Wednesday, May 18th 2011

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Better Bidding: New suit after Stayman
Board 5: East opens 1NT (15-17), West checks for a major with 2C (Stayman). East replies 2D (no major); what now? If West must guess, 3NT would be the best bet; chances are partner has the clubs stopped or they won't lead the suit. In fact, 3 pairs bid 3NT and made. West has 7+ losers and it would be a strretch to expect opener to cover 6 of them for slam. However, add some additional strength or shape to West's hand and slam in diamonds could be plausible or even likely. What should West bid with, say, AKxx Qxx Axxxx x ? It's easy to picture hands where 6D is cold while 3NT goes down, or vice-versa. In standard methods, a key principle is:
A new suit at the three level after Stayman or a transfer is forcing to 3NT. West can bid 3D with the suggested hand; opener with today's hand takes this as indicating an unblanced hand and/or slam interest. Either way, a 3H "concentration of values" bid will help partner -- if that's his short suit, he can retreat to 3NT, if it isn't, he'll know you can control that suit. Since the problem is clubs, responder bids 3S, and opener retreats to 4D. Responder can raise to 5D or resonably take a shot at 6.

Back to today's actual hand, responder holding AKxx xxxx A1097 x . When responder bids 2C, North doubles for a club lead. Opener has no major, but the double gives him two additional bids: pass and redouble. Therefore 2D over the double does not merely deny a major, it actually shows 4+ diamonds. Pass would indicate no suit other than clubs, while redouble would show a strong club holding like KJ109x that could expect to make 2C redoubled. So, on today's hand, opener bids 2D: no major, 4+ diamonds.

Although 5D may be a reasonable spot, responder would prefer 3NT if opener can handle a club lead. Experts might agree 3C as an artificial forcing bid and 3D as a game invitation, but KISS argues for treating 3D as forcing, just as if North had passed. The bidding then continues 3H-3S-4D-5D and a solid game is reached. 12 tricks roll in thanks to North's doubleton QJ of hearts.

What about a 4-3 major fit? Two pairs reached 4H, but spades is clearly the stronger suit. The problem with either is that the long trump hand cannot afford to ruff the second round of clubs, since odds are 2 to1 trumps split 4-2 or worse. Generally, you want to play a 4-2 fit when the short hand can ruff the unstopped suit. Here, however, opener can pitch a heart or spade (whichever isn't trumps) on the second round of clubs and then East is out of clubs and can ruff if needed. East might reasonably raise 3S to 4S, suggesting the superior 4-3 fit.

Slam Zone: Big and Black
Board 12: North may open 2D, or not if he pays attention to the vulnerability and/or avoids opening a weak two with a side four-card major. With specifically 4 (weak) hearts and 6 (good) diamonds, I reason that we likely have a diamond fit and if South also has hearts, they have a spade fit and they'll outbid us anyway. However, I recall a hand where Bobby Wolf applied the same logic and missed a heart game the Italians found by not opening the 4-6 red hand.

Assuming North passes, what should East open? This depends a lot on methods -- East has the high card, quick trick and playing strength for 2C, but must consider that partner cannot pass as long as East keeps bidding new suits. Two-suiters with less than 10 tricks in hand can be awkward if you start with 2C. And if your methods include a 3C "second negative", how will you ever show clubs? "Steps" bidders and "2H bust" devotees can plan on showing both suits, but may get too high if partner properly treats the sequence 2C-2D (or 2H, whichever is weakest)-2S-2NT-3C as forcing. However, it's pessimistic to assume partner will be super weak, so I think 2C is fine IF you don't play 2C-2D-2S-3C as "second negative."

If East does not open 2C, which is better -- 1S or 1C? With this powerhouse you want to give everyone maximum opportunity to give you another chance to bid, so I would definetley open1C. If partner responds in a red suit, you can jump-shift to 2S and then rebid spades to show your 5-5 hand. Note that spades and clubs is the ONLY 5-5 shape where you can consider opening the lower-ranking suit; viewing the suits as a circle, it's as if clubs ranked just above spades. On wekaer black 5-5, it is usually better to open spades to avoid being preempted out of the major suit.

A possible 2C auction: 2C-2D (promising 4+ hcp, forcing to game); 2S-3S (promising a control somehere, otherwise would leap to 4S); 4C (control cue)-4S (declining to cue-bid with such a weak hand and only a second-round control). East likely passes 4S.

If West does not hurry to support spades with such weak trumps -- in a game-forcing aution, he can get back to them later -- the bidding might start 2C-2D; 2S-2NT; 3C-3S. Slam is apt to be better in clubs, but West is still minimal and spades the most likely game. East continues with 4C (or 4D) and West may cue-bid 4H, but slam depends who has the heart Ace and 6S also needs a 3-2 trump split. (At 6C you can ruff the fourth round of spades if needed.)  I note that the only two pairs to reach slam did so in the superior club fit -- don't feel you must play slams in majors or 6NT, 6C and 6D making almost always scores well. Surprisingly, the two pairs reaching slam managed to make West declarer, protecting the heart King. I suspect North opened 2D, East doubled, and West bid 3C in reply. East can then force with 3D or simply blast to 6C, hoping West controls hearts or they lead a diamond. Preempts, like any other bid, sometimes backfire.