TGIF December 2015: Scores
| 1. IMPs. None vul.
|
A
K J 3
J 8 7 5
A Q J 8 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
1NT
| 8
| 100
|
|
1
| 7
| 90
|
|
1
| 1
| 50
|
|
Moderator: Before choosing an opening bid, plan your rebid: it's a lesson drilled into bridge students from day two. You look at this hand, assign a 1 response to partner if you open 1 and now what?
Mike Lawrence: 1NT. If you're looking for 1NT, I can sympathize. Perhaps even to the point of doing it. If partner transfers to spades, I oblige and hate it. The alternative opening is 1 (not 1), and then hating my rebid.
Mel Colchamiro: 1. Normally I detest opening 1 with four (weak) diamonds and five clubs. But here I have a 2NT out if our auction goes 1-1; 2-2. Besides, any other approach is repugnant, including 1-1-2.
The Sutherlins: 1. You can open 1NT and describe the strength correctly. Or open 1 and probably be forced to make an under-strength reverse of 2 and have a better chance finding the right strain. Our preference is to emphasize strain.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 1NT. I'm familiar with this hand. I opened 1NT and then couldn't convince a less imaginative partner to give me a spade ruff later.
David Waterman: 1NT. Not much to say about this. The least misleading option and not likely to go wildly wrong.
Eugene Chan: 1. What would you open if diamonds were 10875? Pretty much the same hand.
Stephen Vincent: 1NT. Should this work out badly, I shall claim to have missorted. If you open 1, you have no satisfactory rebids over either major response.
Larry Meyer: 1NT. I consider the singleton spade ace to be no worse than a small doubleton spade.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 1. Enough to rebid 2 and give an accurate description. Also enough to double if a number of spades comes back.
Roy Bolton: 1NT. The fun bid.
Plarq Liu: 1. Start with the most normal bid.
John Gillespie: 1. 1NT if you switch the spade with the diamonds.
Paul Mcmullin: 1. I can imagine lots of people bidding 1N here, but I'm not there.
David Gordon: 1. Subtract 2 HCP and I would open 1.
Amiram Millet: 1. I have a good continuation even on 1 from partner.
Beverley Candlish: 1. A reverse to diamonds shows a strong hand. Opening 1NT can be misleading and if partner doesn't have a stopper in spades, could be disastrous.
Chris Diamond: 1NT. The 2 looked like the 2 pard.
Mike D Roberts: 1NT. Flawed, obviously, but so is everything else.
Kf Tung: 1. Bad 16 points. Bid 2 over 1, 1 or 1N.
Perry Khakhar: 1NT. Need to play NT from my side to protect the heart suit. Plus it gets the values across. Slide that 2 over to the spades side.
|
| 2. IMPs. N-S vul.
| |
A Q 8 3
A 7 5
4
A J 8 7 6
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
2
|
Pass
|
4
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Dbl
| 9
| 100
|
|
4
| 6
| 80
|
|
Pass
| 1
| 70
|
|
5
| 0
| 20
|
|
Moderator: The panel are split between a gambling takeout double and a 4-card spade overcall at the 4-level.
Larry Cohen: Pass. Painful. But not as painful as getting doubled in 4 or having partner remove a double to 5.
Barry Rigal: Dbl. Yes, terrible, I know, and I'm prepared to accept minus 1100, but it is, after all, only IMPs. Passing seems feeble and bidding 4 even on paper - rather than in real life - is just a tad too rich for me.
Kerri Sanborn: 4. Scary, right? I am imagining a heart fit and running diamonds on my right, not a balanced power hand. Obviously double is out of the question, so it is between passing and bidding. I will pull to 5 if there's a mighty double. Or even a very quiet one.
Andrew Krywaniuk: Dbl. Partner couldn't act in spite of marked shortness, but we require so little to make game. Partner will strain to bid 4NT with a tolerance for both minors.
David Waterman: Dbl. I hate this. Partner will never pass, which eliminates one way that double can win. We can only hope that with 5-4 or 6-4 in the minors he makes the sensible bid.
Eugene Chan: Dbl. Partner should not pull from weakness nor bid 5 on a 5-card suit. If necessary 4 Moysian might be playable. Chances are very good we have a black suit fit.
Anssi Rantamaa: Pass. No good options.
Stephen Vincent: Dbl. Please don't bid 5 partner.
Ian Greig: Pass. Gappy suits and heart length suggest defending - on an exceedingly good day partner might find a reason to reopen.
Larry Meyer: Dbl. It is not asking a lot for pard to have 4 spades, a heart void, and a few high cards, which would make for a likely game our way.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: Pass. Partner should have at most 1 heart, yet could not act. What game can we make?
Roy Bolton: Dbl. Hoping, of course, that partner doesn't bid 5.
Plarq Liu: Pass. What if partner has nothing to offer/mismatch?
John Gillespie: Pass. Unless partner can balance I'll try for the small plus.
Paul Mcmullin: Pass. Sometimes you stay preempted.
David Gordon: Dbl. Not a perfect world.
Amiram Millet: Pass. If I double I'm stuck after 5 from partner.
Beverley Candlish: 4. If East can jump freely to 4, it would appear that North should have spades.
Chris Diamond: Pass. I admire a 4 call here - might even make on the right Moysian - but chickening out.
Mike D Roberts: 4. I simply cannot handle a 5 bid if I double. This might even play well in a 4-2.
Kf Tung: Dbl. Your obligation is to show your strength. Your side cannot get to the right spot without this first step.
Perry Khakhar: Pass. Most of the hands that we would need to make 4 would have been shown by partner already or he may reopen yet. Remember that he is the one with shortness in hearts. Pass and hope.
|
| 3. Matchpoints. None vul.
| |
A 10 5 4
A 7 3
---
K Q 10 9 6 4
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
3
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
4
| 13
| 100
|
|
Dbl
| 3
| 60
|
|
Pass
| 0
| 50
|
|
3NT
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: The vast majority of the panel simply bid where they live.
Geoff Hampson: Dbl. Our target game is 4, and 4 might leave us in a silly contract at the four level with game available. 3NT could be right, but it is too heroic for my taste.
August Boehm: 4. Here I can show my clubs without encouraging partner to bid diamonds. Also, my spades are less robust than those on problem 2, so there's less chance that 4 is our spot. If 4 is our spot, we can still get there over 4.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 4. Prepared to bid 4 over a 4 response.
David Waterman: 4. Unlike the last hand, I have a perfectly good bid available. Yes, I might miss 4-4 spades, but 4 is the best overall bid.
Eugene Chan: Pass. No reason to bid at this time. An easy pass. Gone for big numbers too many times in the past by competing.
Anssi Rantamaa: Dbl. Bidding 4 loses the spade suit.
Ian Greig: Pass. Anything other than pass feels too committal.
Larry Meyer: 4. Bidding my longer and stronger suit first.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 4. . . and I will try 4 over 4. But this emphasizes the clubs.
Roy Bolton: 4. Will double 4 if they compete.
Plarq Liu: 4. Bid my strong suit. Michaels does not work with 4 spades.
John Gillespie: 4. Ugly but highest upside if partner has a hand, lowest downside if LHO does.
Paul Mcmullin: 4. I do not think the auction is over.
David Gordon: 4. Next bid is 4, if possible.
Amiram Millet: 4. Aiming at 4 or 5.
Beverley Candlish: Dbl. If partner doesn't bid spades, you can bid clubs.
Chris Diamond: 4. Maybe I can still get spades in.
Mike D Roberts: Pass. It's matchpoints. I just have to be right.
Kf Tung: 4. You can bid 4 if partner is weak and you MUST bid 4 if partner has a good hand.
Perry Khakhar: 4. No real options!
|
| 4. IMPs. E-W vul.
| |
Q 9 5
A Q J 10 8 6 4
6
A 9
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
1
|
Dbl
|
2
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
3
| 7
| 100
|
|
5
| 6
| 90
|
|
4
| 2
| 60
|
|
Dbl
| 1
| 50
|
|
4NT
| 0
| 30
|
|
6
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: Most of the panelists are on a slam hunt. Only their weapons differ: start with a 3 cuebid or jump to 5?
Roger Lee: 3. . . with the hope I'll be able to pull whatever partner bids to 4 to show extras. Because I didn't start with a double, partner should know I have a one-suiter.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 4. Feeling a bit apprehensive about missing a slam . . . but are the opponents bidding on air?
David Waterman: 5. 5 worked well for me in last month's contest. No other sequence will ask partner the correct question.
Eugene Chan: 5. Invite slam if partner has spade control. If partner has cheesy white vs red takeout double, we might not be able to beat 4!
Anssi Rantamaa: 4. Partner didn't bid 2N so must have some tolerance for hearts.
Stephen Vincent: 3. Hard to see where everyone is getting their bids.
Ian Greig: 4. I'd rather get to what is the correct strain (and maybe level) now (and perhaps have to double 4) than try 3 and risk having to first bid hearts at the 5 level.
Larry Meyer: 5. 4 would just transfer the opps into 4, so bid 5 right away.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: 4. Don't see a better bid. We may miss slam opposite x K x x x A x x x K x x x, but not opposite: x x K x x x A Q x x Q J x x.
John Gillespie: 3. I doubt this gets us past game but it costs nothing to try.
Paul Mcmullin: 3. Show some strength, 4 or 5 next.
David Gordon: 3. Start by showing your values.
Amiram Millet: 4. Showing my hand. Q worth nothing. If we have 6, partner should go on.
Beverley Candlish: 4. I wouldn't want our side to play the contract in anything but hearts.
Chris Diamond: 3. Useless cue bid but what choice do I have? I'd prefer transfers.
Mike D Roberts: 4. Yeah, it's a great hand. But I don't want to punish partner.
Kf Tung: 4. Bread and butter.
Perry Khakhar: 4. You need a hand that can play opposite x x to jump, just in case partner had a double and bid type of hand. Otherwise I need to bid 3.
Nader Hanna: 3. 4 may be the practical bid since partner made a light take out double based on vulnerability and distribution, and is unlikely to cooperate in exploring a slam. However, I feel I have to give it a try. I'll start with 3 then 5.
|
| 5. IMPs. N-S vul.
| |
A Q 9 4
8 3
A 6
A K 10 9 6
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
|
1
| |
|
3
|
3NT
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
4NT
| 14
| 100
|
|
4
| 2
| 60
|
|
Pass
| 0
| 50
|
|
4
| 0
| 30
|
|
4
| 0
| 30
|
|
6NT
| 0
| 20
|
|
Moderator: This problem turned out to be a bit of a dud, given the panel's oh-so-close unanimity.
Steve Robinson: 4. If partner has a heart stopper, he'll bid 3NT on lots of hands where 3NT is bad.
Steve Weinstein: 4NT. Partner's 3NT has a wide range - from a marginal game force up to some 18s. If he were stronger, he'd have bid 4NT. With 2NT-rebid strnegth, I need to invite opposite that range.
Andrew Krywaniuk: Pass. Preempts work. We're in slam territory but with no clear source of tricks. Partner could even have 4 spades in this auction.
David Waterman: 4NT. Maybe a bit pushy, but start giving partner likely hands and a try seems justified. The black suit spots look promising.
Eugene Chan: Pass. Partner might have the perfect hand for slam but is far more likely to have stretched for 3NT. No doubt 9+ tricks are available but 12 seems improbable.
Stephen Vincent: 4NT. Seems about right on values. Partner may have strained to bid 3NT.
Ian Greig: Pass. Should be a fair chance that we make this one.
Craig T. Wilson: 4. Gerber.
Larry Meyer: Pass. When the opps preempt, our suits will probably split poorly, so I am giving up on slam.
Ig Nieuwenhuis: Pass. Tempting to bid 4NT, but may easily be too high if partner stretched even slightly.
Roy Bolton: Pass. Safer than trying for slam.
Plarq Liu: 4. Bid my second suit.
John Gillespie: Pass. Too many late losers for 6NT and a possible heart ruff in 6.
Paul Mcmullin: 4NT. Partner should have near-running diamonds . . . how good is his heart stopper?
David Gordon: 4. 3NT denies 4 spades. Your 4 bid promises longer clubs and will allow partner to gauge slam aspirations.
Amiram Millet: 6NT. When partner is willing to play for 9 tricks opposite a regular opening, we have a decent play for a small slam.
Beverley Candlish: 4. . . investigate for a possible slam.
Chris Diamond: Pass. Pard would stretch to 3NT so I'm not stretching more.
Kf Tung: Pass. Partner can do nothing else but bid 3N if this is the right contract. Do not mess with it.
Perry Khakhar: 4. This is clearly a slam try. Only possible slams are 6 or 6NT. Partner can help clarify. I will pass 4NT.
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