Sunday, December 05, 2004 7:23 PM
4NT Invitational
PITBULLS:
Some
good hands came up today which emphasizes the 4NT
quantitative bid after a 2♣ opener. Established partnerships should
have agreements around this very handy bid. You hold QJxx Q987
xx Axx and hear partner
open 2♣ . You respond 2♦ waiting and partner bids 3♦ . What now ? 3NT ends most auctions unless partner
has a super hand over there . The small hand taking control by bidding
Blackwood without giving any support is silly. A 4NT bid by you must be a
quantitative invite saying I have too much to bid 3NT. What about Blackwood the
traditionalists scream ? Well , the 2♣ opener has rights that nobody else does.
Once he pulls 3NT to either minor that is Blackwood. He is not just trying to
improve the contract “out of weakness”. If responder pulls 3NT to a minor it is
inviting a Q bid for a possible minor suit slam.
You
hold AKx Kx AKQJ10x KQ and open 2♣ and partner bids 2♦ . You bid 3♦ and partner bids 3NT . Again the quantitative 4NT
bid stands out. You bid 4NT and partner with Qxxx
Qxxx xx Axx accepts and 6NT for 1440 results. If you were just
interested in Aces ( an alternative way of bidding this hand ) you would just bid 4♦ over partners 3NT .There are times not to use the 4NT quantitative bid. This
hand came up today K10x xxx K109x AQx . Partner opens 2NT so now what ? You
could bid 4NT saying bid 6NT with a maximum . However your 12 HCP’s are all
controls so 6 of a minor should be a better spot. If you have the tools to find
a diamond fit you should go for it.
Tom would start by bidding Stayman and I would bid 3♦. Tom would bid 4♣ which is our re-Stayman for the
minors bid. I would bid 4♦ which
shows 4-4 in the minors. Tom leaps to 6♦ and +1370.
6NT can not make on the hand
as we need a ruff for the 12 th trick !!
Playing
minor suit KCB, you have a handy invitational bid
of a jump to 4NT . 1♦-P-2♣-P 3♣-P-4NT-P 4♣ is Blackwood so what is 4NT ? You have
a balanced 18-19 HCP and you are making a quantitative invite. How about a 4th suit forcing
auction where we have not found a fit
?
1♣-P-1♥-P 1♠-P-2♦-P 3♣-P-4NT Again you
are showing a flat 18-19 HCP or
equivalent . 4NT is very handy when you have made an aborted slam try in the minors . 4NT is the place to play it. Also 4NT is the spot to play it if
the opponents have forced you to 4 of a minor by pre-mpting.
4NT is always to play in those
auctions.
Tom
and Susan had an auction today where “all
misfits belong in NT” but 4NT ! . Tom opens 1♠ and Susan bids 2♣ followed by Tom bidding 2♥. Susan bids 3♦ and Tom bids 3♥ . In the teeth of a misfit Susan bids 4♦ which of course is a slam try. What is 4NT by Tom ?
This says I have no interest in this misfit auction and I am aborting the slam try.
What if Tom bids 4♥/♠ instead , what would a 4NT bid by Susan mean ? This
means I have made my slam try so I am signing
off in 4NT to play. Any further advancing must be done from your
end. If you have not established a fit , 4NT is not Blackwood. Yes , in rare cases you might be in a slam off
two Aces in these misfit auctions but it is so rare it should be discounted.
Misfits by their very nature need more HCP to make a slam. Having an insurance
policy like Blackwood is not needed because you better have upwards of 34 HCP between
the two hands. You will need all of it.
A famous local
player likes saying 4NT is always
Blackwood. I like saying
the reverse. If NT has been bid or the minors or
the partnership has not established a fit
, 4NT is never
Blackwood. More and
more in today’s game 4NT is only
associated with the majors as an Ace asking
tool. 4NT is too valuable a bid to waste only as an insurance
policy in case you are in a slam off two Aces. If the hand belongs in slam ,
quite often you should just bid it !!