Glenna:
South CANNOT bid with less than 6 points so has a clear cut PASS!!! The ONLY time you bid with less than 6 is when partner opens 2 ♣️ and then you are obligated to get him to 2NT, 3 of a Major or 4 of a Minor.
Mark:
First of all, in the best of all worlds, both partners have
the (same) agreement as to the meaning of the 4NT bid. In this auction, lacking
a prior agreement with partner, I would interpret 4NT as Blackwood and would
respond accordingly. I don't think West's hand is nearly good enough for
Blackwood. There's too much chance that you are too high at that point. In
this case, if partner shows 1 ace and you sign off in 5 diamonds you'll
almost surely go down 2 for -200. Since N-S have no chance to make a game, you
lose out not only to the E-W pairs that defend 4 spades and defeat it, but also
to those who defend a spade partial for -140.
Here's a hand I would bid 4NT blackwood: Take the
diamonds and add 3 more small cards, making it a 10 card suit! It's very rare,
but it can happen. Let's say that the remaining cards are that singleton ace of
clubs and a non- ace singleton in each of the majors. When partner shows no
aces, you are totally safe at 5 diamonds. If partner shows 1 ace. you are
totally safe in 6 diamonds and with 2 aces, you are not only safe in 7
diamonds, but stop to think a moment. Yes, you are 100% safe in 7NT!
Don't lose matchpoints by bidding only 7 diamonds. That hand is more likely to
come up in your dreams than at the table, of course. Remember, we are talking
about the hypothetical solid 10 card suit now.
Some partnerships might have a firm agreement
that 4NT shows an extreme 2 suited hand either with both minors if the club
opener doesn't promise a probable club suit, or the 2 lowest unbid suits. I
don't use that level of NT jump for that purpose, but you could have just the
right hand for it. It's rare, but not as rare as the hand that makes Blackwood
a good idea. The reason I don't use the bid as a 2 suit takeout is that there
are things much more likely to come up and, unless you are world champion caliber,
there will be more important things to discuss.
Here is an absolutely critical thing to remember
as you contemplate a bid. Are you trying to describe your hand for partner to
decide something, or are you trying to ask partner a question so you can make
the best decision? With Blackwood, you are asking partner a question and you
will be deciding the contract. With "Unusual NT" you are
describing your hand to partner and hoping they make a good decision. On
this hand, neither possibility fits the cards.
Answer: It depends.
If you are playing a part
score contract in Duplicate Bridge, it is to your advantage to be at the lowest
possible level. You will not earn a higher score because you bid higher. You
will simply be at a greater risk of not making your contract.
Glenna:
Good question
because most people don’t know how to do this:
The bottom line is IF you know you have a fit, 4NT is keycard for your
suit.
IF you do not know if you have a fit, it is quantitative.
Some examples that might help:
1 or 2 NT P -
4NT - Quantitative
1N p 2 ♦️, p 2 ♥️, 4
NT IS
1 N p 2 ♣️, Pass 2 ♥️ 4NT is Quantitative
Expert use:
1 NT P 2 ♣️ P 2 ♥️ 4 ♣️ is a splinter loves ♥️
1 NT P 2 ♦️ P 2 ♥️ ,4 ♣️ is a splinter bid
Think the club needs to offer a slam class, but hope this helps, Glenna
North had a difficult decision about what to do when partner
opened 1NT. Based on points and a nice 5 card suit, it's understandable to want
to invite game. However, the singleton heart makes it scary. We'd love to have
a bid available for this hand that says to partner: "Bid 3NT if you have a
maximum for 1NT, but only if you aren't worried about hearts. Such a bid doesn't
exist, because it doesn't come up often enough to allocate it bidding space.
North would love to describe his hand and leave the decision to South. I can't
think of a way to describe that hand without a likelihood of getting too high.
North has to be the decider, as uncomfortable as that may be. Here are North's
options:
1. Pass 1NT, almost surely get a plus score, but risk
missing a game that others will bid.
2. Bid 2NT, inviting partner's input, and
risk a minus score.
3. Transfer to 3 diamonds and plan to pass when partner bids it.
There are several ways to get to 3 diamonds: Use 2NT or 3
clubs as a direct transfer. Alternatively (This is the way most people do it,
not necessarily the best), bid 2 spades transferring to clubs then bid diamonds.
The transfer to clubs is artificial and you aren't saying anything about
the club suit. 3 diamonds at this point is absolutely not forcing or
invitational. The 1NT bidder is commanded to pass. 3 diamonds could prove to be
the best contract, but most likely it's 2nd or 3rd best and will tend to get a
below average board.
What seems to have happened here is that North didn't
feel good about the above options and tried to change directions after trying
to end in 3 diamonds. 4 clubs was a confusing bid. It didn't describe the hand
and didn't make a decision. One point in the play. When you find yourself in a
contract that no one else is likely to bid, take your finesses the opposite
direction from what others are likely to do. That might salvage a couple of matchpoints
on the actual hand.
Vic:
Well, 3C in this case is not just a "simple" (lowest available level) cue bid. It is a "jump" cue bid. I am curious if the "jump" was intentional. If so, I am curious if North had any idea what a jump cue bid means.
Bridge expert,
Larry Cohen, defines a jump cue bid as a "Mixed Raise"
which promises 4-card trump support and more than a preemptive raise, but less
than a limit raise. Actually, that is an aggressive, but
certainly reasonable, description of the North hand.
Mark:
This isn't technically a case of "fast arrival." Fast arrival is normally a bid where slower, forcing bids are actually stronger than the jump to game.
In this case, the jump to game is very strong, as it should be. South knows that North may have scraped up a bid on a very minimum hand, maybe sub- minimum as on the actual hand. Even opposite such a meager North hand, game is highly probable and should be bid.
Most West players would lead a heart to set up 3 tricks for the defense as soon as either partner gets in. Game can't be made in this case without first giving up the diamond ace. Luckily for South, the E-W hearts are 4-4 and the defenders can take only 4 total tricks and 3 NT makes. If W finds a lead of the 8 of diamonds, which looks like "top of nothing" and E finds a shift to hearts, (which is not automatic. Clubs look like a more attractive switch) Still, the double dummy "analysis" will say that 2NT is the limit while nearly everyone will make at least 9 tricks. Those who fail to bid game will get a poor board.
One reason nearly everyone will be in game is that many, probably most, South players will open a strong 2 clubs looking at 22 HCP, a nice 5 card suit and a 10 of spades "bonus" card. I would have opened 2 clubs, so I don't have to hold my breath praying that my partner doesn't pass me in 1 club, as many players would do with 4HCP. They will surely pass a 2NT opening, which is why this hand is too good for opening 2NT. There are some experts that would open 1 club and then, the minute partner responds with practically anything, jump to game.
Fast Arrival is a pretty advanced concept, generally outside the scope of these discussions. Fast Arrival tends to deny interest in slam and is mostly intended to give away as little information as possible to the defenders, as well as avoiding lead- directing and sacrifice bids. In this case, South's bidding shows a hand just shy of a 2 club opening and North is encouraged to keep bidding with more than 9 points or slightly less and extra suit quality.
In this case, North is likely to be worried that they should have passed the 1 club opening, but that would have led to a probable very bad result. Passing 1 club could have resulted in playing a in a 3-1 trump suit where the defenders have 9 trumps between them. (Not the case on his hand, but you have to consider it possible looking only at the North hand. That's why I agree with North taking a bid with a sub- minimum hand. I would definitely bid 1 diamond, not 1 spade with the North hand. The only way 1 spade works is if South has 4 spades and raises. Most of the time South will have something other than 4 spades and far less than 22 points and the auction will get too high.
If I were North, I bid 1 diamond. If partner next bids 1 heart (more
probable than 1 spade) you pass, happy that you are at a low level and in a
better place than 1 club. Better yet, if South does have 4 spades and bids 1
spade, you pass that, alerting partner that you have a very weak hand. You can
later raise spades if the opponents come in, but partner has been warned and
you are unlikely to get too high.
One more thing about the play of this hand. When South
plays 3NT and gets a heart lead, there is a real concern that W may have more
than 4 hearts and knowing that the hand would then be down after an attempt to
dislodge the ace of diamonds. Cashing the top spades in hope that you can
establish the 4th one in dummy is against the odds. Now you go down even though
the hearts are 4-4. Even if the spades break, you still need to finesse clubs
successfully to come to 9 tricks. The combined probability of success with this
line is much less than finding hearts 4-4.
