November 2017 - 40

It's Your Call
DIRECTOR: SUE MUNDAY

❘ SCORES: KAREN WALKER

Problem No. 2 submitted by Michael Goldberg, Mahwah NJ;
No. 5 from the District 8 Advocate
1. IMPs. None vulnerable.
♠A 8 7 3 ♥K Q 8 ♦A ♣Q J 8 3 2
West

North

East

1♠

Dbl

Pass

Call
2♥
2NT
Pass
1NT
2♣
2♠
3♥

Votes
6
3
2
1
1
1
1

South
1♣
?
Award
100
80
70
60
50
50
50

One heart-less lie
2♥ garnered a lot votes despite being a heart light. How come?
Lawrence offers his analysis. "The
biggest downside to this conservative
bid is that we miss a game. I don't see
a source of fast tricks for notrump, so
it's 2♥ or pass. I have no spade spots
and can see my left-hand opponent
declarer easily getting four spades and
three tricks on the side. The advantage
to 2♥ is that it's a bid that partner will
raise with anything extra, and that
extra might be a fifth heart."
Weinstein agrees: "Extra values
make up for the missing trump. I'm not
strong enough for 2NT. If we have a
game, partner should be strong enough
to take another call."
Sanborn, 2♥: "I probably need partner to bid again in order to have a game.
Thoughts about 2♣, 3♥, 1NT and pass
... none is any better to me."
Meyers, 2♥. "My ♥K Q 8 looks like
four hearts to me, and I can't see a reasonable alternative. If my clubs were
better, I would actually jump to 3♥."

40 Bridge Bulletin November 2017

ing on partner's shape. But because I
2♥ by Lee. "This hand type has no
have no other good bid anyway, now is
good solution, so I'll try to get us to
when I like to take the chance. They
game if partner has a little something
might even finesse into partner's jack
with five hearts."
or 10 of spades."
Robinson: "2♥. The extra high-card
Hampson defaults to 2♣. "I am not
points might make up for the lack of a
strong enough for 2NT and too strong
fourth heart. Sometimes partner has
for 1NT, so I try my longest suit."
five hearts, and sometimes the opMeckstroth cuebids 2♠. "I want to
ponents won't realize that I have bid a
see if partner has a club fit.
three-card suit."
It feels like we belong in a
Shi pulls the 2NT card
suit contract."
from the box. "Overbid?
Colchamiro steps out
Underbid? Misrepresentawith 3♥. "I often tell my
tion of my hand? I think
students that many times,
2♠ is just too much, but it
there is no right answer to
could allow us to get to 5♣
a problem, only the 'least
when it's right."
worst' answer. Here, 3♥ is
Boehm calls 2NT "a reamy least worst choice - a
sonable approximation."
trump light and a point or
2NT by Korbel. "Not
two heavy for sure, but I'd
perfect, but what else can
hate for partner to have a
I do?"
fifth heart or some indifRigal hates his 1NT call.
Sylvia Shi
ferent 9-count, such as:
"Hide my answer from
prying eyes. Yes, this is an underbid,
♠x x ♥A J x x ♦J x x x ♣K x x.
but missing a vulnerable game isn't
I really hate doing this, but I hate
the worst thing I've done in the last 24
everything
else even more. Very close
hours (no details available) and at least
second
choice
(and my first choice at
this describes the basic nature of my
matchpoints)
is
2♥."
hand. Make the ♦A the ♦K and I'd bid
this without a second thought."
Cohen decides to pass. "This is a real 2. IMPs. None vulnerable.
♠A Q J 2 ♥A Q 8 ♦Q 6 5 4 3 ♣K
tough problem with no answer I like.
Because minus 160 isn't a disaster at
West North
East
South
IMPs, I'll go for the big prize here and
Pass
Pass
1♥
?
try to catch West speeding. These days,
when right-hand opponent doesn't
Call
Votes
Award
raise, my chances are good that my
Dbl
8
100
partner has two - and on a great day,
1NT
7
90
three - spades."
1♠
0
60
Donn passes, too. "This can work
Pass
0
40
well or it can work out terribly, depend2♦
0
30
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2017
