February 2022 - 58

Intermediate Players
Boehm on Bridge
Headache remedies - part 2
I must bid something, right?
One of the frequent problems an
advancing player faces is what to bid
holding 13-plus high-card points after
an opponent opens. For example,
suppose RHO opens 1k and you hold:
Q 4 k9 7 2 lA J 8 5 'A Q 9 3.
What's your call? 1NT suffers from
dual flaws: too weak overall and
hearts unstopped. Double leaves you
unprepared if partner responds in
spades. If you plan to correct 1 to
1NT, your two-step sequence shows
a hand too big to overcall 1NT. Also,
what if partner jumps in spades on
a four-card suit with invitational
values - do you have a mask handy to
cloak your identity? What we're left
with is pass, the correct call. Any other
call seriously distorts your hand.
Next, RHO opens 1l and you hold:
Q 9 4 kJ 7 lK J 8 2 'A Q 10 4.
Just try to find an acceptable call.
Nothing remotely fits, which leaves
pass. Instead, let's say RHO opens
1', finding you with:
K 8 3 kA 9 7 lK J 4 'Q 8 7 6.
Isn't this the same predicament?
Actually, it's not a predicament at all
- just say pass. There is an important
underlying principle: Unless you find
a good fit, holding a balanced hand,
tend to defend. When you pass in tempo
without alerting declarer to the
location of missing points, defense
becomes even more rewarding.
Suppose you are dealt:
A 10 9 3 kA Q 8 2 lK J 4 3 '9
and RHO opens 1 - do you act?
Double could get lucky if partner
picks a red suit, but the odds favor
partner selecting clubs - your shortest
suit rates to be partner's longest.
58 | Bridge Bulletin | February 2022
By correctly passing, you may get a
chance to describe your hand well if
the auction proceeds 1-Pass-1NT-
Pass; 2'. Now, double shows the
unbid suits, at least 4-4, with enough
strength to act in the live seat.
Sometimes, the best way to describe a
promising hand is to pass and re-enter
the auction if convenient on the
next round.
Try this one. Both vulnerable, RHO
opens 1 and you gaze at:
A K 9 6 3 kA K 7 4 lJ 6 '10 4.
You have the high-card points
to overcall 1NT with opener's suit
well stopped, but the minors are
wide open. Furthermore, if notrump
is your best contract, it should be
played from partner's side. Your hand
doesn't hold any tenaces that benefit
from the lead. If partner has the minors
protected, say lK x x and
'A Q x, the lead should be coming
up to his hand, not through, particularly
with the opening bidder sitting
behind the lK and 'A Q.
There is another important reason
not to act; when the bulk of your
hand is located in the opponent's suit,
think defense. Bidding 1NT releases
the opponents, passing keeps them
on the hook. If the auction dies at 1,
you rate to score very well. Sometimes
LHO raises to 2, even better.
Once in a while partner can enter the
auction with a takeout double - you
will pass with glee.
Next, you are in fourth chair holding:
K
J kK J 10 lA Q 8 7 4 'J 9 3.
The auction has proceeded 1 by
LHO, pass from partner, 2' (game
force) on your right - do you take action?
You have 15 HCP and a respectBY
AUGUST BOEHM
able five-card suit - what could go
wrong with a 2l intervention?
Plenty. Start visualizing what sort
of dog partner must hold. He has a
yarborough, or close to it, because the
opponents have announced game-going
strength. If you get doubled in
2l, and most experienced pairs play
that a double after a 2/1 bid is for
penalties, you are apt to need Medicare,
Medicaid and more. Even if you
escape the ax, you have snitched on
the location of your team's high cards.
Strong declarers have a habit of
making you pay for the disclosure. As
to partner's opening lead, if it comes
to that, who is to say that a diamond
is best? A heart could be the winner
to establish a quick trick or two. The
main point, if you think of the big
picture, is that the risks of bidding far
outweigh any gains. It may pain you
to pass with 15 HCP, but it will only
sting for a moment. After that, you're
ahead of the field.
Holding an opening bid is not a
passport to enter the auction. In
recurring situations like the ones
above, when the little gremlin is
whispering in your ear, " You must bid
something, " steel yourself and reach
for the green card - pass. It's the winners'
choice.
February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2022
