March 2021 - 40

IT'S

YOUR
CALL

DIRECTOR: SUE MUNDAY
SCORES: KAREN WALKER

Richard Pavlicek curated these problems from various world championships. If you are
not familiar with Richard's website, get thee there postmortem! You'll find a treasure
chest of learning materials, bridge utilities, puzzles and much more: rpbridge.net.

1. Waffles a la mode
IMPs. East-West vulnerable.
9 4	 Q 10 8 6	 A 3	 A K 5 3 2
West	 North	East	 South
1NT	2(1)	Pass	?
(1) Natural
	Call	
Votes	 Award
	2NT	
9	
100
	4	4	 80
	Pass	
2	
60
	3	0	 60
	3	0	 30
	3NT	
0	
30
Sanborn explains that 2NT is the
generally accepted way of inviting in
partner's major-suit overcall of an
opponent's 1NT opening. " A direct
raise would be more of a fitting or
mixed raise. "
Molson: " 2NT. It's a game try and I
think I have that. Let's see if partner
likes their hand. "
Korbel looks upward with 2NT. " I
assume partner could have shown
majors or a two-suiter. This means he
should really have at least six spades. I
think I owe partner a raise, but I don't
want to bury him in case he is bidding a
little aggressively with something like:
A Q J x x x	 x x x	

x x x	

x.

I think both 2NT and 3 should be a
raise here, with 2NT being the stronger,
so I'll try 2NT. If we were vulnerable, I
would just stuff partner into 4. "
Boehm agrees that 2NT shows at
least a partial spade fit, " analogous to a
support cuebid. "

40 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2021

Lee likes 2NT. " A game try seems
appropriate. "
Meyers goes middle of the road with
2NT. " Invitational. This could be getting us too high, but I have too much to
pass. "
Colchamiro bids 2NT, " forward-going
in spades. 3 would just be a courtesy
raise, but I have more than that. Partner
has at least six, I presume. "
Weinstein's easy-going, two-way 2NT.
" If partner takes this as a good raise or
just a good hand, I'm OK either way. "
Meckstroth's style, on the other hand,
is to bid game and defy the opponents
to set him. " 4. Partner is likely to have
at least six spades, so I am going for the
game bonus. "
4 by Lawrence, who says this
problem is a matter of knowing your
partner's style. " Mine tend to have
something when they bid 2. I imagine
you will have a couple of passes and
some waffling 2NT bidders. I expect
partner has a one-suited hand, thus I
can count on his having six of them. "
Claiming he doesn't like to punish
partners for coming in versus opponents' notrump, Cohen raises his
partner to game. " At IMPs in direct
seat, partner will be a semi-solid citizen
with at least a six-card suit. How bad
can it be to insist on game? Opposite
A Q 10 x x x and out we have play, and
partner will have more than that. "
Robinson, 4, " playing partner for
A Q J x x x and a minor-suit queen or
K Q J x x x and a king. I think passing is playing partner to overcall with
a joke. "
Rigal likes a good joke. " Pass. Game

doesn't rate to be any better than a
finesse facing some of the hands I
would encourage my partner to act
with. Give me 10 9 and I might
stretch to bid 3. "
Grossack extends the same latitude
he hopes partner would extend him.
" Pass. Misses a nonvulnerable game
once in a while, but partner will appreciate the room. Sometimes, partner
wants to come in with the intent of
obstructing the opponents at this vulnerability. Vulnerable, I'd make a game
try with 2NT. "
2. Stay the course
IMPs. Both vulnerable.
A 5	 7 6	 A J 8	

A K J 9 8 5

West	 North	East	 South
		
Pass	1
1	1	1	?
	Call	
Votes	 Award
	2NT	
6	
100
	3	3	 70
	2	3	 70
	3NT	
3	
70
	2	0	 30
Cohen bids 2NT. " My plan when I
opened was to show 18-19 balanced,
and nothing has changed that. I even
have both of their suits stopped. "
Molson doesn't see an alternative to
2NT. " I have stoppers in both suits. It's
a tad too heavy with that six-card suit,
but there is no real choice in my less
than humble opinion. "
Sanborn: " 2NT seems like a normal
action. "
Korbel wavers between 2NT, 3NT,
2 and 3 before settling on 2NT.
Lawrence narrows his choices to 2NT
or 3, and picks 2NT. " 2NT is more
likely to get partner to raise to 3NT
than 3. "
Though he is sure 2NT will win
the vote, Donn doesn't like it. " 3. If
we belong in 3NT, we can always get
there. But if it's a partscore hand, why
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March 2021

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