August 2019 - 39

himself into trouble with 3♥. Why?
Because after partner's raise, 4♠ was
ace-asking, so spades were now lost as
a trump suit. He found two key cards
with no queen opposite, so he signed off
with 5♥. "I should have committed to
spades with 3♠ earlier," he lamented.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1♦-1♠;
1NT-3♥ [5-5, natural and game
forcing]; 3NT-4♠; Pass. Thanks to
Richard Willey of New York City for
this hand.
Scores: 6NT 12; 5NT 10; 6♠ 7; 5♠ 6;
5♥ 3; 6♥ 1
B-G 45, W-E 36

Problem 6

East deals. E-W vulnerable.
South opens 1♥, North raises hearts,
South bids 3♥ if possible.
West
♠AK943
♥AK2
♦-
♣KQ854
Biddle North
Dbl
3♠

(2♥)
(Pass)

East
♠865
♥6
♦ J 10 7
♣J97632
Greenspan
Pass
Pass
4♠

Weingarten North
2♥
4♣
6♣

South
(1♥)
(3♥)
All Pass

Edelstein
Pass
(3♥) Pass
(Pass) 5♣
All Pass

South
(1♥)
(Pass)
(Pass)

Biddle considered starting with
Michaels, but, "I wanted to see if he
had clubs good enough to bid voluntarily." Greenspan called himself a wimp
for not bidding 3♣ over 2♥, which
might be a bit harsh. Over 3♥, Biddle
had a comfortable 3♠ bid with his
powerhouse, which Greenspan raised
with his useful shape. Biddle remarked,
"Had I started with Michaels and then
bid 4♣ over 3♥, I don't think Bernie
would bid slam with his pile of junk."
Weingarten did opt for Michaels,
quite prepared to bid again with his
huge hand. He bid 4♣ when 3♥ came
back around, and Edelstein made the
excellent decision to bid 5♣ instead

of 4♠. Now Weingarten knew partner
had significant club length: "He didn't
bid 4♠, and he can't have many hearts,
and with length in both minors, he
might have chanced 4♣ earlier." Ergo,
he bid the cold slam.

Bridge Bulletin auction: 1♥-1NT;
2♣-2♦; 2♥-3♦; Pass(?). Thanks to
Michael Shuster of Collegeville PA.
Scores: 3♦ 12; 2♥ 11; 4♦ 8; 3♥ 6;
5♦ 3; 4♥ 2; 3NT 1
B-G 54, W-E 48

Bridge Bulletin auction: As
Weingarten-Edelstein
Scores: 6♣ 11; 4♠ 6; 5♠ 5; 5♣ 4;
3♠ 2; 4♣ 1
B-G 51, W-E 47

Problem 8

Problem 7

South deals. Both vulnerable.
West
♠AJ3
♥AKQ654
♦-
♣K874

East
♠ Q 10 5
♥-
♦AJ976532
♣63

Biddle
1♣
2♥
3♥
5♦

Greenspan
1♦
3♦
4♦
Pass

Weingarten
1♥
3♣
3♥
3NT

Edelstein
1NT
3♦
3♠
Pass

Biddle opened 1♣, upgrading his
hand to the 18-plus variety due to the
fine suit and playing strength. 1♦
showed 0-7 or several stronger hand
types with no major. 2♥ was natural
with a good suit, but not unlimited.
Greenspan showed his diamonds, supposedly 8-11, but of course he upgraded a bit himself with an eight-card suit.
They continued naturally, with Biddle
guessing at the final contract.
After the forcing 1NT response, our
"conservative" Junior took the high
road with his game-forcing jump shift.
Two natural bids followed, and Edelstein decided that he'd be willing to
play 3NT if partner bid it over his temporizing 3♠. Weingarten didn't love
it, but decided he had to bid 3NT with
spades solidly stopped. As he put it
later, "Once I forced to game with 3♣,
there was nowhere smart for us to go."

West deals. None vulnerable.
West
♠KJ865
♥AK
♦J9842
♣ 10

East
♠A93
♥ Q 10 7 5 4 3 2
♦-
♣AQ6

Biddle
1♠
2♠
4♠

Greenspan
2♥
3♠
Pass

Weingarten
1♠
3♦
4♠

Edelstein
2♥
3♠
Pass

After a game-forcing 2/1 response,
the seniors don't bid new suits on the
three level without extras, so without a
heart raise or balanced hand, 2♠ was
the default action. Greenspan showed
his support with 3♠, leaving room for
slam investigation, but Biddle settled
for game with his minimum. He later
chastised himself: "My ♥A K are huge
cards, so I should have made a slam try.
As little as this makes slam excellent:
♠A Q x ♥Q J x x x x ♦x ♣A x x."
Weingarten bid a natural 3♦ over
2♥, as their three-level new-suit bids
do not promise extra strength. 2♠
would have promised six. Edelstein
supported spades, and Weingarten
found himself in the same position as
Biddle, but with a dead minimum by
their standards, he also settled for the
spade game.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1♠-2♥;
3♦(?)-3♥; 4♥-4♠; 5♣-6♥; Pass.
Thanks to Mike Cassel of Roseville
MN for this one.
Scores: 6♥ 11; 5♥ 9; 4♠ 6; 6♠ 4
Final score: Biddle-Greenspan 60,
Weingarten-Edelstein 54
◾
August 2019 Bridge Bulletin

39
August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2019
