I'll get to Part 3 but first a couple of more words on part 2. On the lie of the cars a lot of things make. But while I am more inclined then some people to play in 5-2 fits and even 4-3 fits, and sometimes the 4-3 is better than the 5-2 if you have a choice, I would try hard to avoid it if I expect trumps to break badly, as I do from the (very daring, I would say nutty) 2NT call, and when I think the defense might be able to tap declarer. After all, if the 2NT bidder is really 5-5 then he has only three major suit cards so the hearts are 5-1 and the spades 4-2, or vice versa, or one of the majors is 6-0. This particular 2NT bidder is off on some trip of his own of course.
A 4
contract is great here. Say we are in 4
and they start with the A, K of clubs. Don't ruff, toss a diamond. That's their last trick. But this works because the clubs and diamonds are so strong, and the distribution so favorable, that nothing can go wrong.
My inclination is to stay out of 4-3 fits and 5-3 fits an such hands, if at ll I can.
Our optimum contract is defending 3 m X, either m. In 3
the defense can play A,K and another
, They get two diamonds and two clubs, down 5. A club contract hardly looks better for them.
But now on to part 3.
First an uncontested auction: Pass - 1
- 1NT - 2
- 2NT - 3NT. Some might bid 3
instead of 2
but I think that's excessive.
Ok, back to the actual auction. The 2NT call interferes with this, and assuming that we are not going to make them pay, we have to do our best to cope. I guess I said that. Even if we are not to penalize them, in looking at our options, the meaning of our bids, we must consider that on some hands we will want to have a way to play for penalties. Also, on some hands we want to compete in a part score. On some hands we want to play in a game, and the right strain.
This means that there are more things t sort out than we can possibly sort on with the limited number of bids that we have. Compromises and judgments have to be made.
All in all, I like the route chosen by the opener. Let's see what he has done:
1. He has shown that he has spades and hearts
2. He has shown that he has a strong hand
3. He has left open the possibility of playing in a part score if the 1NT bidder has a 6 count and they lack an good major suit fit.
It seems to me that with the hand he has, that's a pretty good day's work.
What are some alternatives?
Over 2NT he could bid 3
, showing diamond values. Yes, but suppose the 1NT bidder has a four card heart suit. I am not so sure he will bid it. The 3
bid sounds like a try for NT, I would expect 3
now to be on more than 4. So I think 3
will help in getting to NT on this hand but might miss a good 4
contract on some other hand.
Another problem with a 3
call occurs when the 1NT bidder has a club stop and a 6 count. Does 3
say: "Sure, a 6 count is enough as long as you have clubs stopped"? Is a 6 count enough? Say responder has the
Q and the
A. We want to be in 3NT?
Go back for a moment to the actual auction but now suppose responder, the 1NT bidder, has a 10 count with a club stop but not a diamond stop. How worried should he be about bidding 3NT over 3
? Not very, I think. He reasons: If all of partner's values were in hearts and spades he might well not have started with a double. Partner sure doesn't have clubs, I have them, so he must have something in diamonds, we don't need much, and so he still bids 3NT. Could this go wrong? Sure. But I have used this sort of reasoning many times and it goes right far more often than it goes wrong.
So again, from opener's seat after the 2NT call, he thinks "Maybe we have a heart fit, maybe we don't. Maybe partner has a 6 count, maybe he has a 10 count. Maybe we have the stoppers for 3NT, maybe we don't". It is hard to sort all of that out. I think doubling the 2NT and then bidding 3
is a pretty reasonable shot at finding the right spot.