District 8 Solvers Forum -- June 2019

        by Nate Ward, Champaign IL
 

What is your call as South holding:  ♠KQ63   ♥J4   ♦QJ102   ♣AJ9 ?

We start with a slam decision. Do we bid on, or do we take our plus? The majority of the panel decided to stay low.

Kessler: Pass. Playing for a plus, the field will not bid a slam. partner should have 6-7 hearts and an outside card.

Lewis: Pass. I would need more of my cards to be aces or kings to try for slam.

Walker: Pass. Partner has a lot of hearts and something outside, but he's not showing a 19-count. It's very unlikely he can cover four of my five outside losers and I'm not sure it's safe to go looking at the 5-level.

Spear: Pass. Partner wanted to open 4H, but that would deny opening hand strength.

Some thought this was worth at least a tryfor slam.

Fogel: 4NT. Pard went to game when you could have  ♠Qxxxx  ♥Void  ♦xxxxx  ♣Axx . You have way more.

Baker: 5C. Cuebid, looking for diamond control for the heart slam. Opposite as little as solid hearts and the diamond ace, we're on a finesse.

And one brave soul thought he had heard enough already.

Hinckley: 6NT. I initially thought this was an easy 5C bid to avoid slam off two cashing diamonds. But especially at matchpoints, not tipping off a killing lead is important.

I think the issue missed by the people who are making a slam try is explained well by our friend from the North:

Kaplan: Pass. I think with a very big hand, partner should jump shift, then rebid hearts.

2. Matchpoints, none vulnerable           

What is your call as South holding:  ♠K94   ♥Q10974   ♦KQ1064  ♣Void ?

This problem makes you want to maybe check the backs of the cards. Our club void makes us think that partner is long in clubs, but then why did he not make a Michaels cuebid to begin with? That said, the panel split into two camps -- either raising partner or waiting for the opponents to get higher before doubling them.

Lewis: 2S. Raise partner, but this hand would be much stronger with 4 spades.

Seng: 2S. A lot of potentially useless red honors and only three trumps to ruff clubs.

Spear: 2S. A big downgrade for values which rate to be opposite partner's shortness.

Hinckley: 2S. With so many red cards in the opponent's suits, 2S is enough, especially at matchpoints.

Walker: 2S. Tough choice between raising partner and waiting for the opponents to hang themselves. I'd pass if they were red.

Three panelists decided to go for a plus score on defense:

Baker: The opponents are getting horrendous splits wherever they go. Let them have it.

Kaplan: Pass. I am hoping to double them so I do not raise.

Kessler: Pass. It seems this hand is not going to play well for either side, so let the opponents play it.

I think it is pretty close, but agree with Karen's statement about the vulnerabilty. If the opponents were red, I'd pass and double whatever they bid next. But in this day and age of everyone bidding on air, I think it is important to give partner at least a little boost, in case she actually has the best hand at the table.

3. IMPs, NS vulnerable  

   * Both majors

What is your call as South holding:  ♠A32   ♥10432   ♦A1032  ♣32 ?

Now we face a slam decision during a competitive auction. East has conveniently given us enough room to make a slam try now. Do we accept his dare and dive in?

Kessler: 5D. I think you have to make a try. After all, partner did bid at the 4 level vulnerable.

Kaplan: 5D. At these colors, my partner should have a good hand.

Hedging a little and talking himself out of a slam try, but still competing is:

Hinckley: 5H. Should we have made a 5D slam try on the first bid looking for   ♠KQJxx   ♥AKQxxx  ♦x  ♣x ?

Meanwhile, some panelists decide to let partner make the decision:

Baker: Pass. Bidding 5H on my own is reckless, as it is quite possible we have two quick losers in the minors.

Lewis: Pass. This is a good hand for offense and defense, so I make a forcing pass.

And, lastly, a pragmatic bid:

Walker: Double. 5D or 5H would show good offence, and with a weak 4-card trump suit and the worst holding possible in clubs, this hand doesn't have it. Partner heard my freebid and now knows I have some defensive tricks, so he can bid on if he thinks it's right.

I would double as well, mainly because you know partner is unlikely to have a hand you can make 6 opposite. If he had Hinckley's example hand, he might have made a move over 4H.

4. IMPs, EW vulnerable     

What is your call as South holding:  ♠A2   ♥8   ♦AK10875  ♣Q642 ?

Negative doubles remove partner's ability to make a penalty double, so it is incumbent on us to protect in auctions like these.

Kaplan: Double. If partner doesn't have a penalty pass for hearts, then I don't think partner has spades. Gotta choose this at these colors.

Spear: Double. If partner had doubled 1H for penalty, I would have passed.

Some factors can sway us from doubling, usually a lack of defense or a void in overcaller's suit. Here, however, we have the fear of the spade suit.

Kessler: 2C. Not defending 1H when maybe we can make a game. I used to bid 2D with this hand, but have been convinced to get my second suit (?) into the auction.

Walker: 2D. A little voice is telling me to pass, and I may wish I had if the opponents find a spade fit. A louder voice is warning me not to double and have to deal with partner's spade bids.

One panelist was convinced the opponents had a big spade fit.

Baker: Pass. Could partner be trapping? Sure, but unless he has spades as well (and decided the trap pass was better than showing them), the opponents will run there safely. It's possible they can even make 4S and will find it if I give them another chance.

The colors, three quick tricks -- and not wanting to hear partner complain when he had 100 honors in hearts -- makes me a doubler. If partner does bid spades now, I can always bid clubs to show my shape.

5. IMPs, none vulnerable    

 * Drury (Invitational heart raise)

What is your call as South holding:  ♠10854   ♥5   ♦KQ54   ♣K962 ?

Like problem 2, we may want to check the backs of our cards. What is the best way to show our hand?

Going low:

Seng: 2S. I expect partner to hold at most minimum values, probably less.

Settling for a mixed raise:

Kessler: 3H. Stiff, should show about what I have. I must be wrong because it seems too easy.

Baker: 3H. I went back and forth for a while between this (mixed raise) and a regular cue (limit raise). Given the big fits likely each way, I think there's some value in forcing the opponents to commit right away while telling partner I'm not broke.

A mixed raise is a jump cuebid of opener's suit, made after an opponent opens and partner has overcalled. Here, the mixed raise would be 3H. It shows 4-card support for partner's suit with strength that has more playing strength than a single raise but fewer high-card points than a limit raise -- usually a hand with around 6-8 points and one trick outside the trump suit.

The majority of the panel opted for the stronger cuebid limit raise:

Hinckley: 2H. This 7 1/2 loser hand is slightly too good for a 3H "mixed raise".

Kaplan: 2H. I have a pretty good hand for spades.

Walker: 2H. I think 1.5 quick tricks in outside suits makes this a little too strong for a mixed raise of 3H.

More than a quarter of the Solvers chose a direct raise to 3S. Some may have intended it as invitational, but in Bridge World Standard and most other modern systems, a jump raise of partner's overcall is preemptive, showing 4+ trumps and a weak hand. This hand has way too much strength in outside suits for that bid.

And, lastly, not asking for partner's input:

Spear: 4S. No pussyfooting around!

6. Matchpoints, both vulnerable     

What is your call as South holding:  ♠AJ73   ♥J962   ♦QJ54  ♣10 ?

There was a little confusion about partner's double here. Is he just trying to balance, or does he have something more? Bridge World Standard, rightfully so, treats this double as showing a trap pass with clubs. Given the stuff we have in the other suits, I think the winning call is pretty clear here, and so did the majority of the panel:

Walker: Pass. Partner has a good hand with clubs, not a light takeout double.

Kaplan: Pass. My partner has good clubs and I have values! I pass and lead a club.

Kessler: Pass. Partner should have a good hand with clubs. I lead a club.

Lewis: Pass. Partner shows a good hand including a strong holding in clubs.

Those panelists thought this meaning was fairly standard, but others were not so sure. As our next panelist points out, this is a good auction to discuss with partner.

Baker: 2C. Worth discussing with partner whether this is pure penalty (a club stack/trap pass type hand) or flawed takeout.

Spear: 2H. I am treating double here as balancing with no agreement otherwise.
  

Thanks to all who sent in answers to this interesting and low-scoring set. Congratulations to Steve Babin of Normal IL, who led all Solvers with a score of 570. Runners-up were Paul Soper of Sierra Vista AZ, Sid Ismail of Benoni, South Africa and Sadhan Ghosh of Kolkata India. All four are invited to join the August panel.

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