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Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

Warning:This can cause nightmares for weeks, especially if holding this hand. Please view at your own risk.

 

 

Neither vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠A42 ♥KQJ109 ♦87642 ♣-

 

West     North    East     South

  -        -      2NT       P

3♦      3♠     3NT       P

4♦       P      4♥        ?

 

2NT = 20-21

3♦ = Transfer to hearts

 

What do you bid?

 

 

This beauty occurred yesterday, and was the talk of the day. The first thing you do of course is check the backs of your cards to ensure that you are all playing with the same colour cards! The bidding is, to say the least, surprising.

 

You have an opening bid partner has bid IN FRONT of the 20-21 point hand without the ace in their suit. Obviously West has a zero count. Right? We’ll get to that in a minute.

 

It looks like you can easily make 4♠. Although on reflection partner is void in hearts and you are void in a suit that has not been bid, and is in all likelihood partner’s 2nd suit. 4♠ is iffy so it is best to play it safe and double.

 

After some thought, West surprises you by bidding 5♦. Well this is tough, another easy double one level higher. Would you believe 5♦ is cold! Here is the full deal (hands rotated and spots approximate):

 

♠ 10 9 8 7 6 5 3 

♥ -

♦ -  

♣ 9 8 7 6 3 2

                     

♠ -                           ♠ K Q J

♥ 8 7 6 5 4 3                 ♥ A 2

♦ K Q J 10 9                  ♦ A 5 3     

♣ A 3                         ♣ K Q J 10 5

 

♠ A 4 2

♥ K Q J 10 9

♦ 8 7 6 4 2 

♣ -

 

Partner led a spade and declarer ruffed your ace, pulled four rounds of trump, pitching the 2♥, and played on clubs. All you got was one trump – making six! Even if partner leads a club and gives you a ruff, declarer has 11 tricks.

 

Lessons to Learn

 

There are good therapists and medications to help you get over hands like these.

 

Don’t double contracts with trump stacks unless you know you can beat other possible contracts such as 4NT or five of a minor. Some North’s passed and the opponents wound up in 4♥. The smart South’s passed, beating this one. Others got greedy and doubled, and wound up -550 or -650.

 

 

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Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

Neither vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠A4 ♥A1095 ♦KJ7 ♣AK62

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

P

2NT

P

3♠

P

?

 

 

 

 

2NT = 20-21

3♠ = Shows one or both minors. A 3NT response would show a hand not interested in slam, and four of a minor shows a four card suit.

 

What do you bid?

Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

E-W vul, IMPs, as south you hold: ♠A ♥KQ62 ♦AKQ8732 ♣K

 

West

North

East

South

-

-

-

?

 

 

 

 

 

What do you bid?

Although many experts like to stretch the limits of a one bid I am not one of those. Especially here where I would always take my chances in 3NT.

 

So you open 2♣ and partner bids 2♦, waiting and game forcing. Now what? 3♦ can’t hurt, although it will wrong side 3NT. Still you need to show your hand type in case you have a slam in the offing.

 

When the 2♣ bidder has diamonds as his longest suit, it results almost always in this awkward start. One problem is that you often lose a 4-4 or even 4-5/6 major suit fit when partner raises diamonds. A useful treatment is to play a jump to three of a majors shows exactly 4 cards in the major and 5+ diamonds.

 

Partner now bids 3♠. Now what? Well this shows a five card suit, and probably denies a primary fit for diamonds.

 

Why? It is always better to simplify two club auctions. So holding ♠KJxxx ♥xx ♦xxx ♣Qxx, especially at teams, simply raise to 4♦.

 

You have two choices: 3NT, giving up on slam or 4♦. This latter bid says:

 

‘Diamonds are trump. Cue bid your cheapest A or K.’

 

With some likely wasted high cards in spades, and no sure entry to dummy I would give up on slam at matchpoints and toss a coin at teams. Again the reason is at teams you don’t have to worry about playing in the high scoring contract.

 

At teams your hand is very good IF partner holds the A♥. Bid 4♦. If partner cue bids 4♥ bid slam, hoping he also has either a black suit king, J♥ or short hearts. If partner cue bids the K♠, or the A♣ simply bids 6♦. If partner shows no ace or king sign off in 5♦.

 

Partner held ♠97642 ♥A5 ♦6 ♣Q10743 and the good but very hard to bid slam is reached.

 

 

 

 

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Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

Both vul, matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠A54 ♥A ♦A10542 ♣AK108

 

West

North

East

South

P

P

1♠

?

 

 

 

 

 

What do you bid?

Intended audience: Intermediate and up

 

N-S vul, IMPs, as south you hold: ♠- ♥K ♦AKQ97632 ♣K876. When it get to you everyone has bid a spade.

 

West

North

East

South

1♣

1♥

1♠

?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you bid?

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Subcategories

Bidding Problems

Both vul, IMPs at IMPs scoring you hold as south: ♠A ♥K93 ♦AK106 ♣AK1063

 

 

 

What do you open?

 

 

 

NOTE:Just to let you know my new book, The Right Bid at the Right Time is has been released and is available for purchase.

 

Here is a hand from a recent match between two tops teams in the Canadian Online Teams Championship. Sitting South was a so-called expert. He decided to open 2NT.

 

Yes, this is close to the right point count. Yes, this simplifies the auction. Yes, this is one of the worse bids I have seen from a high caliber player.

 

Yes, that is unfortunately true. Time and time again I see players showing notrump shape with singletons. (Haven’t seen it with a void yet!) This is lazy bidding. First your auction is easier, but inaccurate. Natural bidding will be beat notrump auctions 9 times out of 10. Another reason players do this is that they can all but guarantee they will be declarer. What that has to do with Partnership Bridge, I am not sure.

 

The best bid is 1♣. One bids are up to 21 HCPs. That is what you have. Having said that the only reason I open 1♣ is that your suits are the minors, which are notorious difficult to describe when you have to start at the two level. Better to open 1♣ and make a one round force with 2♦. You can still force to game.

 

This hand is VERY good. Much better than your high card will indicate. Much better than a 2NT opener. Give partner ♠xxxx ♥Qx ♦Qxxxx ♣xx and 6♣ is an excellent contract.

 

Back to what happened at the table? South got his just desserts in my view. The full deal:

 

 

 

♠ Q108764
♥ A65
♦ 53
♣ Q2

♠ KJ932
♥ QJ10
♦ 82
♣ J94

Bridge deal

♠ 5
♥ 8742
♦ QJ974
♣ 875

 

♠ A
♥ K93
♦ AK106
♣ AK1063
 

 

North transferred into 4♠, down one when declarer’s play matched his bidding.

 

 

 

Questions or comments may be sent to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.