Intended audience: All

Both vul, as south you hold: ♠5 ♥K42 ♦A53 ♣K109842

¹5+ diamonds, 10-14 HCPs

¹Artificial, game forcing

¹Penalties

What do you bid?

Here is an odd situation, but the principles are worth knowing.

Odd??? West has an opening bid, East has enough to force to game, you almost have an opening bid, and partner has entered a game forcing auction at the three level, bidding your six card suit!!!

To top off this insanity West doubles 3♣ for penalties! No you are not dreaming (I think), and you are not a guest star in Alice in Wonderland.

To make some sense of the hand, West is likely closer to 10 than 14 HCPs. Likewise, East has a minimum. After the opponents enter a game forcing auction partner’s bids are either lead directing or possibly looking for a sacrifice.

Another plus of North sticking his nose in the opponents’ auction has happened here - West has forgotten his partnerships agreements.

The best bid is to pass smoothly. If you hem and haw East will figure out something is not quite right and likely pull the double with any close hand. How is East to know that his partner doesn’t have your clubs?

This hand actually occurred in a Compact KO I played in Phoenix. I was sitting north with the full deal being:

I bid 3♣ as a lead director. South pass smoothly, but West foiled our plans by bidding 4♠, and East raised to 6♠. The bad news is that I led the ♣A and they made it. The good news was this was the opponent’s only gain and we won the match easily*.

Lessons to Learn

1. Interference in the opponents’ game forcing auction is either lead directing or suggesting a sacrifice.

1. If the opponents make a bid where you know they probably have had a mix up pass smoothly! If there is no alert do not question them or give away the show with any non-verbal communication.

1. You may take advantage of any expressed or non-verbal signals your opponents make, but do so at your own risk. (Having said that the opponents cannot try to mislead you on purpose. As an example, if you have a two way finesse for the trump queen

Dummy

    K108

West

754

    Declarer

    AJ9

When you lead the J West cannot purposely fumble, and then play small. This is illegal.

1. If the opponent’s double you in a contract you think you can easily make, pass! Do not redouble for penalties unless you don’t mind defending a contract in the suit(s) the opponents have bid.

*Had we lost we would have appealed the result, as we felt we were damaged by the opponent’s incorrect explanations.

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