First, a word to the wise. Don't complain about the scoring, or you are liable to end up moderating the next contest. Trust me on this one. Seriously, I am happy to give this a try and to relieve Harold Jordan of this one duty. We all owe Harold a debt of gratitude for maintaining what has to be the best unit Website in the ACBL.

My plan for future contests is to invite a panel of six of the unit's more experienced players to form a panel. Scores will be based on the panel members' votes, and I will include comments from both panelists and solvers. This time we only had a total of 13 entries, so I will consider the whole group to be the panel. (Actually, we had 14 entries - Ron Landgraff sent an entry in July and another one in August, with different answers on 4 of the 5 problems! Thanks, Ron, for your enthusiasm. I am using your first set of answers only.)

Please encourage your partners and other bridge players to enter the next contest - it's more fun when we have more participation.

Hand 1:	AK943	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: None	Q96		1	Pass	1	2
Dlr: North	KJ62		2	3	4	Pass
You are: S	2		4	Pass	?

We have an embarrassment of riches, including heart support we have never shown. Do we have enough to drive to slam? If so, can we give partner a choice between diamonds and hearts? After all, it is matchpoints.

On the conservative side:

Michael Lucy (and Richard Popper similarly): 4. I am afraid my AK of spades are not of full value, suits may be splitting poorly, and we could easily have a loser in one or both red suits. Partner should move over 4 with the right hand.

This makes sense. We have already shown a very good hand with our cue bid, 4 completes our description, and partner is not barred from continuing. This may be our last chance at the highest scoring game.

Speaking for the majority:

Rick Rowland: 4NT. I am willing to accept the risk of finding the queen of diamonds after a 5 response. Those that sign off in game need more testosterone.

Give this guy some raw meat.

Paul Amer bids 4NT, worried that partner might not read 4 as delayed support with slam intentions, and he points out that bidding RKC for diamonds won't help you find the king of hearts.

Minority views:

Jess Stuart: 6. This will probably make, but 5, 6, or 7 could be right. No way to ask for aces or cue-bid intelligently.

Well, you can certainly ask for aces and get an answer, but you still won't know if partner has the right cards.

Andy Kaufman: 5. This is the most flexible bid, showing first or second round control of clubs with support for both reds and obvious spade control. With good holdings in both reds, partner should bid to slam. With wasted club cards or subminimum values, partner will sign off in 5.

Sounds like a plan, though I am not sure partner will read all of that into your 5 bid.

Hand 2:	JT86	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: N-S	AQT8653		-	1	Pass	1
Dlr: East	6		Pass	?
You are: E	A

A weird hand. Do we want to take control immediately, or ask partner for a better description? Do we want to commit to spades right away? I gave the highest score to 3 since the majority of the solvers did not want to commit to game. Speaking for the 3 bidders:

Andy Kaufman: 3. Opposite any decent 5-card spade holding, such as KQxxx and out, game is cold. Partner will never be able to bid 4 with these hands unless you bid 3 now. The hand is not quite good enough to insist on game (via 4 splinter or 4) if partner has some weakish 4-card spade holding. If partner has a reasonably good hand with a heart card, he will continue knowing that you have at least 9 major suit cards and the equivalent of 15-17 HCP's.

The 4 bidders don't have much to say, but it is true that you want to be in game most of the time and it can't hurt to pinpoint your shortness.

Randy Berseth: 3. I want to keep the bidding as low as possible and see what partner has to say.

Rick Rowland: 3. In my dreams, partner scrapes up a bid of 3 and we Blackwood to the appropriate level. After anything else, I am just bidding 4. If partner has a good hand in support of hearts, he will take over.

3 is one of those "flexible" bids showing 11 cards in 2 other suits. Still, partner's next bid should be informative.

Still looking for that testosterone:

Michael Lucy: 2. Opponents are not bidding (strange), hence partner probably has some minor suit cards and a decent hand. I expect partner to have another call over 2; at that point I will be better positioned to describe this hand.

But if partner has, say, KQxx, x, Jxxx, Kxxx, he is passing 2 with you cold for game in either major.

Hand 3:	Q6	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: E-W	872		-	-	1	3
Dlr: South	K7		?1
You are: N	AQT987

Bidding Note:
¹Bridge World Standard: Double is negative.

Do we have enough to bid 4 directly, bypassing any chance at 3NT? Does a negative double promise 4 at this level? (Better check with your partner on that one.) For the doublers:

Andy Kaufman: Double. Double is the most flexible (there's that word again - ed.) bid even though your hand is flawed with xxx of hearts. Your side has the balance of power and needs to be playing the hand or doubling the opponents. Pard will likely convert to penalties holding Axx or Kxx of spades at these colors. If he bids the dreaded 4, you should probably convert to 5. We are unlikely to find 3NT even when it makes, since pard cannot be sure of a source of tricks and will more likely opt to convert the negative double to penalties. A bid of 4 is too unilateral, and a pass is way too conservative.

Jess Stuart: Double. Least of evils. If partner bids 3NT, I will pass and it will be played from the right side. If he bids 4, I will pass and hope for a reasonable trump split (not terribly likely after a preempt - ed.). If he rebids diamonds or passes I will be glad I doubled. 4 risks missing 3NT and driving to clubs when other strains might be better.

The 4 club bidders wonder what the fuss is about:

Rick Rowland (and Michael Lucy similarly): 4. "I must be missing something. Can't pass and hope for partner to double. With East-West vulnerable, I don't expect partner to be able to bid 3NT over my double, especially with me holding the queen of spades.

The 3NT bidders, who don't comment, must be trying to talk LHO out of a spade lead, or hoping partner will contribute a stopper, unsolicited. The bid will be successful if 3NT is always cold, since as we have seen, we may have no other way to get there.

Finally,

Ron Landgraff: Pass. I hope I didn't think too long!

Hand 4:	AT84	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: Both	K3		-	-	-	Pass
Dlr: West	Q6		Pass	1	?
You are: S	AQ763

Most solvers opted for 2, feeling they had too much to pass.

Michael Lucy: 2. Lack of suit quality is made up for with HCP's.

Richard Popper: 2. Least of evils.

The case for passing:

Andy Kaufman: Pass. This hand is nice, but not appropriate for immediate action over 1. The shape is wrong for a double and the quality of the club suit is ratty for a 2-level vulnerable overcall. Best to back in and balance with a double to show the blacks after the expected 1-P-1-P-1NT. If 1 is passing out, you must trust partner to protect.

Hand 5:	Q83	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: N-S	Q96542		Pass	Pass	1	Pass
Dlr: North	K3		1	Pass	2	Pass
You are: N	K4		?	Pass

We have a 6-bagger but not a very good one - do we rebid the hearts, take a preference to partner's diamonds, or bid an aggressive 2NT?

Andy Kaufman: 2. You have the values to invite, but your suit is not good enough to jump to 3. Taking a preference to 2 is way too conservative.

Michael Lucy: 2. Given the quality of the heart I will opt for the pessimistic underbid of 2. I am never bidding 2 at IMPs, but thank God this is matchpoints.

No, thank Harold.

Jess Stuart: 2. This hand isn't worth the 10 points it counts up to because one or both of the major suit queens is worthless. 2 keeps the bidding open to let partner bid again if he has extras. If partner doesn't bid again, we haven't missed anything. (Except maybe a higher-scoring part score if partner has 2 - ed.)

Paul Amer: 2NT. The minor suit kings are excellent for NT. Rebidding the weak heart suit doesn't show the hand's potential.

There you have it. Time to store up your testosterone for the next contest.

©2000 Delaware State Bridge Association