Decisions on Whether to Bid More Hearts

Last weekend was the Atlanta Almost Spring Super Sectional in which I played only the Saturday afternoon flight A pairs and the A/X Swiss on Sunday and was 7th in both events. Saturday, or rather, trying to schedule what I would do Saturday, was one of the most stressful things I have done in awhile. I had several goals in mind: eat at Chipotle, play my tennis league match in Warner Robins in the morning, drive 2 hours to the tournament in Roswell, play one session with David, play 1 session with Mili, eat at Chipotle, make sure John has a partner (preferably another junior) for all the games, leave adequate time for David to go out with his old friend, eat at Chipotle, hang out with Mike and Alli. Coordinating things with several people can be difficult, especially when some of them don't have cars and need to ask parents for permission. I failed to accomplish at least 2 of those goals but it's all good - Saturday night kibitzing Patty and Kevin against Tom Carmichael and Mike Cappelletti, then drinking, karaoke-ing, and bowling with Mike, Alli, Owen, and the Teels was great.

Sunday's Swiss produced several interesting deals and intersting auctions. On the second hand of the day, I opened 1♥ on ♠KT, ♥QJTxxxx, ♦-, ♣AQTx, LHO overcalled a natural 1NT and partner raised to 2♥. Would you bid over 2♥? Vulnerable? At imps? I could just envision my partner putting down something useless like ♠Jxx, ♥xxx, ♦KQxxx, ♣xx and being doubled and down 2 or 3, so I passed. However partner had the most awesome 6 count to go with my hand: ♠Jxx, ♥ATx, ♦xxxx, ♣Jxx, so we were +170 while our teammates were -790.

In the second round at unfavorable vulnerability, I picked up ♠Axx, ♥QJ9xxx, ♦Qx, ♣QJ. LHO opened 3♠, passed to me. I wanted to bid 4♥, and a few years ago, I would have automatically bid 4♥ but I'm more conservative now or at least I was yesterday. Unfortunately passing was another losing call, but my counterpart had an easier time bidding that hand because Joe doesn't preempt with seven spades headed by the T and ♦AK on the side and I agree that it's not a hand you should preempt. If you switched the majors and switched the opening bid to 4♥, would you be more inclined to bid 4♠? Logically, overcalling 4♥ and 4♠ should be equivalent hands but I think many more people would bid 4♠ over 4♥ than 4♥ over 3♠ even if it's only because of the saying that when you open 4♥ it is a transfer to 4♠ for the opposition. Fortunately it got better after that.

My opponent in the last round had another decision of whether to bid hearts of not. At favorable vulnerability, she held: ♠AJ9x, ♥KJxxx, ♦xxx, ♣x. After passing, her LHO (my partner) opened 3♦, passed back to her. Would you balance here? If so, do you bid 3♥ or X? I definitely think this is not one where you should balance because it doesn't seem like we will be making much of anything. Partner is surely short in diamonds but didn't act over 3♦ so we probably don't have game and X clearly has a huge flaw in that p may bid 4♣ and 3♥ could get us to a very bad spot as well. But, with the other 2 hands fresh in my mind, I may well have doubled as well. That did get 4♣ from her partner, which was doubled. And I also had an easy double when she ran back to 4♥. +800 against air was a good way to start the last round.

Rule of 15

Are you a follower of the rule of 15, which says that if it's 3 passes to you, you should only open the bidding if your high card points plus spade length is 15 or more? It's typically a very good rule, and it is based on the idea that when the points are balanced, the side with a spade fit is more likely to go plus on the board, because they can get the contract at the two-level while you would have to go to the 3 level in some other suit. Anyway, Tuesday night at the local club I picked up: K, 9xx, AJxx, KQxxx. both vul, it's 3 passes to me, and without a second thought, I pass it out. Partner happened to have a 9 point hand with Qxxxxx of spades and everyone else in the room was in 2S or 3S going down 2 or 3.

Here is another example of the my bidding judgment that is perhaps against the field, but not at all related to the rule of 15. This hand is from 2 weeks ago. I held: xxx, KJ, AKQ, AKJxx. In second position, unfavorable vulnerability, I opened the hand 1C. The auction progressed without interference: 1H-2D-3C-3D-3S-4C-4H-6C-P. 3C was game-forcing with 4 card club support. 3D and 3S were cue bids, 4C was key card blackwood for clubs. Over 4H, I should have bid 4S to inquire about the Q of trumps and possibly any kings. I would have gotten a 5S response, showing the CQ and SK and denying either red king. Then I could have bid the better scoring matchpoint contract of 6NT opposite: AKx, QT9xx, x, Qxxx.

I know a lot of you would open 2NT or 2C with my hand but game chances are very unlikely if partner can't muster up some response to 1C, and 1C will surely get us to a better partscore than either of the strong openings. Yes, I distorted my shape a little bit with the reverse into a 3 card suit, but I think that isn't such a big deal. It seems like a better lie than opening 2NT without a spade stopper and barely 1 heart stopper. In retrospect, though it is not too unlikely that partner has 4 diamonds and a stiff club and we may wind up in a 6D contract that is, for example, ona 3-3 break.. Put a small spade in with the diamonds and this is definitely the correct way to bid the hand using fairly standard methods. Put a diamond honor in the spade suit and this is sure a 2NT opener also.

Downgrading Hands

I’m not an aggressive bidder (or a conservative bidder) by any definition of the terms, but I am certainly not one known to downgrade a hand, going against the field, at a club game in macon, against opponents I typically get about a trick or two more than the field.

Last night, I picked up: Qxxx, Kxxx, KJx, Jx. Both vul., partner opens 15-17 1NT in 3rd seat, I stayman, he shows no 4 card major, I invite with 2NT. All pass. +180 when partner proceeds to make 2 more tricks than the field, mostly in 3NT down 1. 9 out of 12 MP.

A couple of rounds later, I picked up: Qxxx, xxx, Jxx, Jxx. Partner opens 2C, I bid 2D showing no controls, and partner rebids 2NT, 22-24hcp. I took another pessimistic view of this hand and passed 2NT. Another +180 after he gets an extra trick or two for a dead average. 4S is makeable.


Ax
KJxxx
Ax
AQxx

KQTxx
A
xx
KJTxx

Anybody have a good auction for getting to 7C, with south to deal? The majority of the field last night was in 6NT down 1 when west had Jxxx of spades and KQ of diamonds. My opponents decided to bid 6S, which cannot be beaten, giving us 1 out of 12 matchpoints.

My auction would start off: 1S-2H; 3C-4C. I think 4C should be keycard for clubs if you’re playing minorwood but it’s unclear. You may just want to set trumps and get a cuebid from partner. If it’s minorwood, opener bids 4S, now is 4NT to play or an ask about kings? If it’s not minorwood, then opener cues 4H, then is 4S by responder an option to play 4S, realizing that we have no diamond control and 4S is the best game.

If the auction goes: 1S-2H; 3C-3D; 3NT-4C, is 4C Gerber, natural and forcing (3D would have been sort of like an advance cuebid in support of clubs), minorwood, or passable?

My vote is that 4C in the first case should be minorwood and after a 4S response, 4NT is continuation rather than a signoff in a better matchpoint contract, 4S in the next case is a cuebid. Bidding 4th suit and then 4C must be a slam try in clubs with a control in diamonds, not minorwood.