September 2019 - 43

Cruising the low road
Korbel bids 4♠. "Very heavy, I know,
but we just have to guess. Partner will
have to stretch here sometimes to get
both his suits in. Although he could
hold:

drooling if partner takes another call."
4♠ by Lee, who sees a similar hand
across the table. "I feel guilty about going this low, but there is absolutely no
five-level safety on this hand:

♠A K Q x x ♥- ♦K x x x x ♣A x x,

Cohen, 4♠: "I like to give partner
leeway. There is a good chance my
clubs are wasted. I have a poor holding
for slam."
4♠ by Colchamiro - "the low
road. My clubs may be useless vs. the
expected spade-diamond two-suiter
from partner:

he could also hold:
♠A K x x x ♥x x ♦K Q J x x ♣x."

♠A Q x x x ♥x ♦K Q J x x x ♣x."

Meckstroth, 4♠. "No reason to think
I have a slam."
"Craven, perhaps," Boehm says of
his 4♠, "but high enough if partner is
trading on his distribution. Besides,
♠A K x x x ♥x ♦K Q x x x x ♣x.
stronger bids carry ambiguity - does a
EOK [Eric Kokish] keeps telling me
jump to 5♠ ask about heart control or
general strength? 4♠ avoids complica- that I should play that 4♦ over their
3♥ shows diamonds and spades."
tions."
Shi bids 4♠. "Partner may have
"Partner should have spades and a
stretched to bid already, so I will give
minor," says Meyers, as she chooses
them some leeway. It's much better to
4♠. "This might be an underbid, but I
go plus 480 than minus 50."
am just guessing if I bid higher."
Rigal steps it up a level
"I really don't see the
with 5♠. "Assuming 4♥
problem here," says Donn,
is spades and a minor,
as he pulls the 4♠ bidthis asks partner to bid
ding card. "Partner could
slam with a heart control.
easily be stretching, and I
(4NT, then correcting to
don't anticipate my clubs
5♠, shows a heart control
being especially valuable,
and invites slam, hence
because partner often has
focuses more on trump,
a singleton."
etc.)"
Robinson dismisses the
5♠ by Sanborn, who
problem. "4♠. Can't see
likes her hand too much
any reason to bid anything
to sign off immediately.
else. I don't know why this
"What a good hand I have.
is a problem."
Barry Rigal
I wish I could bid 5♥ as a
4♠ by Grossack. "Partner likely has an XXL hand with spades transfer to 5♠, invitational."
6♣ by Lawrence. "Partner has a good
and diamonds. I like my values in their
hand. What his 4♥ bid means isn't
likely suits - especially the ♠J 10 -
clear. Would like to have had a comas those offer protection against the
ment about this. Given I'm not sure,
potential bad break. But my beautiful
clubs are likely to be close to worthless, I'll bid 6♣. My fear is greater that we
will miss a grand than that 6♣ will go
and thus I don't believe I have fivedown. I don't have a Blackwood bid
level safety. I'm thinking:
◾
♠A K Q x x ♥x x ♦K Q J 10 x ♣x here, which is annoying."
is enough for partner's call, but I'm not
positive. Anyway, I will go low and start

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September 2019 Bridge Bulletin

43
http://www.acbl.org
September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2019
