Contract Bridge

You have the following hand, both sides vulnerable:

♠ KQ1083 ♥ KQ95 ♦ K4

♣ A2

1. Partner bids One Diamond, and you respond Two Spades. Partner bids Three Diamonds, and you bid Three Hearts. Partner says Four Diamonds. What would you bid now?

2. Your right-hand opponent bids One Diamond, which you double. Your partner responds One Heart. What would you bid now?

3. After two passes, your right-hand opponent opens One Club, which you double. Your partner responds Two Hearts. What would you bid now?

4. You open One Spade, and partner bids Two Notrump (13-15 points, balanced distribution). You bid Three Hearts, and partner bids

Three Notrump. What would you bid now?

***

1. Four Notrump. Partner obviously likes diamonds and probably has seven of them headed by the A-Q or A-Q-J. How many tricks your side can make depends on how many aces he has.

It is therefore best to bid four notrump, which in this sequence is Blackwood even though no suit has been directly agreed upon as trump. If partner responds five spades (three aces), you plan to bid seven notrump (or seven diamonds); if he responds five hearts (two aces), you’ll bid six diamonds; and if he responds five diamonds (one ace), you’ll pass.

2. Three Hearts. You can’t bid four hearts, since partner might have a worthless hand, but your hand is too strong for a raise to only two hearts. Three hearts, inviting partner to carry on to a game with a smattering of values, is just about right.

3. Three Clubs. When this hand appeared in The Bridge World magazine, a panel of 45 experts voted as follows: 22 for three clubs; 16 for four hearts; five for four notrump; two for two spades.

Those favoring three clubs (a cue-bid) or four notrump were obviously more slamminded than those who leaped to four hearts, basically a closeout bid. It does seem that if partner has two aces, a slam is probable, and for that reason this writer favors three clubs or four notrump, in that order.

4. Four Notrump. Twelve tricks might be laydown if partner has the right values, even though the combined point count cannot be 33.

Four notrump is invitational in this sequence, and partner does not have to respond. It asks partner to bid six notrump if he has a maximum for his initial two-notrump bid, and has nothing to do with Blackwood.