BIDDING PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

By Larry Matheny

There is no doubt that conventions can help with difficult bidding problems. While I don’t encourage newer players to become enraptured by every new idea that comes along, I do agree that certain conventions and agreements are needed. I’m sure that most convention cards contain Stayman, Negative Doubles, Jacoby Transfers, and Blackwood. Today I want to introduce you to several other conventions and agreements I feel you should at least be familiar with and perhaps add to your card.

I will present a problem and then suggest a possible solution to it. Please understand there is often more than one solution. It would take too much time to go into detail so to fully understand the conventions or agreements, you will have to do the homework.

SPLINTER BIDS

PROBLEM: Whose fault was it that this lay down slam was missed?

Q9853 2 J982 1065

AKJ1076 1093 AKQ A

SOUTH NORTH

2 2*

2 4

P

*double negative (2 queens or less)

SOLUTION: After limiting his hand by responding 2, playing splinter bids North would have jumped to 4 to show spade support with a singleton or void in hearts. Now it’s easy for South to bid the slam.

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DRURY

PROBLEM: J43  A75  KQ532  64 -- You pass and partner opens 1 in third seat. You have a choice of four possibly disastrous responses:

1 - You make a limit-raise to 3 and go down because partner opened light.
2 - You raise conservatively to 2, partner passes, and you make 10 tricks because he had a full opener. 
3 - You bid 1NT, partner passes, and you get a poor score because the rest of the field is playing in their 8-card spade fit. 
4 - You try a "temporizing" 2, partner passes and you get an even worse score.

SOLUTION: The Drury Convention is an artificial 2 response used by a passed hand after partner opens 1 or 1 in third or fourth seat. It shows 3+-card trump support and maximum playing values (10+ support points). Drury is a very valuable convention that comes up frequently, is easy to remember, and can dramatically improve your bidding accuracy. And, perhaps most importantly, you stay at the two-level.

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CUE BIDDING WHEN THE OPPONENTS OVERCALL

PROBLEM: K107 974 AQJ4 K83

PARD OPP YOU

1 1 ??

You have an opening hand but no obvious bid. You can’t bid NT without a heart stopper and most pairs play a jump to 3 as invitational or weak, so what do you bid?

SOLUTION: In this sequence, a cue bid of the opponents’ suit shows a diamond raise with either game forcing or invitational values. (If a jump to 3 would have been invitational, then the cue bid is forcing.) Think of how much partner now knows a lot about your hand: You didn’t make a negative double, you didn’t bid your own suit, you didn’t bid NT, and you didn’t make a splinter bid.

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CUE BIDDING WHEN YOUR PARTNER OVERCALLS

PROBLEM: K1073 974 AQJ4 K3

OPP PARD OPP YOU

1 1 Pass ??

At first you liked your hand and now after partner’s overcall, you love it. But, did partner make a light one-level, lead-directing overcall such as:

AQJ95 Q32 76 J102

or does he have:

AQJ95 8 K1082 AJ2

With the first hand, you might be too high at the three-level while the second one is cold for slam. How do you investigate without getting too high?

SOLUTION: A cue bid of the opponent’s suit asks partner about the quality of his overcall. A return to the overcalled suit shows a minimum while other calls show extra values. The important thing is that you can stay at the two-level. Since most partnerships agree a new suit by Advancer (partner of the overcaller) isn’t forcing, the cue bid is also used to show other strong hands.

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RESPONSIVE DOUBLES

PROBLEM: 83 KQ102 KJ982 105

OPP PARD OPP YOU

1 2 2 ??

You have points but no obvious bid. You have too much to pass, a penalty double seems wrong, and while you could raise partner on a doubleton ten, that really doesn’t describe this hand. Is there another bid?

SOLUTION: A responsive double is a cousin to the negative double and shows the other two suits. The parameters are that the opponents have opened the bidding, your partner has overcalled or made a takeout double, and responder has raised opener’s suit. Partner now knows you have values so he can bid one of your suits, rebid his own good suit, or double the opponents if they get too frisky. Isn’t that better than a pass?

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LEBENSOHL AFTER PARTNER OPENS 1NT

PROBLEM: Your partner opens 1NT and as you’re considering your bid, your rude right hand opponent overcalls 2.

PARD OPP YOU

1NT 2 ?

What do you bid with these hands:

KQ54 87 AJ103 J98

963 2 AJ9876 765

AJ5 853 KQ103 J32

With the first hand you want to use Stayman to find if partner has four spades. Holding the second hand you want to sign-off in 3. And with the third hand you want to be in 3NT if partner has a heart stopper. How do you accomplish these different actions?

SOLUTION: Lebensohl is used after partner opens 1NT and your RHO overcalls a suit. This convention allows you to show these types of hands:

-A weak signoff with a long suit that's lower in rank than the overcalled suit

-Invitational or game values with a long suit that's higher in rank than the overcalled suit

-Game values with a 4-card major and a stopper in their suit

-Game values with a 4-card major and no stopper in their suit

-Game values with no major and a stopper in their suit

-Game values with no major and no stopper in their suit

When you play Lebensohl, you give up the use of 2NT as a natural notrump invitation. This is not much of a sacrifice, as when you hold this type of hand -- 8-9 pts. and a stopper in their suit -- you can, and usually should, show it with a penalty double. 

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LEBENSOHL OVER WEAK 2- BIDS

 PROBLEM: 6 AK109 AK75 K1073
 
 OPP   YOU  OPP   PARD
   2  DBL     Pass    3
 

Does your partner have 8 points or zero points? This auction presents a difficult decision when you hold extra values. Since there is such a wide point range for your partner’s minimum response (0 to about 8 or 9 pts.), you don’t know whether it's safe to bid on.

SOLUTION: The Lebensohl convention was invented to give partner a more accurate description of your strength in these situations. After an opponent opens a weak two-bid and your partner makes a takeout double, your bid of 2NT is Lebensohl. It says nothing about notrump but merely ask partner to bid 3. Then you may pass, sign off in another suit or invite game. It really is an important convention to consider adding to your card.

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PUPPET STAYMAN

PROBLEM: What’s wrong with this auction:

1085 J53 87 KJ1097

AK9 KQ1062 AJ A62

SOUTH NORTH

2NT 3NT

SOLUTION: Obviously 4 is better than 3NT but no one really made a bad bid. By utilizing Puppet Stayman, responder could have found out if opener has a four OR a five-card major. Yes, many people open 1NT with a five-card major but that treatment isn’t popular this far West. However, most partnerships open 2NT holding a five-card major so this is where the convention is normally used. Take a look again at the North hand. This looks like a normal raise to 3NT but if opener does have a five-card major with or without shortness in diamonds, four of the major may be a better contract.

Of course, responder also uses the convention to find the four-four major suit fit.

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ROMAN KEY-CARD BLACKWOOD (RKCB)

PROBLEM: A1087 KQJ AQ K653

PARD YOU

1 1

2 ??

I’m not necessarily recommending Blackwood here, but if you use it, partner will show one ace. Can you now bid slam with confidence? Does partner have:

KQ32 94 K43 AQ104 or J654 107 KJ3 AQJ2

With the first hand you want to be in slam but with the second one, you are missing both the king and queen of spades as well as the ace of hearts.

SOLUTION: RKCB gains over standard Blackwood by treating the king of the agreed trump suit as an ace. It also let’s you discover if the trump queen is in your partner’s hand. The entire convention is extremely complicated but in its most simple form, it can be used effectively.

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