THE GOSPORT EAR (Number 1) by LEPUS

You are vulnerable first in hand at teams and pick up

ªKQ3 ©97643 ¨7 §KQJ5.

It is clearly a close decision whether to open, or not, and, in practice, about half of the field passed in a recent event. So let’s assume that you go along with pass (those that want to bid will get their chance in a moment!) and you hear LHO pass and partner opens [1§] (you have agreed to play Acol) and, somewhat surprisingly, RHO passes (nowadays hardly anybody will give you a free run to your best contract if you open the lowest bid!).

It’s still ªKQ3 ©97643 ¨7 §KQJ5, and it hasn’t got any easier! Now you have to make the first real decision. The bids to consider (in no particular order) are: - [1©], [2©], a number of clubs, or a splinter-bid [4¨]. If clubs, then the choice must lie between, say, [3§] and [5§], however the problem with these bids is that you may miss an easier contract in hearts (even a Slam in hearts may be viable).

Clearly [2©] (a passed hand force suggesting a good club fit and a respectable heart suit) only fits one of the criteria for the bid (©97643 is hardly ‘respectable’), so why not respond [1©] and defer the critical decision in clubs until after you have heard a rebid from partner. Thought for the day: partner has opened in THIRD seat... will there be a rebid? However, with such a good club fit, it is unlikely that the enemy will allow the bidding to die at the one-level, so you should get another chance (but there are no cast-iron guarantees!)

So: - [P] [P] [1§] [P] / [1©] [Pass] and mirabile dictu partner’s rebid is [1ª].

The hand is still ªKQ3 ©97643 ¨7 §KQJ5. Well surely now you must show you club fit?

Think about your bid - it is make-your-mind-up time!

If you bid [4§], or [5§] then your partner will undoubtedly bid a Small Slam. If you bid [3§] partner may try [3N] (which should be a comfortable contract as only a heart lead will give the defence their four winners, else you will land eleven tricks) or [5§] (sorry partner, but you were a passed hand and I hardly expected to take all thirteen tricks). However if you bid [2§] that will end the bidding, and partner will not be best pleased at the outcome. Now be honest! What did you bid?

To my mind the best response must be [4§] (as five sounds so much like a signoff), when you may be able to cue-bid your way to the Grand Slam. But, in any case, there is little danger of partner not making an informed decision about advancing to the Small Slam.

Of course, if you open [1©] then the bidding goes apace [P] [2§] [P] / [3§] (suggesting a weak limited hand) [P] [6§] / End (though LHO may be tempted to throw in a double).

For the record, the hand opposite you was: - ªA976 ©void ¨AK85 §A9843.

THE GOSPORT EAR (Number 2) by LEPUS

Partner opens [1©] first in hand, you are all vulnerable, but there is no enemy bidding (n e b) and you are looking at ª A63 ©A764 ¨K6 §AQJ7. So your first thought is that if partner has not opened on a pile of filth (POF) then there may well be a Slam on this hand (either in Hearts, or No-trump). What do you bid?

There are a variety of gadgets that you may have in your armoury: Baron [2N] to show a balanced hand with, at least 16 high-card points (HCP); Jacoby [2N] to guarantee, at least, a four-card trump fit, with 8 losing trick count (LTC), or better, and with a minimum of 12 HCP – playing Jacoby, all direct raises are essentially based on shape; a Cue Bid, being an unnecessary double jump-shift (on this hand [3ª], or [4§]), or you could make a simple bid in a suit (which would await partner’s unforced response).

Here the real problem is that opener may have a hand with quite good HCP, yet have a poor holding in hearts e.g. ªKQJ2 ©Q852 AQ32 §2 when any ‘Slam’ would be fraught. On the other hand, partner may have a light HCP yet have a good hand at LTC valuation e.g. ª4 ©KQT743 ¨A5432 §2 and a Grand Slam would have great prospects. So simply asking for Aces and Kings via some form of generic Blackwood would not solve the problem of the solidity of the trump suit.

In a recent session one very strong pair ‘managed’ to bid to [6©], while yet another strong pair ‘managed’ to bid to [6N]. There were 14 cashing tricks in either strain (and no possibility of an adverse ruff). So this is not simply idle speculation: many pairs found this hand difficult to judge.

To my mind, what matters on this type of hand is the quality of partner’s Heart suit, and whether he has any additional length cards there, so I would advocate going slowly so that you can extract the maximum useful information from partner.

After the simple response of [2§] you get the unexpected surprise (and good news) of a re-bid of [3©]. This is likely to be not less than a six-card suit, with at least two of the top three honours, so hardly worse than ©KQT532, also partner has the equivalent of 17 HCP (though he may have allowed a tad for distribution) and his response has been subsequent to the prod in Clubs – that is the bid of [2§] has improved his hand (he may well have the §K!) So, the combined hands fit in two suits, and you have controls in the remaining suits.

Now, Cue bidding will get you to the Grand Slam, while Blackwood will uncover one Ace, and three Kings, and also get you to [7N] since you can count the 14 tricks. In a reasonable field this would be a lot of thought and effort for what should be a simple flat board, and after the time spent on the bidding the hand is a simple claim as partner had opened on: - ªK54 ©KQJ753 ¨A72 §K2.