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For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players …and others. It’s Fri day.

Choice!

You might use that word colloquially when partner puts down a good dummy! Yet, it has another meaning. What is your next bid with the following hand?

 

Your partner opened a 12-14 1NT and you are playing transfers- hence 2. However, what next?

At more than one table, with more than enough high cards to bid game, North chose 3NT and South passed. This was not to be a happy contract for the declarers.

 

With better looking cards in hearts over diamonds, West led 10 (called “an interior sequence” lead). South won the second round with K and could play 5 rounds of spades but then had to lose the lead to A. The defence had in total four heart tricks and A for down 1.

Maybe South made the wrong choice because with just 2 hearts and 3 spades, they could anticipate that 4 might be a safer game. Yet, North could have helped them make that right choice by bidding 3 as their second bid. This is termed “bidding out the shape of your hand” in order to help partner decide which game to bid.

It is important to realise that a change of suit after you have transferred is forcing for at least one round. South cannot pass 3. Here, it should make the decision to play in spades easier for South. 3 will tell South that their partner has at least 5 spades and at least 4 clubs, meaning they are likely to be short in one or both red suits. Alarm bells should then be raised for South who would definitely support spades.

The bidding could then proceed:

North                   South

                              1NT

2                         2

3                         3

4                         Pass

South might even choose to bid 4 directly over 3. 3 is at least a try for game. Some even play such a change of suit as forcing to game.

Sometimes, it is a good idea to hide information about your hand from your opponents. However, on other occasions like this, you need to help your partner decide which game to bid.

While 3NT has no chance (apart from misdefence) on a heart lead, 4 is relatively straightforward. Again 10 is a likely lead. South can win K as before, draw trumps and then play K. South wins the return in dummy, plays Q and then a club to the king. North’s 2 remaining clubs are discarded on J10. Game made.

“Choice” says partner. It was indeed a good choice by South, helped by North’s 3 bid. Being able to make such a bid is one reason transfer bids are recommended. 

Who was it who said that bridge is a partnership game? Whoever it was, was certainly correct.

Richard Solomon

Just in case it has slipped your mind, the Loveblock New Zealand Wide Pairs will take place 2 weeks from today, on the Friday evening, November 10th. With 58 clubs running a heat, there is bound to be at least one near you. (Have a look at the list under the Tournament tab on this website.) So, come along, enjoy the evening and get a booklet about the hands afterwards. This event raises money for NZ Bridge Foundation, an organisation which helps clubs throughout the country, clubs like yours.

There are Loveblock wine prizes, including for top Junior and Novice pairs, too.

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