August 2022 - 39

Goded
1'
1NT
3'
3k
4'
4NT
6k
Sabate
1
2NT
3l
3
4l
5l
Pass
This time, Goded opened the
strong and artificial 1', and Sabate
responded with 1, forcing to game
with hearts. This clearly fits with the
last hand, where 1k showed spades,
and may allow the strong hand to
declare more often. 1NT was a relay
asking for more information. 2NT
by responder showed 8-11 HCP, six
hearts and a four-card minor. 3'
asked for clarification, and 3l said
the minor was clubs. 3k asked about
the full distribution, with 3 showing
1=6=2=4. 4' asked about key
cards for hearts. 4l showed 1 or 4.
4NT specifically asked about the club
suit, with 5l confirming the king.
That was all Goded needed to hear to
know what the best contract was.
Hoyos
1l
2NT
4l
Pass
1l and 1k were natural, standard
bids. 2NT by opener was artificial
and showed any of a variety of strong
hands. 3' asked which, with 4l
confirming 18-19 balanced with heart
support. This used up a lot of bidding
room, so Castillo had to guess whether
to go beyond 4k or not, and he made a
very conservative decision to sign off.
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1l-1k;
4k-4NT; 5'-6k; Pass. Although
conventional wisdom says not to ask
for key cards without all suits controlled,
opener has showed a strong
enough hand that responder can take
the slight chance. Besides, if you don't
help the opponents then they make
not find the best lead.
Castillo
1k
3'
4k
Scores: 6k 12; 5k 6; 3NT 1
Goded-Sabate 60, Hoyos-Castillo 40
Problem 8
West deals. Both vulnerable.
North opens 2.
West
 9 8 3
k 9 6 5
l K Q 9 4
' A 6 2
(2) Dbl
East
 K 7
k A K Q J 2
l A J 7
' Q 7 3
Goded North Sabate South
Pass
(Pass)
3l (Pass) 3k (Pass)
4k (Pass) 4 (Pass)
5' (Pass) 5l (Pass)
6l (Pass) 6k All Pass
Goded passed as dealer, and over
the 2 opening bid Sabate began
with a double. 3l showed values
of about 8-11 HCP because, with a
weaker hand, Goded could have bid
2NT, lebensohl. Sabate bid 3k, natural
and showing a strong hand. Goded
raised with his three-card support.
Sabate liked his hand because his
partner had shown values and the
K was onside from his perspective,
so he initiated a control-bidding sequence.
In contrast to all the artificial
slam auctions to this point, 4
and 5' and 5l all simply showed
controls. Goded offered 6l as a contract
in case there was a 4-4 fit that
would play better than the 5-3 heart
fit. Sabate wanted to play in hearts,
so he placed the contract in 6k.
Hoyos North Castillo South
Pass
(2)
Dbl
(Pass)
2NT (Pass) 3k (Pass)
3 (Pass) 4l (Pass)
4k All Pass
After a similar start to the other
pair, Hoyos bid 2NT (lebensohl) over
Castillo's double, requesting partner
to bid 3' so he can sign off in a suit.
Usually, this auction shows a weaker
hand than this one, and it's not quite
clear what his intentions were. In this
August 2022 | Bridge Bulletin |
39
instance, Castillo was strong enough
to bypass the expected 3' and bid
3k instead. Hoyos next bid 3,
intending to follow with 4k to show
a strong raise. Castillo made a control
bid in diamonds. Hoyos decided to bid
4k to clarify his intentions, and Castillo
passed, stopping at a safe level.
Bridge Bulletin auction: Pass-
(2)-Dbl-(Pass); 3l-3k; 4k-4;
5'-5l; 5k-All Pass. An auction
similar to the Goded-Sabate auction
makes some sense, but perhaps West
could be a little less aggressive at the
end.
Scores: 4k 11; 5k 10; 3NT(E) 6;
3NT(W)/4NT(E) 5; 4NT(W) 4; 3k 1
Final score: Goded-Sabate 60,
Hoyos-Castillo 51
August 2022

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