| Board 2 East Deals N-S Vul |
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East opens 1C; South may jump to 2D. Whether or not you ever open a weak two with a side four-card major, once the opponents open the anemic spades should not be of concern. The suit is iffy at unfavorable vulnerability, however, so pass is also reasonable. (With AJ109xx I would certainly bid.) Over 2D East may consider a trap pass (I actually did that), attractive at this vulnerability, but there may be a slam and with obvious game values bidding is probably better. West needs a forcing bid and 3D, suggesting club support and asking for a notrump stopper, fits the job description. Partner will have 0-2 diamonds and probably no stopper, but West can bid 3NT over partner's likely 3H or 3S rebid and give a reasonable picture of his hand: club support, diamond stoppers, some slam interest. East has roughly five losers and even with wasted values West's strong hand may be able to cover at least four of them; East tries 3H over 3D and then cue-bid 4D over 3NT, suggesting his shortage (more likely than the Ace or King on this auction.) A complete auction might proceed: 1C-(2D)-3D; 3H-3NT; 4D-4H; 4S-4NT; 5S (2+Q)-6C or 6NT. Getting to the grand requires showing the void somehow or some guesswork; 6NT would have scored a top. Our +800 for 2D doubled, down 3 was in the middle.
If South passes, West has a fine hand for a strong jump to 2D, followed by 3C. The auction might proceed 1C-2D; 2H-3C; 3S-4NT etc. If the strong jump isn't an option, West should make a forcing raise. An inverted minor auction might begin 1C-2C; 3D (jump = splinter)-? West has wasted values in diamonds but 13 working hcp so West should proceed toward slam. A possible route to 7C might be, afer the splinter, 3H-3S (control bids); 4C-4D (suggesting the void); 4NT-5S; 7C.
Another possible start to the auction might be a simple1C-1D; 1H. But now West must have a forcing bid, or make a wild guess. One mistake I see many players make is to bid 4NT at this point and then stop short of slam if an Ace or key card is missing. That's not really what's important here -- you need to know whether you have the stuff to take twelve tricks. Use 4NT after you've determined that to make sure you don't also have two likely losers. The Fourth Suit Forcing gadget can help here; some play 1S might be artificial but I recommend the Bridge World Standard rule that 1S is always natural while a jump to 2S is an artificial game force. East has spades well-stopped and so bids 2NT over 2S; West can now bid 3C, having established that the hands belong in game. East can then take the hand to at least 6C.
| Board 4 West Deals Both Vul |
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We had a short auction : 3NT-6C. West's Gambling 3NT opening shows 7 tricks, AKQxxxx in a minor, no outside Ace or King. East has no trouble counting 12 tricks and claimed shortly after the defense cashed their Ace. I've always liked the Gambling 3NT because AKQxxxx and out seems a very useful hand, better than a typical three bid but hard to describe if you open one. A strong balanced hand does better to open 2C and rebid in notrump so you don't need 3NT for 25-27. Of course, AKQxxxx is rare but it's nice to get it right when it comes up.
Not playing Gambling 3NT, West opens 1C. East might respond with a strong 2H but most would start with 1H. If West jumps to 3C at this point East may take the hand to slam; the only objection to the jump is what should West rebid with 18+ and good clubs? If West settles for 2C, East rebids 2D, forcing, whether played as natural or an extension of the New Minor gadget. Since this suggests at least game invitational strength West should force to game: his hand appears to be worth about 8 tricks. West may jump in clubs; I expect many would jump to 5C but 4C should be forcing and gives partner another chance to rebid hearts. However, East may yet have a spade stopper and so West should try 2S as the Fourth Suit gadget (if that's in the arsenal) to see if partner can bid notrump. East might have Kx Axxxx Axxx xx, for example, and wanted to check on a 5-3 heart fit before committing the hand to notrump. On today's hand East continues with 3H and West raises to game. Most who play the Fourth Suit gadget also play some form of Roman Keycard Blackwood these days, so East may try 4NT but will then stop at 5H over West's "1 or 4" reply.
| Board 21 North Deals N-S Vul |
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North opens 1S or 1NT. While I find myself opening many and various hands 1NT these days, the combination of a five-card major and a small doubleton would convince me to open 1S. East overcalls 2C and South jumps in clubs! 4C would be an obvious splinter, if those are played; weird jumps at the five level generally show voids. With no heart control and with only one key card I think 4C is best, though South may not get another chance to show his void. West takes advantage of the vulnerability to bid 5C, depriving N/S of their 4NT convention. Be sure you understand that 5C is not justified simply because West is weak in high cards and "I thought they had a slam, partner!" West's trump length, side singleton and J10xx of diamonds may all contribute to the offense; sacrifice bids do require playing strength. The splinter, however, is enough for North to try 6S, and East, who might score a club and a heart on defense, should not take the sacrifice at 7C. Declarer has no trouble ruffing the club lead, pulling trumps and claiming twelve tricks after losing the heart finesse.
At our table North opened 1NT. East may overcall 2C if that's natural, double to show a one-suiter (playing DONT), or leap to 3C. With a likely seven playing tricks I like the jump and the vulnerability is favorable. The jump may test North/South's agreements: is a new suit forcing or competitive over the jump? I'd say forcing is more important but I can't recall ever discussing it and wouldn't want to risk a pass. Instead, South bids 4C, Stayman, planning to bid 4S (his stronger suit) if partner replies 4D. Today, North would bid 4S -- but West bids 5C. There may be two club losers but when the enemy bids to the five level they typically have at least ten trumps, so North tries 5S and South raises to slam.
| Board 26 East Deals Both Vul |
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Some might open South's hand on the basis of two and a half quick tricks, but with no major suit that looks like a stretch. North opens 2NT in fourth seat and South counts a combined 31 or 32 hcp. That's not enough for a notrump slam; finding a 4-4 fit would help. Some play 3S asks for a four-card minor (Minor Suit Stayman); lacking such, North rebids 3NT. Lacking that gadget South should simply bid 3NT himself. The recap shows 12 tricks are possible at notrump or diamonds, but it looks like a combination of guessing correctly in clubs and then squeezing East in hearts and clubs. If you can pull that off, I expect +690 will score well.
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