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What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for April 2005
The best submission for the month of April was made by Lyndy Hickman.
Hand: Dealer was South at favourable vulnerability. At East, I held the hand
with long diamonds.
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 AJ1098
 J10
 -
 A85432 |
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2
43
AQJ8752
KQ7 |
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| Bidding:
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West
|
North
|
East |
South |
| |
|
|
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1NT |
| |
2 |
P |
3 |
P |
| |
3 |
P |
4 |
// |
Comments: The 1NT was
15-17 HCP and 2 was DONT. We made 4 but 5 is a very reasonable spot.
I thought 2
would have been a relay
asking for the other suit and 2NT a strong enquiry.
I knew we had a club fit but not how strong.
Are 3 and 4
forcing?
How should the entire auction go?
And Peter’s Response:
Hi Lyndy,
I think your 3 effort was a practical, sensible bid to
describe your hand given an impossible situation.
DONT, as
introduced by its developers, is not geared to reaching game or slam after
the opponents open 1NT. It is a method designed to get you into the
auction as frequently as possible with a view to contesting the auction in
typically a part score battle. Its strength is its frequency of operation;
its weakness is its lack of refinement.
My best guess at a
sensible auction, from East's perspective, is to bid 2 over 2 and
rebid 3 over partner's next bid.
You have just told partner that you are not at all interested in their
shape but wish, unilaterally, to play in diamonds.
Partner needs to recognise that their hand is unusual and missing game
is neither here nor there.
Change partner's hand by one card, for example, one less club and one
more heart, an altogether more probable hand, and, since South is more or
less marked with the diamond king, give South that card and two or three
other diamonds and 5 will prove tricky.
The defence need only lead hearts (their most likely lead since that is
their longest suit and they have all the honours) at every opportunity.
5
has not a prayer. The best contract is 3 making nine or ten tricks
depending on how many trump tricks the opponents have.
To my
understanding when playing DONT it is normal to pass with three card
support for partner's bid suit and to bid the next suit up to deny three
in the bid suit on a “pass or correct” basis. The implication is that
there is likely to be a better contract to be reached by bidding than
passing. It implies no strength. The only forcing bid after partner makes
a DONT bid is 2NT.
There are ways to expand upon the DONT
structure, but they require precise agreement and extensive discussion, so
I will not deal with them here.
Regards
Peter Fordham
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