February 2013 - 41

Dear Jerry,
Left-hand opponent opened 1ࡔ
and after two passes, I had a problem deciding what to bid with the
following:
ࡕK 5 ࡖA K 9 3 2 ࡗA Q ࡔQ J 6 4.
After thinking a little, I decided to reopen with 2ࡖ. Everyone
passed. Ten tricks later, my partner remarked that she thought
we played weak jump overcalls.
I explained that I felt my bid
showed a strong hand in this position. She countered that I could
have doubled, which I considered,
but decided not to with only two
spades. What do you think?
Steve
Dear Steve,
I think that you were right, but
perhaps you could have been "righter." In fourth position, it is illogical to
use a jump bid to show a weak hand.
If your partner could not voluntarily
act over 1ࡔ, why would you want to
reopen the bidding, allowing LHO another opportunity to express the extra
values he would surely hold in this
scenario? This being said, there is no
perfect bid to describe your holding,
but I think the action you chose could
have been improved upon. For a jump
bid in the pass-out position, I would
have expected something more like
this:
ࡕA 5 ࡖA Q J 10 6 3 2 ࡗK 8 ࡔ6 4.
Values like this scream for offense,
not defense. A takeout double could
be a mistake for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, if partner opted to

?
pass, converting your takeout to penalty with club length, this might not
work out very well. In addition, why
ask your partner's opinion via double,
when in reality, you don't much care
what she thinks. A jump to 2ࡖ in this
position shows a hand of intermediate strength with a long, strong suit.
Hmm, an action that clearly resembles
the cards above. After this descriptive
bid, partner is invited to take action,
but should not be terribly concerned
about the length or strength of
support for your suit. The hand you
actually held could best be played
in any of the three available suits or
notrump, and should partner pass for
penalty (not likely, but possible, the
way some people open two-card club
suits), you would be delighted.
My preferred action with your hand
would be a jump to 2NT. Although
typically played as some type of weak,
two-suited hand when bid in the
direct seat, 2NT in the passout seat is
best defined as a natural bid, showing
19 to 21 high-card points with a stopper. After this action, your partnership should play the same response
structure you play to an opening bid
of 2NT. Although this action is not
perfect (because it conceals your fivecard heart suit), I think it is the best
compromise.
One of my Jerry-isms covers this
very topic:
The best available bid is often
the least bad alternative.

Jerry Helms
www.jerryhelms.com
It's Your Call top scores for Dec.
➤ continued from page 37
Larry Sharp, Laguna Niguel CA
Roxanne Rees, Calgary AB
Eddie Rose, Laguna Niguel CA
Alan Trippel, Hot Springs Village AR
Gary Morrison, Westminster CO
Richard Bryant, Ocean Springs MS
John Altman, Mariemont OH
Pat Long, Bluffton SC
Ray Sanow, Weaverville NC
Dave Dunstan, Cumming GA
Harry Kollman, Mequon WI
Florence Weener, Needham MA
Jane Ledford, Clear Brook VA
Michael Garrett, Omaha NE
Giri Giridhar, Ridgewood NJ
Frank Knier, Fargo ND
John Cacy, Anchorage AK
Robert Shore, Los Angeles CA
Samuel Amer, Newark DE
Karen Ewald, Franklin Square NY
Siraj Haji, Columbus OH
Janet Henrichsen, Arlington VA
Mark Chen, Oak Hill VA
Len Vishnevsky, San Francisco CA
C.G. Bell, Austin TX
Christopher Marlow, Wilmington DE
Daniel Carter, Encinitas CA
David Woodson III, Edmond OK
Ryan Connors, New York NY
Andrei Prodan, Mississauga ON
Scott McDermott, New York NY
Yinghan Ding, Hanover NH
Bruce Pierce, Daphne AL
Adam Kaplan, New Port Richey FL

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February 2013 Bridge Bulletin

http://www.jerryhelms.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2013