Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 26 - Board 1

Board 1
Neither side vulnerable

If you have not yet played this week's Free Instant Tournament, do so--or at least play the first board--before reading on.

♠ 7 4 2  ♥ A J 10  ♦ A 10 5  ♣ K 8 4 3

Partner bids one diamond in first seat. I bid two notrump, natural and invitational, and partner bids three hearts.

If partner is semi-balanced, say "5431," he should have spade shortness. Partner would not worry about club shortness, since clubs is usually my best suit when I respond with two notrump. Spade shortness, however, would be a concern. Of course, spade shortness is not a certainty; it is simply an inference. The more freakish partner's shape, the less valid this inference is.

With five controls, no spade wastage, and heart fillers, I have the best hand I could hold on this auction. If partner is interested in slam, I should have what he needs. But he isn't necessarily interested in slam. He could just be trying to avoid three notrump if we have a problem in the spade suit. While I should make as encouraging a noise as possible, I am not allowed to drive to slam without a forwarding-going move from partner.

What encouraging noise can I make? Three spades would show something in spades but not enough to bid three notrump. It is certainly not a slam move. Four clubs would suggest slam interest but should show the club ace. Four diamonds would show an inability to bid three notrump but carries no suggestion of slam interest. I might bid it simply to leave open the possibility of playing in four hearts if partner is six-five. 

Is four diamonds forcing? Technically not. I'm limited, so partner can do what he wants. As a practical matter, however, it's hard to see partner's passing four diamonds. Since it shows weakness in spades, our hands should fit well. It is unlikely that five diamonds will be a terrible spot.

Four hearts would suggest game in a four-three heart fit. So that leaves four spades or higher for slam suggestions. What should these bids mean?

Five diamonds should convey that my primary feature is good diamond support. It should definitely not show a bad hand on the principal of fast arrival. Five diamonds can't show a bad hand unless four diamonds shows a good hand. And, as we have seen, four diamonds isn't available to show a good hand. You must sometimes bid it for no reason other than to give partner a chance to rebid a five-card heart suit. As a general rule, fast arrival should not apply in auctions where there is still uncertainty about strain.

Five clubs and four notrump are available as slam tries, and could be assigned very specific meanings by partnership agreement. Without an agreement, however, it is not clear what those specific meanings should be, so it is best to avoid either bid without prior disucssion.

Four spades, though, is unambiguously a slam try in diamonds. You could think of this as a Bluhmer (bidding partner's short suit to show slam interest), except that partner has only implied spade shortness; he has not promised it. So it is not technically a Bluhmer.

Four spades is the right bid. Unfortunately, my robot partner will not understand it, so there is little point in choosing it. According to the tool tips, neither four clubs nor four spades shows diamond support. The only way to show support is to bid four diamonds or five diamonds. Four diamonds seems like the better choice, since it gives partner room to cue-bid four spades or five clubs. Over either bid, I will bid a slam.

I bid four diamonds, and partner raises to five. I'm not happy about passing this, but it would be a violation of captaincy to bid again. I am a limited hand. Partner could have invited me to bid slam and chose not to. He might have been stretching, in which case my good values may mean that five diamonds is a sound contract rather than the touch-and-go contract it might have been. 

I pass, and RHO leads the spade ace.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 7 4 2 ♥ A J 10 ♦ A 10 5 ♣ K 8 4 3
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 10 ♥ K Q 8 5 ♦ K Q J 9 8 7 3 2 ♣ --

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
			1 ♦
Pass	2 NT	Pass	3 ♥
Pass	4 ♦	Pass	5 ♦
(All pass)

Making six, for a 43% board. 

Can we get to slam intelligently? I could break discipline and simply bid it. That would work this time, but there is no reason partner's eighth diamond couldn't a black loser. I believe partner should make a move over four diamonds. Five clubs, cue-bidding his void, would be dangerous. I have no reason to suspect he is void in clubs, so five clubs will make me think the club king is a useful card. Four spades seems like the right move. Surely I will bid slam with both red aces, and I doubt I would bid slam with anything else. With one red ace and the club ace, I would cooperate with five clubs, then give up when partner bids five diamonds.

Of course, four spades by me over three hearts is the easiest way to get there. A reliable partner should understand this as a general slam move even without prior discussion. If he also understands the bid to deny the club ace, as I believe he should, he has an easy six diamond bid. It's hard to see what would get me so excited other than the two red aces.

The full deal:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 7 4 2 ♥ A J 10 ♦ A 10 5 ♣ K 8 4 3
WEST Robot ♠ A Q J 5 ♥ 9 7 4 3 2 ♦ 6 4 ♣ J 9		EAST Robot ♠ K 9 8 6 3 ♥ 6 ♦ -- ♣ A Q 10 7 6 5 2
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 10 ♥ K Q 8 5 ♦ K Q J 9 8 7 3 2 ♣ --

Some pairs did reach six diamonds, but they did so by overbidding on the first round. They bid three notrump over one diamond, and South leapt to six diamonds. I'm not impressed.