TGIF May 2025: Scores
| 1. IMPs. Both vul.
|
A K 5
Q
9 8 4
Q 9 8 7 4 2
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
1
|
Pass
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
3
| 5
| 100
|
|
2
| 3
| 80
|
|
1
| 2
| 70
|
|
1NT
| 1
| 60
|
|
2
| 1
| 50
|
|
2NT
| 1
| 50
|
|
Moderator: All problems from this month come from the monthly contest on RealBridge run by Marc Smith. One problem 1, the panelists bid their clubs, but their hand is systemically in between a game forcing 2 and an invitational 3.
Mel Colchamiro: 1. One's got to do what one's got to do. By far the least worst. My clubs need to be of better quality to even consider 3 invitational.
Kerri Sanborn: 3. . . if that's invitational and natural. It's what I play and although not perfect, it's a fair description.
Barry Rigal: 2. An ex-partner's sage words of advice: If you can describe your hand accurately by overbidding by a jack, just to it!
Craig T. Wilson: 1NT. . . to be followed up with a club bid.
Michael Dimich: 1NT. Partner will pass with a flat hand and rebid with either shape or a strong hand.
Christopher Diamond: 2. Nothing is right, so try to do the least wrong thing.
Gabor Sandi: 2. 11 pts, no 4-card major, and a club suit.
Larry Meyer: 1NT. I do not want to issue a game force with this hand.
Perry Khakhar: 2. I considered 1, but this self inflicted Moysian has too many big honours on the ruffing side. This is the least of all evils.
Allan Simon: 1NT. All alternatives are worse!
Paul McMullin: 2. Bidding 1NT just invites trouble, I'm too strong for 2, so temporize and hope it is NOT a game force.
Lars Erik Bergerud: 3. Invitational. Best descriptive bid despite the bad club suit. Pity if pard has minimum with long diamonds and short clubs.
Kf Tung: 2. 2 means invite and clubs.
Louk Verhees: 2. Nasty problem. A couple options. 1N/1/2 even! All have pros and cons, but no perfect solution. Overbidding helps figure out best strain so I bid 2.
Bob Todd: 1. Tough call. It keeps things open but might shut out clubs.
|
| 2. IMPs. E-W vul.
| |
A
10 9 7 6 3
A J 8 6 2
5 3
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
1
|
1
|
Pass
|
1NT
| |
|
Pass
|
Pass
|
Dbl
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
2
| 6
| 100
|
|
Rdbl
| 4
| 80
|
|
Pass
| 2
| 70
|
|
2
| 1
| 30
|
|
2
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: The majority of the panel run from East's penalty double.
Daniel Korbel: Rdbl. Because East's double is a penalty trap of spades, it does not make sense for my redouble to be business. With a sharp partner, I'll redouble again if he bids clubs, although correcting 2 to 2 should send the message.
Mel Colchamiro: Pass. My hand is more or less 'normal' for my 1NT advance, so I'm standing pat. Partner probably doesn't have a four-card side suit, so venturing out to 2 or even 2 might not catch gold.
Zachary Grossack: 2. RHO has made a penalty double for a spade lead, and I have a disaster of a spade holding. Partner didn't bid 2 or 2 over 1NT, and LHO opened 1 where I have five. All this to say, I think I might be buying three hearts in dummy quite often, and almost certainly two hearts.
Michael Dimich: Rdbl. You would pass with willingness to play there. Redouble asks partner to scramble. You should show 2 suits to play.
Christopher Diamond: Pass. Possible, maybe even likely, we have a heart fit but if we don't that's trouble. Besides the auction isn't over.
Larry Meyer: Pass. This hand has nothing more to say at this point.
Perry Khakhar: Pass. Redouble seems like an option but partner is expecting x x. I don't want to have him pull to 2.
Allan Simon: Pass. Am I supposed to run to 2?
Paul McMullin: 2. I can try 2 if they stop in 2, but I will be happy if they land in a red suit. If they take 7 tricks, minus 100 is probably a good score for us.
Lars Erik Bergerud: Pass. Responder has spades and will not allow us to play 1NT undoubled. I see more risks than benefits in taking action in front of opener and pard.
Kf Tung: Pass. Misfit hand.
Louk Verhees: Rdbl. Another unclear one. Not sitting. Choices are XX and then pull 2 to 2 or directly bid 2. But possibly diamonds is the best spot.
Bob Todd: 2. It's game if we make it.
|
| 3. IMPs. E-W vul.
| |
K 9 7 5 4 2
J 4
8
A K 7 3
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
2NT
|
4
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
6
| 3
| 100
|
|
5
| 3
| 90
|
|
5
| 2
| 70
|
|
5NT
| 2
| 60
|
|
Dbl
| 2
| 60
|
|
4
| 1
| 50
|
|
Moderator: Most of the panel can't believe their eyes.
Steve Weinstein: 5. It doesn't deny a diamond control, it just invites partner to slam. When partner has the right hand, particularly the good spades I need, they'll know it.
Janice Molson: 5NT. Pick a slam. I'm correcting hearts to spades and passing if partner bids clubs.
Josh Donn: Dbl. Takeout. Obviously, I'm not passing 4. My first thought was to basically just bid 6, but if this 4 bid is sane, then the breaks are going to be quite bad and my spade suit is weak. If partner decides to pass my double, I have no issue with that.
August Boehm: 5. East's big, vulnerable preempt suggests that partner's high-card points lie outside diamonds. I'll correct to spades, but I'm glad you didn't ask at what level.
Larry Cohen: 6. No, we can't transfer. After a 4 overcall we could have, if the partnership was on firm ground. I am hoping partner won't have too much diamond wastage.
Michael Dimich: 5. How to invite a spade slam is the question. If partner bids 5 I correct to 5.
Christopher Diamond: 5. Assuming East isn't nuts we almost surely have a spade fit. Pull 5 and hope pard works it out.
Gabor Sandi: 5. Asks pard to go to 6 with maximum values and at least the A or Q.
Larry Meyer: 5. Asking partner to bid 6 if he has 2 of the top 3 spades.
Perry Khakhar: 6. A vulnerable overcall at the 4 level! Feels like a pure hand. I hope the slam isn't in clubs, but no time or space to discover.
Allan Simon: 6. We might be cold for 7. Maybe partner can bid it with 3 aces and the Q.
Paul McMullin: 5. Will bid 6 over whatever partner bids. I do not know how to get to 7.
Lars Erik Bergerud: 6. A challenging shape and honor-distribution, but diamond honors at East make me optimistic regarding both strain and level.
Kf Tung: 5. 6 spades and slam interest.
Louk Verhees: 4NT. These are seriously tough problems. I will force to a slam. Will 5N (pick a slam) ever finish in 4-3 club slam? 4N first might help.
John McAllister: 4. Annoying! Going low.
Bob Todd: 5. Leaves options open.
|
| 4. IMPs. Both vul.
| |
---
A K Q 8 5 2
A 6 5 2
J 7 3
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
|
1
| |
|
1
|
3
(1)
|
4
| ? |
| (1) Fit-showing (four trumps + club length and values).
|
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
5
| 6
| 100
|
|
4NT
| 3
| 80
|
|
5
| 2
| 70
|
|
6
| 1
| 60
|
|
5
| 1
| 50
|
|
Dbl
| 0
| 20
|
|
Moderator: The panel choose 5, a cuebid en route to something greater.
Larry Cohen: 5. Hoping partner will bid seven with the top three clubs. But I think I'm wasting my time.
Jeff Meckstroth: 4NT. I want to get the spade lead against 6.
Kerri Sanborn: 5. Obviously, I'm bidding on, and this is the only slam try I can make without committing.
Michael Dimich: 5. This would be a great time for Exclusion.
Christopher Diamond: 5. And what about strength? If 3 is a GF I'd pass and pull a double, likely to 5 but if it's limit values I need to do something now.
Gabor Sandi: 4NT. Will go to slam if partner shows at least 1 ace.
Larry Meyer: 5. My offense to defense ratio tells me to bid on.
Perry Khakhar: 5. I'm planning to bid 5 over 5. 6 feels easy. I don't want to miss the grand.
Allan Simon: 6. The opponents' bidding suggests that partner has no wastage in spades.
Paul McMullin: 5. I hope this is a forward going cue and not just another suit.
Lars Erik Bergerud: 5. We have a lot of tricks together so a free slam-invite is clear.
Kf Tung: 5. A. The key to the treasure box.
Louk Verhees: 5. . . to avoid a diamond lead (possibly) and over 5 raise to 6. They may have a cheap save anyway. 5 is also acceptable.
|
| 5. IMPs. E-W vul.
| |
A K J 10
10 5
A J
A Q J 10 5
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
|
|
|
|
1
| |
|
1
|
Pass
|
1
| ? |
Your call?
| Bid | Votes | Award
|
|
Pass
| 6
| 100
|
|
1NT
| 3
| 70
|
|
2
| 2
| 60
|
|
2NT
| 2
| 50
|
|
Dbl
| 0
| 30
|
|
Moderator: The panel majority feel no urgency to get involved in what is ostensibly a forcing auction.
Steve Robinson: 1NT. . . 18-19 balanced. Partner has a heart stopper. I could double 1, which I play as a takeout double of 1 and thereby a penalty double of 1. Double would work out if partner has a penalty double of 1, but would not work out if partner bids 2. I would have opened this hand 2NT.
Kerri Sanborn: 2. Start here and see what happens. It's off for double, no stopper in hearts for notrump. Standard is to bid the stopper you own and ask for the other.
Zachary Grossack: 2NT. 1NT is 18-19. 2NT is more! No heart raise, so partner rates to have some length there. It's easy to envision 3NT being a good contract opposite quite little.
Barry Rigal: Pass. It would help to know if 1 is forcing. But at this vul, I believe the opponents. I'll pass and hope to hear something to my advantage.
Michael Dimich: 2. Double is the fall back bid of the bidding panel.
Christopher Diamond: Dbl. Don't know what other option I have.
Larry Meyer: Pass. Collecting undertricks at 100 each should be worth more than a partial.
Perry Khakhar: 2. I would open 2NT, and not have this problem! Oh well! This is all I have left.
Allan Simon: Pass. If it goes 'all pass' and partner had a trap pass the vulnerable undertricks should compensate for our iffy game.
Paul McMullin: 3. Hoping this is value showing instead of preemptive.
Lars Erik Bergerud: Pass. No attractive alternatives and I like defensive prospects a lot better than the offensive ones.
Kf Tung: Pass. Let them move on.
Louk Verhees: Pass. I assume they are forcing (and also vul). Let's see where this goes. We don't have a convenient bid anyway.
Bob Todd: Pass. Partner doesn't have much of anything. I could bid 1N then run or pass and see what happens. Both actions will probably get me a club lead so I pass for now.
Gareth Birdsall: Pass. I don't agree with plagiarizing hands from RealBridge polls (all 5 of them!).
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