May 2018 - 41

I know nothing!
Robinson makes a responsive
double, showing two places to play. "I
don't want to choose. Double also lets
partner pass with a balanced hand."
Korbel, double: "Hopefully some
responsive overtones to this double. I
cannot guess a suit at the five level."
Shi says her double is "somewhat"
responsive, "but 5♦ doubled is almost
certainly going to be the final contract
anyway. Still, I certainly can't bid anything. If we played this pass is forcing, I
guess I would pass, but chances are my
partner is doubling anyway."
Lee's double is penalty. "Definitely
a bit unsound, but I think we need to
show some life while also punishing
them when they're simply too high."
Meckstroth's double is reluctant.
"Need to do something, and it's far
from clear we can make anything at
this level."
Donn's double is process of elimination. "I want to show something, but I
don't want to commit to any particular
suit."
Colchamiro's double is a guess. "Double - as opposed to pass," he clarifies.
"At this level, I would want two 'ace
values' - that is, two aces or an ace and
a king, to double, but as an old friend
and national champion (Ron Blau)
used to say, 'voids are funny things.' If
pass were forcing here (I think that is
not part of our system), then I might
pass, but then I still wouldn't know
what to do if partner doubled. As for
bidding a suit here or cuebidding, puhlease!"
Lawrence, double, "unlovely. Partner
will view this as values, but he won't
know that I have this extreme a hand.
At least double gives us a fighting
chance to play in our best fit. I could
pass and claim it was forcing. How
many will buy that? Anyway, if I pass
and partner doubles, I'm back where
we started. Double lets partner know
I'm not broke, and his decision rates to
be better than any guess I might make."
Sanborn calls double "risky, but
worth it, I think."
Weinstein doubles. "At this vulnera-

bility, I like pass to be forcing, and with
that agreement, that's what I would do.
Absent that, I have to double to show
some values and hope that partner
does the right thing."
Pass, says Grossack. "Something is
awry here. Partner is probably going to
double again, and that's where I'll have
the biggest problem. I don't want to
guess with bidding a four-card major,
especially if partner cannot even find a
call over 5♦. I'll be really happy if partner has a double-and-bid hand because
then I can cuebid 6♦."
"'One thing I know, that I know nothing,'" says Rigal, quoting Socrates. He
also passes. "Pass is forcing and double
regressive, so I'll pass and hope to
guess well the next time. Playing pass
forcing to double might make sense ...
indeed I'll ask my partner whether we
should!"
A simpler pass by Larry Cohen. "Not
quite enough to do anything ... hopefully in tempo so that partner can act
again with marginal values."
3. Matchpoints. East-West vul.
♠K 7 6 5 3 ♥K 5 4 ♦Q 10 ♣K 8 2
West
Pass

North
1♦
2♦

East
1♠
Pass

Panel's answers
August Boehm
Ken Cohen
Larry Cohen
Mel Colchamiro
Josh Donn
Zach Grossack
Daniel Korbel
Mike Lawrence
Roger Lee
Jeff Meckstroth
Jill Meyers
Barry Rigal
Steve Robinson
Kerri Sanborn
Sylvia Shi
Steve Weinstein

South
1NT
?

1
1♥
1♣
1♥
1♥
1♥
1♣
1♥
Pass
1♣
1♣
1♣
1♣
1♥
Pass
1♥
1♥

2
Dbl
5♥
Pass
Dbl
Dbl
Pass
Dbl
Dbl
Dbl
Dbl
Pass
Pass
Dbl
Dbl
Dbl
Dbl

Call
3♦
2NT
2♠
3NT
Pass

Votes
7
5
2
2
0

Award
100
90
60
60
50

I'm game if you are
Ken Cohen raises to 3♦. "I would
like to make a game try for 3NT if partner has ♦A K J x x x and an ace. But if
partner does not have an outside ace,
I would like the plus score I would get
in 3♦ instead of going minus in a 2NT
game try."
Cohen, Larry, also bids 3♦. "Too
much to pass, but I don't want to bid
more notrump; it won't play well, because I have only one spade stopper."
3♦ by Rigal. "Worth a try for game,
and while 2NT might be right, imagine
partner with an unremarkable:
♠x ♥Q x x ♦A K J x x x ♣Q x x.
Now, diamonds is where we belong.
'Being a fool sometimes does not make
one a fool all the time,'" he says with a
nod to Denis Diderot.
Weinstein bids 3♦, "showing a max
(which we have and then some). This
keeps game in play if partner has a
good hand, without committing to

3
2NT
3♦
3♦
3NT
3♦
2♠
2NT
3NT
3♦
2♠
2NT
3♦
3♦
2NT
2NT
3♦

4
4♠
5NT
3♠
5NT
3♦
3♠
4♦
Dbl
3♦
3♠
5NT
5NT
5♦
4♦
3♦
4♦

5
3NT
Pass
3♦
3NT
3NT
3NT
3♦
Pass
3NT
3NT
3NT
2NT
2NT
3♥
3NT
2NT

Total
450
400
420
460
480
410
440
320
470
440
450
430
430
380
470
460

May 2018 Bridge Bulletin

41
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2018
