Real Life Hand

Hi Heidi,

In the following hand, can NS get into the action and compete to get a contract in one of the minor suits?

East opens with 2♥.

All non-vulnerable, E is dealer:

	North ♠J4 ♥3 ♦T6432 ♣KQ965
West ♠AKQT52 ♥JT5 ♦85 ♣A8		East ♠9863 ♥AQ98642 ♦7 ♣7
	South ♠7 ♥K7 ♦AKQJ9 ♣JT432

East opens the bidding 2♥. Can South bid?

Heidi's Answer

First of all East has a SEVEN card suit. They should be opening at the THREE level if they are going to pre-empt.

However they didn't, so we will discuss what will happen over the 2♥ bid.

There are quite a few ways the bidding on this hand could go. Let's look at some of them.

First of all South could start with a 4NT bid. This is a variation of the Unusual 2NT bid which shows at least 5-5 in both minor suits. That is an option. Are they strong enough for this bid? Probably not.

South could also choose to bid 3♦. If North will not know what 4NT means OR South does not want to bid so high right away they should certainly bid 3♦.

If South makes either bid North should not let the Opponents play unless they are at the 6 level. They have too much offence and no defence. They should be bidding quickly to the 5 level and competing to the 6 level if forced. They are deliberately bidding more than they think they can make in order to stop the Opponents from bidding and making their game.

What does West do? They have options also.

West should bid 3♠ if they are allowed to. This is a forcing bid. West does not intend to play in ♠ because they have a nice ♥ fit but West wants Partner to know where their values lie in case the auction gets a little out of control. West knows that their side has the majors and the Opponents probably have the minors. The bidding could escalate quickly! Plus on the off chance East is on lead West wants a ♠ lead.

If West does not choose to bid 3♠ they should at least bid 4♥. Game should easily make.

If West bids 3♠ originally then East should be raising ♠. They have got four card support and a nice hand! However if their Partner bids ♥ then East should just "Pass". (This is why a thinking West would have bid 3♠ originally -- it helps Partner decide what to do.)

West is stuck if North does bid to the 6 level. West knows they probably won't take 12 tricks so will probably have to Double the Opponents but they won't be very happy with the result. This contract might even make on a bad day!

The Result?

On this hand North/South can take 10 tricks in either minor but East/West can take 11 tricks in either major. So it is good for North/South to compete to the 6 level. They should get Doubled and go down 2 but that is minus 300 versus minus 450 for letting the Opponents make 5 of a major.

That was probably a little confusing with all the ifs so let's go over the auctions depending on the approach taken.

Auction 1 -- South bids 4NT to show both minors:

If Partner thinks you are asking for Aces this is NOT a GOOD bid!

But even if Partner knows you have the minors I don't think South is strong enough for a leap to 4NT right away. Not when they can overcall their lovely suit at the 3 level. But some people might do it. West should certainly support East's suit since they cannot now show their own suit -- the bidding is too high! North knows they have a double fit in each minor and won't be sure just what is going on so they will bid one of the minors. West should Double just in case it is their hand but shouldn't be too surprised if this contract makes. West doesn't have too many minor suit tricks and their own Ace might not cash. Partner might not get a trick at all.

N	E	S	W
	2♥	4NT	5♥
6♣ or 6♦	Pass	Pass	Double
Pass	Pass	Pass

Auction 2 -- South bids 3♦ and West bids 3♠

Over 2♥ South should definitely bid 3♦. They've got a strong suit. West can bid 3♠ and support ♥ later on. West is expecting the Opponents to bid more ♦ so this bid might help Partner decide what to do in the bidding. North will leap to 5♦ to show a weak hand with lots of trump. That'll take up room in the Opponent's bidding. East with four ♠ and a SEVEN! card ♥ suit should be raising to 5♠. Will South bid 6♦? They might with little defence and a weak Partner. But if South does not bid 6♦ then North should for sure. They have no defence and a Partner who could not Double 5♠. Again it will be up to West who will just Double and hope this goes down.

N	E	S	W
	2♥	3♦	3♠
5♦	5♠	Pass	Pass
6♦	Pass	Pass	Double
Pass	Pass	Pass

Auction 3 -- South bids 3♦ and West bids 4♥

Over 2♥ South should definitely bid 3♦. They've got a strong suit. West is sure game will make and so they bid 4♥. North will bid 5♦ but now this bid might show values. East should "Pass" and leave things up to their partner. South will "Pass". West should now bid 5♥. They've got a good chance of making this if East has a good suit. North with no defence might just bid 6♦. Again it will be up to West who will just Double and hope this goes down.

N	E	S	W
	2♥	3♦	4♥
5♦	Pass	Pass	5♥
6♦	Pass	Pass	Double
Pass	Pass	Pass

Question: North is bidding quite a bit with very few values. Would they really do that in real life?

I don't know if they would. People do get scared of the 6 level. Note that I do NOT think North is thinking they are making this contract. But I do think that I would make this bid along with all my partner's. We do it as a SACRIFICE. Yes we are going down but we are hoping that we in going down we are giving the Opponents fewer points then we would have if we had let them play their contract. Heck, no one really knows what is going on and what will make and what will not. But North has ZERO defence and knows that they are not getting too many ♦ suit tricks. Maybe they will push the Opponents too high? Maybe this might only go down 1 or 2? Who knows.