DSBA Bidding Contest Results!
Edited by Jess Stuart

Rick Rowland had the highest score of the panelists with an almost perfect 490. Tom Ciconte was a guest panelist this quarter because he was the highest scoring DSBA member in the IIQ2003 contest. Tom acquitted himself well by tying for second among the panelists with 470, which matched the highest scoring solver, thereby earning a return invitation as guest panelist in next quarter's contest.

PANELIST SCORES

Matchpoints	7	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: None	T86532		Pass	2	3	Pass*
Dlr: West	AQ3		4	4	Pass	5
You are: S	AT2		Pass	5	Pass	?

Six of the seven panelists directly bid a small slam in either Spades or No trump. These bids earned the top two scores. Which is better?

Rick Rowland: 6 NT. First the question of level: What could partner's hand be? AKQxxxx, AK, -, KQxx. Even with this hand, seven Spades is no guarantee. Beyond that, partner might have opened 2 Clubs with lesser holdings in either Clubs or Hearts, leaving seven Spades or seven No Trump bad contracts. Next the question of strain: Can't imagine anything but NT at matchpoints. Can't imagine anything but Spades at IMPs.

Jeff Ruben:6 NT. I have really done a great job of showing my hand so far. Six NT should be a reasonable score in matchpoints if it makes, with or without an overtrick. I am not bidding seven because partner might not have solid spades or there may be a loser elsewhere, such as opposite AKQJxxx, KQ, -, KQJx. After all partner did bid only five Spades.

With all the bidding by opponents, it isn't unreasonable to think partner might have a Spades loser. In the actual hand there were two Spade losers in Spades with partner holding KQJTxxx and his RHO A9xxx. Six No Trump made when the defender properly ducked the Spade Ace at trick two and the Heart suit came in. It is hard to imagine partner's opening bid without the Heart Ace and one or more honors if his Spades aren't solid. With no points likely in Diamonds, partner will have a number of honors in Hearts and Clubs.

Pete Filandro: 6 . Passing would be too big a position with these values. I hope no panelist cued six Diamonds, aiming toward a grand. If partner had 11 winners and solid Spades, he would have chirped Blackwood instead of four Spades.

Robert Grover: 5 NT. At this point, partner should take this as pick a slam. You have indicated game going values with your first pass. Now you want to show stops, but not bid six no trump if partner has an inconvenient Heart holding like x.

Mark Zeitlin: 6 . Looking for a possible grand in Spades or No trump. Partner should show the Heart ace next if he has an interest in a grand. If he has a Diamond, he is likely to rebid his Spades. If he rebids Spades, my inclination would be to bid seven NT.

Richard Popper: 7 . I don't know what the 5 Heart bid was all about; it's hard to imagine ever playing in Hearts unless partner has AKQ. It's also hard to imagine a two Club bid which does not include solid Spades, the Ace of Hearts, and enough other stuff (king of Hearts or a useful Club holding) to give seven NT a play. In a weak field I would bid seven Spades for the slight extra chance there are enough entries to set up Hearts by ruffing.

Several panelists and solvers questioned the 5 Heart bid. By agreement, South's initial pass showed values. An initial Heart bid would have shown more top honors in the suit. When South had to make his next bid, he hadn't yet heard his partner rebid Spades indicating a great suit. If South didn't bid Hearts at his first real opportunity, how do you reach a likely laydown grand in Hearts when partner opened two Clubs and rebid 4 Spades on AKQxxx, AKxx, -, KQJ?

Matchpoints	AKQ	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: Both	KQ8762		-	-	-	1
Dlr: South	Q6		Pass	1	Pass	?
You are: S	K3

Richard Popper (with Tom Ciconte and Margaret Shellenberger similarly): 3 . 2 NT is too dangerous with Qx of Diamonds. A jump shift into a short Club is not that uncommon and is the best value bid for this awkward hand. If partner bids 3 NT, I will happy, and if he rebids Spades I can raise to four. Should he bid three Diamonds, I can bid three Hearts to describe my hand. And of course, if he bids three Hearts, I can bid four Hearts.

The only real awkwardness comes if partner has very strong Club support, but I agree the Club jump shift is the most flexible bid. I suspect that many solvers didn't bid it because it didn't occur to them. I'm giving our other esteemed panelists credit for thinking of it, but not liking it as well as their choice.

Jeff Ruben (with Paul Amer similarly): 2 NT. Showing my overall strength. I can rebid Spades over new minor forcing or raise three Hearts to four. If partner bids 3 NT, usually denying five Spades, I will bid four Hearts and hope he has a doubleton Heart or at least the stiff Jack.

Ivar Stakgold: 3 . No adequate bid available. In K-S, one doesn't respond one Spade to one Heart on a weak four-card suit. Although 3 Spades is a slight underbid, no other bid seems as descriptive. (Unfortunately, the bidding system specified in the contest is Bridge World standard, not K-S.)

Jonathan Slaney: 3 . I'll raise three Spades to four and pass three NT.

IMPs	62	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: N-S	K7		-	1	Pass	2
Dlr: North	K74		3	3	4	5
You are: S	AQT863		5	Pass	Pass	?

Dave Treadwell: Double. Partner has left the decision up to me, and since I have no extra offensive values, I just double, recognizing it might make.

Ivar Stakgold: Double. Partner's hand could be as weak as Kx, xx, AQJxxx, Kxx, so I can't bid on. I am not sure we can set five Hearts but the NV opponents may be trying to push us around so I must protect our likely game.

Pete Filandro: 6 . Partner's (forcing) pass over five Hearts shows a Heart control. I will show my willingness to be in at least six and my Club control. If partner has a Heart void, the Spade Ace, and good Diamonds he will realize his Club King is a golden card and may be able to bid the excellent grand slam.

Jeff Ruben: 6 . Will make opposite Ax, xx, AQxxxx, Kxx. Maybe if we are off two top tricks the opponents will save. We are certainly not getting rich against five Hearts doubled.

Elizabeth and Mohsen Refaie: 6 . Looks like partner has first round control of Hearts by their pass, so we want to see if we can play this at the six or seven level.

Ron Landgraff: 6 . Anything could be making our way or their way. Can't afford a double game swing or worse. Partner can't have much defense in Hearts else he would have doubled.

Matchpoints	-	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: Both	AJ763		-	-	3	Pass
Dlr: East	QT6		3*	Double	Pass	?
You are: S	AQ753

Six of the seven panelists bid a slam directly or cue bid towards a slam, so these aggressive actions earned highest scores. The cue bidders outnumbered the direct slam bidders on the panel by four votes to two. Which cue bid is best? I probably would have bid four Clubs at the table, generally bidding controls up the line, but one panelist has a fascinating insight that sure makes sense in this auction.

Pete Filandro: 4 . A "discovery bid". I have a lot of wasted strength and length in Clubs, but I also have good values in the red suits and first round Spade control. Opposite as little as a perfecto 13 HCP (xxx, KQxxx, AKJxx, void) we have a near laydown grand. Why do I say a "discovery bid"? To locate the missing Club. If partner shows interest and bids five Clubs (an obvious void), I bid seven Hearts. If he bids a mere five Diamonds or five Hearts, I assume a hole and bid six Hearts. If he shows interest but does not cue five Clubs, i.e. he jumps to six Diamonds, I bid seven Hearts. If he shows interest by jumping to six Hearts, I will have discovered that partner probably has the missing Club and an opening Club lead will be ruffed. We wrong-sided the contract and I will have to pass.

Rick Rowland (with Ivar Stakgold and Paul Amer similarly): 4 . I don't see any alternative. We have to be looking for slam. The cheaper cue bid might give partner more room, except that I'm expecting West to chime in with four Spades. After that I'll try five Clubs.

Tom Ciconte: 6 . Partner's double promises both values and the red suits. This makes my hand really tasty. We have a two-suited fit and first round control in the other two suits. Six might not be enough.

Bill Erwin: 7 . This may be the only bid in the contest for a grand. (Correct), but since it is about 50% opposite Qxx, KQxx, AJ9xx, x (a decidedly minimum for a takeout double) it's a reasonable gamble. The reason not to cue bid is that if partner plays the hand, a trick-one Club ruff may scuttle the grand.

Richard Popper: 5 . Four Clubs would be another reasonable choice, but partner should play me for good Hearts, a Club stack, and a reasonable hand. Partner should be able to make a reasonable judgment as to whether to bid on.

Matchpoints	A	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: Both	AKJ9		-	-	-	1
Dlr: South	J93		Pass	1	Pass	2
You are: S	AK853		Pass	2*	Pass	?

Dave Smith: 3 . Bidding the fragment paints a pretty good picture of my hand. I can't bid NT. I can't raise Spades (yet). I have exactly three Diamonds pard, what do you think?

Robert Haas (with Chris Marlow similarly): 3 . I'd like to reach 3 NT, but Diamonds look dangerous. This looks like the best way to mark time without distorting my shape.

Pete Filandro: 2 NT. Yes, I know how to count. This is twenty HCPs. But it has every flaw in the book. No sixth Club, not even a strong five-card suit to provide tricks, no second Spade, no real Diamond stopper. (Pete downgrades the hand so much, I am surprised he even opened it.)I can even gain when partner has no Diamond help but expects me to have two Spades for my two NT bid. He might go to our presumed eight-card fit and bid four Spades with KQxxxx, Qxx, x, xxx. A triumph! If instead I jump to three NT, partner may pass thinking I based my bid on long, running Clubs, a Diamond stopper and one or no Spades. A disaster!

Dave Treadwell: 2 NT I'll make the wimpish bid of two NT, non-forcing. I really expect partner will take some action in view of the silence of the opponents.

Jeff Ruben: 3 Descriptive and waiting. Partner can bid three Diamonds with half a Diamond stopper. If he bids three Hearts, I am willing to play four Hearts on the four-three fit.