[Kaitlyn S]

Hi - these problems should be very easy for experienced players but an I/N player needs to think about the right things in an auction. If you get them wrong, don't feel too bad as long as you understand the rationale for the answers. I'll provide the answers later but I'll put a hint as a spoiler. Try to solve the problem without the spoiler. Also, let me know if you would be interested in seeing more of these from time to time.

Assume you are playing Standard American (a natural system with 15-17 1NT openings and 5-card majors), IMPS, and nobody is vulnerable.

It is often good to support partner's suit, especially a major, when you have a yet undisclosed fit. It could help him know to compete if the opponents bid, and it's helpful if partner knows the trump suit. However, there are exceptions...


1.

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Spoiler

How many suits can be trump on a hand?

2.

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Spoiler

What is your most likely game, and how well is your hand suited for that game?

3.

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Spoiler

How would you feel if you passed and the West bid or transferred to hearts?

4.

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Spoiler

How well will this hand play in hearts?

5.

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Spoiler

Will partner be able to do anything if 2H comes back to him?

6.

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Spoiler

What will partner do when the opponents bid 3H?

[Kaitlyn S]

Answers:

1.

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Hint: How many suits can be trump on a hand?

Answer: (This one is pretty basic.) Only one suit can be trump, and you know you have a spade fit. Spades are going to be trump so you want to let partner know as soon as possible that spades are trump so you only have to worry about the level - which you can also help out with by bidding at the two level to describe your minimum opening hand. The recommended call is 2S.


2.

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Hint: What is your most likely game, and how well is your hand suited for that game?

Answer: You have fantastic club support and your hand is probably at the top of the range for a 3C bid here, but there is a better bid. You have two heart stoppers and your heart holding isn't that helpful in clubs if your partner has a singleton. Your most likely game is 3NT if partner has a bit more than a bare minimum, and you can express that by bidding 2NT (showing about 11.)

The problem with 3C is that partner might decide that it's not worth checking for a heart stopper and just bid 5C on some hands figuring that one heart stopper isn't enough if you have it. Here you have two heart stoppers and partner can hardly imagine that if you bid 3C. The recommended call is 2NT.


3.

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Hint: How would you feel if you passed and the West bid or transferred to hearts?

Answer: If partner has a minimum opener, you might have the advantage of the opening lead against 1NT making you a slight favorite to beat it, but there's nothing saying the opponents are staying in 1NT. The advancer who is short in spades will probably want to play in his long suit if he has one, using whatever methods he has. Your defense against a 2-level suit contract isn't that good, and while you can always bid 2S now, you have given the advancer a chance to show his suit, and the overcall can compete to the three level with a good fit.

If you bid 2S now, the advancer has to start looking at the three level without any knowledge of a fit. Alternatively, they might let partner play 2S which could make, and if West does compete, a shapely North might successfully compete to 3S. The recommended call is 2S.


4.

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Hint: How well will this hand play in hearts?

Answer: Is it hard to imagine that your spades won't be of much use in hearts? If partner is short in spades, your hand may produce one spade trick, but the ♦K is not likely to be an entry and while your short suits may provide ruffs until the opponents lead trump, your spade suit is likely to wither on the vine.

In spades, you'll lose the ♠A and the rest of the spades will be tricks. Your hearts will help partner's hand take some tricks also. A small plus is that your ♦K won't be attacked on opening lead (while I suspect the opponents will lead a club - you never know!) You should attempt to play this hand in spades, and I recommend that you do not muddy the waters by supporting hearts despite your fit in a major suit. Bid 1S.


5.

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Hint: Will partner be able to do anything if 2H comes back to him?

Both sides have an eight card fit and your side, who owns the spades, should play at the two-level if possible. You should bid it now - you aren't overstating your hand so you shouldn't fear overcaller overbidding to bid 4S. Support with support.

If you pass 2H expecting partner to balance, partner, who probably has five spades and three hearts, is going to be stuck for a bid and may think his best chance for a plus score is to defend, or that it is just to dangerous to compete further.

The recommended call is 2S.


6.

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Hint: What will partner do when the opponents bid 3H?

While I advocated competing to two spades on the prior hand simply because both sides had an eight-card fit, I would advise against bidding 2S on this hand. Let's peer into the future. The opponents, one of which may be short in spades, or just because they don't want to sell to two of your suit when both sides have a fit, may compete to 3H - in fact a 3H bid is almost automatic in the games I've played in. While defending 3H would be delightful, it isn't going to happen. For partner has a singleton heart and that argues for competing to 3S, a contract which you expect to be a disaster (in fact, 2S is no picnic if they leave you there with all your values in hearts opposite partner's singleton.) Worse yet, if opener jumps to 4H over 2S, partner will likely sacrifice in 4S with his shapely hand, which is too bad when you are likely to beat 4H.

If you pass, you will likely get your opportunity to compete to 2S. Partner has a singleton heart and there's a good chance he will reopen. Now you can back into 2S without encouraging partner to bid more spades in a competitive auction. (Passing the double seems a touch dangerous with your hand - the opponents do have eight trump and while you will probably get a couple of trump tricks, do you expect partner will be able to take four tricks himself often enough to risk -470?)

[dow1978]

2♠ will do.

[Gazumper]

Nice puzzles I got most of them, could you clarify the term "Advancer" please?

[nullve]

Gazumper, on 2017-March-05, 16:01, said:

Nice puzzles I got most of them, could you clarify the term "Advancer" please?

Opener: the first player to make a call other than Pass
Overcaller (or Intervenor or Aggressor): Opener's left hand opponent
Responder: Opener's partner
Advancer: Overcaller's partner

[Kaitlyn S]

nullve, on 2017-March-05, 16:14, said:

Opener: the first player to make a call other than Pass
Overcaller (or Intervenor or Aggressor): Opener's left hand opponent
Responder: Opener's partner
Advancer: Overcaller's partner

i define it differently although in these problems both our definitions work.

The Advancer refers to the partner of the player who made the first defensive action (overcall or double) no matter where that player is sitting in relation to the opener.

Also, the overcaller could be on opener's right (although if responder passes, that player is frequently referred to as the "balancer".)

[bravejason]

My first thought on #3 and #5 was pass because the hand was weak, especially #3. I know there is a time and place for bidding as many tricks as you have trumps, but at some point it seems like you have to consider the strength and distribution of the hand. I've always understood that a free bid shows more strength. With #3, wouldn't a bid show more strength than the hand has?

[sfi]

bravejason, on 2017-March-06, 16:17, said:

My first thought on #3 and #5 was pass because the hand was weak, especially #3. I know there is a time and place for bidding as many tricks as you have trumps, but at some point it seems like you have to consider the strength and distribution of the hand. I've always understood that a free bid shows more strength. With #3, wouldn't a bid show more strength than the hand has?

It can't show that much more because responder would normally double with the balance of power. So you're kind of protected from partner getting excited in this auction.

IMO, if you want to argue with a 2S call, it's better to use the flat shape as the reason rather than the points. I would still bid 2S but would be much happier if I had a doubleton somewhere. Here we could just be losing too many tricks for 2S to be the right action.

[akwoo]

bravejason, on 2017-March-06, 16:17, said:

My first thought on #3 and #5 was pass because the hand was weak, especially #3. I know there is a time and place for bidding as many tricks as you have trumps, but at some point it seems like you have to consider the strength and distribution of the hand. I've always understood that a free bid shows more strength. With #3, wouldn't a bid show more strength than the hand has?

The idea that a free bid shows extra strength went away in the 80s when it became commonly understood that going down 1 is better than letting them make a contract. These days, a free bid usually shows slightly *less* strength than without competition, just like an overcall shows less than an opening bid. Bids of NT are still an exception to this trend (just as NT overcalls are usually as strong as or stronger than NT openings).

[Cyberyeti]

I disagree with 2, partner's most likely holding is a weak NT, and 3♣ may well play a lot better than 2N. It's by no means impossible LHO has a big hand with spades and is shut up by his partner bidding hearts.

How would you feel playing 2N opposite say xxx, xx, AK/Qx, KQxxx vs playing 3♣

[Kaitlyn S]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-March-07, 13:34, said:

I disagree with 2, partner's most likely holding is a weak NT, and 3♣ may well play a lot better than 2N. It's by no means impossible LHO has a big hand with spades and is shut up by his partner bidding hearts.

How would you feel playing 2N opposite say xxx, xx, AK/Qx, KQxxx vs playing 3♣

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Indeed I would prefer 3C on this carefully constructed example, although 2NT isn't a disaster NV at IMPs, likely down 1 against a making 3S.

Of course,some weak notrumps have more hearts so 3C could suffer from heart ruffs, and if partner has a spade card instead of the second diamond card, a more likely scenario, 2NT might be okay whereas 3C might lose 1S, 1H, 2D, 1C unless partner's spade card is the king.

The bonus comes in game bidding when partner is afraid to check back to 3NT on a shapely hand.

For example:

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After your 3C bid, partner can hardly be blamed for taking a shot at 5C; after all, from his POV if he checks for a heart stopper by bidding 3H, he thinks 3NT will be set for the lack of nine running tricks. Your second heart stopper is crucial.

In fact, even after 2NT, he might check to see how solid your stopper situation is; he might still prefer to play 5C (if you bid 2NT on something like S-A53 H-QJ9 D-JT32 C-K65.) He checks back with 3H, you bid 3NT on your actual hand.

My apologies to confused novices, this is getting pretty deep.

[Cyberyeti]

Kaitlyn S, on 2017-March-07, 22:44, said:

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Indeed I would prefer 3C on this carefully constructed example, although 2NT isn't a disaster NV at IMPs, likely down 1 against a making 3S.

Of course,some weak notrumps have more hearts so 3C could suffer from heart ruffs, and if partner has a spade card instead of the second diamond card, a more likely scenario, 2NT might be okay whereas 3C might lose 1S, 1H, 2D, 1C unless partner's spade card is the king.

The bonus comes in game bidding when partner is afraid to check back to 3NT on a shapely hand.

For example:

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After your 3C bid, partner can hardly be blamed for taking a shot at 5C; after all, from his POV if he checks for a heart stopper by bidding 3H, he thinks 3NT will be set for the lack of nine running tricks. Your second heart stopper is crucial.

In fact, even after 2NT, he might check to see how solid your stopper situation is; he might still prefer to play 5C (if you bid 2NT on something like S-A53 H-QJ9 D-JT32 C-K65.) He checks back with 3H, you bid 3NT on your actual hand.

My apologies to confused novices, this is getting pretty deep.

I think partner is much more likely to have 12 than 16, I must admit my bidding is somewhat coloured by the fact that in that sequence my partner will always have 4+ clubs which reduces the chance that he has 3 hearts slightly.

And 2N is a disaster on my hand since you're probably making 4♣ vs their 3♠

[MrAce]

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