What should I bid? (January 2019)
The best submission for January came from Arie Meydan . He wins a voucher of $30 funded by TBIB, toward any purchase made at the Bridge Shop or Paul Lavings Bridgegear.
| NS Vul
N Dealer |
♠ J 10 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ A 7 3 2 ♣ J 4 |
|
| ♠ Q 7 2 ♥ J 8 4 3 ♦ K Q 10 6 4 ♣ A |
![[ 5 ]](http://www.abf.com.au/wp-content/plugins/bridge-helper/images/5.gif) |
♠ K 6 3 ♥ K 6 ♦ J 9 8 5 ♣ 10 8 7 3 |
|
♠ A 9 8 5 4 ♥ 10 7 ♦ ♣ K Q 9 6 5 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ | |
| 2♦ | Pass | Pass | 3♣ |
| Pass | 3NT | All Pass |
Simple Acol.
Could you please comment on the bidding of NS.
Regards,
Arie
Hi Arie,
I certainly wouldn’t fault South for bidding 3♣ given the 5-6 shape! I think on this hand it just happens to be very unlucky that it is a mis-fitting hand. South didn’t know that it was going to be a misfitting hand when he bid 3♣ (North could easily have had 3-card spade support, in which case South would want to try to play in 4♠), and North couldn’t pass a forcing 3♣ bid and bids 3NT.
One suggestion (although nothing is perfect) is that North might have tried 3♦ “Fourth Suit Forcing” to check if another strain is possible before committing to 3NT, to which South can then bid 3♠ to show the 5-6 shape, and now North may try to play in 4♠ on a 5-2 fit instead of 3NT with only one stopper, or North may give a preference for clubs back to 4♣.
Nothing is perfect when it is a misfitting hand, the trick is to (try to) diagnose it early and stop as low as possible!
Kind regards,
Andy
