February 2025 - 67

Special Contributor
Dear Billy
BY BILLY MILLER
dearbilly@aol.com
dearbilly.org
Dear Billy,
I always read the Bridge
Bulletin from the back - so I
can read your column at once.
My partner opened 1NT, and I
bid 3NT - going down. My hand
was this:
s9 8 7 hQ 3 dA Q cJ 10 9 8 3 2.
Do I deduct anything for my
doubleton hQ? Does my long
suit have insufficient strength?
Your valued opinion please.
Bridge Addicted
Dear Addie,
Thanks for the flattering remarks. I
will try not to let them influence me!
With that said, I agree with your
bidding. Your hand is too good to
invite and not strong enough to offer
clubs as an alternative game contract.
With 4-3-3-3 shape and 9 HCP,
I would usually invite game. With
some added shape, such as your reasonable
six-card club suit, your hand
has added value. Those low clubs
might take tricks. That's a plus not a
minus.
By now in your bridge career, you
must realize that bidding hands
normally and optimally does not
mean you will make every contract.
This may be a case of playing
results. Don't fall into this trap. Not
productive!
Dear Billy,
I am stumped by the following
hand that occurred in an online
local club game (duplicate
pairs). I was sitting South, vulnerable
against nonvulnerable.
East opened 3h. I had 17 HCP
and was not sure what to do. My
hand was this:
s10 3 hK 4 dA K J 6 3 cA Q 6 3.
I doubled, West passed, and
my partner bid 3s, just as I
feared. His hand was:
sA J 9 5 h9 7 5 2 d10 cK J 9 5.
I bid 4d, which I now realize
was a bad bid, and my partner
bid 4s. This went down, of
course. (Partner played it very
well to hold it to down one. As
it turned out, this was worth
exactly half the matchpoints!)
We missed an iffy 3NT. West
is void in hearts and cannot
lead his partner's suit, but I
can't know that partner has
four low hearts. Darned if I
can figure out how to bid this
one. Should I bid 3NT over 3s?
Should I pass over 3s? After all,
it is forced, so partner could
have far less than he actually
turned out to have. Should
I pass initially? I know preempts
work, but surely I should
bid with 17 HCP. But how to
proceed?
Best, Meow?
Dear Kitty Kat,
The key here lies with the concept
that you should not get bullied by a
preempt when a decent counter-bid
exists. You have enough to hold your
breath and bid 3NT. Nothing is guaranteed,
but when you hold a good
1NT in values and a stopper in their
suit, you must get your side into the
auction. Doubling when you have a
doubleton in the unbid major is not
likely to pan out, it is only likely to get
you in more trouble. Partner indeed
bid 3s, exactly what you feared he
would bid. It was not too late to save
the day and bid 3NT then, but that
would have shown an even stronger
hand than bidding the 3NT the first
time. Next time, overcall 3NT and
bid it with confidence knowing you
are justified!
Kudos to your partner for not giving
up in a very shaky contract by
giving it his all. That's the mark of a
winner. 2
February 2025 | Bridge Bulletin |
67
http://www.dearbilly.org
February 2025

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