District 8 Solvers Forum -- February 2016

    by Kimmel Jones, Euless TX

Happy February to all my District 8 friends. You’ll be pleased to know this month’s column is being written by a brand-new Platinum Life Master, as I ascended to that lofty plateau at the recent Houston TX regional. There, I also met one of our most distinguished panel members, the Harold Feldheim. I promptly misdefended a hand that he declared, but Harold has agreed not to tell anyone as long as I liberally quote him this month.

   * Transfer

What is your call as South holding:  ♠7  ♥QJ984  ♦K1082  ♣952 ? 

First off, do we compete? Some say no.

NIEUWENHUIS: Pass. My partner always holds a minimum 4-2-3-4 in these situations. I'll take my chances on defense.

BRIDGE BARON: Pass. No sixth heart; no reason to bid 2NT when it's likely going down; no point in trying to find a minor suit at the three level, vulnerable, with only three clubs in my hand; no desire to double them in a 2S contract that's likely making anyway.

But most say yes.

SPEAR: Double. We are limited from our pass of 2H, so let partner decide what to do after our good description.

WARD: Double. I have to compete. I can hope if partner is 4-4 in the minors he will bid 2NT. If he passes, it may be our only plus.

The majority selected 3D for compelling reasons. Mainly, that a double will often lead to 470.

FELDHEIM: 3D. This seems clear and very descriptive. In matchpoints, pass is not possible and double seems too big a position.

GUTHRIE: 3D. Tempting to double, but your values are more offensive than defensive. Anyway, if partner is 4-4 in the minors, then diamonds will play better than clubs.

KAPLAN: 3D. Aack; so many choices could be right! 2NT is my second choice, but I decided to "bid where I live."

HINCKLEY: 3D. I likely would double if it was takeout, but it is penalty in Bridge World Standard. If 2NT was takeout, as it is in many of my partnerships, I would choose that.

Looking at this online BWS write up (http://tinyurl.com/jqynzdh), I don’t find this particular auction. They do now play that responder’s direct double of a 2- or 3-level overcall of a notump opening is for takeout, and in that spirit, they likely play double in this auction as takeout, too.

But it is not clear. In any event, this sure is a discussion all established partnerships need to have.

What is your call as South holding:  ♠AK   ♥KJ10   ♦Q762   ♣ KJ84 ? 

Usually, the 2C Stayman bid is made on hands with invitational or better strength. But when responder has a poor hand with some length in both majors, many pairs play that 2C can be Garbage Stayman (sometimes called Crawling Stayman) to allow an escape into 2H or 2S.

There are two varieties of Garbage Stayman. With a weak hand that's 4-4 in the majors (some play it can also be 4-5), you respond 2C and if opener rebids 2D, you bid 2H, which asks opener to pass or correct. With the other type of Garbage Stayman, you may have as few as three cards in both majors and at least four diamonds -- the "classic" hand is  ♠xxxx  ♥xxxx  ♦xxxxx  ♣Void. If you're very weak, you try 2C with the intention of passing opener's reply. If opener's 2D reply happens to be doubled, this doesn’t affect the meaning of responder’s weak rebids.

GUTHRIE: Pass. Diamonds may be stacked, but pushing deeper into the mire is inadvisable opposite a typical Garbage Stayman effort -- for example,  ♠xxx  ♥xxx  ♦xxxxx  ♣xx .

BRIDGE BARON: Pass. Partner, RHO and I all want North-South to play a diamond contract. We outvote the opponent.

MILLER: Pass. Don't need to redouble, as this will be plenty if we make. Even if we're down 1, we should be able to play it a trick or two better than the other tables who aren't doubled.

Some chose to follow the theory that if you don't know what's going on, you'd better bid again:

PAULO: 2H. I'm wondering what North's last pass meant. Anyway, I bid my longest major. 

Others got greedy:

SPEAR: Redouble. Top or bottom time if partner is willing to sit with 3+ diamonds. Six defensive tricks may be hard to find for the opposition. I would like better diamonds, but a good partner would have some help.

I actually expect my partner to have four diamonds, Jack, but he may not have any high cards. If 2D doubled makes, we ought to have a top anyway. Now at IMPs, maybe a redouble could win you a bushel!

WARD: Redouble. I'll admit I don't know what this is in BWS. Hoping partner passes.

FELDHEIM: Pass. Partner must have real tolerance for diamonds, possibly 4 cards. Redouble is both greedy and might be misunderstood. Making 2D doubled should be a super score.

What is your call as South holding:  ♠Void   ♥AJ8753   ♦J95   ♣K632 ?

I see when I first answered these problems last month, I was a doubler, but that might have been before I reviewed Bridge World Standard to see that double is not negative. Today it seems like taking a stab at 5H is the thing to do with a long suit and really good controls.

WARD: 5H. They preempt, we guess.

NIEUWENHUIS: 5H: Trying for the vulnerable game bonus. May go horribly wrong.

KNIEST: 5H. I don't know BWS anymore, so if double is for takeout, I choose that. If it's for penalties, I'm a 5H bidder. 4NT (two places to play) is tempting.

Tom, here’s your homework assignment before next time: http://tinyurl.com/jqynzdh

WALKER: 5H. This could be grisly, but I just can't pass. 4NT would be takeout for clubs and hearts, but I don't see the point when I'm 6-4 and the long suit is the major. Is anyone really wanting to play in 5C or 5D?

There’s always somebody, Karen.

KAPLAN: 4NT.

Three panelists chose to go quietly, with justifications ranging from some science to a sigh:

BRIDGE BARON: Pass. Expecting to score -148.1 on average for defending 4S undoubled as opposed to -299 for defending it doubled. The simulation rejects 5H out of hand. Negative doubles are on only through 3S in Bridge World Standard.

MILLER: Pass. Hope partner can reopen. If we're fixed, oh well.

The case for double:

GUTHRIE: Double. Competitive. A bit weak, perhaps, but partner might hold  ♠xxx  ♥KQxx  ♦Axxx  ♣Ax .

SPEAR: Double. Not passing, and not bidding 5H, so a negative double will have to do. Good luck to us!

Going forward, Jack, KNIEST will be informed enough to tell us that we play negative doubles just through 3S.

What is your call as South holding:  ♠K8  ♥Q102   ♦QJ   ♣AKQ987 ? 

Here, I’m guessing the player who submitted this hand missed a game because their partner overcalled 2C, and they had Txx of diamonds and a couple major-suit cards, and therefore missed getting to 3NT. Or maybe their partner overcalled 1NT, got raised to 3, and they lost the first five diamond tricks. Or maybe partner doubled and they got too high? It’s clearly partner’s fault.

KNIEST: DBL. Double and rebid clubs unless pard jumps in hearts or bids any number of notrump.

HINCKLEY: 2C. Especially with the trend towards overcalls having a higher upper limit these days. This hand is good, but isn't good enough to risk doubling and having partner bidding lots of spades.

WALKER: 1NT. A choice between showing just the clubs or showing a balanced(ish) 15-17. Partner would probably appreciate the latter, and I expect to make it. This hand isn't strong enough for a takeout double and club freebid.

BRIDGE BARON: 2C. Nowhere near strong enough to double first. QJ tight is not a holding in RHO's suit that cries out for a creative 1NT overcall.

The best justification for 1NT comes from our former guest columnist from Quincy IL:

CUTHBERTSON: 1NT. Right on strength, will run to 2C if doubled. OK ... I'll have to explain to partner that I'm color blind and had a club mixed in with my diamonds when I go down in 3NT.

Clay, I’ve used that logic many times over the years.

NIEUWENHUIS: 2C. Lots of points, but a horrible hand. Unless partner can act, this is enough and takes away a whole level of bidding. My problem comes when 2D gets back to me. Might be a nice one for the next Forum.

And now for something completely different!

FELDHEIM: 3D. Here's hoping we're on the same page. For me, this would be asking partner to try 3NT with a diamond card. (A seventh club would be nice, but . . .)

5. Matchpoints, EW vulnerable

   * Denies 3+ spades

What is your call as South holding:  ♠AKJ953   ♥Q4   ♦54   ♣K92 ?

Let’s see. Do we have enough for game? Check! Am I the partner with the stopper in the opponent’s suit? Check! Okay, 3NT! Who agrees with me?

KAPLAN: 3NT. Seems like our best shot at game. It gives away less info to the defense if I just bid it.

WARD: 3NT. Hoping I can run one of the pointed suits.

Oh, just us three. At least Bud likes us if he can’t join us:

HINCKLEY: 3C. Although I have admiration for 3NT bidders going for the gusto.

Actually, 3C, the ambiguous cuebid, always rates to score well on a deal like this.

MILLER: 3C. We'll see what partner says on the way to 3NT. Works great, right up until partner bids 3H and RHO doubles with the heart honor and ♣Jx.

So why not just bid 3NT directly instead?

NIEUWENHUIS: 3C. And over partner’s answer, I will bid 3S. I think this hand is good enough to insist on game (direct 3S would be invitational ?). If partner bids 3NT, I will pass.

Ig is cuebidding to show a game-going hand with six spades. He won’t get to 3NT from his side. His thinking is more in line with the robot:

BRIDGE BARON: 4S. Game strength, even under the 2C overcall, and a glittering AKJ9xx 6-card suit.

Everyone else thought this 13-point hand and its glittering suit wasn’t enough to insist on game:

GUTHRIE: 2S. Sufficient unto the day.

PAULO: 3S. Invitational, showing six spades.

FELDHEIM: 3S. Possibly an underbid, but there are a lot of pitfalls. With North holding two or fewer spades -- and my not holding a diamond honor -- a notrump bid seems dicey. Of course, North could hold something like  ♠x  ♥Kxx  ♦AKQxxx  ♣xx , in which case, 3S is disastrous, but hey, it's matchpoints!