Three Hands from San Diego '97

Today's Panelists: Ed Davis, Kent Hartman, Sylvia Summers, Roberto Scaramuzzi, Rolf Kühn, Web Ewell, Jeff Goldsmith.
  1. none vul, IMPs, short matches, you hold

     S:Jx H:AQJ10x D:Q10xx C:xx

    RHO YOU LHO CHO
    3S: PassPassDbl
    Pass4H: 4S: 5H:
    Pass?

    ED
    6H:. I think we are closer to making 7H: than 5H:. A 5S: bid would be OK also.
    KENT
    Partner had a few other calls available, and I'm not sure I wouldn't have made a 5H: bid on the first round. Partner needs a bazillion controls, and I'm not even sure we don't have a pair of spade losers. Would expect to lose a spade and perhaps one other trick somewhere. If partner has a legit raise, he rates to have about an 18 count, with your 9 working, you have 27 on a 30-point deck. if you're off a spade trick and a king, it's more likely to be offside. Pass. [ Why offside? --Jeff]
    SYLVIA
    6H:. Might make seven.
    ROBERTO
    6H:; what do I know? My original instinct was to pass, but partner must have a pretty good hand to go to the 5-level opposite a possible Yarborough holding crappy trumps.
    ROLF
    Pass. Of course 6H: might be easy but why did LHO wait with his 4S: bid unless he has some defence. Also partner can pass first and raise over my double (pass sounds like forcing, doesn't it) showing a stronger hand.
    WEB
    6H:, although I may have passed at the table. 5H: has to show either significant extras (like AK,AK in the minors) or a two-suiter. Partner is marked with a stiff spade.
    JEFF AT THE TABLE
    Pass
    WINNING ACTION
    The more you bid, the better. Partner has  S:--- H:K98x D:AKxxxx C:Axx.
    JEFF UPON REFLECTION
    Bid 6H:. Partner had several stronger actions, e.g. passing then bidding 5H:. On the other hand, to bid 5H: he has to have something good. He has a clue that you do not have a yarborough due to the opponents' saving, but you do have 100 honors in trumps.
    CONSENSUS
    6H:
  2. none vul, IMPs, short matches, you hold

     S:x H:9865432 D:xxx C:Ax

    Partner opens 2NT (19-21). What's your plan?

    ED
    Oh, I see. This is a test to see if I remember our bidding methods. OK. 4D:.
    KENT
    Bid 3D: transfer followed by 4H: unless I heard a superaccept. If 3D: is doubled, I'm stopping in 4H: regardless of partner's action.
    SYLVIA
    3D:, then 4H:.
    ROBERTO
    Play 4H:; WTP?
    ROLF
    Anything can be right on this hand. I transfer to H: and bid 5H:. This leaves me in excellent position for the post mortem.
    WEB
    Transfer to 4H: and pass. WTP?
    JEFF AT THE TABLE
    4D:
    WINNING ACTION
    any slam try, even a mild one. Partner has a super superaccept:  S:Ax H:AK10 D:AKxxx C:QJx. Everything is right, so 6H: is easy.
    CONSENSUS
    none
    JEFF UPON REFLECTION
    Partner is a tad too good for 2NT, and slam wasn't ice cold, though it was very good. I think Texas is probably best, but it is really close. Note that I think partner has a superaccept of a transfer, but not everyone will agree with that.
  3. both vul, IMPs, short matches, you hold

     S:x H:Qx D:QJ10xx C:AKxxx

    YOU LHO CHO RHO
    1D: Pass1H: 1S:
    2C: 4S: 4NT Pass
    ?

    2C: tended to deny three hearts.

    ED
    4N is takeout the way I play. My choice is 5C:. If partner bids 5D: or 5H: over this, that is a planned sequence that shows a better hand than a direct 5D: or 5H:.
    KENT
    I'll bid 6C:. Even as conservative as I am, this just seems like too much to bid only 5C:. Partner has to have some sharp red cards for his bidding, and I have an extra club for mine.
    SYLVIA
    5C:. 4NT is a general slam try. I am not interested.
    ROBERTO
    I'm going to take 4N as a general slam try and bid 5C:; My hand is a little better than the auction suggests but not all that much.
    ROLF
    Interesting problem. What the hell is 4NT? General t/o, RKCB for C:, normal Blackwood? As there is surely no agreement it's probably simple Blackwood. I will bid 5D:.
    WEB
    With Hartman, I'd dutifully bid 5C:, as we use the Stelios toy that 4NT is lebensohl in this type of auction. With no agreement about 4NT, I'll dutifully answer Blackwood. Playing 4NT to be pick a minor after I bid them both naturally is too perverse.
    JEFF AT THE TABLE
    5C:, figuring that 4NT ought to be a general slam try, but having no idea. Partner thought I had three keys in clubs and jumped to 7D:. Lose 3.
    WINNING ACTION
    5D:. Partner held  S:x H:Axxx D:AKxxx C:Qxx and was key carding in clubs. Thinking he was off two keys, he'll stop in 5D:.
    CONSENSUS
    5C:. So far the votes as to what 4NT is are:
    Takeout: 1
    General Slam try: 4
    Simple Blackwood: 1
    Lebensohl: 1
    Key Card in Clubs: 1
    Natural: 0
    JEFF UPON REFLECTION
    I think 4NT should be a general slam try because there is no other below game. Natural would be best if partner held  S:KQJ H:KJ109xx D:9x C:Qx. It wasn't easy to construct that hand vs. mine, though

    I wonder: ought not partner bid 5D: over 5C:? If I have three key cards, I'm supposed to bid slam myself, if indeed, 4NT is key card, but I wouldn't trust partner to do that, so why should he? Anyway, in a non-partnership, I'd just not bid 4NT, not knowing what partner thinks it means, but try 6D:. That goes down.

    Upon further reflection, in a non-partnership, from now on, I'm playing 4NT as RKC Blackwood or jumping in response if I don't know what suit is trump

Jeff Goldsmith, jeff@tintin.jpl.nasa.gov, April 9, 1997