What should I bid? (October 2014)
The best submission for October came from Gordon Kellerman. He wins a voucher of $30 funded by TBIB, toward any purchase made at the Bridge Shop or Paul Lavings Bridge Books.
Dealer: South
All Vul
I am South, holding:
♠ Q43
♥ 964
♦ J9543
♣ 97
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | |||
| 2♥ | Dbl | Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 3♥ | Pass | 3♠ |
| Pass | 4♠ | All pass |
2♥ = weak
2NT = Lebensohl
3♥ = Very strong hand
3♠ = Hoping to play
Our basic system is Precision but we use Lebensohl in the above auction. North is allowed to bypass 3♣ over 2NT with a very strong hand. 3NT makes but how do we get there. I didn’t want to bid 4♦ over the 3♥ as this goes past 3NT.
Hi Gordon,
Your thinking is certainly very reasonable and partner should definitely play you for only three spades as you did not bid 2♠ (i.e. even playing Lebensohl, all weak hands with spades would bid 2♠). However, I’m not so sure if I want to suggest spades as a strain already when I have a five-card diamond suit after all. Our 2NT Lebensohl bid does suggest weakness, so if partner wanted to play in 3NT, he would have bid it himself rather than 3♥. Partner should know there’s a chance that we have a weak hand with clubs or diamonds and bid 4♣/4♦, so partner should be prepared for those bids if we do not have a heart stopper.
I think our hand is fine for diamonds, and partner knows I can be weak, so I would prefer 4♦ rather than 3♠. However, if my fifth diamond was a third club giving us a 3=3=4=3 shape, then I would certainly bid 3♠ as I wouldn’t want partner to raise my 4♦ to 5♦!
If 3NT is the making contract on the board, then it sounds like your partner should have bid 3NT instead of 3♥ over your 2NT Lebensohl.
Regards,
Andy
