Play Too Fast Series - In the Bidding

By Mike Lawrence

This article on bidding represents a small change from the normal items that fall into this series.
Instead of a play problem, there is a multitude of bidding problems. Each represents a certain
type of bidding error. If you get none of these right, don't worry. Every player that I know got
these wrong at least once in their lifetime.

If you get all of these right, I will look forward to reading your articles in future issues of the
Bulletin. In all cases, no one is vulnerable. You are West. What is your bid in each bidding
situation?

1. Q 10 8 7 6
J98
32
KJ8

West North East South

1H Pass
?

2. KJ3
J87
K83
Q762

West North East South

1H Pass
?

3. J82
QJ8
Q86
KJ72

West North East South

1D Pass
?

4. QJ7
82
AQJ72
KJ2

West North East South

1D Pass 1S Pass
?
5. Q
J7653
82
AJ753

West North East South

1D Pass
1H Pass 1S Pass
?

6. Q872
2
J 10 7 4
10 6 5 3

West North East South

1S Dbl
?

7. Q753
A82
76
10 5 3 2

West North East South

1H Dbl 2H
?

8. QJ642
AQ763
J9
8

West North East South

1C
2C Pass 2S 3C
?

9. KJ762
Q976
42
K9

West North East South

1D 1NT (16-18)
?
 10. K2
Q96543
653
Q3

West North East South

2S Pass
Pass 3D Pass 3S
?

11. KJ63
8
72
K 10 9 7 6 3

West North East South

1D 1H 1S
?

12. K982
9
AJ32
AQ73

West North East South

1D
?

ANSWERS

1. Q 10 8 7 6
J98
32
KJ8

West North East South

1H Pass
?

One would be hard pressed to imagine that your first bid as responder could be a difficult
one, yet when I give this hand to my students, a majority of them offer the wrong answer.
The correct bid with this hand is two hearts. It is not one spade. True, if your partner has
spade support, bidding one spade will be OK and may even be best. If your partner does not
have spade support, then he will have to rebid something else and you will be in an awkward
position. Say that you bid one spade and East rebids two diamonds. You will certainly go
back to two hearts but East will not know you really do like hearts. He will fear that you have
something like a small doubleton heart instead of the J98. When you have the values to show
your partner major suit support, you should do so and not get involved in other stories. Look
at it this way. If you opened this hand one heart, wouldn't you love to hear partner raise?

2. 2
KQ765
AKQ74
Q4

With this hand, you would either bid four hearts or make a game try. If your partner
responded one spade and went back to two hearts over your two diamond bid, would you not
worry about his having two little hearts? If he does, your hand won't be all that good.
Knowing about real support makes all the difference in the world.

3. KJ3
J87
K83
Q762

West North East South

1H Pass
?

Raise to two hearts. Do not bid three hearts and do not use a forcing notrump response if you
have that available. A jump raise promises four card support so jumping is violating a major
rule. In addition, this hand has such poor quality points that a belated raise to three hearts is
no better. This hand has maximum high cards for a two heart raise but it has terrible shape
and it has only three trumps. I rate this hand at about eight and a half support points. Here is a
possible layout.

KJ3
J87
K83
Q762

Q8
A 10 6 5 3
AJ4
K84

South has fourteen decent high card points. If North jumped to three hearts, South would go
on to game.

How will game play? South has a spade loser, one or two heart losers for sure and maybe
three, and a big headache in clubs. I can imagine South actually going down in two hearts, let
alone three or four hearts.

This hand emphasises three important points.

A fourth trump is worth a lot. If North had one more heart, the chances are good that there
will be just one trump loser.
 Random queens and jacks are not good cards. Queens and jacks come into their own when
they have some supporting honors go go with them.

Balanced hands are trouble. 4-3-3-3 hands do not play well in a trump contract. Even when
the four card suit is trump, the lack of a ruffing value hurts the hand.

4. J82
QJ8
Q86
KJ72

West North East South

1D Pass
?

This is another judgment trap hand. Yes, you have ten high card points but they are lousy
points. One notrump is fine. For you to make game with this hand, your partner will need a
fifteen or sixteen count. With that good a hand, he might have opened one notrump.

In addition to the worry that comes with getting too high, there is the problem of how to go
about doing it. If one notrump is not the right bid, then what is? Two notrump? Spare me.
Two clubs? The rest of the bidding will be exciting. Better to respond one notrump and if
given another chance, catch up on that extra half a point later.

5. QJ7
82
AQJ72
KJ2

West North East South

1D Pass 1S Pass
?

Anyone who has followed my writings over the years will recognize this type of hand. The
correct bid is two spades. Do not rebid one notrump and do not rebid two diamonds. If you
bid notrump, the opening lead (you can count on this) will be a heart through whatever your
partner has in hearts and you won't like it. If you bid two spades, you can still get to notrump
if it is right and you can get to notrump from partner's side of the table if that is best. The
other rebid, two diamonds, is seriously flawed too. Two diamonds should show a six card
suit and inferentially it should show a hand that could not rebid one notrump. Most of the
time, when you rebid your minor, you don't have any support for partner's major. If he has
five spades to the nine and a stiff diamond and a minimum hand, he will pass two diamonds.
Care to play there? Raising spades may get you to a marginal two spade contract, but if there
is further bidding, your final contract will be excellent and well-reasoned. I feel quite
strongly about this question and its answer.

6. Q
J7653
82
AJ753
 West North East South
1D Pass
1H Pass 1S Pass
?

Bid one ugly notrump. Do not bid two hearts on such a terrible suit and do not bid two clubs.
The main point of this hand is that a two club bid, tempting as it is, would show at least ten
high card points. When you bid two clubs, your partner will not know you are bidding on
cheese in hopes of finding a safe home. He will think you are bidding constructively. If he
has a fifteen point or better hand, he will continue until you get to game. Your hand will be a
sad sight for him if he sees it and if he doesn't see it, he will wonder why you are losing so
many tricks. At the conclusion of the hand, he will definitely be wondering what you had.
You can alibi it away for a round or two, but eventually, he will see those cursed hand
records and the truth will be out.

7. Q872
2
J 10 7 4
10 6 5 3

West North East South

1S Dbl
?

There is a fallacy in bridge that has tenaciously stuck around in spite of fifty years of
publicity to the contrary. I expect that most readers of this article will be in agreement with
the bid I am suggesting but my readers will admit that they know many who have not yet
accepted this rule.

RULE - When your RHO makes a takeout double, a jump raise by you has a totally different
meaning than when your RHO passes. You should bid three spades with this hand. If your
RHO passed, a three spade bid by you would show either a limit raise if that is your system,
or a game forcing raise if that is your system. When there is a takeout double, the jump raise
no longer shows a good hand. It shows a weak hand with good shape and FOUR or more
card support for your partner. This hand, weak as it is, is a fine example of a jump raise over
a takeout double.

As noted, there is a good chance that you are already using the bid this way, in which case
you fairly may ignore these comments and proceed to the next hand. If, however, you still
use a jump raise as a limit raise or as a game forcing raise, you are losing out on a wonderful
opportunity to mess with your opponents' bidding. I promise that using the jump raise as
weak is the best treatment for this bid. If you have a good hand, you can redouble or can bid
two notrump, a special bid that has become a standard way to show support with points. I
can't discuss the details of that bid here, but since it is so popular nowadays, you should be
able to get some information on it.

8. Q753
A82
76
10 5 3 2
 West North East South
1H Dbl 2H
?

Did you bid two spades? There is an area of bidding where the fear in us comes to the fore.
"Bid two spades with only six high card points and a bad four card suit? Oh, my."

There are reasons why you should bid two spades and I can tell you the reasons that many do
not bid two spades. First, the reasons why you should bid two spades.

You have six good-looking high card points and you have some shape. In support of spades,
you have seven decent points. Your suit is poor, but your partner promises support so you
will be safe in two spades. By bidding, you put your side into contention to make something
AND you do something else which is valuable. Even if the hand does not belong to your
side, you may push their side to the three level which may be higher than they are safe. All of
this is in addition to the modest chance that your side can make a game.

If your partner opened one spade or overcalled one spade, would you not raise to two spades?
Yes, you would. When partner doubles one heart, he is doing something similar to bidding
one spade. He is showing spades, along with other suits as well. Since your partner often has
four spades, is it not a wise idea to bid two spades, which is more or less the same thing as
raising spades?

Why do many players fail to bid two spades? One reason is that they view a two spade bid as
'bidding' spades as opposed to 'raising' spades. Partner's double is a question which asks you
if you have spades. When you do, you should try to say yes.

Another major reason why players do not bid spades with hands like this one is that in the
recent past, they did bid spades with this kind of hand only to find that partner did not have
support. Partner, it turns out, has doubled for takeout with only two spades. Fresh with the
memory of playing in a four-two fit, players resolve that it will never happen again. This is
what happens when you make a poorly judged takeout double and your partner is left high
and dry in a stinky contract. Partners remember this kind of treatment.

Be sure that when you make a takeout double, you have what you are supposed to have and
in time your partner will learn that bidding two spades with this hand is a good thing to do.

9. QJ642
AQ763
J9
8

West North East South

1C
2C Pass 2S 3C
?

Did you pass? Well done. Did you think of bidding three spades? A bad tendency. Did you
actually bid three spades? Quite gross! You bid two clubs, showing five-five in the majors,
and dragged a preference out of East. At this stage in the auction, if someone asked you what
East has, you would guess that East has from zero to eleven points and two or more spades.
Not much of an insight. If someone asked East what you have, he would say that you have
five-five in the majors with eight or more points.

Interesting, isn't it, how accurately East pegs your hand?

The question for the moment is simple. Who knows better how many spades your side can
make, you or your partner? Given that you have a near minimum hand, it must be right to
defer to your partner's judgment. If your partner has some bits and pieces, he will bid again.
Give East this hand:

10 8 7 3
K9
A87
9763

He will know that his fourth spade is gold and his high cards are fitting and he will continue
to three spades.

Give East this hand instead:

953
10 5
K865
QJ52

East will know he has nothing for you and will pass three clubs in a flash. The key to this
competitive bidding decision is the common one that says when you have a minimum for
your prior bidding, you should let partner make the last decision. West, having shown his
shape, should make no more voluntary bids.

10. KJ762
Q976
42
K9

West North East South

1D 1NT (16-18)
?

There is one and only one bid for this hand. Double. If you fail to double with this hand, you
will end up defeating one notrump a couple of tricks and will receive a boring one hundred
points for your efforts.

That one notrump overcall announces a big hand, to be sure, but it is not such a big hand that
South can be sure of making one notrump. When he bid it, he was hoping that his partner
would produce a few points.

How many points do you have? You have nine high card points.
How many points does your partner have? You don't know for sure, but it is fair to guess that
he has at least twelve and can have more.

This means your side has twenty-one high card points minimum and can easily have more.

Here is the hand that South has.

Q93
A K 10
AQ85
QJ8

South has a good hand, as announced by his one notrump bid. How many tricks will it take in
notrump? Well, if his partner has the king of spades and the king of clubs, South will make a
notrump or two. If his partner produces no high cards or perhaps a jack, South's hand will
make four red suit tricks and perhaps one more trick along the way.

West knows with his nine high card points that South is going to find a terrible dummy.
South is not going to get to dummy to take any finesses. Because of this he will spend the
entire hand leading away from his tennaces instead of up to them.

This is a lovely opportunity for West and he should take advantage by doubling and leading
his fourth best spade. True, South will make one notrump on occasion when everything is
sour for East-West, but that will be rare. My guess is that South will go down about eighty
percent of the time, which adds up to a fine score for you.

I suggest that whenever your opponent overcalls one notrump you double it with nine or
more high card points and with any eight point hand that offers a decent lead.

11. K2
Q96543
653
Q3

West North East South

2S Pass
Pass 3D Pass 3S
?

Hard to believe, but there is a good bid you can make with this piece of cheese. Double. The
meaning of double is that you wish partner to lead a spade. You promise a high spade honor
for this bid. The ace, king, or queen all meet this requirement.

The one thing that double does not mean is that you remember the bidding and want partner
to know it. Doubling with two little spades or even three little spades is misguided. The
opponents won't play it in three spades doubled and your double will give the opponents
more room to sort out what they want to do. The only thing your double will do is convince
partner that you want a spade lead. If he leads a spade and you can only produce a little card,
your partner will feel deceived. Say you have a hand like this one.
 763
KJ976
87
K93

If you double three spades, your partner, if on lead, will lead a spade and that may not be
good. If you pass three spades, your partner will think to himself that you did not ask for a
spade lead. If, with this information, your partner still leads a spade, it is because his spades
are good enough to do so. If you pass three spades and partner's spades aren't all that good,
he will know to look elsewhere. Perhaps you will get lucky enough to see him lead a heart.

That can happen, but not if you make a spontaneous double without good reason.

12. KJ63
8
72
K 10 9 7 6 3

West North East South

1D 1H 1S
?

Bid two clubs. A new suit in response to an overcall is not forcing. It says you have some
points and feel safe in bidding. If your partner wishes to pass, he can and if he can bid on,
knowing you have a few points, that is OK too. If East does rebid, say two hearts, you don't
have to fret that you have promised him a good hand. You can and should pass two hearts
knowing that East bid it without encouragement from you.

Think how you would feel if you passed one spade and heard opener rebid two diamonds. If
this was passed to you, might you not feel like bidding three clubs now? Better by far to bid
two clubs at your first opportunity. That way, you won't have to decide to bid three clubs
later.

It surprises me how many partnerships play that a new suit is forcing. Some play, so help me,
that a new suit promises a fit for partner's suit. It may give the partnership some comfort to
play this way, but it means that you will be doing a lot of passing while you wait for the right
hand. That is not my style and it should not be yours either. Bid two clubs on hands like this
one and get involved in the auction.

NOTE that if you bid two clubs and they buy the hand, you prefer a club lead from partner.
Obviously, if he has great hearts, he will lead them, but if he has a broken heart holding, he
will be pleased to follow your hint.

13. K982
9
AJ32
AQ73

West North East South

1D
 ?

The right bid is pass. I regret that this is not unanimous. There is a measurable number of
players who insist on doubling with this hand and it saddens me that they do not go for five
hundred points each and every time. Bridge is a forgiving game and you can make bids like
this now and then and get away with them, but not if I am watching.

The right bid with this hand, good as it is, is to pass. If you double, your partner will bid
hearts.

If he bids one heart, you will have to leave him in one heart which he will hate or you will
have to bid something to escape. Doubling and bidding a new suit or bidding notrump shows
a much bigger hand.

Things could be worse. Your partner might bid two hearts or even three hearts. You will hate
both of these bids too.

A thoughtful player might bid one spade which is pretty close to being a good bid. With
better spades, it would be a good bid. But you have poor spades, so that bid is out.

Best is to pass and see if the bidding won't go better for you later. If your LHO bids hearts
and your RHO raises, you can double for takeout. That will be a fair description of your hand
and with luck, your side will win out in the bidding.

RULE - When you have an opening bid and your RHO opens first, it is not necessary to bid.
You will try to bid and often there will be a good bid available, but when there is not, it is
best to pass instead of making up a bid for the occasion.