All News

Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Potentially wonderful.

Sometimes, you hear some excellent news when you ask your partner to bid. They bid your best and longest suit and jump the bidding to show they have high-card points as well. Which way forward and how far are the questions with which you are faced?

Bridge in NZ.pngnz map.jpg

 
9
K Q 9 8
A 5 4
A K J 8 6
West North East South
    1  Pass
Pass Dbl Pass 3 
Pass ?    

 

They do not always bid your shortage, not that you had one apart from the opposition suit this time. They do not always jump. Partner, this time, made a very welcome noise. What should you bid next?

Your partner is a passed hand though that does not alter the meaning of their 3Club-small bid. They have around 10 or 11 high-card points and a single-suited hand. Had they a major suit, or even two suits, and that point count, they could have forced the auction by bidding 2Spade-small or with four hearts by jumping to 3Heart-small.

There are three schools of thought amongst our Panel:

Matt Brown “3Spade-small: If partner denies a stopper and bids 4x, we are looking good for slam with all their values outside of spades. If they bid 3NT, I am still interested and can start with 4Club-small.  Then, it's over to partner who can co-operate with the Spade-smallA or sign off in 4NT/5C with slower holdings/more wastage.”

Stephen Blackstock “3Spade-small: No problem yet – we are likely headed for 6Club-small/7Club-small but let’s see what more he can tell us. The jump with such weak clubs suggests fitting red cards but with so much room to explore, there is no reason to make a premature guess.”

Kris Wooles “3Spade-small: and after 3NT (should partner bid that) 4Club-small. I’m interested in 6Club-small and am keen to explore that possibility but would be a lot more optimistic about that if partner doesn’t bid 3NT (still South could have, for example, Spade-smallA and Diamond-small KJT which could be enough).

Bruce Anderson “3Spade-small: I can’t see any other way forward: Roman Key Card doesn’t help as if partner holds an ace, we are committed to a slam that may not have a play. Partner is likely to take my bid as asking for a stop in the first instance. If I hear 3NT, it is unlikely partner holds the key cards for a slam. I will then bid 5Club-small to play.

If I hear 4Club-small over 3Spade-small, I am bidding 4Diamond-small, hoping partner recognizes that we have club fit (it is very unlikely partner has nothing in diamonds and nothing in spades, so I can’t have solid diamonds and was looking for a spade stop).

If partner cue bids 4Heart-small over 4Diamond-small, I cue bid 4Spade-small. Holding Heart-smallA and Diamond-smallK, and five or more clubs, I expect partner to bid the club slam: otherwise we just play in game.

Slightly different views of how high they are heading though all trying to find out more about their partner’s hand. The Spade-smallA would be a good feature though other spade honours would be the “wastage” to which Matt Brown was referring.

Bruce Anderson cannot see another way though one other approach is to tell your partner what you have got:

Peter Newell “4Spade-small: splinter.  Partner has jumped over a balancing double. So, this looks like a hand where we want to be in 5Club-small or 6Club-small. 4Spade-small describes my hand rather well so apart from giving the chance to double or not double 4Spade-small and helping the opponents slightly with the lead, I can’t see any minuses to make clearly the most descriptive bid.”

Nigel Kearney “4Spade-small: Splinter. Partner's exact shape will be key as Spade-smallxxxx Heart-smallAx Diamond-smallxx Club-smallxxxxx is a good slam but Spade-smallKxx Heart-smallAx Diamond-smallQJx Club-smallQxxxx is not. 3Spade-small then 4Diamond-small and drive to slam whenever partner can cue bid hearts will work better on the first hand type but when partner is more balanced, we'll need him to have most of his values outside spades.”

The splinter throws the decision to your partner though our other panellist was taking immediate control himself:

Michael Cornell “4NT: (not 1430 in clubs!) Partner should have around 10 points and won’ t have a double spade stop- no NT bid so surely Heart-smallA and Diamond-smallK are likely cards.

I also don’t think partner will have many red cards either so if he has Heart-smallA, he may not even need the Diamond-smallK.”

Michael would have expected his partner to have bid 2NT with that double hold in spades. It is also a good concept to play the normal order of responses when clubs are trumps so that with 0 (or 3), the response would be a manageable 5Club-small, not 5Diamond-small.

Michael would have been very impressed with the 5Heart-small response this time:

East Deals
None Vul
9
K Q 9 8
A 5 4
A K J 8 6
10 5 2
J 7 6 3
J 10 7 6 3
2
 
N
W   E
S
 
K Q J 8 6 3
4 2
K 9 2
Q 10
 
A 7 4
A 10 5
Q 8
9 7 5 4 3
West North East South
    1  Pass
Pass Dbl Pass 3 
Pass ?    

 

The Diamond-smallQ was not needed. One presumes that with that response, Michael could ask for kings as 7Club-small would be a wonderful contract with the Diamond-smallK as well. You can make all 13 tricks above with a rather nervous third round heart finesse.

It is important to realise that when partner pulls out the 4Spade-small splinter on the above cards, that they do have a very good hand. At the table, South was worried about their rather barren trumps and signed off in game.

 

happy ending 2.jpgGetting to slam proved difficult for those “on the night” though one would think whichever route our Panel took, that they would have reached 6Club-small. Would you?

 

What are they up to?

 
8 7 6 3
A K 9 4
Q 10
A 9 8
West North East South
3  Dbl Pass 4 
Pass 4  Pass 4 
Pass ?    

 You made quite an agressive take-out double but that seems reasonable with both major suits. Your partner forces you to bid (4Club-small) and then changes the suit after you choose. What are they up to and what should you do now?

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items

Our Sponsors
  • Tauranga City Council
  • TECT.jpg