Contract Bridge
You are South, both sides vulnerable. The bidding has been:
North East South West 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♦ Pass 2 NT Pass?
What would you now bid with each of the following four hands?
1. ♠ KJ ♥ Q85 ♦ AQ762 ♣
AQ6
2. ♠♥ 7 Q63 ♦ AK10954 ♣
Q92
3. ♠♥ 4 92 ♦ KJ108743 ♣
KQ5
4. ♠ Q83 ♥♦ 8 AJ942 ♣
AK84
1. Four notrump. This is simply a “quantitative” invitational raise in notrump and not Blackwood, since partner has shown a notrump distribution and no suit has been agreed upon as trump. Four notrump is obviously a slam try, inquiring about the strength of partner’s hand.
Partner’s two- notrump rebid in this sequence can show anywhere from 12 to at most 15 high- card points. If he is in the upper half of that range, he should accept your invitation to bid slam, while with lesser values he should pass. In any case, he should be the one to make the final decision.
2. Three notrump. Your
6- 3- 3-1 distribution is not ideal for notrump, but that should not dissuade you from raising partner to game. Your hand is quite likely to provide six playing tricks in support of an opening bid. It would not be right to bid either three diamonds, denying interest in game, or four diamonds, which would be reaching for an 11-trick game.
3. Three diamonds. Here you must warn partner that your two- diamond response was not entirely kosher. Three diamonds tells him that your two- diamond bid, which would ordinarily indicate 10 or more high- card points, was based more on distribution than on high- card values, and that if he continues, it is at his own peril.
4. Three clubs. Game is certain and slam is possible on the bidding thus far, but how many tricks can actually be made — and in what denomination — is still unknown. The best you can do is try to describe your distribution and high- card values, at the same time hoping that partner has the right cards in the right places for a slam.
Your intention is to show spade support on the next round and thereby pinpoint your singleton heart. The full nature of your hand will thus be presented in three installments. What happens after that is up to partner. If he has something like: ♠ KJ1074 ♥ A65 ♦ K3 ♣ QJ6, six spades is an excellent proposition.