January 2015 - 40

It's Your Call

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DIRECTOR: SUE MUNDAY

❘ SCORES: KAREN WALKER

Problem No. 1 from The Common Game; No. 2 from John Friedl,
Signal Mountain TN; Nos. 3-5 from BBO games.

1.	Matchpoints.	Both	vulnerable.
♠10 9 8 7 4 ♥- ♦10 9 7 6 3 ♣J 8 6
West

	
	

North
1♥	

Call
Pass	
1♠
Redbl	

East
Dbl	

Votes
15	
2
0	

South
?
Award
100
60
				0

Misery
While	this	hand	made	its	holder	
squirm	something	awful	at	the	table,	
it	really	isn't	much	of	a	problem	in	
the	light	of	day.	Most	of	the	panelists	
passed	without	a	backward	glance.
Cohen:	"Without	squirming."
Rigal,	nonpareil	when	it	comes	to	
understatement:	"Partner	will	run	
from	1♥	doubled	if	necessary,	while	I	
don't	want	to	encourage	him	to	do	any	
more.	Dummy	may	come	as	a	disappointment	..."	
Stack	wonders,	"Why	do	anything	
but	pass	with	no	high-card	points	and	
no	reason	to	bid?	Would	a	psychic	
redouble	work	here?"
Pass	by	Boehm.	"If	West	passes,	
partner	may	be	able	to	ask	for	rescue	
by	redoubling.	Bidding	now	is	asking	
for	bigger	trouble."
Korbel	goes	into	a	little	more	detail	
about	what	bigger	trouble	might	mean.	
"Sure,	maybe	this	will	go	all	pass,	but	
bidding	with	this	hand	is	just	likely	to	
get	us	into	even	more	trouble.	I	believe	
partner	averages	more	than	six	hearts	
in	this	situation	-	when	I	have	a	void	
-	and	East	has	a	takeout	double,	so	bidding 1♠ could easily lead to a contract

40 Bridge Bulletin January 2015

of	2♥	doubled	instead	of	1♥	doubled	
or	us	defending."
Kennedy	emphasizes	that	her	pass	
does	not	indicate	a	willingness	to	play	
in	hearts.	"I	have	no	reason	to	make	a	
forcing	bid.	If	LHO	passes,	partner	can	
reopen	with	a	redouble	or	bid	another	
suit."
Weinstein	says,	"I	prefer	to	defend,	
and	passing	increases	the	chances	of	
that.	If	the	double	gets	left	in,	partner	
knows	to	run."
Lawrence	says,	"If	I	get	by	this	bid,	I	
may	be	able	to	bid	later	without	feeling	
guilty."
Meyers	says	that	while	she's	tempted	
to	bid	1♠, she passes.
Although	he	prefers	to	pass,	Falk	
bids	1♠.	"The	risk	that	LHO	will	pass	
is	much	higher	than	usual	and	partner	
may	not	know	to	run	for	the	hills."
Colchamiro,	God	bless	him,	bids	1♠.
"And	prays."
2.	IMPs.	East-West	vulnerable.
♠A 10 7 6 3 ♥K Q 9 4 ♦A ♣Q 9 7
West
	 Pass	

North

East

2NT	(1)

3♣	

South
1♠
?

(1)	Jacoby	2NT.
	
	

Call
Pass	
3♦
Dbl	
3♠
3NT
4♠
3♥

Votes
11	
5
1	
0
0
0
0

Award
100
90
		70
60
40
40
30

Come Together
Problem	No.	2	is	a	methods	question	
rather	than	a	true	bidding	problem.	
Expert panelists are loathe to get into
methods	discussions,	asserting	that	
it's	up	to	a	partnership	to	figure	these	
things	out	for	themselves.	For	the	benefit	of	partnerships	who	may	not	have	
nailed	down	how	to	handle	this	type	of	
interference	in	their	Jacoby	2NT	auctions,	however,	they	agreed	to	speak	on	
the	subject.	
Lawrence	says	this	hand	shows	
how	important	it	is	for	RHO	to	get	in	
with	a	cheap	bid.	"It	messes	with	their	
bidding.	Rodwell	once	overcalled	3♠
holding ♠K 10 9 x on a 1♥-Jacoby	
2NT	auction.	Don't	laugh.	It	helped	us	
win	the	1985	Vanderbilt	final!"
Lawrence	goes	on	to	detail	his	
methods.	He	passes,	which	denies	a	
club	control	-	ace	or	king.	"If	partner	
wishes	to	double	3♣, I can accept
it.	Double	by	me	would	say	I	have	a	
balanced	hand	with	the	♣A or ♣K.
3♦	shows	a	singleton	and	also	a	club	
control	(ace	or	king).	3NT	would	show	
a	club	singleton.	4♣	shows	a	void	in	
clubs	and	4♠	shows	a	crappy	hand."	
Cohen	passes	and	elaborates.	"Based	
on	current	expert	practice	(not	that	I'm	
a	practicing	expert):	Over	Jacoby	2NT	
interference,	most	experts	play	double	
as	shortness	in	the	opponent's	suit.	
New	suits	show	a	control	and	guarantee	a	control	in	the	suit	overcalled.	Pass	
denies	shortness,	denies	a	flat	minimum	and,	if	responder	now	doubles,	it	
is	for	penalty."
Falk agrees. "I think pass denies
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