January 2025 - 38

THE
BIDDING
BOX
For the second straight month, The
Bidding Box features two pairs who
finished near the top of the Truscott/
USPC Senior Swiss Teams at this past
summer's North American Bridge
Championships in Toronto.
First are Rick Binder of Waltham
MA and Alan Watson of Lexington
MA. They finished second in the
Senior Swiss Teams this year, as well
as the 2018 Wernher Open Pairs, so
they are due for a win in short order!
Their top finishes - one in teams and
the other in pairs - demonstrates the
versatility in their play.
Their bidding system is normal 2/1
forcing to game.
Second are Mark Aquino of
Jamaica Plain MA and Bob Cappelli
of Sanibel FL. Each has two NABC+
wins, including this year's Senior
Swiss Teams. Aquino won the 2015
North American Pairs Flight A,
while Cappelli won the 2007 Grand
National Teams. They are an experienced,
dangerous partnership.
Their bidding system is also 2/1
forcing to game, making this month's
contest a true battle of judgment.
c Q 9 3
1s
by the fitting spade holding and the
texture of the hearts. It worked like a
charm, as West raised to 4h, reaching
the best contract.
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
East
s K 10 9 6 4
h 10 7
d A J 3
s A Q 3
h K Q J 6 5 4
d 4
c J 7 4
Binder Watson
1h
2h
3s
2NT
4s
Pass
East opened 1h, and West bid 1s,
both completely normal actions. East
rebid 2h to show the six-card suit.
West decided to rebid 2NT, inviting
game while implying stoppers in
both minor suits. East had a little bit
extra, because opening with this distribution
could be as light as 11 HCP.
He smartly showed the secondary
spade support on the way to game.
Now aware of the spade fit, West
raised to 4s.
Aquino
1s
4h
Cappelli
1h
3h
Pass
The auction began the same as with
the other pair, but East decided to
rebid 3h here. This looks like a highly
aggressive action, perhaps justified
38 | Bridge Bulletin | January 2025
Aquino
1c
2c
3NT
Cappelli
Pass
1h
3c
Pass
Bridge Bulletin auction: 1h-1s;
2h-3h; 4h-Pass. 4h is a little better
than 4s, because a 4-1 trump
break can be overcome more easily.
Of note is that in West's position,
it would be common to pass a 2h
rebid with some 10-point hands, but
this one has some nice spot cards
and a heart fit, so inviting game is
reasonable.
Scores: 4h 11; 4s 9; 3h 5; 3S 3
Binder-Watson 9;
Aquino-Cappelli 11
Problem 2
East deals. N-S vulnerable.
West
s K 5 4
h 2
d K Q 10
c A K 8 4 3 2
1c
2c
3d
East
s A 8
h J 7 4 3
d A 9 2
c Q 9 6 5
Binder Watson
Pass
1h
3c
3s
3NT
Pass
West opened 1c, and East, a passed
hand, responded 1h. Despite the meager
quality of the suit, bidding 1h is
important so that a 4-4 fit does not
get missed. West rebid 2c, which East
raised to 3c to invite game. West had
plenty of values to accept the invitation.
He tried 3d, showing his strong
holding while probing for the best contract.
East bid 3s, also showing a key
value. West settled on 3NT, with neither
player diagnosing the heart weakness
which makes suit play better.
January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2025
