All News

Potentially wonderful.

Sometimes, you hear some excellent news when you ask your partner to bid. They bid your best and longest suit and jump the bidding to show they have high-card points as well. Which way forward and how far are the questions with which you are faced?

 

They do not always bid your shortage, not that you had one apart from the opposition suit this time. They do not always jump. Partner, this time, made a very welcome noise. What should you bid next?

Your partner is a passed hand though that does not alter the meaning of their 3 bid. They have around 10 or 11 high-card points and a single-suited hand. Had they a major suit, or even two suits, and that point count, they could have forced the auction by bidding 2 or with four hearts by jumping to 3.

There are three schools of thought amongst our Panel:

Matt Brown “3: If partner denies a stopper and bids 4x, we are looking good for slam with all their values outside of spades. If they bid 3NT, I am still interested and can start with 4.  Then, it's over to partner who can co-operate with the A or sign off in 4NT/5C with slower holdings/more wastage.”

Stephen Blackstock “3: No problem yet – we are likely headed for 6/7 but let’s see what more he can tell us. The jump with such weak clubs suggests fitting red cards but with so much room to explore, there is no reason to make a premature guess.”

Kris Wooles “3: and after 3NT (should partner bid that) 4. I’m interested in 6 and am keen to explore that possibility but would be a lot more optimistic about that if partner doesn’t bid 3NT (still South could have, for example, A and  KJT which could be enough).

Bruce Anderson “3: I can’t see any other way forward: Roman Key Card doesn’t help as if partner holds an ace, we are committed to a slam that may not have a play. Partner is likely to take my bid as asking for a stop in the first instance. If I hear 3NT, it is unlikely partner holds the key cards for a slam. I will then bid 5 to play.

If I hear 4 over 3, I am bidding 4, hoping partner recognizes that we have club fit (it is very unlikely partner has nothing in diamonds and nothing in spades, so I can’t have solid diamonds and was looking for a spade stop).

If partner cue bids 4 over 4, I cue bid 4. Holding A and K, and five or more clubs, I expect partner to bid the club slam: otherwise we just play in game.

Slightly different views of how high they are heading though all trying to find out more about their partner’s hand. The A would be a good feature though other spade honours would be the “wastage” to which Matt Brown was referring.

Bruce Anderson cannot see another way though one other approach is to tell your partner what you have got:

Peter Newell “4: splinter.  Partner has jumped over a balancing double. So, this looks like a hand where we want to be in 5 or 6. 4 describes my hand rather well so apart from giving the chance to double or not double 4 and helping the opponents slightly with the lead, I can’t see any minuses to make clearly the most descriptive bid.”

Nigel Kearney “4: Splinter. Partner's exact shape will be key as xxxx Ax xx xxxxx is a good slam but Kxx Ax QJx Qxxxx is not. 3 then 4 and drive to slam whenever partner can cue bid hearts will work better on the first hand type but when partner is more balanced, we'll need him to have most of his values outside spades.”

The splinter throws the decision to your partner though our other panellist was taking immediate control himself:

Michael Cornell “4NT: (not 1430 in clubs!) Partner should have around 10 points and won’ t have a double spade stop- no NT bid so surely A and K are likely cards.

I also don’t think partner will have many red cards either so if he has A, he may not even need the K.”

Michael would have expected his partner to have bid 2NT with that double hold in spades. It is also a good concept to play the normal order of responses when clubs are trumps so that with 0 (or 3), the response would be a manageable 5, not 5.

Michael would have been very impressed with the 5 response this time:

 

The Q was not needed. One presumes that with that response, Michael could ask for kings as 7 would be a wonderful contract with the K as well. You can make all 13 tricks above with a rather nervous third round heart finesse.

It is important to realise that when partner pulls out the 4 splinter on the above cards, that they do have a very good hand. At the table, South was worried about their rather barren trumps and signed off in game.

 

Getting to slam proved difficult for those “on the night” though one would think whichever route our Panel took, that they would have reached 6. Would you?

 

What are they up to?

 You made quite an agressive take-out double but that seems reasonable with both major suits. Your partner forces you to bid (4) and then changes the suit after you choose. What are they up to and what should you do now?

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items