August 2007 - 35

It's Your Call

Ten experts were comfortable bid‑
ding 3.
"3," says Sanborn. "Sometimes
you have to overbid. There's no per‑
fect solution."
Robinson agrees with 3. "I have
more offense than defense," he says.
"Maybe something good will hap‑
pen if I bid 3," says Baze. "Nothing
good is likely if I pass or double."
"I've got to get into action with 5-5
distribution," says Soloway, who also
bids 3.
"I know 3 is forcing," says
Meckstroth, "but even if I get too
high and go down two, that's better
than minus 140."
Cohen bids 3 and calls it "pushy."
Falk rejects 3 and calls it "a gross
overbid with these tram tickets."
Other panelists prefer double.
When opponents bid and raise a suit,
double is takeout, but partner can
pass if he thinks that's best.
"Double," says Lawrence. "This
is more takeout than penalty, but is
often left in. I can only hope that the
Q turns out to have some value."
"Double," agrees Meyers. "If my
spades were better, I would bid 3."
"Double," echoes Montin. "This is
responsive as I'm marked with short
hearts. If partner passes, my Q
could be a good defensive card. I
hope I don't hear 4, but it's just too
hard to let them play 3 when we
can probably make something."
Falk also doubles. "This is respon‑
sive and gives us a chance to stop in
3 or 4, whereas 3 would be
forcing and we'd be off in the ozone.
Pass is too timid and 3 too aggres‑
sive. Goldilocks says double is 'just
right.'"
Boehm also doubles. "If partner
bids either black suit or passes, where
my Q has value, we rate to score
well," he says.
"We have trump tricks and more
than half the deck," says Walker who
also doubles. "I'm not willing to bid
3 and force us into a short‑point
game at matchpoints."
Most of the panel choose to bid
something because their side has
more than half the points. Spades of‑
fers the highest reward if partner can
raise. Double is more flexible. Some‑
August 2007

times you have to choose between
less‑than‑perfect alternatives.
5. IMPs. Both vulnerable.
Q 6 5 7 6 5 3 A 8 6 2 7 3
West
North
East
South
Pass
Pass
1
Dbl
1NT (1) Pass
4
4
5
?
(1) Transfer to clubs.
Call
5
5
Pass
6
5
Dbl

Votes
11
7
1
0
0
0

Award
100
70
10
10
10
0

Make the free cuebid
Partner doubled and bid 4 on
his own. The panel majority raise
spades either directly or indirectly.
Eleven choose to raise by cuebidding
5. North has shown enough spade
length and strength that South cannot
be looking for a new strain at this
point in the auction. In context, South
has a super hand for partner so he
needs to do more than raise to 5.
"5," says Boehm. "This cuebid
seems better than 5 in case partner
has:
A K 10 9 7 4 3 A Q 8 K J 3  -.
Partner will understand my call
because I would have shown long
diamonds a round earlier."
In Boehm's example hand, the
diamond finesse rates to work. If not,
perhaps the diamond suit will split
3-3 and provide a discard for the 8.
Sanborn agrees. "I couldn't have
a much better hand," she says. "5
must be a cuebid for spades. I have
golden cards and owe partner a try
for slam."
"I have to bid," says Baze, "and
there is no reason not to cuebid. Part‑
ner may have:
A K J 10 9 7 4 A 4 K Q 7 3  -
or countless other hands where slam
is cold."
"5," says Walker. "The cuebid is
'free' and impossible to misinterpret.
I might as well show a diamond con‑
trol on the way to 5. Slam may be

unlikely, but it's not impossible."
"Two gilt‑edged cards make this
too good just to bid 5," says Falk.
Partner could have:
A K 10 9 7 4 3 A Q K Q 3 2
or other hands where 6 is gin. I did
pass the first time, so how much can
partner expect?"
"5 is a cuebid for spades," says
Rigal. "This auction is unambiguous,
as I will explain to partner in the
postmortem."
Seven experts bid 5. None of
them explains why they reject the 5
cuebid.
"This is a huge hand for spades,"
says Lawrence.
"An ace and the Q make it worth
bidding," says Soloway.
"I hate to get pushed around," says
Meckstroth, "but we should be close
to making."
"5," says Cohen. "They are really
pushing me around this set."
The Bridge Baron was the lone
panelist that passed. It wasn't pos‑
sible to program in the 1NT bid as
showing a 2 bid. When Baron was
asked for explanations, it indicated
that 1NT showed 8‑plus HCP, 4
showed 17+ HCP and 4 also
showed 17+ HCP. That is 42 HCP
and the Baron has 6 HCP in his
own hand. Humans are good at re‑
evaluating things as more information
is received. Once the Baron couldn't
make the auction "compute," he
passed. Apparently when the auction
is confusing, taking the safest option
(pass, in this case) is the default bid.
All the human experts chose to bid.
Since the 5 cuebid is "free," the
majority chose that.
r
You can participate in It's Your Call.
Go to www.acbl.org and click on My
ACBL. The top scores for June:
Vladimir Oudalov, Piscataway NJ
Suzanne Casey, Tampa FL
Robert Boughton, Livonia MI
Al Beebe, Albuquerque NM
Patricia Pohlman, Aurora IL
Richard Hill, Haslett MI
James Potter, Farmington Hills MI
Michael Lieberman, Cambridge MA
George Hawley, Florissant MO
Richard Higgins, Houston TX
Qing Jiang, Markham ON

500
500
500
500
500
500
490
490
490
490
490

35
http://www.acbl.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2007
