DSBA 3rd Quarter 2001 Bidding Contest Results!
Edited by Jeff Ruben

Peace to all who have entered here. However, we need more entrants - please encourage your friends and/or partners to submit answers to the next contest. This was a tough set of problems, and it was difficult to score. If you don't like the scoring, please send a detailed message to nooneslistening@aol.com. Or, you can volunteer to edit one or two contests per year. You will get the job, no questions asked.

Since neither of the previous winning solvers submitted an entry this time, I have placed former panelist Harold Jordan back on the panel. Problems 1, 2, and 3 are from real life. Problems 4 and 5 are from The Bridge World (June 1984, Problem B, and January 1985, Problem F, respectively). If you send in your problem hands (to jmrdel@aol.com), I won't have to steal.

IMPs	Q9	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: N-S	A42		-	-	1	Pass
Dlr: South	K985		1	2	Pass1	Pass
You are: S	A972		3	3	?

Bidding Note:
¹Denies 3 or more spades

Beth and Mohsen Refaie: 4. Is 3 forcing???? That's the question. Since we don't have an understanding with this partner we are bidding 4. If he has 6 spades I am happy when he bids 4 .

Yes, that's the question. What does partner's 3 bid promise? It may be a new suit by an unpassed hand, but it is also just a balance against a part score. All of the panelists and most solvers felt that we need to take a bid over 3. Some were more optimistic than others:

Pete Filandro (and Harold Jordan, similarly): 4. A cue bid is the only way to show my slam-invitational hand. This started as a balanced minimum opener but how has maximum spade support, primary club support, first round control of the opponents' suit, and a control card in the fourth suit.

Whoa. Slam invitational? You may have the best hand possible based on the previous bidding, but has partner promised anything more than an 8-count with 4 spades and 5 clubs for her 1 response and her 3 reopening, unwilling to sell out to 2_H? Sure, she could have more, but I think we should be focusing on finding the best game (or part-score) rather than slam. Also, 4 would seem to emphasize clubs and not show the good 2-card spade support.

The 3 bidders leave all of the options open:

Jess Stuart (and Rick Rowland similarly): 3. Having denied 3 spades, this raise on honor-doubleton is easy. The spade game is most likely to make. If partner has extras and cue bids diamonds or rebids clubs, I will cue bid the ace of hearts and we may get to 6 clubs.

Yes. It's not that partner couldn't have the perfect hand (AKJxx, x, xxx, AQxxx), but bidding 4 pushes you to at least 5, even when it may be too high. And if partner does have that hand, 3 had better be forcing.

A sensible decision:

Richard Popper: 4. Very close decision between passing like a wimp or bidding on a likely reasonable fit. We might have a club game, but I can't bid it on my own. It seems unlikely that one heart stopper is going to be enough to make 3NT.

When this hand was actually played, South tried 3NT, caught partner with Axxxx, ---, Axx, Kxxxx, and got what he deserved when clubs were not 2-2. As Randy Berseth points out, partner could have bid 3 if looking for 3NT.

Speaking for the wimps:

Bruce Scott: Pass. I still have a weak NT opener. Partner may not be done yet. I do have some nice cards, but I don't want to stick my neck out vulnerable at IMPs.

True, partner can bid again, but the consensus was that we have to show those nice cards.

Matchpoints	K6	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: Both	AKQ3		-	21	?
Dlr: East	53
You are: S	AJ742

Bidding Note:
¹Two Diamonds is Weak.

Most of the panel went for the overcall, which is right on values but wrong on suit strength. But, considering the alternatives ...

Harold Jordan: 3. If partner bids 3, I will have to raise to 4, but at least we will have 7 of them. 2 is possible but I'd hate to play hearts opposite 3-card support and see diamond, diamond, diamond on the first three tricks forcing me to ruff in the long hand.

Richard Popper: 3. I will really fix myself if I double and partner bids 3 or 4 spades. We may miss a 4-4 heart fit (not if partner has the hand to bid 3 -J.R.), but bidding clubs is the most likely way to assure going plus on the board. It also leaves 3NT as a possible contract.

Pete Filandro: 3. I can't make an "Italian" double even though my name is Filandro. I therefore overcall in my long "suit." Partner will bid again with 10+ points. I pay off to the preempt if partner has the "right" 7-9 HCP's and must pass.

You get the idea, all of you doublers. It is easy enough to make a slightly flawed 3 bid over partner's 2, but what if partner bids 3 or even 4 over the double?

For the 2 bidders:

Paul Amer: 2. It's not perfect, but neither is double, 2NT, or 3.

Randy Berseth: 2. Whatever I choose misdescribes this hand. I am too good to pass and won't double without spades. Clubs at the 3-level doesn't appeal either.

Fair enough, but partner will never play you for a 4-bagger in the bidding or on defense.

Dave Smith: Pass. Bawk, bawk ... call me a chicken.

Okay, if you say so. But there is nothing keeping LHO from having a big hand including length in your suits, so pass could conceivably turn out best.

IMPs	-	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: Both	KQJT92		-	-	?
Dlr: South	T9853
You are: S	K9

One panelist objected to the problem (and Problem 5 for the same reason):

Greg Burch: 4. Style questions don't make for great quiz questions.

I disagree. This type of hand is not that uncommon, and I for one would like to see how the expert panelists and the solvers approach the problem. Tactical decisions definitely have their place in a bidding contest.

For most, the choice was between 1 on 9 HCP plus shape but not much defense, or 2 with a side 5-card suit and a void.

Jess Stuart: 1. If I turn the deuce of hearts into the ace of another suit, the hand would be a very good opening bid. The hand I was dealt has the same offensive strength as the one I changed it to, just less defense. A pass and Michaels-type bid later might work, but the auction could get too high by the time it gets back around to me.

Rick Rowland: 2. Opening this 1 always leads me to -790, -730, -670, etc. If partner raises to 3, I am bidding four.

Richard Popper: 1. This is too good for 2 and it is just possible, albeit unlikely, that we belong in diamonds.

Pete Filandro: 2. Treadwell showed Marie and I at the table that 6-5 hands that are near-openers can freely compete again (in diamonds) and show this hand.

How come from Treadwell you get good advice but I only get bad jokes?

Jim Plank: 1. I've got my rule-of-20 opener combined with very easy rebids.

Alternate choices:

Greg Burch: 4. My style is to pressure them. Could be wrong, but they may overbid and go for a number, too.

Andy Kaufman: Pass. My style is to pass this hand initially and come in later if there is time. If the opponents get to 4 quickly I may not have time to show my hand, but they will be getting bad breaks. At IMPs I may decide to open 3 with this hand.

Dave Smith: Pass. Will wait and (hopefully) see what to do next turn.

Again, Dave passes when almost everyone else is bidding. I guess that's the road to 9,000 master points.

IMPs	3	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: E-W	AQ7		-	-	1	2
Dlr: South	A6		Double	3	?
You are: S	AQJT862

The most popular action was to show that good club suit and hopefully all that extra strength by bidding 5.

Pete Filandro: 5. As they say, the "value bid." Shows extra strength and a self-sustaining suit. I like my game chances opposite as little as xxx, KJTx, xxxxx, x. A cue bid is out since it wastes a level of bidding (and infers four hearts). A responsive double deserves to find partner with Qxx, KJxx, Qxx, xxx and a guess between 4 (okay), pass (ugh), or 3NT (double ugh).

Richard Popper: 5. Maybe I should consider 4 with this hand, but partner will have no idea what suit we are headed for, and will have no intelligent auction to get us to slam. If partner has the king of clubs and a reasonable smattering of cards, he should find a raise to 6.

Beth and Mohsen Rafaie: 5. We are playing IMPs so we will bid 5 with this hand - our partner can take it from there. If we are playing matchpoints we will not be too happy bidding this hand.

Minority opinions:

Rick Rowland: 6. This is the kind of hand where you could be making 4, 5, 6, or 7 clubs. 4 isn't forcing; 4 on a probable 4-3 fit could be really awkward; 4 sounds like a heart fit; 4NT sounds like Blackwood for hearts; 5 doesn't show testosterone. 6 gives up on 7, but so be it.

There goes that testosterone guy again - hide the women and sheep. I admire the jump to 6 - partner doesn't need much for slam to be cold, and I am sure he would bid 7 looking at the spade ace, heart king, and club king.

Greg Burch (with Harold Jordan and Andy Kaufman similarly): Double. A very good problem. (This one he likes - J.R.) At IMPS, white vs. red, you want to avoid guessing what to do - make sure you take home a decent plus. The only way to really avoid guessing what to do is to double. Double when they have bid and raised a suit here is "do something intelligent, partner," it is NOT penalty. Something intelligent from partner is to pass when he is 3=4=3=3 with nothing to say, or bidding a heart suit with extra length, or returning to clubs when he has them.

The double does leave open a lot of possibilities, especially playing in hearts when it is right, but if partner has, say, Jxx, KJxx, Jxx, Kxx he will leave in the double and you won't be happy with the result.

Matchpoints	AKT9	Auction:	North	East	South	West
Vul: Both	Q9742		-	1	?
Dlr: East	3
You are: S	T83

Do we show one suit (which one?), two suits (via Michaels), up to 3 suits (via double), or pass and await developments? A sample of comments follows; you can decide which is the best argument:

Harold Jordan: Pass. Why would I bid? I don't have a particularly good hand and I'm vulnerable. 1 lead directing? Not with a longer major on the side! 1 so partner will lead his ace from A T doubleton? Yuck! Double? You've got to be kidding!

Don't hide your feelings, Harold.

Richard Popper: 1. Too weak to double, wrong shape for Michaels, and if we are defending we want a spade lead, not a heart lead. If I get the opportunity, I will bid 2 on my next turn.

Dave Smith: 1. Bad suit but I want to get into the auction.

Rick Rowland: Pass. 1 either loses the heart suit or creates the opportunity for partner to take a preference back to my 4-card suit. Double overstates my case. If you turned my fifth heart into a club and put a gun at my head, I MIGHT double.

Randy Berseth (and Pete Filandro similarly): 2. In most of my partnerships Michaels can show 4 spades and 5 hearts. Although this is minimum for the vulnerability, I can give partner a good picture of my hand in one call.

Beth and Mohsen Refaie: Double. We have both majors and a good playing hand opposite a fit in one of the majors. If partner bids anything, we are passing.

Greg Burch: 1. My style is to have a hand when I double, and to really have 5-5 when I bid Michaels.

Jess Stuart: Pass. I can come in later with a double or in whichever major the opponents don't bid. If the bidding gets too high for me to come in, I will be glad I didn't. A heart overcall is likely to get partner off to the wrong lead against a club or NT contract.

Congratulations to Lois Stuart, who as the top solver will try to outbid her husband in the next contest (shouldn't be that difficult).