October 2006 - 30

The Bidding Box

Problem 3
South deals. N-S vulnerable.
West
East
 K Q 10 6 5
J8
A J 8 7
 Q 10 6 3
A Q J
 10
6
 K Q 10 7 5 4
Hemant
1
1
2
4

Justin
1
2
4
Pass

Hemant began with a strong,
artificial 1 opening (17-plus
HCP), and Justin responded with a
conventional 1 response showing
8-11 HCP, any shape. From there, the
auction proceeded naturally. 4 was
a splinter raise, showing diamond
shortness and a heart fit.
With Justin showing values in clubs
and diamond shortness, Hemant's
hand dropped in value, so he signed
off in game.
Linda
1
2
Pass

Dennis
1NT
4

Dennis's 1NT response was forcing
for one round. After Linda's 2
rebid, Dennis jumped to the heart
game, citing the singleton diamond
and the fitting spade honor as reasons
for upgrading the hand over a simple
3 raise.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1-1NT;
2-3; 4-Pass
Scores: 4 10; 3NT 8; 4 7; 3
5; 2NT 4; 3 3
Lalls 23, McGarrys 23
Problem 4
West deals. Both vulnerable.
West
East
5
AK8742
KJ8653
A4
KQ
4
8743
AKJ2
Hemant
2
4
30

Justin
4
Pass

Justin replied to his father's weak
two-bid with a conventional 4
response, which the Lalls play as
Roman Key Card Blackwood. Some
pairs define 4 over any two- or
three-level preempt as RKC (except
for a 3 opening where 4 is
RKC.)
Since the preemptor has a limited
number of key cards that he can
hold, these pairs frequently change
the responses from traditional RKC
so that the first step shows zero key
cards, the second step shows one key
without the trump queen, the third
one with the trump queen, and so on.
Hemant's 4 was the second step
showing one key card (an ace or the
K) without the Q.
Missing a key card and the relevant
queen, Justin settled for game.
Linda
2
3
5
6

Dennis
2
4
5
Pass

Linda also began with the preempt,
and Dennis tried to describe his hand
naturally. 2 was forcing. (Editor's
note: if you play that a new suit
response to a preempt is non-forcing,
you must Alert the opponents as this
is not standard.)
There are several options for
opener's rebid (2NT, 3 and 3 are
reasonable actions), but Linda chose
to rebid her hearts, and Dennis had to
guess how to proceed. His hand was
good enough that slam might still be
in the picture, so a direct 4 seemed
too conservative.
He chose 4 to keep the auction
open, but the downside to this
approach is that it suppressed the
heart fit.
Linda, not knowing where the
partnership was headed, but aware
that her partner had a good hand,
raised to 5. Dennis retreated to
5, and Linda was on the spot.
Did the sequence that Dennis used
suggest that a diamond control
was all that was needed to make a
slam? She guessed that it was, only
to discover that the slam hinges on
playing the trump suit for no losers.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 2-2;

3-5 (how good are your
hearts?); Pass
Scores: 4 10; 4 8; 5 7; 5
5; 6 4; 6 3; 3NT 1
Lalls 33, McGarrys 26
Problem 5
North deals. None vulnerable.
West
East
KJ
 Q 10 9 8 2
QJ974
A
KQJ2
A4
QJ
 A K 10 8 7
Hemant
1NT
3
4NT

Justin
1
2
3NT
Pass

The Texans began with a strong
1. 1NT was conventional
promising five or more hearts and
12-plus HCP. The rest of the auction
was natural.
Hemant's 4NT was quantitative,
showing extra values and a balanced
hand. Justin declined the slam
invitation since the auction suggested
that the hands don't fit together well.
Linda
2
3
4NT
Pass

Dennis
1
3
3NT
6NT

The McGarrys began with a 2/1
sequence. Dennis's 3 showed extra
values. Like her counterpart Hemant,
Linda also made a quantitative 4NT
raise. Dennis was more sanguine
about his chances in slam than Justin
was, and he took the plunge.
A heart lead, of course, is necessary
to beat 6NT.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1-2;
3-3; 4-4NT; Pass
Scores: 6 12; 6NT 9; 6 8; 6
7; 5, 5NT 6; 5 3
Lalls 39, McGarrys 35
Problem 6
East deals. N-S vulnerable.
Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2006
