All News

choices!

Going somewhere: hopefully not down!

19 hcp is a good number of points to pick up. Yet, when an opponent enters your auction, it can become more difficult:

 

Your 19 count is not quite so good now with high diamonds on your left, or so it seems. Yet 19+ whatever partner has for their negative double should equal game, somewhere, but where?

I always thought you should decide on the right game to play before you looked for slam. Even though our partner is a passed hand, Michael has such slam thoughts:

Michael Ware “3: Unanimous - Yay! 3NT is terrible! Could miss 6.”

It’s time to meet our new Panellist, someone Michael knows very well after their recent fine performance in the Asia Cup…and guess which bid Leon advocates:

Leon Meier “3NT: With my partner's negative double showing 4+ spades and usually 8+ points(though not 5+ spades and 10+ points) when they have overcalled at the 2 level, it is safe to say that we should be in game somewhere. This game is unlikely to be in hearts due to partner not raising though it is still possible if partner has a hand like
Kxxx
Kx
xxx
Kxxx
assuming that hearts broke no worse than 4-2 and clubs broke 3-2(or 4-1 with hearts 3-3).

 However, as we can see with that hand 3NT has the same chances. Therefore, we would need very specific cards in partner's hand to not get to 9 tricks in 3NT on a diamond lead and to get to 10 tricks in hearts on a non-diamond lead.

This means that the games we want to bid will be either 3NT or 4, with 5 not being likely especially at Pairs. Oh, how nice it would be to be able to bid a forcing 2NT here but we do not have that luxury. We must bid 3NT and hope that partner will either have enough scattered values for 3NT to make or that  “likely make.

Another consideration is 3 but I am not a fan of that for two reasons: one is that if partner bids 3NT, I have now wrong -sided it if partner has Qxx  and they lead one and the second is that if partner bids 3 and we bid 3NT over that, partner might think we have bid 3 to try and show 6 hearts and a forcing hand which could lead partner to try 4 when they don't have a hand that plays well opposite only 5.

 Also, if partner bid 3H over that, then what do we bid? 4H or 3NT? Partner might only have a small doubleton.

Leon has support from:

Andy Braithwaite “3NT: I can’t see a more practical bid than 3NT. 5 may be better but how can I get there as 3 is not forcing?”

4? That’s hard for partner to pass.

Bruce Anderson “3NT: partner’s two- level negative double should be in the 8-10 range, meaning we must have a very good play for the game that usually scores best at Pairs. I am not bidding 3 as partner may have no choice but to support clubs if he/she has a 4234 shape; then we are past 3NT.”

So, no unanimous Panel for Michael Ware but he does have a lot of support:

Michael Cornell “3: can’t even see an alternative. Have to set up a game-force and also find out what partner’s  double is based on. I cannot bid a non-forcing 3 and 4 sounds like 5.

Over 3 I will bid 3NT which I think gets most of my hand across as with a strong hand, no other suit , I would have bid 3NT over the double.

Over 3 I will cue and over a quantitative 4NT, I will introduce my club suit.

 

Nigel Kearney “3: Partner can bid 3 with five of them or 3 with a doubleton so will most likely do one of those then I can continue with 3NT to show a strong hand with doubt about strain.”

 

Julie Atkinson “3: Game force. Feels like I need more info. If it is just negative then 3NT or 4 are good possibilities. If it is support, then 4 is where I will go, but slam is beckoning. Again, interested in partner’s next bid.”

Stephen Blackstock “3: In the likely event that North continues with 3, my 3NT bid will show no more than one diamond stop (else 3NT immediately), and a willingness to consider alternatives. Hence, there is a strong suggestion of secondary clubs. To some extent the overcall has helped South to describe. The main danger is that 3NT can be wrong-sided if bid by North on a holding such as Qxx - but you can't have everything!”

Peter Newell “3: awkward bid for sure, but only other option for me is 3NT. While I want to play the contract and have the lead coming up to my hand, bidding 3NT directly will almost certainly end the auction and could be rather wrong particularly if partner is shapely. So, I'll bid 3 expecting partner to bid 3 in which case I'll bid 4, or 3 in which case I'll bid 3NT which will convey some uncertainty about whether 3NT is right which gives partner another chance with a weak shapely hand to bid.”

Like Leon, I was concerned about partner grabbing the contract in no-trumps. While 4 might indeed be showing a 5-card suit, playing anything from the South hand seemed a good idea. We ended in 4 on a trump lead:

 

 

A little nervy and the East-West cards could not have been kinder. South can even survive on a spade lead, with some good guessing in the club suit and end-playing West after playing three rounds of each major suit.

 

Yes, 3NT is easier and should be reached either directly after the double or as some of the Panel suggested once North bids 3 over 3. It would seem you have passed the problem to partner by bidding 3 unless they have 5 spades and we may then play our 5-2 heart game.

 

So, maybe our Panel are unanimous in ending but not in the means! Whichever contract you play requires some good fortune and one wrong finesse in 3NT after a diamond lead will give South no chance.

Was North a little thin for their double? Perhaps but their J was a reasonable asset in opener’s suit.

 

Our best result would surely come from passing 2x and teach West for their rather poor overcall…but how would you know to do that?

Richard Solomon

 

Go Back View All News Items