What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for December 2007

Maura Rhodes made the best submission for the month of December.

Hand: Nil vulnerable, North is dealer. I was South:

	A  A10  AKQ872  KQ54
	J943  J52  J9  AJ83

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
		2	Pass	2
	Pass	3	Pass	3NT
	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

Comments:    My 2 was supposed to be a negative, not a relay and as such was, I think, inaccurate. Where did I go wrong? Was it in the 2 response or in not taking any strong action after 3? Clearly 3NT was to be passed which it was. 12 tricks rolled home effortlessly. 7 was on but not really biddable, in my opinion, but I do think 6NT was.

Your thoughts, please, Sartaj?

Sartaj's Reply:

Hi Maura,

The problem in your methods seems to be that the 3NT rebid was way too wide-ranging.

From your partner's point of view, you could have held a hand as weak as

xxxx
xxx
xxx
xxx 

or a medium hand like

Kxxx
Jxxx
xx
xxx 

or even a hand as strong as the one you did hold.

Your actual hand did have a lot of potential opposite a 2 opening but was somehow unable to express it. However, in order to consider the right bid, we need to go a step back...

There is one convention that is almost universal in the so-called expert community, that is the "double negative" over a Game-Force opening. Over 2, one could play the 2 response as 5+ HCP and 2 as 0-4 HCP and others as per normal agreement. This arrangement removes the fear of responding being totally bust and encourages the 2 opener to bid out his shape.

I don't have a convincing solution to your problem (2 auctions are hard in general),

Possibilities include....

2   2 (5+)
3  3NT
4   6

?

Or

2  2(?)
3  4NT (quantitative)
5  6

?

In the latter auction, some theoretically minded individuals play 4NT as quantitative but in my partnership with Tony we play it as RKCB.

A practical approach to 2 response structure is popular in Canberra. In principle it goes something like :

2 = 0-4 or 9+
2 = 5-8, transfer to spades
2 = 5-8, balanced, transfer to notrumps
2NT = 5-8, transfer to clubs

and so on...

Lots of options, not a lot of confidence :)

Regards
Sartaj Hans

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