November 2022 - 71

Special Contributor
Dear Billy
BY BILLY MILLER
dearbilly@aol.com
dearbilly.org
Dear Billy,
Playing online with a longtime
partner, we held these cards:
Me
l Q 2
Partner
 K Q 10 9 8  6
k 3
k A K J 10 8 7 6 5 4
l K 10
' A Q 5 3 2 ' 7
The bidding proceeded as follows,
with the opponents silent
throughout:
1
3'
Pass!?
Most other pairs were in 4k
making five. My partner said that
she had made a 2/1 bid, and I must
either take her to 4k or rebid my
clubs. It seemed to me that we
had an unmistakable misfit and
that we should get out before it
got worse. I contended that she
should just bid 4k after my 3'
bid. After all, she has nine of
them. Even if they split 4-0, how
bad can it be? And if she was considering
a heart slam, she could
ask for aces and still get out at the
five level.
We have been playing together
for many years and we're too old
to get divorced now. What's your
advice?
Reconcilable Differences?
2k
3k
Dear Wrecker,
I suggest that you embrace modern
bridge theory and agree to play that a
2/1 bid by responder is unconditionally
forcing to game after a major-suit
opening. You should not pass.
Disastrous results like this cannot
happen if you do, and sensible
auctions that can investigate slams
are more fun and rewarding when
you don't have to worry that partner
might pass a bid you know needs to be
forcing.
I will say on your behalf that if
you had described your system as
old-fashioned " standard, " the 3k rebid
would specifically be non-forcing.
Without a doubt, it sounds like you
were playing two different systems.
This calamity should bring you
both to the table and work out your
differences. Time to move forward.
No need for a bridge divorce! I'll send
you the bill for the partnership counseling.
P.S.
Along with the 2/1 game-forcing
stuff, you should learn how to
correctly play 1NT forcing, as well,
which handles the non-game-forcing
responses to major-suit openings.
Good luck.
Dear Billy,
This hand occurred at our local
duplicate. After my right-hand
opponent opened the bidding 3',
I looked at the following monster:
A J 4 kA 9 8 lA Q 7 5 'A K 3.
Obviously, I doubled 3'. Partner
now had decisions to make as
he held:
K Q 10 7 5 kK Q J 4 2 l10 6 4 '-.
November 2022 | Bridge Bulletin |
71
We did not fare well from there,
and I simply refuse to disclose our
actual auction! It was pitiful. Putting
the debacle aside, could you
propose an auction that would
have done us justice?
Gasket Blown,
South of Saskatoon
Dear Smoky,
The 3' opening bid shows the power
of the preempt and how it can make
life very difficult to catch up by taking
up several levels of bidding. After
the starting double, partner should
cuebid 4' indicating enough values
for game and, most likely, both majors,
though not necessarily. The 4'
cuebid could conceivably be used for
a very powerful one-suited hand with
the plan to correct partner's response
to his single suit.
After partner cuebids 4', you
should realize your hand is too good
to simply pick a suit, so you should
take the bull by the horns and jump to
5NT. In almost all circles, this would
ask partner to pick a slam. Partner
should bid his longest suit or the lower-ranking
of equal-length suits.
Unfortunately, getting to a grand
slam from a scientific point of view
is not exactly doable. But, if you feel
lucky, raise partner's choice of slams
to seven, knowing you at least have
gotten to your best fit, and that the
opponents are unlikely to beat it
off the top as you have all four aces!
Fortune favors the bold, especially in
bridge.
http://www.dearbilly.org
November 2022

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