January 2025 - 45

are working.
I'm not playing
with a lot
of IMPs here
nonvulnerable.
The idea
that partner
might bid
six tips the
scale. "
Cohen's 5c:
Kerri Sanborn
" I like the
two working
kings and the
five-card suit.
Sorry, partner, if I buried you for the
second double. "
Boehm bids 5c. " Too heavy for 4c,
a nothing bid. Pass is plausible, seeking
a very likely plus. But 5c may
open the door to slam. "
Weinstein jumps to 5c. " I would
have bid 4c last time to show my
values, but I'll let the other panelists
whine about that. (Does that count as
a whine?) Now that I'm forced to bid,
I have way too much for 4c. "
5c by Grossack. " Some (moi?)
would have bid on the previous
round. I have a huge hand at this
point as partner really rates to have
a singleton spade on the auction. 5c
feels like the bid at this point. "
Donn wants to abstain. " 5c? I
would not have passed over 3s. If the
opponents can be trusted to have the
nine spades they are suggesting, then
4c immediately seems like it would
get us to the games that are right but
not the ones that are wrong. It would
also prevent me from having this
guess on the next round of bidding. "
" I would have bid 4c over 3s since
they have a nine-card spade fit, " says
Robinson. " 5c. Partner could have:
sx hA Q J x dA Q J x x cA K x,
where 5c is the limit. If partner has
more, he can bid a slam. "
Rigal bids 5c. " Not really suitable
for stronger action, though I suspect
I'm likely to make slam here. After
all, a 1=4=4=4 with a low spade, the
hA, hA and cA K Q probably makes
slam playable; not necessarily good,
but playable. "
5c by Molson. " It could go either
way, but if I
bid five and
partner bids
six, I am
delighted. So
... "
Lin stops
Janice Molson
at 4c. " I tend
not to stretch
for white
games even at
IMPs. I like
my kings, but
I'm still light
and the club
finesses rate to be off, plus bad splits
when they preempt. "
4c is as far as Meckstroth wants
to go. " Might belong higher, just
depends on the quality of the fit. "
Colchamiro passes. " Nowhere
to run, nowhere to hide. 4c on
cJ x x x x? No thanks. " 2
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January 2025 | Bridge Bulletin |
45
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1. Board-a-match. Both vul.
sA K 8 6 2 h7 6 4 dQ 3 2 cJ 8
West North East
South
3c 3d
4c ?
2. Matchpoints. Both vulnerable.
sA J hK 7 5 3 dK 6 3 c9 5 3 2
West North East
Pass
1h Dbl
South
Pass
2h ?
3. IMPs. Both vulnerable.
sK 6 5 hA J 10 8 3 d9 8 4 3 c7
West North East
1c
Pass
Pass 3c Pass
South
1h
?
4. Matchpoints. Both vulnerable.
sK Q hA 8 5 3 dA J 10 9 8 5 c3
West North East
South
1d
Pass 1h 2c ?
5. IMPs. North-South vulnerable.
s3 hA 10 3 dA 10 8 3 cA 10 5 4 3
West North East
South
1c
3s ?
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January 2025

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