♥ suit (well, shown at least 3 cards in it with the help-suit game try) South should put him to the guess by playing low smoothly.

And what happened? Two declarers made +2. The bottom lines: -

- Only cover an honour with an honour if it is likely to promote a card for the defence.

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answers

N 2♥ 2♠ dbl The double is penalties. Negative doubles do not apply when partner has pre-empted.

P 1♦ dbl A take-out double is short in the suit bid unless very strong. It most certainly should not be mis-used to “show an opening hand”

Q 1♦ dbl pass 1♥ 1♥ is about 0-8 points.

R 1♦ dbl pass 1♥ 1♠ having doubled is very strong. 17+ or excellent shape and a

pass 1♠ . very good 5+ card ♠ suit.

S 1♠ pass 2♣ 2♦ dbl by opener here is penalties, showing 4+ ♦’s.

dbl

T 1♣ pass 1♦ 1♠ dbl by opener here is best played like a negative double, showing

dbl 4 ♥’s (partner has not denied a ♥ suit).

U 1♥ pass 2♣ pass 3♠ is a splinter agreeing ♣’s and looking for slam. 2♠ would

3♠ have been a natural forcing reverse and so 3♠ is a splinter.

V 1♣ pass 1♥ pass The 2♥ raise only guarantees 3 ♥’s. Hand E is a classic example.

2♥

W 1♣ pass 1♥ pass 3NT means that responder has exactly 4 ♥’s and game values

2♥ pass 3NT with cover in all unbid suits. Partner may have only 3 ♥’s.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 3♥ (or 4♥ if you are not sure that partner will take 3♥ as forcing). A game forcing 3♣ (and support ♥’s later) is reasonable I suppose but I can’t see the point. Another reasonable possibility is a 3♠ splinter but partner may expect 4 ♥’s. Bidding 3♣ and then passing partner’s 3NT is terrible.

Hand B: 2♥, a transfer, with the intention of bidding 4♠ next go. The ♦K should be a good card opposite a NoTrump bid and with these great ♠’s the hand is worth game opposite 15-18.

Hand C: 4♥. I cannot see the point of double as it will be difficult to bid slam after the pre-emptive opening, and on a bad day partner will convert a double into penalties.

Hand D: (a) 1♣, with a view to rebidding 2NT. With this great ♣ suit the hand is too strong for a 15-17 1NT opening.

(b) 1NT (15-18), or double followed by a NT bid. This hand is too good for a simple 2♣. Dbl followed by a ♣ bid is reasonable but I prefer to show the ♦ “stop” and try for NoTrump. It’s on the upper end of a 1NT overcall but I think that’s the best bid.

Hand E: 2♥. With a weak doubleton and excellent ♥’s this is a much better bid than 1NT. If you don’t believe me then borrow the book “52 great bridge tips” by David Bird. It’s in the library and Dave also has it.

Hand F: Pass. The opponents are playing negative doubles and LHO clearly has the ♥’s sitting over you and was happy to defend 2♥ doubled. Bidding again in this situation when the opponents play negative doubles is very dangerous.

Hand G: Pass. With an offbeat 1NT the only other reasonable option. Double is a really terrible bid with length/strength in the ♦ suit.

Hand H: 2♥. This shows about 9-11 points and 4 ♥’s, perfect. 1♥ shows 0-8 and is a gross underbid of course.

Hand J: 3♠, forcing; and bid 4♥ next go.

Hand K: 3NT. Partner may have just 3 ♥’s and with values outside ♥’s 3NT may be a better spot. Partner should always convert to 4♥ when he has 4 trumps.

Hand L: 1♦. I think that it’s much too good for a pre-emptive 3♦. It is 20 for the rule of 20 with three 10’s to spare.

Hand M: 2♠, it’s a classic weak 2♠. 3♠ is an alternative and is what I would bid if playing strong twos. Playing Muiderberg it’s best to open 2♦ (weak with a six card major) rather than 2♠ (5 ♠’s and a minor).

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answers are on the previous page.