District 8 Solvers Forum
December - 2010

by Tom Dodd
 

1. Matchpoints, East-West Vulnerable

You, South, hold J10   653   K75   AKQ94

Not too difficult an initial problem. I suspect we'd have seen a bit more support for the minority calls had the scoring conditions been different.

MATHENY: "1NT. It is matchpoints."

SPEAR: "1NT. Only at matchpoints."

PAOLO: "1NT. I would rather that partner bids notrump, but any other call ( pass, 2C or 2D ) I make now doesn't fit my hand."

I have to confess that I've been rebidding 1NT with this sort of hand for years now. Sometimes it works out, other times not. My main concern has always been to not let the opponents in too cheaply. If they do end up buying the contract, perhaps they'll misplay or guess wrong at a critical junction, not believing I could make this call with nothing in either major.

WALKER: "2D. Too much to pass, which leaves a close choice between 1NT and 2D. If notrump is right, partner should declare. If he can't make a 2NT gametry, diamonds is probably the best partscore (I'll be very surprised if partner has only 4 diamonds on this auction)."

KNIEST: "2D. This is an opening lead problem. The problem is I don't want it coming up to me."

NELSON: "2D. Why on earth would I want to bid notrump with two holes in the majors? The lead should come up to partner in a notrump contract."

So 1NT is anti-positional; nobody can argue that. But you're not bidding 3NT here. How else can we both keep the bidding low and still hope to dissuade the opponents from jumping in at some point? It's been my experience that a 2-of-a-minor rebid here practically screams "BALANCE" to any opponents who pay attention at the table.

RABIDEAU: "1NT. If the opponents would promise to pass 1D, I would, too. But we all know how uncooperative they are."

FEILER: "1NT. I'm surprised that no one has chirped in with a major suit. Since it doesn't seem like there are any long major suits lying around, I may as well bid 1NT."

If we do choose to rebid in a minor, I actually like this a little better since it might be a bit more likely that a balancing East would float the hand for fear of a misfit.

MERRITT: "2C. If partner isn't bidding a major, I bet that trying to hog 1NT just isn't right. I have really come around on bidding the minors in my time here in Africa."

Whereas, in my instance, I've probably become more of a hand hog since moving to the East Coast. Guess it goes with the territory.

2. Matchpoints, East-West Vulnerable

	West		North		East		South
	--		1D		Pass		1S
	Pass		2D		Pass		3C
	Pass		3D		Pass		?

You, South, hold K6543   K   AJ   Q10963

I really thought of this problem as an exercise in trick counting. Partner has advertised a minimum with long and strong diamonds -- I hope to see 7 of them when dummy hits the table, but could live with 6 in a pinch. At IMPs, this call would be even easier.

SPEAR: "3NT. Same at IMPs."

PAOLO: "3NT. Partner should have some heart values, so I choose our most prolific matchpoints game."

I choose 3NT because it is likely to be our only good shot at game. Does anyone really relish North's anguish at trying to make 11 tricks in diamonds opposite this dummy? The 3H bidders are hoping their call has the meaning they intend, but given the disparity of the comments, this may be another hand best discussed outside the hearing range of sensitive ears.

WALKER: "3H. One last attempt to find a heart stopper and drag partner kicking and screaming into a notrump rebid."

MATHENY: "3H. Asking for HALF a heart stopper."

FEILER: "3H. I can't have a heart suit so this must be looking for some kind of a stopper."

I would love to be a fly on the wall at the postmortem after these auctions. Or these: 

STRITE: "4D. I've got awesome diamond support on this auction. It's the rest of my hand I'm worried about."

MERRITT: "4D. I get the message that partner has diamonds, but I am not giving up on this hand. Following my theme from problem 1, I am not going to try steal 3NT."

And for the Super Minority, from a man whose motto must be "Plus Score or Bust":   

KNIEST: "Pass. Best guess."
 

Action	Score	Panel	Solvers
2C	100	6	42
DBL	90	2	36
Pass	80	5	20
3C	60	1	2

3. Matchpoints, North-South Vulnerable

	West		North		East		South
	1D		Pass		1H		?

You, South, hold J642   5   KJ   AJ10943

What's your call?

SPEAR: "2C. Not enough value to double with such weak spades. Passing is not under consideration at matchpoints." BRIDGE BARON: "2C. Six clubs and a very good suit means an overcall for Bridge Baron, rather than a takeout double. For this solvers forum, we set Bridge Baron to Very Aggressive overcalling, but it would make this overcall even if set to Very Conservative."

Maybe that's because Bridge Baron doesn't have to play the hand at 2C doubled?

WALKER: "2C. A takeout double will forever hide the club suit, which is this hand's only asset. I don't think we're going to buy the contract, so let's at least get partner off to the right lead."

I would be amazed if we either bought the hand or weren't on lead ourselves. At the table, I might give thought to bidding here against weak, passive opponents who are unlikely to double. Against strong opponents, bidding with this hand accomplishes almost nothing. It takes away limited bidding space, therefore presenting East-West only with an additional option, which at unfavorable vulnerability can be quite costly-

STRITE: "Double. Opposite a passed partner, doubling light to pre-balance is fine."

FEILER: "Pass. At this vulnerability, I don't think it pays to bid. Clubs is probably not even a lead director since they're likely headed for hearts, and if LHO were to double, it would be time to dial 911."

MATHENY: "Pass. The vulnerability and poorly placed diamonds convince me to pass and then balance (if possible)."

Action	Score	Panel	Solvers
2D	100	7	28
RDBL	90	4	58
1NT	80	2	12
Pass	50	1	2

4. Matchpoints, North-South Vulnerable

	West		North		East		South
	--		--		--		Pass
	Pass		1S		DBL		?

You, South, hold 4   Q65   KQJ94   Q542

What's your call?

MERRITT: "Redouble. Huh? Why would I bid anything else?"

STRITE: "Redouble. Pretty classic redouble despite the quacks."

FEILER: "Redouble. I would have opened 2D in first seat, but now I'm glad I didn't. The redouble should show the points pretty well. The little wet dream I'm dreaming is that partner will be able to double hearts."

It's actually very close for me, whether to redouble or follow my editor-in-chief:

WALKER: "1NT. This technically (and barely) qualifies for a redouble, but 1NT seems a better description with these soft values, especially opposite a third-seat opener. A redouble can also create rebid problems. If you redouble, what do you do after 2H-Pass-Pass to you?"

That comment convinced me more than anything to call 1NT. A little heavy on values (BWS doesn't specify a range for 1NT here), but it saves me an awkward minute or two for the next round of bidding. Maybe it's safe to say nothing is "right" or "wrong" here, though the top score went to the call I like the the least:

BRIDGE BARON: "2D. No support for partner, but ten points and a five-card suit."

The second half of that comment makes me think The Baron didn't see the takeout double. A 2D bid over the double normally shows around 5 to 9 high-card points and at least six diamonds. The other 2D bidders seemed to be aware of this, but were willing to stretch the length and shrink the point-count: 

RABIDEAU: "2D. We're not supposed to have 10 high-card points for this bid, but these are kind of soft and this is not my idea of a redouble, even by a passed hand."

NELSON: "2D. I think it is best to just bid the 2D because that is my hand. The redouble should be used for more quick tricks. Partner knows with my 2D bid I HATE SPADES."

PAOLO: "2D. With helpless queens in the rounded suits, I don't care about redoubling; moreover, if the opponents compete. I would like to have partner lead a diamond."

It would be nice if we could always hold a hand that perfectly suits the intentions of the bidding system. But then Forum editors would have little to talk about!
 

5.  IMPs, Both Vulnerable

	West		North		East		South
	--		--		--		1S
	Pass		2D		Pass		?

You, South, hold AKQJ843   Void   A1043   52

What's your call?

Finally a hand that has a major suit! I was beginning to think I would theme this set of problems, "How to bid when you hold only minors."

There were plenty of minority views on this one. The "Other" in the scoring table covers another seven choices submitted by Solvers. Let's first examine some of the minority opinions from the panel:

MERRITT: "4H. If partner can cuebid 5C after my splinter, I will bid Grand Slam Force (5NT)." STRITE: "4H. Going scientific with Voidwood. This must be Exclusion Blackwood since I'd go slow with a major two-suiter. If I was a heavy dog in the match, shooting 7D is a fair bet to steal a swing."

Might be fun to witness their post-mortem, though considering the possible replies to either approach, they might actually find the right level and suit by accident! I have a sneaking admiration for that last comment, and so did:

FEILER: "5NT. In addition to the fact that 7D might be cold, East will have to find a club lead to beat it."

BRIDGE BARON: "3S. Rebidding a six-card (or, as here, longer) major is a higher priority for Bridge Baron at opener's rebid than supporting partner's minor."

NELSON: "3S. Show the length in the spade suit, as I don't need spades from partner with seven of them. Then of course I will support diamonds after my jump." "

WALKER: "3S and hope to focus partner on club controls later. If he raises to 4S, I'll bid 5H. If he rebids 3NT, I'll try 4D. It's tempting to just blast 5NT (Grand Slam Force for diamonds) and pray for a heart lead, but it's too painful trying to explain that to teammates when it doesn't work."

PAULO: "3D. As we are in a game-forcing auction, I can raise mildly before an Exclusion Blackwood ask." " SPEAR:  "3D. My first thought was to bid 3S, but a grand slam would be easier to reach in diamonds, perhaps with Exclusion Blackwood. All that is needed is KQ of diamonds and ace of clubs. Or pard may have the king of clubs, and 6D from his side may be the only slam that makes."

My initial thought when I saw this hand is that it must have been submitted by someone who had sat in the North chair with something like xx, AQx, QJxxx, KJx and watched in horror as South took over the auction and ended up in a very, very bad spot. Not a reason to go slow, but it is clear that as yet, we are unsure of either how high or where to play this hand. In such cases, it never hurts to set trumps (at least for the time being). Since you hold the boss suit, you can always insist on playing spades anyway.

Before we send you all off to the last problem, I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Here's hoping your stockings are full of everything you want this year- and if not, here's a little tip on helping Santa to understand your desires!

You, South, hold AKQ94   Q86   1092   74

What's your call?

This looks like a seasonal problem around a post-Christmas dinner table where all four players have been guzzling eggnog (the kind with brandy in it!) for several hours. Just as you're getting ready to sink your teeth into West's 1S call (which is the only reason you redoubled in the first place), both North and East are bidding again. You might as well just bid your hand now. The obvious choice is:

FEILER: "2H. I wouldn't have redoubled at my last turn -- either 1S or 2NT would have been better. Now I have no choice but to bid 2H."

MERRITT: "2H. should show a 3-card limit raise in this auction, as I am making a freebid."

PAULO: "2H. My spades look little useful, therefore we can lose four or five tricks -- three in diamonds, and one or two in the rounded suits."

Some panelists tried to fine-tune that message by jumping in hearts:

STRITE: "3H. Messaging a better fit and playing-strength hand than a simple preference."

MATHENY: "3H. In refusing to give me a crack at a penalty double, partner has promised a distributional hand. It's hard to know what the spade suit will be worth, but I feel the hand is worth more than 2H."

BRIDGE BARON: "3H. Shows exactly 3-card support and 10-11 points."

Bridge Baron seems to be playing a different meaning for 2H than the rest of us, but here's another view of the jump to 3H:

WALKER:  "2H. Redouble then 2H is a perfect description of 3-card support and 11-12 playing points. 3H here should be a slam try, not just a stronger invitation than 2H. Any hand that's better than a 2H invitation is a 4H bid."

I love holiday bridge games like this -- everybody bids a lot, drinks a lot and hours later, nobody can ever figure out why we're still playing the first rubber and all the points in both columns are for sets. Happy Holidays all, and we'll see you in June with Greatest Rock Bands #12 through #7. What happened to #13, you ask? Stay tuned . . ..

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