January 2015 - 41

a	club	control,	which	is	important	
information	for	partner.	If	partner	has	
a	singleton	club	or	another	control,	
he	will	bid	something	other	than	4♠,
and	then	I	can	cooperate	in	a	slam	
exploration."
Pass	by	Hampson.	"Although	I	have	a	
strong playing hand, I need to tell partner	that	I	have	at	least	two	club	losers	
before	we	get	too	far	in	the	bidding.	
This	is	what	pass	should	convey."
Sanborn,	too.	"I	like	to	play	that	any	
action	shows	a	control	in	the	overcalled	suit.	If	I	pass	and	partner	shows	
any	interest,	then	I	am	off	to	the	races."
Weinstein	passes	primarily	to	leave	
open	the	possibility	of	defending	3♣
doubled	if	partner	doubles.	"Bidding	
should	probably	show	a	club	control.	
And	there's	nothing	else	I	really	want	
to	bid.	I'm	not	thrilled	about	showing	
shortness	with	a	stiff	ace	that	isn't	in	
the	opponents'	suit."
Meyers	says	that	even	if	she	didn't	
play	that	pass	here	denies	a	club	control,	"I	would	probably	still	pass	to	see	
what	partner	does."
Pass	by	the	Sutherlins,	very	simply:	
"Let's	see	what	happens.	If	partner	
moves	toward	slam,	we	will	cooperate."
Boehm's	system	says	bid	3♦. As does
Meckstroth's	and	Stack's.
As	does	Kennedy's:	"It's	not	good	
to	have	a	singleton	ace	or	king,	but	
it's	what	I	would	have	bid	had	RHO	
passed."
Colchamiro	bids	3♦, too: "I think
3♦	still	shows	a	singleton.	I,	personally,	don't	mind	it	with	a	singleton	
ace.	My	structure	over	Jacoby	2NT	
interference	is:	double	=	shortness	in	
the	overcalled	suit;	pass	=	shortness	
in	suits	below	the	overcall;	suit	bids	
above	the	overcall	=	shortness;	three	of	
our	agreed	major,	3NT	and	four	of	our	
major	are	as	we	have	agreed."
Rigal	and	his	posse	do	things	a	little	
differently.	He	doubles.	"We	play	
double	shows	weak	length	(at	best,	
Q-x-x)	-	a	hand	where	game	might	not	
make	facing	a	minimum	hand	that	also	
has	some	club	length.	Here,	if	we	end	
in 3♣	doubled		when	partner	has	an	
unremarkable

♠Q x x x ♥A J x ♦K Q x ♣x x x,
we	set	them	800	against	a	non-makeable	game	...	and	that	will	teach	them.	
For	the	record,	pass	forces	double	facing	a	'normal'	hand	-	either	penalty	or	
a	hand	about	to	make	a	slam	try	-	and	
3NT/four	of	their	suit	shows	a	singleton/void	in	their	suit."
3.	IMPs.	None	vulnerable.
♠K Q ♥J ♦A 9 7 6 5 ♣K Q 8 5 4
West
	 	
	

North
Pass	

Call
Pass	
3NT
4♣
4♦
4NT

East
3♠	

Votes
15	
1
1
0
0

South
?
Award
100
50
50
50
20

♠x x ♥A x x ♦K Q x x x ♣J x x,

Hello Goodbye
There's	a	whole	lot	about	this	hand	
to	not	like,	as	Robinson	points	out.	
"I	don't	like	3NT.	I	don't	like	four	of	
either	minor.	I	don't	like	4NT.	Because	
I	don't	like	any	of	the	alternatives,	I	
might	as	well	pass	and	hope	we	can't	
make	anything."
Pass	by	Rigal,	"worn	out	by	
remembering	the	system	on	the	

Panel's answers
August Boehm
Larry Cohen
Mel Colchamiro
Allan Falk
Geoff Hampson
Betty Ann Kennedy
Daniel Korbel
Mike Lawrence
Roger Lee
Jeff Meckstroth
Jill Meyers
Barry Rigal
Steve Robinson
Kerri Sanborn
Don Stack
The Sutherlins
Steve Weinstein

1
Pass
Pass
1♠
1♠
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

previous	deal.	I'm	hoping	this	isn't	our	
hand.	I'm	a	♦K	or	more	short	of	a	4NT	
call,	and	bidding	either	minor	would	be	
a	lottery."
Sanborn	suggests,	"Maybe	partner	
can	reopen.	My	suits	are	so	bad	for	
a	four-level	action.	Plus,	who	knows	
which	one	to	choose?"
The	Sutherlins	say,	"Bidding	now	
is	almost	certain	to	get	us	too	high.	
Partner	is	a	passed	hand.	If	he	can't	
balance,	we	have	no	game."
Cohen:	"Not	enough	for	3NT	natural	
or	4NT	minors,	so	a	disciplined	pass,	
hopefully	in	tempo	so	that	partner	isn't	
compromised."
Korbel:	"Sure,	we	could	have	a	game	
opposite:

2
3♦
Pass
3♦
Pass
Pass
3♦
Pass
Pass
Pass
3♦
Pass
Dbl
Pass
Pass
3♦
Pass
Pass

but	partner	will	reopen	with	a	hand	
like that. Bidding here is dangerous.
I	will	pass	again	if	LHO	raises	to	4♠.
Sometimes	circumstances	conspire	to	
let	the	opponents	steal.	Such	is	life."
Falk	agrees.	"Way	too	much	of	my	
strength	is	in	spades	for	me	to	consider	
4NT.	With	such	cheesy	minors,	I'm	
not	overcalling	one	of	them	at	the	four	
level, either. Bidding on a hand like this
is	how	one	goes	minus	at	both	tables	in	
an	IMP	match."

3
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
4♣
Pass
Pass
Pass
3NT
Pass
Pass

4
4♠
4NT
5♥
4♥
4♥
4♥
4NT
4NT
4♠
4♠
4♠
4♠
4♠
5♥
4♠
4♠
4♠

5
3♠
4♠
4♠
3♠
3♣
4♠
3♣
4♠
2♥
3♠
3♦
3♠
4♠
3♠
4♠
3♦
3♠

Total
490
460
410
430
440
450
440
460
460
490
420
470
490
470
430
470
500

January 2015 Bridge Bulletin

41
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2015
