DSBA Bidding Contest Results!
Edited by Jess Stuart

Matchpoints	832	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: Both	7		-	1	Pass	?*
Dlr: North	QT832
You are: S	AQ85

*You are playing inverted minors with 3 preemptive and 2 forcing one round, nominally 11 HCP or more.

There isn't a bid which describes your hand very well and you must chose the one which distorts it the least. The hand is a Queen too strong for a preempt, a Queen too weak for a comfortable limit raise, a Heart too short for 1 NT, and a Spade too short for 1 Spade. What's the best alternative?

Jeff Ruben: 1 NT. What is the worst that could happen? This is matchpoints, and my bid does not promise major suit stoppers. I will take my chances, pulling to Diamonds if and when it seems right. I can see bidding 2 Diamonds, but not 3 Diamonds as this could preempt us out of a game if partner has a good hand.

Greg Burch: 1 NT. Well, I don't like this too terribly much.... but bidding 2 Diamonds and having pard jump to a no-play 3 NT could be even worse. Yes, I am wrong-siding the NT but, on the bright side, sometimes I bury the opponents' Heart/Spade fit with this call.

Others looked to bury the opponents' major fit more effectively.

Chris Marlow: 3 . This is probably the max for a 3 Diamond response for me. Although this hand is worth close to 11 points in support of a Diamond contract, it's not nearly as good in no-trump which is where partner will try to take us in matchpoints. I'll take my plus score while increasing the likelihood the opponents will miss their major suit fit(s). If partner still shows interest in game, I'll be happy to cooperate.

Dave Treadwell: 3 . I elect the modest 3 Diamond preempt, knowing it is a bit on the strong side for such action. On the other hand since we are vulnerable, partner should expect more than a piece of cheese. This hand is not good enough to make an inverted 2 Diamond bid.

not according to:
Craig Robinson: 2 . This hand is better than most of my 11 point hands. I do plan to rebid 3 Diamonds.

Several solvers said bidding 1 Spade on the 3-card suit was their second choice. If partner jumps to 3 Spades you are probably going to be happy playing the 4-3 fit in a spade game with extras, a singleton and a secondary Diamond fit. The down side of the 1 Spade call is when partner raises to 2 Spades with 3-4-4-2 or similar distribution. You can handle any other rebid by partner in NT, Hearts, Diamonds or Clubs. A few solvers bid 2 Clubs. This didn't score well because it is game-forcing in Bridge World Standard.

IMPs	J865	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: Both	Q5		-	-	Pass	Pass
Dlr: East	AJ83		2	3	3	4
You are: S	KT3		4	Pass	Pass	?

Action	Score	Votes(Panel)	Votes(Solvers)
Pass	100	3	12
Double	90	1	22
4	80	1	5
5	60	-	2

The majority of the panelists chose to defend so higher scores were assigned to defending rather than bidding on. Those who chose to bid on with an imaginative and flexible 4 Spade call received a higher score than those who raised Clubs.

Rick Rowland: Pass. No Spade cards, Qx of Hearts that may well be dropped, Ace of Diamonds if front of the theoretical King and values in Clubs. That looks like four reasons not to double. With my flat shape I'm not bidding 5 Clubs. By process of elimination. I'm passing.

Dave Treadwell adds: It seems unlikely we can make 5 Clubs but I believe we have a good chance of setting 4 Hearts. Since the set is unlikely to be more than one trick, I pass and hope for the best.

Jeff Ruben: Double. I hope I doubled in tempo so partner can pull if so inclined. Partner needs a couple of cards outside of Clubs for his overcall, so I will lead a trump and go for +200 or +500 with our own game prospects uncertain.

Jeff Goldsmith, in doubling, points out that if 4 Hearts makes you are going to lose about 13 IMPs anyway, so you might as well double hoping to beat them a lot when partner has AKx, Jxx, x, AQxxxx.

Pete Filandro: 4 . The bidding is very illuminating. East, a passed hand, bid above his partner's suit yet did not open a preempt in Hearts, so has only 5 Hearts (terrific quality at this vulnerability, say AKQxx) and a Diamond fit (say Jx or Jxx). West has six Diamonds and bid to the four-level vulnerable opposite a passed partner (suspected to have only five Hearts) so must have three (likely four) Hearts. When you add my six red cards to the opponents' expected red cards, pard has only two (or an unlikely three) red cards. Our hand is golden.

Richard Fang: 4 . If pard is short in Diamonds and Hearts, he should have some Spades. I didn't bid 3 Spades, so 4 Spades wouldn't indicate five. I expect pard has 4207 or 4216 shape.

Some solvers postulated other holdings that might have prevented East from opening 2 or 3 Hearts, say six good Hearts and 4 Spades, or any 6-4-3 hand. Some don't open a weak 2 with a void since they have good support for two other suits. Even a hand with seven bad Hearts and four Diamonds might not preempt 3 Hearts but would bid as indicated. Any of these holdings in which East doesn't hold four Spades are good hands for South to bid 4 Spades with.

Andy Kaufman: Sounds like 4 Hearts might be making with West likely having ten red cards and shortness in Clubs for his raise to 4 Hearts. Five Clubs might not be making but it is good insurance, even doubled, against trying to defend 4 Hearts. Our side has the balance of power but may not be able to set their 4 Hearts.

Matchpoints	6	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: None	QJ86		-	-	-	Pass
Dlr: South	A97		1	Pass	1	Double
You are: S	K9542		2	Pass	Pass	Double
			Redouble	Pass	Pass	?

As he expected. your moderator got several complaints about the problem South created by the aggressive second double. Interestingly enough, the most vocal complainers were the most aggressive matchpoint bidders who earn a few minus 800s along with their greater number of tops by bidding aggressively. While I don't approve of South's second double, it isn't TOTALLY off the wall. After all, it is matchpoints and you aren't vulnerable. On a good day, West would pass, North would bid your best suit and would go down one for a good board. However this wasn't a good day and West's redouble made you sorry you were so aggressive. Now what is the least costly way out of the problem you created for yourself ? (or perhaps I should say that I created for you)

The solution revolves around what North's last pass means. Some solvers and one panelist don't think it is intended as a vote to defend 2 Spades redoubled. The panelist says, "Bridge World Standard doesn't play penalty passes of redoubles". Bridge World Standard doesn't address the auction in this problem with a redouble at the two-level. What it does say is that after our double of a one-level major suit opening followed by a redouble, 1 no-trump is for escape. Would 2 NT in our auction be for escape? to play? or perhaps a request for the doubler to pick a minor showing at least two more Diamonds than Clubs? At best 2 NT is ambiguous. A Pass clearly shows an inability to cooperate in either of the two suits South requests and by inference shows Spade length, probably four. Why four? Because East-West probably aren't suggesting defending with a nine-card fit. If East-West aren't playing support doubles, you could make a case that partner could easily have five Spades. West's redouble usually shows a minimum trump length and maximum points for his previous calls.

Now the issue comes down to an easy question. Would you rather try to take six tricks defending a Spade contract holding a trump stack or try to take eight or nine tricks in your NT or suit contract with at best a seven-card fit? Passing the redouble stands out as the best bid. The fact that it is matchpoints, not IMPs, makes it much easier. Another way of looking at it, bidding on is surely going to get you a bottom. Passing could get you a bottom, but could also get you a top.

Sorry for the long introduction to this problem. Now on to the comments by the panelists and solvers. My favorite is:

Maggie Shellenberger: Pass. My deaf partner died seven years ago. Now all my partners can see and hear and he passed.

Dave Treadwell: Pass. Having not opened the bidding, I have given an accurate picture of my hand. Partner has an obligation to pull with a suit or with 2 NT if 4-3-3-3, so I pass and hope for the best since partner's pass indicates a willingness to defend.

Greg Burch, while not agreeing that the second double was a good description of the hand (putting it mildly) agrees with the Pass, adding: What does pard do with KQJT, Ax, xxxx, xxx? A direct double of 2 Spades is usually "responsive", asking YOU to pick a suit.... so Pass should say "This is our best chance."

Rick Rowland: 3 C. provides the most room for partner to do something else if he thinks it is appropriate.

Andy Kaufman: 2 NT. Partner almost certainly has a small stack of Spades and lacks a fit for either Hearts or Clubs. It seems like too much of a gamble to play 2 Spades redoubled, so I would pull to 2 NT and hope not to get doubled (in your dreams), or if so to hold to down one.

Pete Filandro: 3 D. Partner's pass denies four of either unbid, and probably denies three in the cheapest unbid suit. That gives him eight or nine in their suits. He can have only four (maybe three) Spades so he will have four, five or six Diamonds. That looks like our best home.

Matchpoints	AQJ983	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: N-S	J82		-	1	Pass	1
Dlr: North	-		Pass	2	Pass	?
You are: S	T842

Action	Score	Votes(Panel)	Votes(Solvers)
3	100	3	16
2	90	-	6
2	80	1	7
3	70	1	5
3	60	-	6
4	50	-	2

Four of the five panelists made invitational bids on the hand, so the highest score went to 3 Hearts. By contrast, when the experts bid it in a 1974 Bridge World Bidding Contest the most popular calls were 2 Hearts and 2 Spades with it being viewed as a matchpoint percentage decision. Probably vulnerable at IMPs the experts would have been more aggressive. Perhaps the reason our panelists and most solvers made a limit raise or stronger bid is that today's declarer play is stronger than the experts were capable of back then. I am sure it isn't because the opening bids are stronger now.

Jeff Ruben: 3 . I had better show my Heart support now. I am too good for 2 Hearts and not good enough for 3 Clubs, so 3 Hearts seems about right.

Craig Robinson: 3 . Tough call, but I am going to take the optimistic viewpoint and bid 3 Hearts invitational. I sure hope these Spades are worth more than one trick.

Art Korth: 2 . With partner's 2 Diamond bid, my hand is not a limit raise. If partner cannot act over 2 Hearts, we are high enough.

Greg Burch: 2 . I might be alone here, but this hand could be worth a lot more tricks in Spades than in Hearts.... and in pairs I want to go plus. Partner's fourth and fifth Hearts might yet be useful in a Spade contract, while my long Spades are probably worthless in a Heart contract, especially if pard has to ruff Diamonds in Dummy. Let's put it this way... what contract do you want to play opposite __, AQxxx, KJxxx, Axx? Why, a SPADE contract (and I even gave partner good Hearts!) If you want to play Spades opposite a VOID, then you sure better bid them again!

Bill Erwin: 2 . Good suit that will be useless at another strain. Better than a weak jump shift at my first turn (if you were playing that.)

Pete Filandro: 3 . The choices are an invitational 3 Hearts or 3 Spades. In Hearts, if partner has (for instance) two Spades, our Spade suit will have no entry. But if Spades are trump, we have Heart entries plus partner's high cards as entries to discard some Club losers.

Paul Amer: 3 . This hand belongs in either 4 Hearts or 4 Spades. Bid 3 Spades over partner's Heart or Diamond rebid and then, if needed, pull 3 NT to 4 hearts.

Matchpoints	2	Auction:	West	North	East	South
Vul: N-S	A52		-	-	-	1
Dlr: South	AK96		2	Pass	Pass	?
You are: S	KQJ87

Chris Marlow (with Pete Filandro similarly): 3 . This seems about right. Partner has some Spades, but was unable to bid them or make a negative double, so I would not expect too much. Three Diamonds still leaves 3 NT in the unlikely event it's there. However, I think this hand will play much better in a minor suit contract anyway, so I'll bid my shape and let partner make the next move.

Rick Rowland: 3 . Where oh where has the Spade suit gone? The best hand of the set. Can't double with a stiff Spade. Don't want to bid 2 NT without some kind of spot. Not happy about 3 Diamond reverse when partner must have some Hearts and some Spades and may not have values. I think 3 Clubs must show some values at this vulnerability. Seems like the least of all evils.

Greg Burch: 2 NT. I happen to think this is a VERY good problem. (Well, it is reassuring to hear that the panelists and some solvers finally found a problem they like, after complaining about the aggressive second double in hand 3 and the "unplayable" inverted minor in hand 1. Back to Greg....) What does 2 NT show? 18-19ish balanced? Longer Clubs than Diamonds and a good hand? Who knows? I guess it should be the former, but the good news is that we sort of have both. Still this call is fraught with danger. Pard couldn't make a negative double, so if we DO have a game, it is because he has some kind of nondescript balanced 8-count without four Spades (AJx, QTx, Qxxxx, xxx perhaps). But he also could be broke and we may have stepped in it (picture him with 6-3-2-2 with nothing.. yikes!) One note: DOUBLE is not an option without Spades. Yeah, yeah, I can hear people saying, "Pard didn't make a negative double, so he can't have the hand to jump in Spades if I double.". That is just bull. If you had Axx, x, AKxx, Axxxxx and pard had KTxxxx, xxx, xxx, x, how would you expect to get to game if pard can't jump in Spades after you reopen with a double?

Jeff Goldsmith (with Bill Erwin, similarly): Pass. Where are the Spades? Either pard has them and is weak, or the opponents do. Either way, why bid?

Robert Grover: Double. I would have opened this hand 1 Diamond to allow me to rebid in second minor more conveniently. With the set bidding, 2 NT is marginal. If you double, pard will surely bid 2 Spades and you will need to bid 2 NT. Then pass if he rebids 3 Spades.