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Bidding Problem #7, October 2005: This month's hand comes from the recent STAC tournament and opener faces the dilemma of raising partners' major with 3 card support and ruffing values, yet with extra strength. How would you bid here?
Matchpoints, non-vul vs. vul opps, as dealer you pick up:
 4
 K86
 AK764
 KQ95
You open 1 diamond and with silent opps, partner responds 1 heart. What is your rebid? Although we had reservations (if we didn't it wouldn't be a bidding problem), the panel voted 10-2 in favor of a 2 rebid by opener. Peter Kalat and Rich Laufer were the dissenters, choosing 2 instead. Rich is wondering what happened to the spade suit and doesn't believe the auction will end here. Like many of the 2 bidders, he ruled out a jump to 3 without a 4th trump. The 2 bidders were Rick Goldstein, Laura Brill, Cliff Nebel, Bruce Rogoff, Pat Callahan, Nancy Widman, Nancy Molesworth, Joan Gerard, Jason Fuhrman and Carlos Munoz. Bruce feels 2 is automatic with easy continuations over any noise by partner and both he and Cliff state that if the auction gets passed out here they are probably in the right spot. Nancy Widman gets in a plug for opening weak notrumps by stating she could bid 2 here showing a good hand, but since we are playing strong notrumps she will only bid 2. Jason Fuhrman joins the 2 bidders, but suggests opening a hand with this distribution and slightly more strength a club instead of a diamond and then reversing to 2 after partners' major suit response. Jason feels that events are often won in auctions on hands like this. Pat hopes partner can find another bid (again showing reservations) and Carlos says this is very close, but also bids 2. However, if partner rebids hearts he will now splinter in spades, or if one of his minors is raised, he will jump to game in hearts (now those are real reservations when you will make a non-forcing bid, yet force to game over a minimum noise continuation). Laura and Rick also feel this is close, but if pard keeps the auction open, they will only continue with 3 to finish showing their pattern. Joan and Nancy Molesworth both feel that if partner corrects 2 to 2 that then bidding 2 would show this hand perfectly, 3 card support, but better than a fast raise to 2.
So how good does openers' hand have to be to make this a real problem without reservations? What about adding the heart queen also?
Ed Z
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