November 2015 - 40

It's Your Call
DIRECTOR: SUE MUNDAY

The NABC in Denver that opens
on Thanksgiving Day features three
national events that use board-amatch (BAM) scoring: the Mitchell
Open BAM, the Marsha May Sternberg
Women's BAM and the granddaddy of
them all, the Reisinger BAM Teams.
The marquis team game on the Fall
NABC schedule, the Reisinger made its
debut on the competitive tournament
calendar in 1929. Only the Vanderbilt,
first played in 1928, is older.
Although BAM games are team
events, scoring and strategy differ
greatly from Swiss teams or knockouts,
which use IMP scoring. Larry Cohen's
article on pg. 26 describes what makes
BAMs unique and fun, and provides
good preparation for attacking this
month's It's Your Call problems.
1. Board-a-match. N-S vulnerable.
♠Q 5 ♥K Q 10 5 4 ♦9 5 4 3 ♣9 2
West
4♣

North
4♦

Call
Pass
4♥
5♦

East
Pass

Votes
11
4
0

South
?
Award
100
70
50

Plus scores are good
Cohen explains his pass and one tenet of BAM strategy: "No need to press
to a close game at this form of scoring."
Korbel elaborates. "While I would try
either 4♥or 5♦ at IMPs - because the
game bonus is so appealing - at BAM,
it is very dangerous to bid here again.
You need a perfect hand from partner
to make either 4♥ or 5♦, and besides,
we don't know which one to bid. It is

40 Bridge Bulletin November 2015

❘ SCORES: KAREN WALKER

surely less than 50% that partner will
have the right hand for us to make
game, so I feel comfortable passing. We
are allowed to put down a good dummy
once in a while."
The Sutherlins choose pass from
among their three "reasonable guess
bids": Pass, 4♥ and 5♦. "Partner may
have stretched to enter the auction,
and he did not double for takeout. If he
has something like:
♠A K x ♥x x ♦A K J x x x ♣x x,
then 4♦ is our best last-makeable
spot."
Pass by Hampson. "My hand may be
worthless."
Pass by Lawrence. "Where are the
spades?"
Ditto the psychic Ms. Meyers: "I
know my right-hand opponent does
not have much length in diamonds, so
I suspect he has length in the majors.
I don't think we are taking 11 tricks in
diamonds, either."
Colchamiro says he is going low with
a pass for three reasons. "One, partner
acted under pressure and may have
been forced to stretch. Two, I have the
death holding - two low clubs. It looks
like we'd have to run the table in the
other suits playing 5♦. Three, East
didn't push forward at favorable vulnerability, which reinforces point two.
Of course, I could be all wet."
Lee passes. "Because partner would
strain to double in this spot, 4♥ feels
really speculative to me. I don't like
5♦, just not enough values."
Stack calls it tempting to bid because
of the four-card trump support, but he
passes. "Holding no aces and only one
king, there is a good chance that we are

high enough. Why punish partner for
bidding with a hand like:
♠K J x ♥x x ♦K Q J 10 x x ♣A x?
I think everyone would bid with this
hand, but on a club lead, we probably
cannot make even 4♦."
Falk's pass: "Partner is more likely
than at IMPs or even matchpoints to
have made a daring call already. What
little I have is quite possibly of no use
to partner, who might have doubled
with a 3-3-6-1 pattern or 3-4-5-1 or
4-3-5-1. He is a huge favorite to have
seven diamonds and could easily hold a
very sound 4♦ bid - something like:
♠A J x ♥x ♦A Q J x x x x ♣K x,
where we'd be lucky to make 4♦ after
a club lead. At IMPs or matchpoints, I
would have no reason to think we will
take exactly 10 tricks in diamonds, and
I would probably bid something, but
at BAM, we might win the board with
plus 130 or minus 100."
Boehm is a 4♥ bidder. "I played in
many tough BAM events in New York
City over the years and won my share.
The strategy that stood me in good
stead was a conservative matchpoint
style: avoiding heroics and trying not to
lose a board irretrievably."
Sanborn also prefers 4♥. "Could be
the only maker."
Rigal, 4♥: "I am not sure if this is
sensible or not; either pass or 5♦
might work. Note that at this form of
scoring, we only need to beat the other
pair with our cards. If game is bad, pass
might well hit the jackpot. Still, I'll go
for the max, expecting partner to bid
5♦ or 4♠ with a really unsuitable
hand."
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2015
