September 2015 - 43

Call
4♥
4♠
4♣
4♦
5♣
4NT
5♠
6♠

Votes
11
5
1
0
0
0
0
0

Award
125
100
80
75
65
30
30
30

Taking shape
Most of the experts "pattern out"
(complete the description of their distribution) by bidding 4♥.
The Sutherlins say that after 4♥,
"partner should have a good idea what
our hand looks like. We are trying for
a slam with only three hearts. He may
have a high spade and five or six hearts
headed by the queen. If so, 6♥ will be a
reasonable contract."
Rigal's explanation: "I think 4♥
suggests shape rather than denying a
club control. Because slam might be
cold facing ♠A J x and nothing else, it
behooves me to make one effort."
Stack bids 4♥, saying a 4♣ control
bid could be confusing. "There could
just as easily be a heart slam but not
a spade slam. Partner should highly
regard spade values. Something like:
♠A x ♥Q 10 x x x x ♦x x x ♣x x
would produce a good heart slam, but
getting to it will be difficult."
Sanborn, 4♥: "Bid where I live. I'm
letting partner know that club cards
are no good. Please evaluate all other
cards. Who is to say that we can't be
facing the ♠A K?"
Hampson: "Pattern out and see if
partner has a fit for hearts or two spade
honors and a good hand."
Falk's 4♥: "Partner obviously has at
least two spades. If he holds either
♠K J or ♠A J, we are on the verge of
slam, so I might as well see if partner
can get enthusiastic."
Boehm: "Bidding out the pattern. We
may belong in any contract from 4♥ or
4♠ to 6♦ or 6♥."
Lawrence clings to 4♠. "Far too
many dangers in bidding more. We
might not be able to make 4♠, let alone

more spades. Imagine partner with the
♣K J 10 5 4 and nothing else."
4♠ by Lee. "Obviously we could miss
a slam opposite the right hand, but
I don't want to show too much slam
interest with this bad spade suit."
Meckstroth emphatically agrees.
"4♠. No way to bid slam in my opinion."
Abdou strikes out on his own with
a 4♣ cuebid. "I'll follow with 5♠ and
hopefully partner will get the correct
message. 4♥ 'last train' is risky lest
partner think I have no club control."

The rest of the story

From "Famous Bidding Decisions"
by Terence Reese and David Bird

1. Dlr: West ♠ 3
Vul: None ♥ A K Q 8 4
♦A95
♣AJ54
♠ 10 9 8 7 6 2
♠K5
♥J6
♥9532
♦2
♦K876
♣K973
♣ 10 6 2
♠AQJ4
♥ 10 7
♦ Q J 10 4 3
♣Q8
West
Crawford
Pass
1♥
Pass
3♣
Pass
4♦
All Pass

East
Pass
Pass
Pass

Schenken
2♦
3NT
4NT

Problem No. 1 comes from the first
Bermuda Bowl, played in 1950. Howard
Schenken sat South for the USA facing
a combined Sweden-Iceland team.
Evidently Schenken was influenced
by the duplication of values in spades.
His 4NT call was judged by Reese
and Bird to be among the bottom two
choices (along with 5♦). They gave
highest marks to 4♠ and nearly as high
a rating to 6♦.
The opening lead was the ♠10 to the
king and ace. Schenken put himself in a
position to fail in 4NT when he ran the
♦Q (East held up), played a diamond
to the ace and then four rounds of
hearts. Had the defenders endplayed
dummy, they could have scored two

clubs, a diamond and a heart to set the
contract. West, however, discarded a
club on the hearts, and Schenken was
able to scramble home with plus 430.
At the other table, North-South had
a bidding mishap and North played
5♥. While he could have succeeded by
simply drawing trumps and playing on
diamonds, he found a line of play that
led to down three.
2. Dlr: West
Vul: E-W

♠A7654
♥ K 10 8 5 2
♦75
♣7
♠K32
♠ Q J 10 9 8
♥74
♥AQJ63
♦KQ8432
♦-
♣82
♣J95
♠-
♥9
♦ A J 10 9 6
♣ A K Q 10 6 4 3

West
2♦(1)

North
Pass

East
Pass

Sabine
Pass

(1) Weak.
This deal was played in the finals of
the 1993 Bermuda Bowl and Venice
Cup. There were four quite different
auctions. Sabine Zenkel (now Auken),
playing for Germany, passed with the
South cards. The U.S. player in the
West seat was unable to make the best
of a poor situation, and went down six.
At the other table, South was down one
in 5♣, and Germany picked up 11 IMPs.
Reese and Bird regarded Pass and
3NT with equal enthusiasm. They did
not feel as buoyant about 5♣, and gave
3♣ a flat zero.
3. Dlr: East
Vul: E-W

♠ K 10 4
♥2
♦KJ62
♣AQ754
♠AQJ
♠9853
♥KQJ743
♥965
♦74
♦Q9
♣92
♣KJ83
♠762
♥ A 10 8
♦ A 10 8 5 3
♣ 10 6
September 2015 Bridge Bulletin

43
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2015
