1. Matchpoints, NS vulnerable
Action |
Score |
Votes |
% Solvers |
3H |
100 |
3 | 10 |
4H |
90 |
1 | 12 |
2S |
80 |
5 | 56 |
3D |
60 |
1 | 10 |
3C | 30 | 0 | 8 |
West | North | East | South |
1C | |||
Pass | 1D | 1S | ??? |
What is your call as South holding ♠A4 ♥Void ♦AKQ3 ♣QJ97652 ?
In the first problem, we have to choose the best rebid for a freakish 2-0-4-6 hand with incredible AKQx support for partner’s diamond response. Surprisingly, no one has bid hearts yet.
The majority thought that showing the heart shortness was the best description. Since our 2H bid would now be a forcing reverse, 3H should show shortness with 4-card diamond support. (I agree with this choice.):
HINCKLEY: 3H. 3H is a splinter and 4H Exclusion Blackwood. 2S also a good choice. Would partner think 4NT showed diamonds and long clubs?
WALKER: 3H. Splinter raise of diamonds (4H should be Exclusion Blackwood). I'm wondering where all the hearts are on this deal.
The second most popular choice was cuebidding 2S, expressing the hand strength and implying diamond support:
BAKER: 2S. Don't you just hate it when partner steals your reverse? 3H as a splinter is one option, but I'd rather force while leaving partner room to tell me something useful.
SENG: 2S. How can you do less than cuebid with a 3-loser hand and that kind of diamond support? A possibly bigger problem may come on the next round.
HEINS: 2S. I’d like to splinter in hearts, but the lack of a club control stops me. It's too easy to be down in a slam with a spade lead.
KESSLER: 2S. Not perfect -- could lead to lots of spades by opponents -- but there's no good bid. 3C is just too much of an underbid.
Another action was chosen by one panelist:
STACK: 3D. Showing 4 trumps and extra values.
2. Matchpoints, both vulnerable
Action |
Score |
Votes |
% Solvers |
DBL |
100 |
7 | 76 |
Pass |
80 |
1 | 6 |
2H |
50 |
1 | 12 |
2NT |
50 |
1 | 6 |
West | North | East | South |
Pass | Pass | 1H | DBL |
2D | Pass | Pass | ??? |
What is your call as South holding ♠QJ97 ♥AQJ2 ♦A ♣KQ102 ?
The second problem we have a very nice hand, and have made an off-shape takeout double on the first round. The opponents have bid our short suit next, giving us an unusual problem now. A second takeout double might work well, but our first takeout double implied some diamond length so partner may interpret this as a penalty double. The majority went with the double (I reluctantly agree), hoping that partner would take it out, while realizing partner might pass:
RABIDEAU: Double. It's true that partner may convert to penalty, thinking that I have more than a singleton diamond. But 1) That's somewhat rare; 2) It might be our best spot; and 3) I have compensating values.
SENG: Double. I’d rather not guess which suit to bid. I may eat this if part leaves it in or maybe +200 is good. Hope for preference bid. Second choice is to cuebid diamonds, but that forces us to the 3-level.
STACK: Double. Again takeout, but thrilled if partner passes.
One panelist was not surprised by the majority vote for double:
HINCKLEY: Double. In Problem 2 of June 2015, 8 of 14 panelists chose double holding QJ97 KQ52 AQJ4 A in the same auction except 1D and 2C were the suits bid.
Two panelists refused to make a “penalty” double with a singleton, but offered different ways to solve that problem:
BAKER: 2H. Double should be penalty-oriented on this auction, as I've supposedly showed diamonds with the first double. That leaves the cuebid. I don't think 2NT is wise, as partner's likely to have garbage and I'll be endplayed repeatedly.
WALKER: Pass. It's penalty if you double a bid of a suit you've previously shown with a takeout double. I may have enough outside to penalize 2D, but West will have a very good suit at this vulnerability. With partner having a Yarborough and me being endplayed at every turn, -90 is likely, which beats the -100 or -200 I’m expecting if I bid.
3. Matchpoints, NS vulnerable
Action |
Score |
Votes |
% Solvers |
3C |
100 |
4 | 14 |
RDBL |
80 |
4 | 74 |
2NT |
60 |
2 | 10 |
West | North | East | South |
2C | |||
DBL * | Pass | Pass | ??? |
* Clubs
What is your call as South holding
♠AKJ6
♥KJ52 ♦AKQ
♣Q7 ? Problem 3 we
have another big hand with another big problem. The opponents have doubled our
2C opening to show biddable clubs, and we have the doubleton queen with 23
high-card points. The majority choice is to cuebid 3C to solve the problem:
WALKER: 3C. I think redouble is "business"
here. Or maybe partner will assume it shows a balanced hand? If so, does it
suggest or deny a club stopper? With all these questions, I'm not willing to
pressure partner into figuring out how I answered them, so I'll go with the bid
that seems least ambiguous.
HINCKLEY: 3C. Very tempted to redouble because
in BWS2017, after an overcall, a re-opening double shows a balanced hand, but
there's no official agreement after a double of 2C.
RABIDEAU: 3C. I assume a redouble would be
penalty-orientated and promise (much) better clubs.
BAKER: 3C. No suit to bid, and the stopper's
iffy for notrump. Logically, this should be takeout, as if I have clubs, 2C
redoubled would be a monster score.
The second most popular choice was to redouble,
in the belief that this was not to play:
KESSLER: Redouble. Cannot be to play with
opponents’ double of 2C being penalty.
The answer I liked best was 2NT, which is
descriptive of the point count, and may prevent an opening club lead, while
allowing partner to use Stayman when we have a major fit:
STACK: 2NT. The most descriptive bid, except I
don’t have a sure stopper. 4. IMPs, none vulnerable
Action
Score
Votes
%
Solvers
100
70
60
50 What is your call as South holding
♠KQ6
♥K10854 ♦Q54
♣J7 ?
Problem 4 is a more normal hand, but still has
multiple choices for the rebid. The majority liked the straightforward 2NT,
showing an invitational hand with 10-12 high-card points. This seems right to
me: WALKER: 2NT. Too
soft to force to game with a 4th-suit-forcing 2D, and I'm not worried
about missing a heart fit. If partner has three hearts and a game acceptance,
he'll bid 3H on the way to 3NT.
RABIDEAU: 2NT. If partner accepts the
invitation, I expect her to show 3-card heart support along the way.
HINCKLEY: 2NT. 1NT is too conservative red at
imps and a fourth suit 2D is game-forcing.
HEINS: 2NT. I would bid 2C XYZ if that were
available, but this is the value bid. I like the fitting honors in partner's
suit. There was one
panelist going low:
STACK: 1NT. Going low. There was one panelist
going high: KESSLER:
2D. I am forcing to game red at IMPs. 5. IMPs, EW vulnerable
Action
Score
Votes
%
Solvers
100
80
60 What is your call as South holding
♠A987543
♥Void ♦KQ8
♣KJ6 ?
On
Problem 5, we open 1S in fourth seat with a
7-card suit and a heart void. The opponents overcall 2H and partner cuebids 3H,
showing a limit raise for spades. Cuebidding toward a possible slam now is the
majority choice, with 4H the popular choice:
RABIDEAU: 4H. This hand is worth at least one slam try.
STACK: 4H. Going for at
least a small slam.
HEINS: 4H. Seems straightforward. I don’t need much from partner for slam. I
hope that with decent trumps and an ace, he might go.
HINCKLEY: 4H. Too good to bid 4S. I'd choose
3NT as a mild slam invitation, but it doesn't apply if a game force is not yet
established in BWS2017.
Another cuebid toward slam is 4C. This is the bid I like best, leaving room for partner’s 4D
cuebid, which leaves room for our 4H cuebid:
WALKER: 4C. I'm not very hopeful about partner
having perfect cards, but this hand is worth one try. Seems best to show the
cheapest king, which leaves room to show the heart control if partner can bid
4D.
Other panelists were even less hopeful about
finding partner with the perfect cards:
KESSLER: 4S. Certainly could have a slam if
partner has no cards in hearts, but playing for specific cards is a losing
proposition in the long run. SENG: 4S.
Don't like the 1S bid. Would have bid 2S. What would we have done if the 3H bid
had come out of East instead of pard?
6. Matchpoints, none vulnerable
Action
Score
Votes
%
Solvers
100
60
50 What is your call as South holding
♠K9
♥AJ8642
♦10 ♣Q964 ?
The last problem we have a 6-card heart suit,
but also 4-card support for partner’s clubs. The opponents have bid and raised
spades, so we must decide what to do over their 2S bid. This time bidding 3C was
the favorite, and I agree:
SENG: 3C. Since we're vulnerable, I'm glad it’s
matchpoints. STACK:
3C. Hoping for more bidding.
KESSLER: 3C. Not enough to
bid 3H, so go for the plus. It also puts partner in a better situation knowing
that you bid clubs on your own rather than sounding like you are taking a preference.
WALKER: 3C. Feels like enough, as it's probably
only a 4-4 fit and the king may be worthless. 3H is tempting to temporarily
protect the spade king, but it's a big gamble. Assuming we're playing support
doubles, partner has at best a doubleton heart, and if it doesn't have an honor,
3C may play better anyway.
HINCKLEY: 3C. I'm tempted to make the "terrible
matchpoint bid" of 3H, hoping partner doesn't hold a small heart singleton, to
protect the spade king and perhaps toss an early spade loser on partner's
diamonds.
And the final comment for
this set of problems:
RABIDEAU: 3H. The suit's rather sickly, but I like the idea of West being
on lead -- and I have a place to run if doubled ("into the fire"?).
♠
December scores
♠
New problems for
February Thanks to all
who sent in answers and comments for this challenging set of problems. Leading all Solvers
with 590 were Bruce Sokol of St. Joseph MI and Chris Grande of
Mishawaka IN. Pete Ashbrook of Champaign IL was close behind with 580. All three are invited to join the February panel. If
you'd like to receive an email notice when new problems are posted, please send
your request to kwbridge@comcast.net . I hope you'll give the
February problems a try (see below). Please
submit your solutions by January 31 on the
web form.
February moderator: Kimmel Jones
kimmel.jones@gmail.com 1. Matchpoints, NS
vulnerable What is your call as South holding: 2. Matchpoints, both vulnerable * (Forcing NT) What is
your call as South holding: 3. Matchpoints, both vulnerable What is
your call as South holding: 4. Matchpoints, none vulnerable
What is
your call as South holding: 5. IMPs, none vulnerable
What is
your call as South holding:
6. IMPs, EW vulnerable What is
your call as South holding: Thanks to Jack Spear for Problem 5.
2NTt
8
58
2D
1
26
2S
0
8
1NT
1
6
West
North
East
South
1C
Pass
1H
Pass
1S
Pass
???
4H
5
29
4C
2
12
4S
3
46
4NT
40
0
7
West
North
East
South
Pass
Pass
Pass
1S
2H
3H
Pass
???
3C
9
70
3H
1
20
4C
0
4
2NT
40
0
4
West
North
East
South
1D
Pass
1H
1S
2C
2S
???
Solvers Forum -- February 2018 Problems
West
North
East
South
1S
DBL
RDBL
2C
???
♠AK98753
♥54
♦A1043 ♣Void?
West
North
East
South
1H
Pass
1NT *
Pass
???
♠Q987
♥AKQ106
♦K10 ♣74
?
West
North
East
South
Pass
Pass
2D
Pass
Pass
DBL
Pass
???
♠J764
♥KQ ♦54
♣AJ1062 ?
West
North
East
South
1D
2C
Pass
???
♠Void
♥J10976 ♦AQ63
♣K1065 ?
West
North
East
South
1D
1S
Pass
2S
DBL
RDBL
Pass
Pass
???
♠32
♥K432 ♦AKJ9
♣AK2 ?
West
North
East
South
1D
Pass
1S
Pass
1NT
Pass
3H
Pass
3NT
Pass
???
♠AKQ74
♥AQ1074
♦Q9 ♣4 ?