February 2015 - 43

150 defending 3♣)."
Weinstein's call is 3♥. "Because my
suit is so bad, I want to bid 3NT. But
doubling 1♣ and then bidding 3NT
should show a more flexible hand for
the majors. The most likely way to
get to 3NT is to bid 3♥ now and then
bid 3NT over partner's 3♠. If partner
raises hearts, that's hopefully where we
belong."
There are two intrepid doublers:
Stack and the Sutherlins.
Stack, who has a lot of "must bid" in
his vocabulary this month, says, "Partner will, of course, be short in clubs, so
3♥ may not be enough. 4♥ may be too
much with this modest suit. So after
the double, I'll bid 3♥ if partner bids
3♦. Over 3♥, I'll raise to four. Over
3♠, I'll bid 4♥. Over a jump to 4♠, I'll
gut out a pass."
"Partner may have hearts," say the
Sutherlins. "Over 3♠, we'll bid 3NT. If
partner jumps to 4♠, he should have a
reasonable six-card suit."
"Pass?" queries Hampson. "I think
we might make game in notrump or a
red suit, but partner is already marked
with long spades and club shortness
and didn't bid, so he seems quite weak.
If I don't find a heart fit or get back to
diamonds if partner is 5=2=5=1, then
we will go minus instead of plus. We
could go plus 250 defending 3♣, which
gets us most of our game bonus."
Torn between 3♥ and 3NT, Meyers
is going for the notrump game.
Robinson boldly leaps to the heart
game. "I hope to make 4♥ opposite
5=3=4=1 nothing. If I double, partner
will bid spades since he has at least five
of them."
5. Matchpoints. North-South vulnerable.
♠K 6 5 4 ♥J ♦A 9 2 ♣A K Q 8 4
West

North

East

2♦

Dbl

Pass

Call
3♦
4♠
3♠

Votes
11
3
2

South
1♣
?
Award
100
60
60

On cue
Hampson wants to do two things:
establish a game force and show four
spades. He starts with a 3♦ cuebid.
"If partner bids 3♥, I will follow with
3NT in an attempt to show four spades.
Over 3♠ I will cue 4♦, agreeing
spades."
3♦ by Korbel, too. "I will bid 3♠
over 3♥ and 4♦ over 3♠ (setting
trump). Partner sometimes does not
have four spades, so the cuebid leaves
options open for strain and also for
slam."
Lee has the same plan. "I can't bring
myself to bid 3♠ non-forcing. This
hand has way too much slam potential
that partner will never expect, and we
could also obviously miss a cold game."
The Sutherlins say that starting with
3♦ is better than merely jumping to
4♠. "Slam may be on. If so, a slower,
informative, cooperative auction may
see us there."
"An easy one," says Colchamiro, who
bids 3♦. "I'll bid 3NT over 3♥ - implying four spades; 4♦ over 4♣; 4♠
over 4♥; and raise 3♠ to 4♠."
Cohen cuebids 3♦, saying, "I am too
strong for only 3♠. Jumping to 4♠ is
too committal. I can bid spades next
and leave other strains in play."
3♦ by Sanborn, who calls it close between 3♦ and 4♦. "I think 4♦ should
be a void. Over partner's 3♥, I will bid
3♠ so we don't wind up too high in a
silly fit."
"What's the problem?" wonders
Falk, as he bids 4♠. "If partner does
not have four or more spades, he has
to have club support. North ought
never make a negative double with just
hearts. If my partner does not know
this, he will after this hand."
4♠ by Lawrence. "If I catch four
spades in dummy and the 7 or so points
shown by his double, 4♠ will be worth
bidding. 3♠ would show less. If partner has three spades, he may be able to
return to clubs."
Boehm is one of two 3♠ bidders.
"Seems like the value bid. If partner
doubled with short spades, he should
have a runout, either to clubs or

notrump. At least that's what I would
have."
Meckstroth is the other 3♠ bidder.
"Seems straightforward."
◾

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top scores for December are:
Nell B. Cahn, Shreveport LA
Kenneth J. Eichenbaum, Pickerington OH
Jason Z. Ji, Kendall Park NJ
Kevin C. Kacmarynski, Monmouth OR
Christopher Marlow, Wilmington DE
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Zizhuo Wang, Minneapolis MN
Wilbur Argersinger, Ann Arbor MI
Bruce G. Bengtson, Park Ridge IL
Brian J. Dicker, Morris Plains NJ
Kevin Dybvig, Birmingham AL
Robert P. Giragosian, Bakersfield CA
Leonard K. Helfgott, Teaneck NJ
Steve W. Hirsch, Brea CA
Blair W. Hoffman, Moraga CA
Oliver M. Hoffmann, New Zealand
Eric R. Holm, Wilmington NC
Daniel M. Jackson, Spring TX
Jacqueline C. Karlen, Ocoee FL
Alexander G. Kolesnik, Los Angeles CA
Douglas M. Kramer, Coral Gables FL
Andrew S. Krywaniuk, Vancouver BC
John H. Lindsey II, Cambridge MA
Andrew Loh, Solana Beach CA
Dorothy I. Mersereau, Calgary AB
Roger Miller, Highlands Ranch CO
Stephen C. Osiecki, Laurel MD
Phil H. Rabichow, Tarzana CA
Marc L. Renson, San Mateo CA
Doug Reynolds, Braeside ON
Simon R. Richards, United Kingdom
Andrew R. Rosenthal, New York NY
Elliot Sternlicht, New York NY
Stephen G. Tynes, Truro NS
Thomas O. Vinson, Lexington VA
John Weishampel, Reading PA
Jarek Wyganowski, Fargo ND
Jeffrey Yutzler, Alexandria VA

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For the top online It's Your Call
scorers in 2014, see page 78-79.
February 2015 Bridge Bulletin

43
http://www.acbl.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2015
