March 2005

FOR THE OFFENSE

As South, you pick up this hand:

N) K Q J 7 6 5
H) 6
D) K J 9 5
C) A 3

A very nice hand indeed.  You open 1 spade and partner responds 2 spades.  What next?  First, how much is this hand really worth?  You have 14 high-card points and 3 distributional points.  When partner raises spades, the sixth spade in your hand becomes worth 2 more points for a total of 19.  Adding partner’s promised 6 points and you are very near game.  Aggressive players will jump to game here.  The standard bid is 3 spades, trusting partner to go on to game with 8 or 9 points.

QUICK TIPS

*  The opening bidder should, within a couple of bids, show whether her hand is minimum (13 to 15 points), intermediate (17 to 18 points), or hot (19 to 20 points).
*  A good bid is one that most clearly describes your actual holding.
*  Inferences are often very important.  What the opener did not bid or did not lead may tell you as much or more than what he actually did.

A READER ASKS

What does East’s bid mean in this sequence?

West      North      East      South
1 C        3 D          4 D

North’s preemptive jump indicates a weak hand with some seven diamonds.  Thus East cannot be showing a natural diamond suit.  Actually East’s 4D bid is a cue bid.  The classic meaning of this cue bid is that you are short in diamonds, have good support for partner’s clubs, and are interested in slam.  (If you were not interested in slam, you would bid 5C instead of 4D.)  When an opponent overcalls your partner, the cue bid is the primary means of showing game values, and it is a game-force.

BridgeSnaps newsletter is produced by John S. Thomas, author of Standard American 21.