TGIF August 2019: Scores
| 1. IMPs. None vul.
|
A K 8 7
4 3
J 8 7 3 2
8 7
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
1NT
|
3
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Dbl
| 12
| 100
|
|
3
| 2
| 60
|
|
Pass
| 0
| 50
|
|
3NT
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: Nobody passes. With two places to play, the panel prefer the negative double.
Mike Lawrence: Dbl. This is not a happy moment. One solution is to double for takeout. Double shows these approximate values. Partner usually bids something, but he can pass if that looks best. If he passes, I have two tricks. This is an imperfect solution. If partner bids 3, I will have another problem.
Josh Donn: 3. Not that I want to emphasize the diamonds or anything, but it gives me the easy 3 bid if partner bids 3. Double runs the risk of partner bidding 4.
Ronald Corber: Dbl. Stolen bid.
Christopher Diamond: Dbl. Don't know what it means so it has to be the expert answer.
Larry Meyer: Pass. Take the likely plus instead of chasing rainbows.
Gary Harper: 3. Wishing we find a spade fit and hoping we don't have wasted club values. 3 over the likely 3 response should describe my hand.
Stuart Carr: Dbl. Not sure if negative or penalty, but either works.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 3. This could easily get us too high, but I'm too strong to pass.
Arun Chopra: Dbl. . . to be played as Stayman.
Perry Khakhar: Pass. Pre-empts work! No logical bids, or a better than 50% chance at a plus score. 3 is foolhardy at best.
Hendrik Sharples: Dbl. . . negative. I’ll bid 3 over 3 and hope we survive.
Timothy Wright: Dbl. . . not defined here for some strange reason so I have to assume it's negative.
David Gordon: Dbl. Over 3 response I can bid 3 to show this.
Veljko Vujcic: Dbl. If Dbl is negative then Dbl; if Dbl is penalty then also Dbl.
Allan Simon: Dbl. . . takeout. Over the likely 3, bid 3NT.
Kf Tung: 3. Partner can pass reluctantly, and go on to explore with a suitable hand.
|
| 2. IMPs. N-S vul.
| |
A 10 9 3
A
A 9 8 6 5
A 3 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
Pass
|
Pass
|
1
| |
|
1
|
Dbl
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Pass
| 6
| 100
|
|
2NT
| 5
| 90
|
|
2
| 3
| 70
|
|
1NT
| 0
| 50
|
|
2
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: This is a repeat of problem 5 from the January 2019 contest, but curiously not mentioned by the ACBL moderator or any panelist. The vote there was Pass (7), 2 (5), 2NT (2).
Larry Cohen: Pass. I've had good luck with this sort of action --- and if nothing else, it makes my opponents think twice about overcalling in the future. Yes, ACBL allows a 1NT opening with this hand, but please tell me nobody suggested that it would be right.
Barry Rigal: 2NT. I realize this may look extreme, but this is as much an overbid as 2 is an underbid. Passing for penalty might well be right, but facing, for example, a 1-4-4-4 hand, this would look very silly.
Roger Lee: 2. 2NT has too many flaws and the spades aren't good enough to pass. 2 isn't a real option to me.
Christopher Diamond: 2NT. Saw this before, passed with the vuls switched.
Larry Meyer: 1NT. Deny hearts and show the spade stopper.
Gary Harper: 1NT. I'll bet I'm not the only one wishing I had opened 1NT. Figure I'll need further signs of life from partner to make game.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 1NT. Stay low with a possible misfit and no fillers. Partner can correct to 2 if needed.
Stephen Vincent: Pass. I'm getting a slight sense of deja vu looking at this problem.
Perry Khakhar: 1NT. Some may have opened this hand 1NT. I wouldn't because of the aces. However, you have no real choice here. I am not happy to bid 2 with this suit.
Hendrik Sharples: 2. Now I wish I would have opened 1NT.
David Gordon: 2NT. Strong spade spots and fifth diamond upgrade to slightly offshape 2NT.
Allan Simon: Pass. An inelegant minus 160 is possible.
Kf Tung: 2NT. Invite 3N.
|
| 3. Matchpoints. N-S vul.
| |
A K Q 2
K
A 9 8 5 4 3
A 10
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
3
|
Pass
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Dbl
| 9
| 100
|
|
3NT
| 5
| 80
|
|
3
| 0
| 40
|
|
3
| 0
| 40
|
|
Moderator: With a fistful of points, the majority of the panel start with double. The minority invoke Hamman's Rule: 3NT.
Steve Robinson: Dbl. If partner jumps to 4, which is the worst response, I'll try 5. If he doesn't bid 4, we'll be in a better position.
Kerri Sanborn: 3NT. At first I considered 4, leaping Michaels --- after all, I do have 10 cards in my two suits --- but I'm too likely to wind up in a poor spade contract. This way, partner can transfer to a 6-card heart suit or bid Stayman.
Craig T. Wilson: Dbl. . . intending to bid diamonds if partner bids 3. It's a four loser hand.
Ronald Corber: Dbl. If partner bids hearts, I'll say spades.
Christopher Diamond: Dbl. What experts do when they don't know what to do.
Larry Meyer: 3NT. If you have a choice of reasonable bids and one of them is 3NT, then bid it.
Gary Harper: Dbl. Plan to bid 3NT over the inevitable 3 response but sometimes partner cooperates with spades.
Andrew Krywaniuk: Dbl. Bid an awkward 4 over the inevitable 3 response and hope partner can introduce spades with a maximum.
Perry Khakhar: 3. I hope partner can bid a major. If spades, easy! If 3, I will bid 3. I am not showing that diamond suit as a double-and-bid suit.
Hendrik Sharples: 3NT. No bid is appealing here.
Timothy Wright: Dbl. There is a risk that partner leaps to 4, but we need to keep the pointed suits in play.
David Gordon: Dbl. Good hands start with Dbl.
Veljko Vujcic: 4. Because of the jump partner should figure out I have a major as well.
Allan Simon: 3NT. I can't justify this bid but the alternatives are worse. I hate double, what if partner jumps to 4?
Kf Tung: 3. The stiff K has a dubious value. With this vulnerability 3 shows 8 tricks, which you can expect.
|
| 4. Matchpoints. N-S vul.
| |
A 9 4 3 2
A 3
---
A K Q J 10 7
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
1
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
2
| 8
| 100
|
|
Dbl
| 6
| 80
|
|
3NT
| 0
| 50
|
|
Pass
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: The panel are almost evenly split between a simple 2 overcall, and a double-then-bid sequence.
Jeff Meckstroth: 2. It's too awkward to start with double. I want to bid clubs in case partner, who is short in spades, has a fit.
Daniel Korbel: Dbl. This hand is too strong for a 2 overcall; I don't want to start a hand this strong by passing; that leaves double.
Craig T. Wilson: Dbl. . . then bid clubs. It's a three loser hand.
Ronald Corber: 5. Too strong for a simple overcall. Partner is short on spades, so we can ruff.
Anssi Rantamaa: Dbl. If partner says diamonds then 3NT, otherwise next bid is 5.
Christopher Diamond: 2. . . won't end the auction. Since I'm not an expert I'd probably just bid 6 at the table.
Larry Meyer: Dbl. The big double, planning to bid clubs next.
Gary Harper: Dbl. Will continue with clubs and could very well end up in 3NT but couldn't bring myself to bid it initially with 6-5 and a void.
Stuart Carr: Dbl. Expect to get to 3NT, or 5/6.
Andrew Krywaniuk: Dbl. Don't risk the auction dying in 2.
Stephen Vincent: 2. Start slowly: I trust there will be more bidding.
Perry Khakhar: Dbl. I considered bidding 3NT directly, but we could easily miss 6 (x K x x x x K J x x x x x). I am willing to show this monster by bidding clubs as high as I need to at my second turn.
Hendrik Sharples: 2. If I was 20 (40?) years younger I’d try 3NT.
Timothy Wright: 2. Telling partner where we live. If she has support, we don't need much for slam.
David Gordon: Dbl. Too good to overcall.
Allan Simon: 3NT. Matchpoints made me do it.
Kf Tung: Dbl. 6 is within grasp if West holds a weak hand. Start with the double for exploration.
|
| 5. IMPs. None vul.
| |
J 10 3
6 3
A 6
K Q J 10 7 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
3
|
4
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
4
| 11
| 100
|
|
5
| 2
| 60
|
|
6
| 1
| 60
|
|
5
| 0
| 50
|
|
5
| 0
| 20
|
|
Moderator: It's a slam dunk to take the low road opposite a [likely] Michaels bid.
August Boehm: 4. Craven perhaps, but high enough if partner is trading on his distribution. Besides, stronger bids carry ambiguity --- does a jump to 5 ask about heart control or general strength? 4 avoids complications.
Ronald Corber: 5. If he corrects to diamonds, I'll mention my spades.
Christopher Diamond: 4. Bad splits and most of your hand is likely useless. Then pard shows up with a black 2-suiter.
Larry Meyer: 4. Assuming pard showed spades and a minor, let's play game at the 4-level.
Gary Harper: 6. Science be damned. Hopefully Laurence [Betts] will enter this month and I'll have some company in bidding what I think we can make.
Andrew Krywaniuk: 5. Probably a quantitative slam try in this auction.
Alan Kemp-Gee: 5. Michael's?
Stephen Vincent: 4. I don't want to hang partner for being enterprising.
Perry Khakhar: 5. I hope this conveys a good hand with 2 quick heart losers!
Hendrik Sharples: 4. Slam might be making but there is no safety at the 5 level.
David Gordon: 4. Too many wasted values.
Veljko Vujcic: 5. Without detailed discussion about nature of 4 (whether it shows heart control), 5 asks for the control.
Allan Simon: 4. Staying fixed.
Kf Tung: 6. Partner can work out that you cannot bid 6 without your 6 card suit and your side ace. 6 is safer than 6, and 7 has the best percentage play for the grand slam contracts.
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