TGIF November 2023: Scores
| 1. IMPs. N-S vul.
|
J 10 7 6 4
---
8
K Q J 9 8 4 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
1
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
2
| 7
| 100
|
|
2NT
| 2
| 80
|
|
4
| 3
| 80
|
|
4
| 1
| 70
|
|
4
| 2
| 70
|
|
Moderator: Despite the lack of high cards, the panel treat this as a 2/1 game force.
Mel Colchamiro: 2NT. . . the weirdest bid I can ever recall making. The only way I can see getting to the promised land, whatever that might be, is to hope partner and opponents allow me to next jump to 5, exclusion key card. It's crucial to buy the hand at almost any price, so if I disguise it from the opps, maybe they'll let me be.
Roger Lee: 4. Given the vulnerability, I'm more concerned about letting the opponents in than I am about missing a slam, especially because I have no defense and no key cards.
Jeff Meckstroth: 2. We have a powerful raising hand and it's tricky to determine how many losers we have with zero key cards. I would like a heart lead in case we can pitch the diamond on partner's A.
Zachary Grossack: 4. It's so strange that no one has come in --- surely West will take some sort of action over my bid --- so it's best to try to show something of the idea of my hand while the opponents are still quiet to at least try to clue my partner in.
Christopher Diamond: 2. The obvious answer is 4 but if they interfere nonvul you just know you're going to keep bidding. So since you need so little for slam and own the master suit why not walk it?
David Waterman: 4. This is a complete guess, so I will try this one.
Michael Dimich: 4. Game forcing hand, but it seems partner has a spade-heart 2-suiter. If they bid 4, I will bid 4.
Gabor Sandi: 2NT. Jacoby.
Larry Meyer: 2. Establish the game force, then support spades.
Paul McMullin: 2. A seven card suit with five card support for partner seems worth mentioning on the way to game or higher!
Hendrik Sharples: 2. A perfect Ray Grace gang splinter!
Earle Fergusson: 2. No way to be perfect here. Show clubs then jump in spades and hope pard can evaluate.
Kf Tung: 2. Bring in the clubs. You are heading for your best slam.
Louk Verhees: 4. Nice freak hand. Any approach can be right, but they can have a very cheap save up to a making slam. I plan to bid 4 and 5 and 6.
Janet Galbraith: 2NT. Set a game force and get some cuebids.
|
| 2. Matchpoints. N-S vul.
| |
7
A 10 5 3 2
J 9 8 7 6
Q 5
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
2
|
Pass
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Pass
| 11
| 100
|
|
Dbl
| 3
| 60
|
|
3
| 0
| 40
|
|
3
| 1
| 40
|
|
3
| 0
| 20
|
|
4
| 0
| 10
|
|
Moderator: The panel majority see the singleton spade, but they also see the 7 points in high cards. They Pass.
Steve Weinstein: Dbl. Double would be automatic at another vulnerability. At this vulnerability, if partner has a trap pass, it can't be that good.
Josh Donn: Pass. I have a 7-count, right? Partner probably wants me to double, but they may not want me to double with this little.
Robert Sauve: 3. Hope pard does not hang me.
Eurydice Nours: Pass. Cannot preempt over a preempt.
Christopher Diamond: Dbl. Not selling out to 2 with shortness and don't see another option. Does some kind of equal conversion apply?
David Waterman: Dbl. Skinny for sure. I might pass if E/W were vulnerable.
Michael Dimich: Dbl. Partner has at least 4 spades. The question is whether they have trick taking potential.
Larry Meyer: Pass. Sounds like partner has good spades over West, so let them struggle.
Paul McMullin: Pass. Label me a pessimist on this hand.
Hendrik Sharples: Dbl. Correct clubs to diamonds. Hope not to go −470.
Earle Fergusson: Pass. If pard needs to hear double, she will have to wait for another hand.
Kf Tung: Pass. Do not push when you are not comfortable with the 3-level. East has his axe ready!
Louk Verhees: Pass. If you bid you will be playing game (or defending 2-X). I admit I am not a matchpoint player.
|
| 3. Matchpoints. N-S vul.
| |
A 5
K J 10 7 5
A K 10
Q J 3
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
1
|
2
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Pass
| 11
| 100
|
|
4NT
| 2
| 60
|
|
3
| 1
| 50
|
|
3NT
| 0
| 40
|
|
Dbl
| 1
| 40
|
|
6NT
| 0
| 10
|
|
Moderator: The vast majority ignore the colours and go for the jugular. But the hoped-for Double doesn't materialize: partner holds K Q J 10 x - x x A K 10 9 8 x.
August Boehm: Pass. Take the cash when partner, as expected, reopens with a double. The penalty might not compensate for slam, but it's hard to develop a sensible slam auction. Shut my eyes and blast 6NT?
Kerri Sanborn: 4NT. I live in fear of what partner will do in the passout seat, so I'll look for slam this way.
Robert Sauve: 3. Too strong for trap pass.
Eurydice Nours: Dbl. All good hand starts with Dbl.
Christopher Diamond: 4NT. I'd like this to be natural but it probably isn't. So pard will tell me if we have at least a play for slam and it will be in NT.
David Waterman: Dbl. This will not score any points! I want to know if partner has club length. If he bids spades I can correct up to the 6-level.
Michael Dimich: Pass. We have a game, but do we have a slam? If partner rebids 3, I will bid 3.
Stuart Carr: Pass. Expect partner to balance and get 1400, which beats our 1370.
Gabor Sandi: 4NT. If partner shows 1 or 2 aces, bid 6NT. Otherwise sign off in 5.
Larry Meyer: 3NT. Bid the most likely game.
Bob Kuz: 6NT. In for a nickel in for a dollar.
Paul McMullin: 3NT. The red tens are nice, but I do not know where a twelfth trick is coming from.
Hendrik Sharples: Pass. If partner doubles as he should, the penalty is going to be 4 figures.
Earle Fergusson: 6NT. At this Vul I can't trap pass. Let's take a shot.
Kf Tung: Dbl. Usually it will be 3N in the end, but 6 is palpable when the K is with East. Start with double for exploration.
Louk Verhees: Pass. All matchpoint issues. At MPs I take the chance of a pass. If you don't pass you have to Dbl. Too strong for 3NT.
|
| 4. Matchpoints. Both vul.
| |
K 7 4 2
5
K Q J 8
J 7 5 3
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
2
|
Dbl
|
3
(1)
| ? |
| (1) A Dbl at this turn would be responsive.
|
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Dbl
| 10
| 100
|
|
4
| 4
| 80
|
|
3
| 1
| 50
|
|
Moderator: What is a responsive double? Look in most textbooks and this will fit the prototype. But tactically, it may be better to claim the spade suit.
Larry Cohen: Dbl. If partner bids 3, as he likely will with four, I will raise. I'm happier to play this from partner's side where the preempter can't lead a singleton. If partner doesn't bid 3, I will be happy to have avoided a 4-3 fit had I bid spades myself.
Josh Donn: 4. Double is reasonable and absolutely should be allowed with four spades, but I choose 4. I don't want to give partner a guess of what to do if they have four spades and hearts stopped.
Christopher Diamond: 4. I'm old fashioned. Double would deny spades. 4 a bit much.
David Waterman: 3. I think double should deny 4 spades. I don't have enough to bid game.
Michael Dimich: Dbl. Table tennis seems appropriate.
Gabor Sandi: Dbl. If partner bids 3, go to 4. If he bids a minor, pass.
Larry Meyer: 3. Identify the likely 4-4 spade fit. Partner needs more than a minimum double for us to be in game.
Paul McMullin: 4. 4 feels too aggressive holding no aces.
Hendrik Sharples: 3. Most play Dbl denies 4 spades. I don't think 4 is terrible, but I prefer to give partner some rope.
Earle Fergusson: Dbl. Let pard evaluate his hearts and spades.
Kf Tung: 4. Usually it ends up in 4, and sometimes North is the best declarer!
Louk Verhees: Dbl. Seems like an automatic Dbl (and raise whatever suit pard does bid). For me Dbl doesn't deny 4 spades.
|
| 5. IMPs. E-W vul.
| |
K J 10
---
Q 9 6 5 4 3
A K 9 5
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
1
|
2
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
3
| 8
| 100
|
|
4
| 4
| 80
|
|
3
| 3
| 70
|
|
Dbl
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: The majority take the straightforward approach with a cue-bid. Others can see danger lurking, and they strive to express the shapely nature of their hand before they get preempted.
Janice Molson: 3. 3 was bid at both tables of our Venice Cup quarterfinals, so who am I to argue?
Daniel Korbel: 3. I don't want to double or bid diamonds with good spade support and possibly confuse my poor partner.
Steve Robinson: 4. Set trumps ASAP is my motto. I'd like to have a fourth spade, but if I bid 3 and West bids 4, I'll not have shown my heart shortness and game-forcing values.
Robert Sauve: 3. Find out partner's diamond holding. Will cue bid later.
Christopher Diamond: 3. Diamond help necessary for slam so I'll bid diamonds. Again with the master suit no hurry to eat space.
David Waterman: 3. Tempting to bid 3 to set the trump suit, but this hand may play so much better somewhere other than spades.
Michael Dimich: 3. If partner has diamond values instead of heart values, we will be in some sort of slam.
Larry Meyer: 3. Show a limit raise or better for partner's spades.
Paul McMullin: 3. I would want a fourth spade before I splinter to 4.
Hendrik Sharples: 3. I need another spade to splinter.
Earle Fergusson: 4. Show shortness and suppport, let pard decide.
Kf Tung: Dbl. You are ready to fight, and you have diamonds and clubs.
Louk Verhees: 3. I don't like splintering with 3 cards. So you can do some kind of spade raise or bid diamonds, but usually I prefer better diamonds for that. No satisfactory bid.
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