Adams: ”2NT---I can show five Hearts, so I do. Diamonds can come later. Imagine our good fortune if partner bids a lot of hearts. Can't tell level if I bid Diamonds.”   It would be OK if partner freely bid hearts but suppose he corrects diamonds to hearts.  

Parker: ”2NT---Show my minor and major, then if partner somehow bids hearts I can bid 5NT, if he bids Spades I can bid 5 and he can look at his Hearts and decide if they help or not. My concern is that the opponents are surely going to bid, so I need to get my suits in quickly. I might even talk them out of spades.”  

So if partner has two little hearts and is forced to bid hearts, you will play this hand in hearts? 

King: ”2NT---And then bid Diamonds.”

I don’t think bidding diamonds shows eight.

Wilkinson: ”2NT---There is very likely a slam here, but opponents may also have one in the black suits. Partner needs to be mobilized. 2NT is forcing and gives him more info than any other bid (i.e., everything but how powerful the hand is). If opponents interfere with unusual over unusual and partner passes, you can bring him back into action with a double.”     

When you have a freak hand like this you don’t want the opponents outbidding you. Don’t give the opponents room to find a fit.

I put this hand in for a reason. What is the trump suit? Suppose you had a slam try with five or more spades. How do you set spades as trumps? On the other hand, how do you tell partner that you only have four spades? I suggest that 2 set spades as trumps. 2 has to show five spades since if you had four hearts, you would also have five spades. 3, the other cuebid would deny holding five spades and would look for other strains. Since nobody bid 2, this was not a problem. Holding AKQ7376AK9385, the correct bid over 2 is 2.    

Back to this hand. You have an opening bid opposite an opening bid. A problem is that you have only a seven-card spade fit. Of course the 4-3 spade fit could play well. Give partner AJxKJxxQJxxxx and 4 will usually make. If you want to play game in diamonds, you need more strength than you would need for a four-of-a-major-suit game. To make 5, you need partner to have a perfect minimum such as AxxAQxxQJxxxx or extra values. Give partner AJxKQJxQJ10xxx and 5 goes down.  

Three experts jump in diamonds. They fail to see that 4, in the 4-3, will have play.  

Adams: ”3---Not quite a game force in a minor, especially opposite Washington Standards openers. A slight underbid, but I've a strong preference for diamonds, and the alternative 3 bid does not get that message across.”  

Roman: ”3---Natural and invitational, therefore perfect.”

Wilkinson: ”3---Partner needs to be invited to 3NT. Partner can now see four or five diamond tricks, and two or three spade tricks. Since he's sitting over the doubler, honors in clubs and hearts may hold up as stoppers.”  

Three experts cuebid. There’s only one way to set diamonds trumps and force to game. You must cuebid and then support diamonds. Therefore 3 is game-forcing. You can’t play a diamond partial once you cuebid. 4 is only non-forcing if diamonds had already been set as trumps. If 4 is the bid that sets diamonds as trumps, then 4 is forcing. You have to be able to set trumps in order to explore for slam. Make the hand a little stronger such as AKQ37AK932852. 7 is cold opposite xxxAxxxQJxxxA.  

Parker: ”3---I am not sure if 3 is forcing here and not sure what 4 would show, so I will force and bid 4 over 3. If he bids 4 we will play there. If he bids 3NT that will be fine too.”  

If partner bids 3NT, will it make opposite one club stopper? J10xAJ10xQJxxKx for example.  

King: ”3---Let's establish a force and see where we belong. In spades, I might be forced to ruff in the hand with long trumps, but making ten tricks in spades beats taking eleven in diamonds”.  

Schwartz: ”3---To start a force. We could belong in 3NT, 4, or a diamond partial. I'm not forcing to 5.”  

Two experts agree with me and make a bid which figures to work. The opponents will not know that you’re in a 4-3 fit and might not defend perfectly. 

Woolsey: ”4---East's 2 call virtually marks partner with four hearts, so his distribution figures to be 3-4-4-2. That means that clubs will be a soft spot for notrump, and also that I don't have to worry about being tapped in clubs. 3NT could be right, but if I bid 3 partner will bid 3NT on any club stopper and I still won't know, so I'll bid what I think is the percentage contract.”  

Hopkins: ”4---I feel trapped and don't see I have much choice. Launching into a series of forcing cuebids will only obfuscate the issue and confuse partner. Who knows, but that 4 might be our best game? I clearly expect to make it if partner’s spades are Axx, good chances opposite Jxx, and some play opposite xxx.”

Sometimes you have to make a practical bid.

     You have 15 HCPs and if partner has anything, the opponents will not have enough high-card strength to get to game. I know that both opponents figure to be short in clubs and that would increase the hand value, but the singleton is very likely to be an honor and that would decrease the hand value. If we pass, the opponent’s will probably end up in a partscore. If you pass, I would expect the auction to go 1 -- 1 -- 2 -- 2, 1 -- 1 -- 2 -- pass, 1 -- 1 -- 2 or 1 -- 1 -- 2-red -- 2. Why not wait and see what the opponents have? After East’s rebid, you can then decide what to do based upon the auction. After the non-fit auctions where East preferences hearts, you can jump to 3NT and expect to have good play. If West rebids 1NT, then you know that you probably have a club loser and can go conservative.   

I’m the lone passer. Let the opponent’s auction tell me what to do.   

The other eight experts bid some number of clubs ranging from two to five. One expert bids 2. Bidding 2 gives the opponent’s room to describe their hands. 2 is safe since there is no way it can possibly go all pass.         

Roman: ”2---What in the world else?”  

There are lots of else’s. Five experts jump to 5. Wouldn’t it be a shame if dummy is QJ10QJ10xJ10xxxx where 3NT is cold, the opponent’s can’t make anything, yet 5 goes down. If my two stiff kings were small, then I would jump to 5 also. 

Adams: ”5---I would bid 3NT, but doubt I would get to play it there. Why leave the opponents the four-level to describe hands?”  

Parker:  ”5---This is what the field would bid so why do something anti-field? I once had almost this hand with two singleton Kings and opened 1NT, it worked great, but I don't think it will be the right contract here.”

Woolsey:  ”5---Either 5 by us or four-of-a-major by them could easily be making, and I know I would never be happy selling out to four-of-a-major. So I'll bid to the limit immediately and hope the bad guys get it wrong whatever wrong is.”   

How bad can it be to bid 5 later assuming the opponents get to game? Unless they’re both void in clubs, they can’t have enough strength to bid five-of-a-major.

King: ”5---Maybe I will go for 500 and they don't have a game, but I want them to make the last guess.”   

After you bid 5, it probably will go all pass, unless West has two aces and the guarded king of clubs.    

Wilkinson: ”5---South has a maximum of four losers, a good sacrifice against a likely E-W vulnerable game in majors. With a club honor north can raise to six, making life very complicated for E-W.”    

Two experts preempt when it could be their hand. 4 will probably end the auction.  

Hopkins: ”4---I want a raise if partner has Clubs, otherwise I'll defend. I think this is about right for my playing strength. I could make game if partner has the Diamond King and three Clubs.”  

Schwartz: ”4---Its true we rate to have a good sack but making 5 is unlikely unless partner bids it and they might not make game if partner has junk in the majors. I am much more likely to score my kings this way in defense.”  

Would partner raise to 5 holding QxxxQxxxxQJxx?   You don’t have to preempt when it might not be the opponent’s hand.

The key to the hand is the 5-call. If East is void in clubs, then 5 will go down, losing two club ruffs and a heart. If East has the AQ or AK of clubs then we could lose two clubs and a heart. Either way, bidding 5 will lead to a minus score?   

One expert agrees with me and doubles 5. This creates a forcing pass situation. The opponents can’t play any contract undoubled. When East corrects to 5, partner will double with soft values and you can at least get a plus score. If East had bid 5, you would have had to make the decision by yourself.  

King: ”Double---It sounds like East has a club void and 5 is likely to be beaten with two club ruffs and a Heart. I think we can beat 5 with a couple of Diamonds and a Spade.”  

Two experts pass. This is not a forcing situation and you won’t learn anything from partner’s pass of 5. He will assume that it’s their hand and pass 5 holding something like AQxxxxxxKJ10xx.  

Woolsey: ”Pass---North's 4 call doesn't create a force in my book, but the opponents aren't going to play in 5 so this is safe for now. If partner doubles 5 I'll sit, otherwise I guess I'll bid 5.”  

You must be dreaming to think that partner is going to double 5.  

Hopkins: ”Pass---I'll give my partner a shot first. If 5 comes around to me undoubled, I'll have to decide whether they have the distribution (Club ruff, Heart to the Ace, and Club ruff) or Club tenace (AQ?) behind partner to defeat 5. I will be on lead with the AK of Diamonds.”  

Five experts bid five over five. If you never bid five over five for the rest of your bridge life you’ll be far ahead. You need a good excuse to bid five over five. A void in the opponent’s suit would be a reasonable excuse and I don’t see a heart void.    

Adams: ”5---Partner can have a real hand for 4. It’s worth one try on the way to 5. Defending 5 is likely to be sub-par Matchpoints.”  

Parker: ”5---If they can bid at the five-level so can we. All partner needs is AQxxxxxxAKxxx and we are cold for a slam. Who knows what 5 is supposed to show? Opponents are not there to make life easy.”  

Roman: ”5---This isn't the time to be thinking that I shouldn't bid five over five, since I was going to bid 5 if RHO had passed, so I bid it now. If I was sure pass was forcing I'd do that, but in my regular partnerships it wouldn't be.”  

Pass is not forcing but double does create a force.  

Wilkinson: ”5---Partner does not yet know South's strength. 5 would be telling partner what he probably already knows. 5 conveys both first round control and sufficient values for slam, which may be available even if East has a club trick. 5 is still available even if opponents bid 5 and partner passes.”  

Schwartz: ”5---The 5 bid is worrisome but we still can have a slam as partner can have a wide range of hands. They should have a good sack so even if 5 goes down I am probably headed for a bad score anyway.”

This is a partnership game. If you give partner a chance, maybe he will know if it’s right to bid over 5.

     A key to this hand is partner’s pass of 5. He does not have a spade stack and does not expect to beat 5. Another key is that West bid 5. He obviously has an unusual hand to bid 5 and some of his unusualness should be a void in hearts. We have one defensive trick outside of hearts and if partner had two sure tricks he would have doubled. If you were in direct seat you would have an automatic pass but in passout seat, you’ve learned something from partner’s silence.  

Two experts agree with me and keep bidding hearts. How bad can 6 be? Since West figures to be void in hearts, you should be able to pick up the heart Queen if it can be picked up.   

Woolsey: ”6---The only real information I have is that partner didn't double 5, so he doesn't have much stuff there. I have no idea whether or not 5 will make, nor do I have any idea how many tricks I will score in 6. If I double, partner is almost certain to pass whatever his hand is. Usually it is right to defend and hope we beat them rather than take a sure minus score. Here, however, it is just possible that 6 could make. Why couldn't partner have xxxxxxKxxxKQx?  That possibility, even if unlikely, tips the scales in favor of bidding.”  

Actually, if partner has xxxxxxxxAQ10xx, xxxxxxxxKQ10xx or even xxxxxxQJxK109x both 5 and 6 could make.  

Parker: ”6---No double from partner, so he does not have a spade trick. I know the five-level is for the opponents, but I just played four hands where someone had at least an eight-card suit, so I should protect against that. I can't imagine that I will go down more than their game, if they make one.”

Five experts pass. Usually getting the opponents to the five-level is a job well done.

Adams: ”Pass---Does not seem like a problem.”   Roman: ”Pass---Bridge is often about making the next-to-last guess, and that is what I've done.”  

King:”Pass---I made them guess at the five-level, I don't think I should bid on or double.”  

Hopkins: ”Pass---Hope for a one trick set. I have shown my values and have a partner.”  

Schwartz: ”Pass---Not a hand for a sack six over five (don't even remember the last time I did that) as I don't play this as a forcing pass situation. West has made an impossible bid and don't want him pushing me around.”  

One expert doubles.

Wilkinson: ”Double---Partner's pass implies no heart support and some defensive strength. Chances are good for three defensive tricks.”

Bid one more when there could be a possible two-way swing.

How the Experts Voted - Jan/Feb 2005: