January 2025 - 67

Special Contributor
Dear Billy
BY BILLY MILLER
dearbilly@aol.com
dearbilly.org
Dear Billy,
I'm sorry you didn't get to the
Seaside Regional this year.
Racking up a more-or-less
annual loss to you in a KO is
always one of the highlights of
the tournament for me! I have
a question that may not be
column-inclusion worthy, but
would like to ask nonetheless:
My regular Seaside partner
lives on the East coast. Two
players at his club, both NABC+
event winners, told him about
what they consider " standard
expert treatment " in this auction:
(1c)-Dbl-(Pass)-1h;
(Pass)-2h?
They claim the expert treatment
is that the doubler's 2h
bid is simply confirming that
they hold four hearts and does
not show anything specifically
about the strength of his hand
(i.e., could be made on a minimal
takeout double with four
hearts). Is that really standard
expert treatment? It strikes me
as having more disadvantages
than advantages, but, after all,
I'm no expert.
Thanks, and hope to see you
back at an Oregon regional
soon.
Portland Pete
Dear Rose City King,
Thanks for the shout-out. The Pacific
Northwest tournaments are always
some of the best and most fun in the
country. I highly recommend them.
Hope to return soon.
Perhaps your friend misunderstood
the context of the auction (or misstated
what he was told) because I'm
certain I know what this discussion is
getting at.
Let's shed some light by offering
a distinction. If opener had rebid
something like 1s, 1NT or 2c, then
the 2h bid would be deemed as
competitive, showing four hearts
and capping his upper limit at the
non-invitational level. It would be in
line with what your partner's expert
friends suggest. In order to show
extras, he would have had to jump
to 3h. (The 1h bidder has already
capped their upper value as non-invitational,
as they did not jump to 2h.)
The rub occurs when opener passes.
Now when the doubler advances
to 2h, he is moving towards game in
the face of no competition, so the 2h
bid should imply some extra values.
Can you see the subtle difference?
In comp, no extras. No comp, some
extras.
Dear Billy,
This hand came up in today's
game at the club. I (West)
opened 1NT (15-17 HCP).
Partner bid 2c (Stayman). I
rebid 2h, and partner rebid
3NT. Here were our hands:
Me
s A K 3
Partner
s J 10 5 2
h Q J 10 7 h K 9 4
d Q 10 7 6 d A J 9 4 3
c A 3
c 6
I, of course, got a club lead,
and when the diamond finesse
lost to South's king. I went down
like a ton of bricks: minus 300.
Ouch!
Is there a way to show the
East hand so that we find our
partscore in diamonds? Please
advise.
What Are We Missing?
Dear M.I.A.,
After 2h, your partner should force
to game with a natural 3d bid. Not
only would this show five or more
diamonds, it would also confirm four
spades. (With a one-suited diamond
hand, they should not be starting
with Stayman.) In this sequence,
responder is showing two suits and
shape, suggesting that a suit contract
may be best and that 3NT may only
be correct if opener does not have a
fit in either of responder's suits. Here,
opener likes both of responder's suits
and should reward partner's good 3d
bid with a 4d raise. 5d is a very good
contract and should be reached.
Assuming you get the expected
club lead against 3NT, even if the diamond
finesse is onside, you still have
only eight tricks off the top. 5d will
make even if the diamond finesse is
offside as long as the spades come
home. Obviously, 5d is vastly superior
to 3NT and should be reached by
using common sense and following
partner's guidance.
Forget the idea of stopping in a diamond
partscore. Don't analyze based
on the result of the actual layout.
That's not productive! 2
January 2025 | Bridge Bulletin |
67
http://www.dearbilly.org
January 2025

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