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Bidding Problem #10, Feb.06-March 06: In this month's problem, panelists were faced with the situation where after overcalling with a good hand, they received a simple raise from partner as advancer. Is this hand worthy of an immediate game bid or a game try of sorts?
Matchpoints, neither side vulnerable, after 2 passes you hear (actually you see-this is the bidding box generation) your RHO open 1 diamond in 3rd seat and you overcall 1 heart. LHO makes a negative double and partner advances to 2 hearts. RHO passes and it's your call with:
 void
 KQ9xx
 A7xx
 KQT9
What call do you make here?
Voting:
4: 8 votes
3: 4 votes
3: 2 votes
The big question our panelists dealt with on this hand is "what is going on in the spade suit"? Jason Fuhrman postulates that partner has at least 5 and possibly 6 spades (with a hand he didn't want to open 2 spades with) and Bruce Rogoff also expects 5-6 spades in partner's hand, noting that RHO may have blundered with a sub-minimum opener by not bidding 2 spades with 4 card support. LHO should have 4 spades, sometimes 5 with a weakish hand. Jason expects partner's high cards to be outside the spade suit which is a bonus and Bruce expects partner to be short in the minors, also a bonus and both bid 4. Jeff Allen mentions that slam is not out of the question, thinks he has club tricks and a diamond-spade cross-ruff and great play for 4. Pat Callahan expects to find at least one rounded ace and jack and short diamonds in his dummy and also expects 4 to have good play and Nancy Widman echoes his sentiments. Peter Kalat and Bob Klein add to the 4 bidders without comment. Nancy W. and Bruce also mention that if the opps step out of line and bid 4, partner should be sure to make them regret it.
Our cautious game-tryers for the most part seem worried about the diamond suit and don't express the optimism of finding short diamonds in dummy that our 4 bidders had. Carlos Munoz tries 3 expecting partner to bid 4 with the diamond K or QJ+ (to go with the A or J of ). Nancy Molesworth also makes the 3 game try but thinks she might be too optimistic here, noting partners' long spades which she doesn't expect to be an asset. Now the team of Rick Goldstein and Laura Brill also bid 3 but they cannot be accused of being cautious here. They state that their 3 is a slam try, intending to bid 4 over partners' 3 signoff or cue bid 4 over partners' acceptance of the game try bid. The Kraners, Sue and Dick round out the panelists responses with a 3 game try, hedging their bet.
Cliff Nebel, who submitted this hand and bid 4 at the table, making 4, reports partners' hand as:
KQJxx
J86
JTx
xx
RHO opened with Axxx,xx,KQ93,Jxx and LHO had xxxx,AT7,85,Axxx
-Ed Z. |
