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Do you believe them?

Today, we have a recent real bidding problem (actually, all our problems are recent and real!). We have a “taster” question first of all which hardly anticipates the drama that was soon to unfold. So, try this:

 

There are or maybe are two schools of thought. Let’s hear from the Panel:

Pam Livingston “1.  I know the text books used to say to open these 1 but spades is the boss suit!”

Michael Cornell “1: I always open 1 with 5-5 in the blacks and even if I didn’t I would certainly open 1 with this quality suit. It’s possible that the 1 opener has worked out well.”

Peter Newell “1: I would have opened 1 - 5 good spades and average clubs mean that I would prefer to emphasise spades and take the risk that the club suit may get lost." 

And most emphatically:

Michael Ware: “1 - Only dinosaurs open 1. If the opponents pass through out then 1 can work fine, but on say 90% of bridge hands they don't. Don't let them into auction so easily.”

However, there is still support for a 1 opener on certain hands, but not on this one.

Stephen Blackstock “1: With a black 5-5 I would tend to open 1 for the sake of economy, but that must be tempered by suit quality. To open 1 on xxxxx say would be silly. Here the spades are so much stronger that opening 1 seems preferable.”

Bruce Anderson “1: Playing Acol with 5/5 in spades and clubs it is standard to open 1. But with this hand the spade suit is so strong I would have opened 1; one good reason for doing so is that if the opponents play the hand and partner is on lead he/she is likely to lead a spade.”

Nigel Kearney “1: I don't hate the 1 opening and for a long time I opened 1 with 5-5 in the blacks but I now think 1 tends to work out better unless the spade suit is poor.”

Kris Wooles and Andy Braithwaite complete a united Panel this time for 1. However, when the hand occurred, the West player did open 1. The North player then produced a STOP CARD as you will see from the sequence below:

West              North             East                South

1                   6                Pass                Pass

?

Well, maybe you need a 10.5 second pause for this one! Not an everyday sequence. What to do?

Michael Cornell “6: I can only assume the 6 bidder is serious at this vulnerability- I suspect he owns 12 or 13 red cards- and I don’t think my Q is a trick so I am bidding 6. This could be very wrong or very right but I think bidding has more upside than downside.”

And well versed in double negatives is:

Michael Ware “6 - No reason not to trust North at these colours.”

Nigel Kearney “6: On the second round I would try 6 probably. It's a bit undisciplined but partner cannot double and it doesn't look like a club lead will be best for the defence. At least the vulnerability is in our favour. It depends who North is and the state of the match, but when a normal opponent does something like this, I tend to believe them.”

Stephen Blackstock “6: Either North is fishing for a save, unlikely since it would be better to allow E/W to find a fit before jumping to a slam North is hoping he will not have to declare, or he has a raft of red cards. If he does not quite have 12 tricks in his own hand, the fall of the Q and to a lesser degree the 10 will help him along the way. I am going to guess to bid 6 and hope we have a cheap save. At least it isn’t match points or board-a-match, where we would be fixed by other tables being lower.

Swiss Pairs is the game.

Andy Braithwaite "Pass: I pass as I do not want an unusual lead."

Kris Wooles “6: The vulnerable 6 contract may not be rock solid but I’m not taking any chances." 

However, some were not so sure about bidding on:

Bruce Anderson “Pass: There is now the serious worry that only a spade lead beats this contract. Nonetheless, I now pass. Obviously, bidding 6 may be a cheap save if we have a fit and 6 is a make, but if we do not have a fit, we will go for a big number, and perhaps all the while 6 is going down.”

Pam Livingston “Pass: I would be much less comfortable with if I had opened 1. Nobody can force me to open 1.”

Yet, I rather believe my opponent and also the points made by:

Peter Newell”6:  a guess of course. When someone bids 6 vul against not, I reckon they think they are a good chance of making, as getting doubled and going down a few would be a disaster.

 I'm not enthused that partner is likely to lead a club, and there is nothing about my hand that suggests defensive tricks. North seems likely to have a spade void and 9 or 10 hearts with some diamond cards and maybe A or AQ.  I expect a black suit sacrifice will be reasonably cheap against a likely 1430, though we may end up in 7 when we would have been better off in 6 as partner won't be expecting a 5/5 hand with such good spades.”

It's time to reveal all:

 

 

A rock-solid 6 with the 6x sacrifice costing just -500, down 3. The vulnerability did not work in North’s favour as several of the Panel believed them. How to bid that North hand slower and be dragged into 6. That’s North’s problem. For West, third in hand, it would seem 1 is everyone’s preferred choice but what would East bid after the sequence 1-6? It is a little easier to say when we see all four hands.

And if we really want to day-dream, what would East lead to 7, the grand-slam which can make on the wrong lead? Now, we have crossed into the world of make-believe!

Thanks to Michael Ware for providing the deal.

Richard Solomon

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