What should I bid? (December 2017)
The best submission for December came from Kevin Chen . He wins a voucher of $30 funded by TBIB, toward any purchase made at the Bridge Shop or Paul Lavings Bridge Books.
Board 1, Dealer North, Nil Vul
North
♠ AKJ10987
♥ AK87
♦ –
♣ A8
South
♠ Q65
♥ Q1054
♦ J10987
♣ Q
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♠ | 3♣ | Pass | |
| 4♣ | 4♠ | All pass |
We, NS, play two over one.
Question 1: Should North open 1♠ or 2♣?
Question 2: How can NS get to 7♥ or 7♠?
Hi Kevin
1) With the North’s hand, I would open 2♣. Note that the 2♣ opening is not always about the HCP, but it can also be the number of tricks we have in our hand. North’s hand is very powerful (3-4 losers), and after a 1♠ opening, it could well be possible that no one can bid, so I do not want to be passed out in 1♠.
2) Even after a 2♣ opening, it’s still very difficult to find a grand slam if the opponents continue to overcall 3♣ and raise to 4♣. Then again, it’s always difficult to bid a grand slam in any auction where both opponents have bid!
I would expect the auction to be something like:
2♣-(3♣)-Pass-(4♣)
4♠-(Pass)-5♣-(Pass)
5♦-(Pass)-5♠-(Pass)
6♣-(Pass)-?
It’s slightly pushy for South to have cuebid with 5♣, but the singleton club along with Qxx support is probably worth it. North then cuebids 5♦ and South bids 5♠. North might try for another push with a cuebid of 6♣, and now it might be possible for South to cuebid 6♥ to show third round control in hearts (since he didn’t cuebid 5♥ previously, he won’t have first or second round control in hearts), and now that might propel North to bid 7♠.
Like I said, it’s very easy when looking at both hands, but I would think getting to 6♠ would be a fantastic result especially when the opponents have bid. (Note that grand slam is decent, but it still requires a bit of luck in the heart suit.)
Kind regards,
Andy
