March 2020 - 63

Special Contributors

Dear Billy
BY BILLY MILLER

Dear Billy,
Matchpoints, East deals, East-
West vulnerable.
West
♠ 10 6
♥ 10 4
♦ A K J 10 4
♣ A K Q 10

East
♠AKJ83
♥Q983
♦9
♣982

As East, I passed in first seat.
When partner opened 1♦ as West,
I responded 1♠. Partner rebid 2♣,
and I passed for a bottom. I didn't
think partner could have as many as
17 high-card points. Should I have
bid 2NT? What's your recommended
auction?
Dropped The Ball
Dear Fumble Rooskie,
Your suggestion that the 2♣ bid is
highly limited is mistaken. 2♣ can be
the beginning of a "three-bid hand,"
in the 15- to 17-point range. So I agree
with West's 2♣ rebid, but I do not
agree with East's pass of 2♣. With a
good 10 HCP, East must keep the ball in
play, in case West has a three-bid hand.
2NT makes the most sense.
Obviously with a balanced hand
and 15-17 HCP, one would open 1NT.
Therefore, the hand types in question
are of the unbalanced kind.
Let's say you hold:
♠A K J 10 4 ♥A K Q 10 ♦10 6 ♣10 4.
Most would agree that opening 1NT
is not a consideration and that opening

dearbilly@aol.com

1♠ is automatic. Say partner responds
1NT (forcing or not); now it is your
bid. A less experienced player will say,
"I have extra values, so I need to jump
to 3♥ to show the extras." An expert
will say, " I have extra values, but I do
not have a game force, so I will rebid
2♥, the beginning of a three-bid hand
sequence." The expert is correct.
What some less-experienced players
do not realize is that there is a difference between the following auctions:

❶ 1♠-1NT; 2♠, and
❷ 1♠-1NT; 2♣ (or 2♦ or 2♥).
The difference is that No. 1 is limited
to 11-14 HCP, but No. 2 has a wider
range, 11-17 HCP. A rebid of the same
suit limits the hand to about 14 HCP,
whereas a rebid of a different suit only
limits the hand to a non-game force or
about 17 HCP. They may look the same,
but they are not!
If responder keeps the bidding alive
over a new-suit rebid, opener will make
a third bid, which will indicate a hand
in the 15- to 17-point range.
Let's say over a 2♥ rebid, responder
corrects to 2♠. Opener will make the
third bid of 2NT, indicating 16 or 17
points and a 5=4=2=2 shape. Put another way, it's less than a 2NT immediate rebid would show, but more than a
minimum hand.
P.S. One important point is that a
strong jumpshift rebid by the opening
bidder is unconditionally game forcing.
It does not just show some extra values.

Any other non-jump, new-suit rebid
has a wider than normal range, all the
way up to any non-game forcing hand.
Dear Billy,
In a recent pairs game, my partner
opened 1NT (16-18) holding:
♠A K Q J ♥A J 9 4 ♦K 10 8 ♣10 8.
I transferred with 2♥ to which
she bid 2♠ only. I felt this hand
merited a 3♠ "super acceptance."
She insisted that the ♠Q J were
potentially useless and devalued the
hand accordingly.
Holding:
♠10 8 6 5 3 2 ♥5 3 ♦4 2 ♣A K 3,
(eight losers), I passed. On a
diamond lead, we had no problem
scoring plus 200 for a bottom board.
Rock Bottom
Dear Bottoms Up,
Your partner has an automatic
super-duper accept. If she did anything
less, I'd call 911, as she needs resuscitation! Having a massive trump fit is a
major upgrade. Having a maximum in
terms of high cards is another upgrade.
Winning bridge favors the bold and aggressive, not the weak and pessimistic.
Your inclination is right on the money.
Good going!
With a six-card spade suit and a
lovely A-K-3 on the side, I must admit
I would invite to 3♠ opposite your
heavy 1NT range.
◾

March 2020 Bridge Bulletin

63
March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
