July 2018 - 65

Special Contributors

Dear Billy
BY BILLY MILLER

Dear Billy,
My regular partner will not open
12-point hands. Or rather, "Only
certain ones," he says. Sitting East,
holding this hand:
♠Q 6 4 ♥J 10 6 2 ♦Q ♣A K 8 3 2,
he passed as dealer. South passed.
Sitting West, I opened 1♠ holding:
♠A K J 10 3 ♥7 ♦A 10 7 2 ♣Q 10 4.
North passed, and my partner
bid 1NT. Not knowing what to do, I
passed. He made six(!) after a defensive slip, but we still got a zero. I
have tried to convince him to open
all 12-point hands, but he is very
stubborn. Why does he think this
way? Is it an old Goren rule? I have
met others who adamantly refuse to
open their 12-point hands. Thanks
for any advice on how to convince
him.
Still Hopeful
Dear Hope,
Aside from not opening 12-point
hands, he doesn't support you either!
What's up with that? He has a supermaximum Drury hand, where a 2♣ bid
by a passed hand is artificial and shows
at least three-card support for your
major and a maximum passed-hand in
value. That's my bid. You would have
jumped to 4♠ knowing what he had
- including that he might have had 12
points!
As for getting him to open almost all
12-point hands (which I do, as winning
bridge is aggressive-bidding bridge), I
have the distinct feeling you are wast-

dearbilly@aol.com

ing your breath. My suggestion is to
move on because if you don't, you better prepare yourself to play it his way.
Trust me!
P.S. One last tip: I cannot agree with
your pass of 1NT. This should not have
been a consideration as your hand is
very suit-oriented with a solid opener.
2♦ should have been your rebid.
Dear Billy,
In a team game, I held:
♠A Q 10 6 ♥Q J 7 6 ♦K ♣A Q 10 4.
RHO opened 1♦, and I doubled.
LHO passed. My partner bid 1♥ and
RHO passed. I bid 2♥ which ended
the auction, and my partner made
three. My partner held:
♠8 5 ♥9 4 3 ♦A 6 3 2 ♣K 7 5 3.
Two questions: Was partner's bid
of 1♥ correct? Was my rebid of 2♥
correct? This seems weird.
Surely wrong

Dear Shirley,
I do not see the reason partner panicked with a 1♥ bid. No, I do not agree
with it. Partner is not broke, has a fourcard unbid suit, and with better spots,
he could have considered a 1NT bid as
well. 1NT and 2♣ are viable options,
1♥ is not.
Let's say partner's hand was:
♠9 4 3 ♥10 9 3 ♦8 5 4 3 ♣K 8 2.
With a hand like that, given no attractive options, a 1♥ bid is acceptable. That was not the case with the
hand your partner held, however.
As far as your rebid was concerned,
a 2♥ free bid without competition
shows extras, which you had. You have
18, true, but with the singleton ♦K,
this hand should be downgraded and
considered a soft 18. Move your ♦K
to the heart suit, and 3♥ would be a
standout. As it was, your 2♥ rebid is
heavy, but reasonable. I know this has
gone out of fashion, but there is nothing wrong with putting down a good
dummy every once in a while!
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2018