October 2024 - 38

THE
BIDDING
BOX
We have a competition this month
between two pairs who regularly play
at regional tournaments throughout
the year.
First are Ellen Anten and Craig
Kavin, both of southern California.
Both are experienced players, frequently
seen at tournaments in the
western United States. Anten has
over 27,000 masterpoints, ranking
her in the top 100 masterpoint winners
of all time. They are both friendly
and popular players and always
make for tough opponents. They
play 2/1 forcing to game without too
many complications.
Second are Alex Hudson of North
Carolina and Jonathan Steinberg of
Toronto. Astute readers will notice
that Hudson, a professional player,
appeared in The Bidding Box not
long ago with a different partner. As
a partnership, Hudson and Steinberg
have been playing regularly for years.
Steinberg has long served on the
ACBL Board of Directors. He is also
the all-time leading masterpoint winner
from Canada, with over 28,000
points. They also play 2/1 forcing to
game, with a few gadgets here and
there. Their 1c opening can occasionally
be made with a doubleton
club.
38 | Bridge Bulletin | October 2024
MODERATOR: JOSH DONN
josh@thedonns.com
See the West and East hands that appear on pages 49 and 55 respectively,
and try bidding them with a regular partner. Compare how you performed
with the expert pairs whose auctions you can read about in this month's
column. The North-South players are silent unless otherwise noted. The
competitors were not informed of any interference by the opponents before
the bidding commenced. The form of scoring is matchpoints with a 12 top.
The Bridge Bulletin auctions are meant to portray possible bidding
sequences to one of the top-scoring contracts using common methods.
Problem 1
North deals. None vulnerable.
West
s J 3
East
h A Q 10
d Q 6 3 2
c 8 7 6 3
Anten
1NT
3h
s A 2
h K
d A K 9 8 5 4
c 9 5 4 2
Kavin
1d
3d
3NT
Pass
After the 1d opening, West decided
to respond 1NT with honor cards in
both majors. East made an aggressive
but logical jump to 3d, showing
more than a minimum, due to his
nice controls. 3h by West showed a
stopper, and implied spade weakness
or else West would have just bid 3NT.
On these sorts of auctions, it is typical
to focus on stoppers in the major
suits, but there isn't enough room to
also worry about clubs. With spades
stopped, East bid 3NT.
Hudson
1NT
3d
Pass
Steinberg
1d
2c
3NT
Problem 2
East deals. N-S vulnerable.
West
s A K 4
h 8 2
d Q 8
c A K 9 4 3 2
Anten
2c
3s
4c
4h
6c
East
s 6 2
h A K 10 9
d K J 6 5
c Q 8 5
Kavin
1d
3c
3NT
4d
5d
Pass
After East opened 1d, West
responded 2c, forcing to game. East
raised to 3c because the low doubleton
spade made bidding notrump
look like a bad idea. West showed
the spade stopper, and with hearts
The 1d opening was normal. West
responded 1NT in preference to
raising diamonds, identically to the
other pair. East chose 2c as a more
flexible rebid than 2d. With a fit in
both minors and a maximum, West
attempted to encourage partner by
jumping to 3d. This worked, as East
liked the honor cards in the major
suits enough to try 3NT.
Bridge Bulletin auction: Both auctions
look good, but we will endorse
the Hudson-Steinberg auction. 3d
allows opener to reevaluate to a game
bid.
Scores: 3NT 11; 4NT 9; 2NT 8;
3d 6; 3c/4d 4; 4c 2
Anten-Kavin 11,
Hudson-Steinberg 11
October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024
