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OCT 2004 ALBERTA BIDDING CLUB
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Problem #:
1; Scoring: IMPS; Vul: NS; Dealer:
North
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1♣
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1♦
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1♠
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3♦
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Pass
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Pass
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?
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RAY GRACE
Dbl Double,
COOPERATIVE - Consider partner's hand. No 3S bid or X . I wonder if it
is reasonable to play support x's to the 3 level against preempts. I think partner's shape can easily be
xxx xxxx xx xxxx or xx xxxx xx xxxxx or x xxxx xx xxxxxx but xxx xxxx x
xxxxx is unlikley . Odds are if partner passes no over tricks and they will
have only an 8 card fit and can easily be in a 4 4 fit.
Kiz Fung
Dbl
Cooperative. Partner's pass shows a minimum, however there doesn't
appear to be diamond waste.
Duncan Smith
Dbl Best
way to tell Pard "It's our hand ". Not a penalty double , but
pard can (rarely will) pass. Waiting for help from pard.
Doran Flock
Dbl My
double is based on partner having a singleton diamond ... in which case my
two aces are huge and J hearts figures to work. Ptnr distribution should be
3415, 3316 or 2416. (ptnr would bid 3S directly with 4 spades) In first two
cases 3 or 4 spades, in third case 4 or 5 Clubs.
Excellent analysis & well said.
Vince Nowlan
3S Looks
like the only convenient invitational bid. Partner "should" have
a few spades, since very short in diamonds. Double is too dangerous for me,
since I think it is primarily for penalty.
Doug Deschner
P Maybe
going too quietly, but pretty sure we are not missing a game. Partner is
likely 2416 or 2425. No fit. We probably are setting 3D, I'll lead a small
trump, but I'm not sure enough to double.
Karen Kilworth
Dbl
Must be self evident to Karen
with no comments !
Vince Lambert
Dbl
Cooperative, showing that it is our hand. Partner is likely to have
a singleton diamond on this auction and therefore has three card spade
support or a six card club suit. If partner assumes it is penalty I will
lead a diamond and get whatever plus we can get!
Tom Gandolfo
Dbl Pass
is bad....pard still might have three spades. Most play that one spade
could only be a four card suit. Most likely though he is 2416
In the English language , there are ambiguous
words. The meaning of these words are defined "depending on the
context" in which the word was used. Bridge bidding is no different.
Duncan Smith said that this double is not a penalty double. Why ? because the auction told him so. An
overcall and a jump raise in that suit occurred so the double is obviously
not penalty. The opponent’s competitive bidding can put you in a straight
jacket if you do not have a double to assist you in competing. The panel
explained this double quite well as co-operative , card showing anything
but penalty. My choice is a double as that gives partner the most options.
VOTES : P (1) Dbl
(8) 3♠ (1)
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Problem #:
2; Scoring: IMPS; Vul:
Both; Dealer: North
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1
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Pass
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1♠
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Pass
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2♣
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Pass
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?
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RAY GRACE
2S
Partner rates to have a stiff Spade but 8 tricks are likely the
speed of this hand. I prefer this over 3C which should be a better hand. PASS
before 3C. The problem with PASS other than I am reluctant to pass is that
they have 8-12 hearts. Passing 2C will fetch 2H. Now the QJ xx of spades
gets to double you. One last point, I bid 4S over a raise.
Kiz Fung
3C Where
are the hearts? Either partner is
1-4-4-4 and opps have an 8 card heart fit or partner has 9 cards in minors
and they have a nine+card fit.
Duncan Smith
3C Prefer
the known fit to rebidding spades. Spades still a possibility after raising
clubs , the inverse less likely. Will pull 3nt by pard
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Excellent . Give preference to get preference
and bring partner into the picture !
Doran Flock
P My
ptnrs rarely have the perfect hand which would allow 4S or 5C to make. Once
ptnr shows at least 9 cards in minors my spades, which need some support,
become unappealing.We may occasionally miss 5C (or less likely 4S) but ptnr
expects more from a 3C bid. See problem 5 for a raise to 3 of a minor.
Vince Nowlan
3C Partner
could be quite strong given the absence of opponents' bidding - especially
since they own the heart suit. Auction may allow us to reach 4S, e.g.,
after a 3H bid by partner.
Doug Deschner
2S Most
likely way to get to the right game. If partner passes still may be best
spot. I'll bid 3 clubs over likely game try of 2NT. 10-9 of spades is the
determining factor, would bid 3 clubs without them.
Karen Kilworth
2S This
shows some extra (no original weak jump shift). With silent opponents , holding
lots of hearts, I am going to take a calculated risk that partner is not on
a total minimum either. If he takes another call, I am coming to the party
big time. If the hand belongs in a partial,2S shouldn't be a disaster.
Vince Lambert
3C Don’t
expect more than 2 spades from partner on this auction as he should have
nine minor suit cards and with 3-1 in the majors he might have raised
unless he has a strong hand. If he
does this will give him the chance to show spades and get to the spade game. If not we may shut out the heart
balancers. Hope we don’t get
overboard again.
Tom Gandolfo
3C I would
have bid 2 spades going in so wouldn't have this prob. This isn't
invitational just shows clubs..
Moderator bids 3♣ . This is IMPS so the idea
is to get to a vul game if possible. The only vul game would be in spades.
So should you rebid your spades ? No because you can have the best of both
worlds by raising clubs. If partner has spades and enough to get to game he
will give you spade preference. If not ,
3♣’s keeps the heart vultures out who are circling ( as a
number of panelists pointed out ) and you play the best partial. Bidding 2♠ is too
single handed and blows your good partial in clubs if partner is very short
in spades.
VOTES: P (1) 3♣
(6) 2♠ (3)
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Problem #:
3; Scoring: IMPS; Vul: NS;
Dealer: South
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1♣
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4♣
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4♦
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5♣
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?
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RAY GRACE
6C Is
pass an option? Is it forcing? YES! Too bad partner cannot see my rock.
Well on a good day I as the 4D bidder will have AQx Axx QTxxxx x. The
problem most people have is that their partners are not the magic card holders
that I am. :-)Partner under pressure may have Qxxx KQx Qxxxxx void . Benito
Garozzo solved a similar problem by just bidding 6D knowing that the opps
would believe him and take the 7C insurance bid. I give the opponents a
chance to x and more incentive to sack. If partner has Axx xxx Qxxxxxx void
and bids one for the road I am pleased. :-) If the opponents sack in 7C I
can then pass it to partner and he can double or run.
Kiz Fung
6D Toughest
problem of this set. I'm an
optimist. Partner is short of high diamonds so must have one or two major
suit cards, and diamond length.
Duncan Smith
5D An
underbid? Maybe , but my honour placement is poor , particularly the
probable duplication in clubs. Hand not good enough for a "pass &
pull" sequence.
Doran Flock
6D I bid
what I think I can make. This hand is impossible to describe given wasted
clubs and 3 diamond honors. Hopefully 1 or 2 discards on clubs will help
ptnr. If ptnr has hand where we are cold for 7 , I say good defensive
bidding by opponents.
Vince Nowlan
6C
Partner probably can't bid 7D even when it's cold, but the least I
can do is show interest.
Doug Deschner
5D Likely
AK of clubs is wasted, but still enough support not to pass or double
Karen Kilworth
5D This AK
of clubs is not as good as it looks. Here's hoping pard with his club void
and AK A will go on.
Vince Lambert
6D Bid
what I think we can make, not trying for a grand with possible bad breaks. Partner
has bad diamonds for his bid so must have something decent in hearts and
spades to come in at the four level.
Tom Gandolfo
6C Pard
prob has a club void so I'll show him some wasted values. Hope he has at
least spade ace and kq of hearts with his long diamonds
Moderators
choice is 6♦ but 5♦ is a close 2nd. This hand is an optical illusion.
The opponents have told you that your Ace & King of clubs is severe
duplication. If you take those cards away you have a flat 12 for partner. I
bid 6♦ a la Ray Grace to induce a 7♣ sacrifice but
I am not sure if 6♦ can make. This is a real hand ( Kokish & Nagy
) and Eric Kokish bid 7♦ . The opponents found the winning defense of
cashing their heart Ace and Kokish’s team lost the Spingold. Kokish said he
had to apologize to his teammates for 2 years who ( by the way ) said 5♦ was the correct bid !!
VOTES: 6♣ (3) 5♦ (3)
6♦ (4)
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Problem #:
4; Scoring: IMPS; Vul:
Both; Dealer: East
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1
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Dbl
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2♠
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4♥
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4
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?
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RAY GRACE
4NT RKC
for Hearts. I play partner not to hold the Ace of Spades. It is harder for
the opponents to sack if they think that you may have a S. I expect pard
has xxxx AKxxx QJ xx. Making 7 on a Spade lead.
Kiz Fung
5H Is this
one of those double game swing hands?
Yup !
Duncan Smith
P I
think it best to leave the decision to pard. I'm sure this pass is forcing
, because we bid a vul game , expecting to make it.
The Bridge World
panel discussed this point with World Champions arguing both sides. Is the
pass forcing ? They decided since both sides are vul , forcing
passes are not turned on. They called this auction a free for all where
double game swings were likely.
Doran Flock
5H
Beautiful 12 count. The classic imp bid ... am I bidding to make or
saving? Not sure, but to me 5 hts is obvious bid ...
Vince Nowlan
5H Both
sides could make game here.
Doug Deschner
5H Seems
about right on strength and spades. Don't think I'm quite strong enough to pass
and pull although we may not have a forcing pass situation here. (I would
play it as, but not sure everybody would)
Karen Kilworth
P And will
sit for a double, since most of my defense is in the shorter suits.
Vince Lambert
P
Forcing, I intend to pull if partner doubles to invite slam, say
across from something like xxx, AKxxx,xx,Qxx. Pass and pull in forcing auctions is the strongest possible
action, if I had a singleton spade and one less minor I would bid 5 Hearts
immediately.
Go figure
. This Vinnie was more aggressive than the other Vinnie.
Tom Gandolfo
5H I know
Bob wants us to dbl with these hands meaning he wants to bid five hearts
but if pard has a lot of waste in spades(QJ10x) he can pass. ( Knows his stuff ! )
The most popular bid
in the original Bridge World was 5♥ . Since forcing pass theory does not apply ,Tom
and I play D.S.I.P. doubles. A double says I have defense, shortness in
their suit and want to bid 5♥ very badly. Tom would bid 5♥
after my double unless he has something ridiculous like KQ10 of spades.
Bobby Wolff deviated from the rest of the panel and said he would bid 6♥. He
said it might make and he expected 6♠ by the opponents.
VOTES: 5♥ (5) P (3) 4NT (1) Dbl(1)
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Problem #:
5; Scoring: Matchpoints; Vul:
Both ; Dealer: North
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1♥
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Pass
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1♠
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Pass
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2♦
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Pass
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?
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RAY GRACE
3C 3C
lets force to GAME. May get a lucky 3d or 3s .May get a chance to RKC in D
and find 3 keys. I expect partner to be 1543 or on a good day AQx Jxxxx
AQxxx void ;-) I am passing 3NT over 3C .
Kiz Fung
3C I'll game
force this hand. I want to get to game in either no trump or diamonds. Over
3H/3S, I bid 5 diamonds, and I pass 3NT.
Duncan Smith
3D Seems
clear ,too much to pass , not enough for more aggressive action.
Doran Flock
3D 3D seems
descriptive ... when one of your "features" is a void in ptnr's
suit, go slow! Still this hand is too good to give up at 2. Fifth diamond
upgrades hand.
Vince Nowlan
3D If we
stay in a partial, diamonds should score better than NT.
Doug Deschner
3D Heart
void could be a negative. One of my kings rates to be wasted. Both these
reasons to slow down a little.
Sound logic
Karen Kilworth
2NT
Vince Lambert
3D It
doesn’t pay to get excited at matchpoints, plus scores are essential. If
partner has a lot of values in hearts this hand wont go far. I am willing to settle for the potential
150 or even the occasional 170 rather than end up with a minus.
Tom Gandolfo
3C Fourth
suit game forcing. suddenly you have a great hand. Pard might be stuck for
a bid but thats his problem. Not sure what 4d would mean. For Ray it's key
card...so I'm not doing that.
I
took this hand as more of a IMPs vrs Match Points problem . I think 3♦ is
clear in Match Points. If partner can not bid again you are in the best
partial and you get a sure plus. A void in partners suit ( as pointed out
by the panel ) is not a good thing. In IMPS I might try 2NT and when 3NT
gets doubled for a heart lead I leap to 5♦ J
VOTES: 3♦ (6) 3♣ (3)
2NT (1)
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Problem #:
6; Scoring: Matchpoints; Vul:
E/W; Dealer: North
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1NT
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Pass
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Pass
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2♣
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Pass
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Pass
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?
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RAY GRACE
Dbl Is
double penalty take out or cards? Pass maybe right at this vul playing
match points. +200 is a top . If
they make , we can discuss if the double is only a card showing double or
penalty.
Kiz Fung
Dbl
Should be take out/cooperative.
This is matchpoints.
Match Points is a bidders game they say …
Duncan Smith
Dbl Not takeout
, as some would play. I'll go for the magic +200 at mp's.
Doran Flock
Dbl Seems
reasonable to dble asking ptnr to do something, we have balance of power
although C Queen dubious. Probably too much to ask ptnr to hold some clubs
and pass. My ptnrs bid 2 hts ... but they become good at playing moyesians
(4/3 fits).
Vince Nowlan
P It's
unusual for 2C to be natural in this auction, so we're already different
from the field. I'm happy to defend whether we can get 흍 or -90.
Doug Deschner
P Where am
I going?
Karen Kilworth
P Partner
either has a minimum or some clubs. I'll take my chances at a plus score
this way.
Karen brings up a good point. The NT opener is
allowed to bid again with exceptional hands. Usually the over/under rule
applies though. If LHO bid the double is takeout and if RHO bid the double
is penalty. Karen based her decision in part on the fact that the 1NT
bidder took no action.
Vince Lambert
Dbl Will
try for 200 here even though Peter Jones says I need trumps to double at
low levels. This double doesn’t show more than three trumps and that 3 of
spades looks like a club to me.
Incorrect . Peter Jones says you need specifically AKQJ10 of
trump for a penalty double. J
Tom Gandolfo
Dbl Hope we
land on our feet. in front of the bidder it's for takeout.
Most of the panel decided to be aggressive as
it was Match Points . They did not know if the double was penalty or
takeout though. Tom and I play D.S.I.P. doubles when they balance. If we
are behind the balancer , the double is penalty . If we are in front it is
takeout. I would double with this hand expecting Tom to pull unless he
wants to try for the magic +200.
VOTES : P (3) Dbl (7)
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Problem #:
7; Scoring: Matchpoints; Vul:
none; Dealer: South
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1
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Pass
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2♥
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Pass
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3♣
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Pass
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4♥
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Pass
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?
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RAY GRACE
4NT .Partner is pissing me off. I hate these sequences.
Sometimes partner has AKQxxxxxx
Other times QJT9xxxx . It seems that the 5 level is safe. I bid 5NT
over 5S
Kiz Fung
6H Partner
had many options over 3 clubs.
Could have bid 3 hearts and then 4 hearts. This should be something like KQJxxxx(x) and an outside card
somewhere or just solid hearts.
Duncan Smith
P Feels
inadequate , but no safety at 5 level. I'll take the valuable plus score at
mp's.
Doran Flock
P Let's
see; 3 hts is forcing so what is 4 hts? Sounds slightly preemptive to me.
(although shows solid suit if my ptnr bids this) And what is 4 hts over 1S?
And does ptnr have 8 tricks to go along with my 4? Not positive of any answers so will take
my plus.
Vince Nowlan
4NT Not
sure why I bid out of turn, but it seems to have been accepted. Partner
needs solid hearts for slam, so I might as well check with RKC. If he shows
AKQ, I'll bid 5NT to show all key cards.
Doug Deschner
P Too many
ifs.
Yes ,
aggressive slam bidding and match points are not a good mix. Most
partnerships do not have an agreement about showing solid suits.
Karen Kilworth
5H Just want
to know how good the hearts are.
Vince Lambert
4NT The
jump should show a solid suit and be forward going but not forcing. If
partner has an outside king we should have a play for seven. Most days I
would likely just bid 6 hearts expecting to get most of the matchpoints
anyway. I assume this is a top flight event today.
Tom Gandolfo
4NT I want
to know how good his hearts are. Might be a grand in hearts.
Will take a cue from Sherlock Holmes for this
auction. "Why did the dog not bark ? " I bid 5♦ which has to be a slam try in hearts. Why did I not use Blackwood
and chose to go this particular
route ? If partner connects the dots and figures out that I decided
to shun Blackwood because I was void in hearts , he wins the prize. He bids
6♥ with his solid hearts and happiness
! Unfortunately a direct 5♥ bid by me would not ask partner for good
hearts but a diamond control ( unbid suit ). Therefore a diamond control
bid should ask for very good hearts. What else could it mean in this
auction ? 4NT is taking control when I do not want to. Does partner have
AKQxxx , AKQJxx , KQJ109xx AKQJxxx
? Need him to make the final
decision not me.
VOTES
: 5♥ (1) P (3)
4NT (4) 6♥ (1) 5♦ (1)
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Problem #:
8; Scoring: Matchpoints; Vul:
Both; Dealer: North
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1NT
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Pass
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2♥*
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Pass
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2♠
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Pass
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3♣
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Pass
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3♠
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Pass
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5NT
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Pass
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6♠
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Pass
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Pass
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Pass
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?
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*
Transfer
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What
is your opening lead ?
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RAY GRACE
HJ
Someone was looking for 7.One has to hope that the Spades are 5323
and the Hearts are 5431 with partner holding a stiff Heart. The only
alternative thinking is that clubs are 3361. Hearts appears to be the better chance . Lead a Heart, win
the 1st Spade and lead another heart.
Kiz Fung
D9 South
must have a solid outside suit in order to grand slam force. Rates to be
the club suit. Also should have both red suit aces in a 2-1
distribution. So... my job is to
find the doubleton red suit. More
likely to be diamonds.
Duncan Smith
HJ I'll play
for the miracle where pard has 1 heart & 2 spades . Don't like our
chances, but I would give a negative score for a trump lead. (Waitng to see
the actual hand where a trump is necessary).
Doran Flock
C5 Why
would South bid Clubs and then grand slam in spades? Looking for a club
raise I think.Red suits look hopeless so I'll bet on lots of black cards on
my left and a doubleton spade and singleton club with ptnr.
Vince Nowlan
C5 It's
hard to construct a hand where South can use the grand slam force. If I
trust his or her bidding, the only chance to beat 6S is a club ruff.
Moderator
agrees and your partner agrees. Not sure about Hoy though.
Doug Deschner
HJ I
don't feel the need to do anything fancy
Karen Kilworth
HJ Nothing
to say they don't have 4-3 heart fit.
Vince Lambert
CJ Seems
like south has about 5 spades and five or six clubs, if he has six the odds
are good I can give partner a club ruff.
Please don't let Hoy see this answer. Why not ? It’s not a hoyiable lead on your part !! Better to lead a small club though just
in case partners club is the singleton queen along with a stiff trump.
Tom Gandolfo
C5 I
think the only hope here is pard with a stiff club and two spades??????
Desperate people do
desperate things. Chances are not good when they try for 7 and stop in 6.
Use the bidding as your only clue to give partner a club ruff . RHO must
hold something like QJ109x void Ax AKxxxx
or QJ109x void Axx
AKQxx to figure he has seven if
partner has the spade Ace & King. If they have 9 cards in clubs ,
partner has only one so lead it. Bounce with the Ace of trump and give him
a ruff.
VOTES: CJ (1)
D9 (1) C5 (4) HJ
(4)
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