April 2021 - 46

Korbel, pass. " Both opponents passed
once already. Maybe I'll get lucky and
they will leave me be. I am not trying
for game at matchpoints with this
hand. "
Meyers passes. " It might be right to
make a game try, but if all partner can
do is bid 2, I think we are going to
need an awful lot to make game, particularly if I get tapped at trick two. "
Pass by Cohen. " Even if they (likely)
balance, who is to say we won't be
minus 200 or more in 3? If partner
has a fourth spade, he will go to 3. "
Even Grossack passes. " If more of my
values were in my suits, I would take
another call. But with scattered values,
I won't make any moves for game.
Though I'm sure I'll compete to 3
when they balance - or perhaps 3 to
offer a backhanded game try. "
Lee offers a 3 game try. " Jumping
to game looks irresponsible to me, but I
have to make a try. "
3 is Weinstein's choice: " A compromise between pass and 4. "
Rigal spies trouble ahead. " If I pass
and they double and then bid 4, I'll
have no idea what to do unless partner
doubles in front of me. Maybe I'll try
3 now to avoid that scenario. "
Boehm bids a " two-way " 3: " Try
for game and block their balance. Why
shoot out 4 and risk catching useless
soft values in the rounded suits? "
Molson isn't ready to quit yet. " 3.
I am not defending 3 or 3. While
I don't have a lot of points (to put it
mildly), I play 3 asks for trumps or
aces in noncompetitive auctions. If
partner has an accept, so be it. "
There's no slow in Colchamiro.
" 4. I would have opened 1. With
six cards in a minor and five spades, I
open one of the minor. With six cards
in a minor and five hearts, I open 1.
Given my lack of high-card points and
the opponents' silence, partner is a big
favorite to have some cards. "

46 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2021

4. Them's the breaks
IMPs. East-West vulnerable.
A Q J 9  K 8 7 6  A  K 9 8 5
West	 North	East	 South
			1
Pass	1	2(1)	?
(1) Diamonds and spades 	
	Call	
Votes	 Award
	3	7	100
	3	
4	
80
	4	
2	
70
	4	
2	
70
	2	
0	
40
	2	
0	
40
Despite her misgivings about splintering with a stiff ace, Sanborn bids
3. " I want to get the strength and
trump support right. "
3 by Lee, " with expected bad
breaks. I'm not sure this hand is as good
as it looks, although the A Q J 9 are
great. I'm willing to play 3 if partner
wants to stop. "
Robinson bids 3, which he defines
as a splinter raise of hearts with
enough strength to bid 3. " This hand
would be better if the A was in one
of the other suits, but it's important to
show shortness, even a singleton ace. "
Grossack agrees. " 3. No one likes
to splinter with a stiff ace, but I think
it's quite appropriate here. I want to
guarantee a heart fit and shortness in
an oppponent's suit and show extra
values. Sometimes you have to overlook flaws to make the bid that best
describes your hand. With my spades
so well placed, I will continue on to
game if partner signs off, and happily
cooperate with cuebids. "
3 by Rigal. " Splinter raise of hearts.
Is this game forcing? Not sure, but I
won't pass a 3 rebid. "
3 is Meckstroth's call. " Hopefully
partner will know it's a splinter. "
Donn's 3: " Surely this is a splinter
bid, right? If I thought it wasn't, I would
bid 4. Cuebidding 2 or 2 to save

room is false economy, in my opinion.
It makes no progress toward seeing
how well our hands fit and it confuses
the auction. "
Korbel hears the bidding and downgrades his hand to 3. " My hand is
strong enough for a 4 call, but on this
auction, our suits may be breaking terribly. I will give partner a chance to get
out if he has a minimal response. "
3 by Meyers. " If they had not bid, I
would have bid 3 showing shortness,
but their bid has alerted me to the fact
that the splits on this hand may not
be friendly. I also don't like showing
shortness with a stiff ace. "
Likewise Cohen, 3. " Not enough to
do more. Yes, I know my spade holding
has gone up in value, but there are also
bad breaks looming. Cuebidding really
should deny heart support, because
I can raise to any number of hearts
with various strengths. Will anyone
cuebid? "
Lawrence doesn't seem to like his 3
call. " Wimpy. 4-4-4-1 hands aren't
always as nice in the play as they are in
the bidding. Would like slightly better
hearts. "
Weinstein goes full-splinter with
4 to avoid any confusion. " It's close
between 3, a mini-splinter, and 4,
a game-forcing splinter. I think 3 is
probably right, but 4 has the advantage that I'm 100% sure partner will
know what it means. "
Colchamiro leaps to 4. " I like to
have five cards in my anchor suit as a
source of tricks when I splinter, so no
more than 4 for me. The stiff ace is
no bargain, and my good and positional
spades, given the bidding, will either be
wasted opposite shortness or golden;
bad splits are more likely. Unless partner has five hearts, the hand may not
play so well. "
April 2021

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