District 8 Solvers Forum -- December 2004

by Tom Dodd, Branchburg NJ

1. Matchpoints, both vulnerable                              

West	North	East	South
			2H
DBL	RDBL	3C	???

What is your call as South holding:  74   KJ10983  A3   Q96 ?

For those of you who were wondering where I was last month (and for those who couldn’t care less!), Lori and I have finally escaped Texas for the East Coast. Not that they’ll ever take the Midwesterner out of either of us, but at least here we’re a little closer to home. Besides, those big hats looked retarded on me and the boots kept cutting off the circulation to my toes!

We start off with a no-brainer. Some (myself included) might be inclined to open a one-bid here, but I have no serious quarrel with the vulnerable weak two. And besides, isn’t this more fun than if it had gone 1H-Double-Redouble-2C?  The lone comment for the timid pass:

NELSON: “Pass. This problem was a real problem for me, I wanted to double and to pass. However, think it is best to pass since partner will be taking additional action after the redouble.”

More than likely partner will act, but why not let him know right now that East-West are on the ropes? MATHENY didn’t comment on his 3D bid, and it’s been years since we last played together, so I have no idea what he was thinking. The solvers who chose this bid said they were showing a feature (ace or king).

The majority decided on the simple and obvious penalty double, and why not? You’ll never have a better hand for it, unless you add a fourth club!

FEILER: “Double. Partner's Redouble says he's interested in penalizing opponents. I'm more than happy to cooperate.”

GUTHRIE: “All other bids zero (I agree, but rules are rules. -TD). Partner's redouble says he is interested in penalties. You have a defensive maximum with almost the best possible club holding.”

HINCKLEY: “Double. I expect this to be nearly unanimous, since I have excellent defense and also have been blessed with Q9x of trumps. If East had bid 2S or 3D, then the problem would be more difficult.”

Why? If East had bid a pointed suit, you would pass and then pass again if (when) North doubles. The only way I’d get nervous is if the redouble got passed out and I had to try and scramble 8 tricks opposite something like S-AJ10x  H-x D-QJxxx  C-Axx, with a horrid trump split in the offing. Granted, you’d probably make your contract, but isn’t it much more fun to watch opponents squirming as they go for a BIG number? Miracle of miracles, I even agree here with:

MERRITT: “Double. I have a max and Qxx of trumps. I'll lead a spade, and don't think declarer will have many trips to his hand, if there is a chance to finesse the trump.” Or to do much else. And just think, the North hand I threw out there is the about the worst I can imagine, given my original preempt. North is likely much stronger. My only excuse for bidding here would be a fear of not getting enough to compensate for a slam (opposite something like S-AQxx  H-Q  D-KQJxx C-Axx) and we get 1100 or so instead of a laydown 1430. Oh well, I’ve had zeroes before.

Action	Score	Votes	% Solvers
3D	100	6	20
3H	90	2	8
Pass	80	3	18
2S	70	1	20
DBL	60	1	31

2. IMPs, both vulnerable 

West	North	East	South
1NT *	DBL **	2H ***	???

   * (12-14 pts.)     ** (Penalty) 
*** (Natural, signoff)

What is your call as South holding:  AJ63   5   Q10753   1042 ?  

I don’t much care for the timid 3D call here, but what else is better?

GUTHRIE: “3H. If anybody doubles without prior agreement that this is purely takeout, then he is off his head. Unless this is a Lebensohl context, 3D is too wimpy and unilateral. Assuming that partner is a human being, he has a very good hand. He knows that 3H shows a heart shortage and (usually 4 spades). 3H is not really an overbid. Declarer can usually do at least a trick better when he knows the shape and distribution of opponent's hands.”

Or perhaps:

KNIEST: “2S. It looks like they've landed on their feet, and my call is non-forcing. Let's announce the boss suit possession and let the auction take its course. A pass (especially a slow one) could really strap partner. Playing with my regular partners, I get to double here with shortness, but it's not part of BWS, as far as I know.”

While the cooperative double would work well here, I think it lets the weak notrumpers off the hook too often. You’re going to lose some points in the short run to a pair playing weak NT, but in the long run, it’s been shown that you have to be able to make them pay once in a while to keep an edge.

MERRITT: “Double. I think that double should be for takeout by me. I know that I would play that way with most of my partners. If partner can't figure this out, we may still eke out a one-trick set. Not the wisest IMP strategy, but I'm sticking with my no-score guns. I know that there will be adamant 'this is a penalty doublers', but they are players from the dark ages. :)”

Bridge would be a much easier game if one could announce what his call meant before making it. Here, though, double is for penalty -- dark ages or not. Frankly, I would rather use a double here as cooperative, but you can’t, not in this system. Some play that at the 3-level, a double by South would be “negative,” but not here.

WALKER: “Pass. I suppose it would be handy if double was for takeout, but it's 100-percent penalty here. Partner's distribution is unknown, so there's no guarantee of a fit. At teams, there's no reason to risk guessing the wrong suit and going for a number trying to win a couple of IMPs on a partscore deal. If partner has enough extra values to make a game, he'll bid again and I can come to life.”

But North doesn’t need that many extras to make you a favorite for game, and he might pass a decent hand figuring you for broke and not East. And unless your teammates are playing weak notrumps, you can bet this will be a swing board, and a bad one at that. 3D, while not a strong bid, is at least semi-constructive.

FEILER: “3D. I have to make a noise here to show some values. If the auction continues 3H-Pass-Pass, I'll overbid with 3S.”

We can dream. I’ve a feeling West will be only too happy to pass 3D, having escaped the axe, and North can then make a value judgment, knowing that I have at least a little something.

PAULO: “3D. It should be hard/impossible to set 2H. So after a natural signoff, I make a natural proposal.” While I’m not as pessimistic about our chances of beating 2H, I do feel 3D is the best of a bad lot here.

Action	Score	Votes	% Solvers
4S	100	8	45
5S	80	3	20
4C, 4D	70	1	9
4NT	60	1	14
Other	50	0	12

3. Matchpoints, none vulnerable 

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

What is your call as South holding:  987   Void   AJ108   AK10765 ?

What else can partner have on this hand but a decent 5-6 or so? How do we get him to focus on his spade strength and discount anything he may hold in his longer suit? 

WALKER: “5S. Asking for good trumps. I'm taking partner's 2S as extra values in this auction. I realize that his 5-6 distribution may have prompted him to stretch that somewhat, but I still think this hand is worth a try.”

But how good is “good”?  Even AKJxx is begging for trouble, especially if North has to ruff a few hearts.  Transportation rates to be a big headache unless both the spades and hearts are of fine quality, and even then you’re going to need decent breaks to reel in 12 tricks.

I couldn’t find another reason to bid anything other than 4S here, figuring North should play me for about this sort of hand. With 2-1 in the majors, I’d have probably bid a Hamman 3NT, and with anything less in strength, I wouldn’t have made a 2-over-1 in the first place, not with a void in North’s first bid suit.

MERRITT: “4S. Partner is 6-5 in the majors, and I don't think that he has promised any extra values (I was unclear after consulting BWS). I'll cut him some slack. We have already shown a good hand with our reverse. Partner can still move with a quality hand like S-KQJxx  H-AKxxxx  D-x  C-x, where Blackwood now seems logical.”

Note that even Scottie’s perfect fitter requires good breaks in at least one major (spades) and probably both to make slam.

STRITE: “4S. Pretty obvious. Spades yield more tricks than NT via the ruffs in my hand, and I owe partner a raise. We could still have an odds-on slam if he has only one major-suit loser.”

Most of the other comments for 4S were similar, so let’s move on. I still don’t see why almost half the panel and more than half the Solvers fell in love with this hand when so much of it is worthless.

Action	Score	Votes	% Solvers
5S	100	5	31
5NT	90	3	2
6D	80	2	19
4NT	80	1	8
5C	60	1	10
Pass	50	1	10
6C	50	0	12
5D	50	0	5

4. Matchpoints, both vulnerable

West	North	East	South
--	1C	1S	2D
4S	DBL	Pass	???

What is your call as South holding:  Void   AK   KQJ9854   K743 ?

Predictably, this hand generated plenty of different calls, and even more predictably, I haul out my favorite contest bid (5NT). Like many of these types of problems, the real problem may come next time around, or in the post mortem. Here at least, both 5S and 5NT have some merit, which is more than I can say for:

GUTHRIE: “Pass. Pass seems best in case partner is expressing an opinion with, say, S-KQTx  H-Qxxx  D-xx  C-Axx.”

Pass is just so ... what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh yes: Final! And even with that carefully constructed pile of dung (I’m surprised he didn’t give North a stiff diamond!), you’re still a huge favorite to make 6D on a squeeze of some sort.

Most others had a slam in mind, and the majority chose 5S or 5NT. So which sends the more accurate message? Is 5S stronger than 5NT?

HINCKLEY: “5S. I might bid 5NT (pick a slam) with less, but I have interest in a grand slam. Certainly opener could hold  S-Qxx  H-Jxx  D-Axx  C-AQxx.”

I don’t know how 5S is going to excite North enough to bid a grand with that hand, although it might keep us out of a dangerous 6C contract if North’s clubs aren’t too good.

PAULO: “5S. After this cuebid, partner must cherish his minor-suit values. Opposite as little as  S-xxx  H-Qxxx  D-Ax  C-AQxx, 7D is laydown.”

A sound point, and North can bid 6S with this sort of hand if he’s so inclined. I was almost convinced, but then:

WALKER: “5NT. 5S or 5NT might be interpreted as asking the same thing here (pick a slam), but the cuebid (5S) sounds more like a grand-slam try specifically for clubs. 5NT sends more of a primary-diamonds/secondary-clubs message.”

How about an even slower approach, perhaps one that will give us more room to look for a grand if it’s there?

HUDSON: “4NT. I won't sit for 4S doubled. Instead I'll raise partner's 5-of-a-minor bid to six and hope for the best. (Maybe I should insist on diamonds, but I am unhappy to be missing the ten.)”

Now if you had said you’d bid 5S over a 5C or 5D reply, I’d have been happier with this approach. And what’s the big deal with the diamond 10, especially as we may play this hand in clubs?

Finally, a pessimist for the ages:

KNIEST: “5C. This hand screams offense. However, any bid higher than 5C could be too much. Partner could have a fairly balanced hand with short diamonds, and his double could be knee-jerk. Yes, he could be loaded in spades, or the  clubs could break badly, and 4S doubled was our last plus spot. But I don't believe it. Minus 790 is certainly possible, and I think any vulnerable game for us will outscore the defenders. My strong diamonds and hearts and the opponents' bidding tilt me to believe pard has good club values.”

Then at least try 4NT takeout. I can’t even begin to imagine a double so knee-jerk that they’ll actually make 4S. Where are their 10 tricks coming from?

Action	Score	Votes	% Solvers
4C	100	8	21
Pass	80	4	30
3S	70	1	28
DBL	50	0	16
Other	50	0	6

5. IMPs, none vulnerable

West	North	East	South
--	--	--	Pass
3D	Pass	Pass	???

What is your call as South holding:  Q10732   Void   A   Q976543 ?

Welcome to my nightmare. Sure, it’s easy for the majority to bid 4C here, not having to worry about what to do when the doubling starts.

HUDSON: “4C. Warning flags are flying, as partner should have considerable length in the red suits. I have a great offensive hand if we have a fit, but that is unlikely. Still, I shall bid and pray. At least partner can figure that I have one of the majors, in case he hates clubs. Second choice is Pass. If I bid 3S, partner would figure me for funny distribution, but he wouldn't know whether I had hearts or clubs (and so many of them!). Double would invite a heart contract -- a horrifying prospect.”

Thankfully, nobody perpetrated a double (except for 7 solvers who shall remain nameless, but you all know who you are .. and so do I. Hehehe).

WALKER: “4C. I tried, but I couldn't talk myself into passing with this. There's a good case for making the overbid of 4D to show a two-suiter – you may get too high, but at least it will be in your better fit. However, I'm giving up on game and just trying to find a safe partscore.’

For a safe partscore, how about defending 3D?  If North’s red suits are similar to your blacks, this is your last chance for a plus, or at least something that isn’t a 4-figure minus.

NELSON: “4C. Once again another major problem hand. Three bids to choose from this time -- 3S, 4NT for any two suits, and 4C. I doubt the bidding is over, so my 4C bid will allow me to bid 4S over a hopeful 4D call by the enemy. If partner bids 4H over 4C, I'll now bid 4S. With only 5 spades, I can't afford to be tapped in hearts and diamonds unless partner has spades with me.”

Especially when East starts swinging the axe and the extra undertricks cost 200 and 300. And how are the 4C bidders planning to explain why they went for 800 or 1100 against 110 or even a small minus for EW?

PAULO: “Pass. I am afraid of bidding because the strongest hands (North and East) have a negative positional factor for our side.”

I’m afraid too of facing what used to be understanding teammates!  Not afraid of anything is:

MERRITT: “ 3S. I am aiming for our most likely game. I will pull the suspected 3NT to 4C. I am not doubling for fear of a heart bid, I am certain that a double will be sat. East must be sitting on the hearts, and I don't want him to start bidding them.” East bidding hearts?  We could only get so lucky.

Action	Score	Votes	% Solvers
DBL	100	4	25
Pass	90	4	34
2NT	90	3	10
3C	80	1	25
3D	60	1	6

6. IMPs, NS vulnerable

West	North	East	South
		1H	2C
DBL *	Pass	2S	???

What is your call as South holding:  2   AJ   K1074   AK9873 ?

Double gets the top score here because of the panel is favoring action over passing. I guess the prospects of a vulnerable game outweigh the specter of going for a number two hands in a row for some.

HUDSON: “Double. Giving partner a nudge toward competing (More like a bludgeon! -TD). I he passes, I'll be nervous. Again, we are probably on a misfit, but I'm not timid enough to pass. Doubling would be easier at matchpoints; at IMPs it's courting disaster. A bid of 2NT is a possibility. What would it mean here? The natural meaning would be ridiculous; it should be Good-Bad, but I suspect we're playing it as Unusual. That makes it not inappropriate; but I have pretty good defense, and I don't want to insist on a minor, so I'll stick with my double. My second choice is to pass.”

At least he admits the danger of bidding this hand twice. Not so:

PAULO: “2NT. This (unusual) bid shows 4-6 in the minor suits. I venture to lose 3 IMPs (+110 vs. -200), trying to win six (110 and 110).”

Unfortunately, 110 versus 500 loses 9 IMPs, and 800 only 3 IMPS more. Also looking through the rose-colored glasses:

HINCKLEY: “Double. Clearly for takeout. Good values, shortness in spades, and convertible if partner wants to pass for penalties. A 2NT bid would be more likely to have 5-6 shape.”

Convertible to what? Minus 670 (maybe 870 if North is totally broke)?  And for what? A maybe part score. I can’t think of a hand North could put down after passing my vul-against-not overcall that would give us a prayer of making a game here. You folks must really overcall some dogs to want to bid this one twice.

WALKER: “Pass. At matchpoints, I'd try a somewhat foolhardy 2NT, which suggests just what I have -- six clubs and four diamonds (with 5-5 or 6-5, I would have overcalled 2NT the last round). However, I don't think bidding with this is a good bet at IMPs. When their suits break poorly, ours usually do, too, and the length will be offside. The strongest argument against bidding, though, is that partner surely has at least 8 or 9 cards in the majors, so I have no expectation of a 9-card fit (and perhaps not even an 8-card fit).”

KNIEST: “Pass. Unless the opponents have a double fit, partner is 4-4 or better in the majors, which leaves him lacking the diamond suit. He's already passed his chance to raise clubs. It looks like a partscore battle, but I'm going quietly because he might only have stray stuff in spades, and I'd be going for a number. Now at matchpoints, it's clear to bid. Kantar plays doubles that either show length or shortness -- you have to look at your hand to tell. This can get confusing when the opponents play their 11-card fits, but it wins a lot on hands like these. Partner might have the spade holding to pass, but can bid when that's right. None of my regular partners play those, so I would just bid 2NT at matchpoints, and hope partner's spade length alerts him to my intention.”

Yup, at matchpoints, I’m playing some more, but at teams and at this vulnerability, color me yellow. Team-mates can understand a few partscore swings, but those minus-800's make for long rides home. Assuming, of course, you don’t get left in the parking lot!

See ya next time. Merry Christmas to all from the East Coast, where we’ll see snow for the first time in eight years!  Yippeee!

Thanks to all who sent in answers and comments for this set. Thanks to this month's guest panelists -- Leroy Boser, Bud Hinckley and Nigel Guthrie -- for their helpful analysis. 

Top scorers in this issue's Solvers contest were Will Engel of Freeport IL and Yigit Cecen of Ankara, Turkey. They're both invited to join the panel for December.

The next issue begins the 2005 Solvers Contest, so this is a great time to give the six new problems a try (see below). Winners of the 2004 contest will be announced in the next issue. Please submit your February solutions by January 22 on the web form or by email to our February moderator:

Tom Kniest -- kniest@swbell.net

Thanks to everyone for reading the column and sending in your solutions. We appreciate your participation and we hope to hear from even more of you next year. Until then, best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season and 2005.
 

How the Panel voted  (Panel/Staff Avg. -- 540):
	1	2	3	4	5	6	Score
Leroy Boser, Elkhart IN	Pass	3D	4NT	6D	4C	3C	480
Kent Feiler, Harvard IL	Double	3D	4S	5S	4C	Double	600
Nigel Guthrie, Reading UK	Double	3H	4D	Pass	4C	3D	520
Bud Hinckley, South Bend IN	Double	Pass	4C	5S	Pass	Double	530
Jim Hudson, DeKalb IL	Double	3H	4S	4NT	4C	Double	570
Larry Matheny, Loveland CO	3D	3D	5S	5S	Pass	Pass	490
Bev Nelson, Fort Myers FL	Pass	3D	5S	5S	4C	Double	580
Manuel Paulo, Lisboa PT	Double	3D	4S	5S	Pass	2NT	570
Toby Strite, Mysiadlo Poland	Double	Pass	4S	5NT	4C	2NT	560
How the Staff voted
Tom Dodd, Branchburg NJ	Double	3D	4S	5NT	Pass	Pass	560
Tom Kniest, University City MO	Double	2S	4S	5C	4C	Pass	520
Scott Merritt, Arlington VA	Double	Double	4S	6D	3S	2NT	500
Karen Walker, Champaign IL	Double	Pass	5S	5NT	4C	Pass	540

Solvers Honor Roll  (Average Solver score: 470)

Will Engel, Freeport IL	550	Matthew Haag, Leamington Spa UK	510
Yigit Cecen, Ankara, Turkey	530	Mark Gilje, St. Louis	510
Len Vishnevsky, San Francisco	530	Dave McNitt, Elkhart IN	510
Steve Babin, Normal IL	520	Bill Rotter, Granite City IL	510
Micah Fogel, Aurora IL	510	Glenn Overby, Tilton IL	500
Sid Ismail, Benoni, South Africa	510	Allan Sheppard, St. Louis	500

Solvers Forum -- February 2005 Problems

1. IMPs, both vulnerable    West      North      East     South  1D Pass 2S * Pass ???    * (Strong jump shift) What is your call as South holding: K   AKJ   Q98654   J102 ?   2. Matchpoints, none vulnerable   West      North      East     South   1S 2H 2S DBL *  3S 4D Pass ???    * (Responsive - shows the minors) What is your call as South holding: 52   96   KJ964   AKQ3 ? 3. Matchpoints, none vulnerable                        West     North      East     South  Pass 1H 1S ??? What is your call as South holding: AJ103   J4   QJ5   QJ64 ?

4. IMPs, NS vulnerable                 West     North      East     South  Pass Pass 1D  1S 2H 3C Pass ??? What is your call as South holding: AJ9754  J2   AKQ83   Void ? 5. Matchpoints, EW vulnerable   West     North     East     South   Pass 1C Pass 1S Pass ??? What is your call as South holding: 3  KJ54   K   AQJ8763 ? 6. Board-a-match teams, both vulnerable                          West    North      East     South  1D Pass 1H 3C ??? What is your call as South holding: AQJ8   AQ43  J9742   Void ?