Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:47 AM

The Trelford 3NT Bid

PITBULLS:

Experts are getting away from the Gambling 3NT bid . Why ? because it wrong sides the NT far too often. People are getting educated and leading Aces to look at the board and knowing that the 3NT bidder has no outside cards makes defeating the contract easy. So what do you do with the xx xx AKQJ109x xx hand ? BJ Trelford recommends opening these hands at the one level and just keep bidding the suit until partner catches on that she must right side the 3NT.

BJ Trelford’s version of the gambling 3NT is a “picture bid” . He partially right sides the 3NT by having an outside control as mandatory for the bid which he protects by getting the NT in first. Solid suits can be bid by other means so his 3NT bid shows a semi-solid suit . In other words , a suit that needs the Ace , King or queen to make it solid. Partner looks at her minor holding to leave 3NT in or pull to 4♣ which is pass or correct.

I think he has a 4♦ bid by responder as KCB but I am not sure. BJ’s system should have won us 10 IMPS in the GNT recently but unfortunately I got into the way at the other table. BJ held xx A109 KJ10987xx void only 11 red cards with an 8 card suit and a void. He opened the Trelford 3NT and Chris Buchanan bid 5NT saying pick a minor slam at the 6 level. BJ bid 6♦ and this was lay down.

At the other table yours truly got conned big time. Barry Pritchard in 1^st chair passed this rock !!! I held AQJx xx Q KQJ109x and opened 1♣ and Faith overcalled 1♠. Kiz passed and Barry came up with deception # 2. He bid a non forcing 2♦ bid to an overcall with a huge hand that got even bigger when the opponents opened his void and his partner overcalled a spade. Faith helped with the deception by bidding a quiet 2NT bid with 17 HCP and a diamond fit ( Chris bid 5NT with the same hand ) . Now deception # 3 , Barry after passing and making a non forcing bid went into the tank. I interpreted this as having a close decision whether to bid 3NT or pass . He finally bid 3NT and I doubled to ensure a club lead & due to the “table action” . I though the diamond suit was breaking badly for him and it was imperative that partner found the club lead instead of a heart ( The unbid major).

Now for the last incredible con. Knowing that the opponents are going to lead your void and most likely with the diamond Ace to knock out he tanked again. Leaping to 5♦ knowing that a club lead was coming must be the safer IMP bid. Incredulously he passed the double and the debacle was complete. Kiz dutifully lead her club and Faith claimed her 12 top tricks. This was –850 so we actually won IMPS on the board for +920 at the other table. I just threw away 10 IMPS.