December 2006 - 28

Cell phone revenge!
By Gary Bernstein, Montreal
Our local club has a Zero Tolerance
policy regarding cell phones, but
this result was much better than a
matchpoint penalty.
My left-hand opponent opened
1 at unfavorable vulnerability. My
partner overcalled 1 and RHO bid
1. I held (spots approximate):

Bidding Lab

Art by Shane McDermott

Ideas and innovations from ACBL members

Inverted Ogust

By Karl Kristiansen

If you use Ogust responses to weak two-bids, you might like this treatment.
In the normal Ogust scheme, responder to the weak two bids 2NT to ask for a
description of the opener's hand. In steps, the responses show bad hand-bad
suit, bad hand-good suit, good hand-bad suit, good hand-good suit.
For example: 2-Pass-2NT-Pass; 3 shows a bad hand with a good suit.
With my method, you can invert the Ogust responses (the first step shows
the best hand, the last step the worst), leaving more bidding room with better
hands. It also allows for non-forcing responses to weak two-bids (in which
case a relay followed by a new suit would be invitational, an unnecessary jump
in a new suit forcing).
The essential element of the method is that over a weak two-bid, the next
step is the asking bid - i.e., 2 over 2, 2 over 2 and 2NT over 2.
If you play disciplined weak two-bids, you can retain 2NT to ask for a
feature (usually an ace or king). If you play undisciplined weak twos, the next
step would be inverted Ogust.
When opener starts with 2:
2 asks (this is an Alert)
2 = spade feature or good hand-good suit.
2NT = heart feature or good hand-bad suit.
3 = club feature or bad hand-good suit.
3 = no feature or bad hand-bad suit.
2, 2NT, 3 and 3 are natural but non-forcing (Alert).
When opener starts with 2:
2 asks (Alert)
2NT = spade feature or good hand-good suit.
3 = club feature or good hand-bad suit.
3 = diamond feature or bad hand-good suit.
3 = no feature or bad hand-bad suit.
2NT, 3, 3 and 3 are natural but non-forcing (Alert).
When opener starts with 2:
2NT asks (normal - no Alert)
3 = club feature or good hand-good suit.
3 = diamond feature or good hand-bad suit.
3 = heart feature or bad hand-good suit.
3 = no feature or bad hand-bad suit.
3, 3 and 3 are natural but non-forcing (Alert).
r

A K 7 4 10 9 8 4 3 - 10 8 7 2
I bid 2, and LHO bid 4
(clearly a splinter). Partner passed
in tempo. There was a pause while
RHO answered her cell phone and
distractedly took out the green card.
Delicious! I looked at my hand and
figured plus 500 would be better than
plus 420 or plus 450, so I passed!
LHO looked incredulous - the
opponents always double, don't
they, allowing opener to bid 4?
Partner led the A, capturing the
stiff queen in dummy (declarer was
void), shifted to his stiff club, and we
crossruffed for 12 defensive tricks!
Had partner given me a diamond ruff
at trick two, we could have taken all
13 tricks (he pitches his club on one
of my high spades).
The full deal:
-
AKJ7652
A8743
5
Q862
 J 10 9 5 3
N
-
Q
W E
KJ962
 Q 10 5
S
AKQ3
J964
AK74
 10 9 8 4 3
-
 10 8 7 2
Notice that we make
12 tricks in hearts on
a club lead, 13 with a
spade lead. Plus 900
was not a top. There
were a couple of
North-South pairs
who "sacrificed"
and got doubled
for better scores.

The author, who lives in Clearwater FL, is a Silver Life Master.
28

Bridge Bulletin
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2006
