Contract Bridge

Steve beCkeR

You are South, and the bidding has gone:

North East South West

1 ♣ Pass 1 ♠ Pass 3 ♣ Pass ?

What would you bid now with each of the following four hands?

1. ♠ Q8742 ♥ K95 ♦ J73 ♣ 94

2. ♠ AJ63 ♥ 102 ♦ Q52 ♣ KJ63

3. ♠ AKJ76 ♥ 742 ♦ K973 ♣ 8 4. ♠ AK95 ♥ 63 ♦ J84 ♣ AJ43

***

1. Pass. Although partner’s three-club bid urges you to bid again, it is not forcing. It merely invites a further bid if you have more than the six or seven points you might have for a suit response on the one-level. Here, with no values beyond those already shown, the best thing to do is pass.

2. Five clubs. You are not exceptionally strong in high cards, but what you have should prove very useful to partner. Not only do you have excellent trump support, but you also have first-round spade control, a doubleton heart and the queen of diamonds for good measure.

All these features add up to much more than a simple raise to four clubs, which you would make if you had, say, the queen of spades instead of the ace.

3. Three diamonds. There is surely a game somewhere, but the best contract is uncertain at the moment. The three-diamond bid may be all that partner needs to undertake three notrump, and, furthermore, it leaves him room to show three-card spade support.

It is far better to bid three diamonds than three spades. The failure to show your diamonds might result in missing three notrump. The inequality of your two suits should be disregarded in an effort to find the best contract.

4. Six clubs. Here you should take the bull by the horns and bid six. Partner has jumped in clubs with a farfrom-solid suit (you’re looking at the A-J), and, since he has at most five points in clubs and neither the ace or king of spades, he’s bound to have substantial high-card strength in both red suits.

There’s no way of knowing precisely where the 12 tricks will come from, but that shouldn’t stop you from bidding the slam. The only real criterion in these situations is whether you think partner can make 12 tricks — and it would be unduly pessimistic to think he can’t. A typical hand for partner would be ♠

7 ♥ KQ4 ♦ AK5 ♣ KQ10852, which, opposite yours, would make slam a virtual laydown.