Friday, October 27, 2006 1:22 AM

5-5 Blacks

PITBULLS:

Tom Gandolfo taught me to open weaker 5-5 in the blacks with 1♣ and stronger 5-5 with a spade. Why ? With this understanding after a spade opening and partner bids 2♥/♦ , a 3♣ bid shows extra values as you have driven the auction up to the 3 level just for a simple preference ( reverse principle). Forcing NT auctions are immediately clarified as when you bid & rebid clubs after a forcing 1NT to your 1♠ start, partner knows you have a good hand so the bid is forcing. Lead considerations are also taken into account. If most of your values are in clubs , opening 1♣ rather than a spade makes sense.

BJ Trelford & I had an auction where natural bidding is the key to getting to the best start for a slam. I had ♠AQxxx ♥xx ♦x ♣AQJxx and I decided not to open 1♠ as it was not quite enough to drive the auction to the 3 level if partner made a 2/1. I opened 1♣ and BJ bid 2NT which is our system shows 13+ and forcing to game. We are exponents of natural bidding. If we pull out of NT into spades , we are doing so to show 9 or more black cards. I should be 6-4 , 5-5 or 5-4 in the blacks in this auction.

BJ holds ♠KJx ♥AQJ ♦10xx ♣Kxxx and opposite a possible 10 black cards has an excellent hand. There is also the possibility we do not have a diamond stopper for NT. BJ gives me preference to 4♣ and I Q bid my singleton diamond. In the context of this auction 4NT can not be to play as the “death response” in these auctions is 5♣. If BJ never had a heart control, retreating to 5♣ is the correct bid. BJ has a 4^th trump , good spade cards and a heart control so he bids 4NT KCB and we get to our cold 6♣. Showing your distribution via natural bidding was the key to this auction. If I had a dreadfully weak 5-5 , I would just bid 4♠ over BJ’s club preference and that should end this auction.

Discuss with partner.