What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for August 2007

Edna Matheson made the best submission for the month of August.

Hand: Playing Standard, dealer was North, I held the South hand.

	A82  8763  K8  KQ76
J953  QJ10  652  J104		1076  A95  J10943  52
	KQ4  K42  AQ7  A983

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
		1	Pass	1
	Pass	1NT	Pass	?

Comments:    I was sitting South and considered playing in 3NT or 6 as I thought my partner's hand was a 5332 shape. However, I made the wrong decision and finished in 6 making 11 tricks. Do you think I should even be considering 6 after partner's 1NT rebid as my hand is very flat? How do you think the bidding should go?

Peter's Reply:

Hi Edna,

Whether your partner ought to have bid 1 is a matter of partnership style. Certainly if "check backs" are used, the need to bid 1 is diminished. Inferences about partner's hand pattern cannot be made accurately in this sequence. Partner could easily be 4333 on clubs, hearts or spades. Holding e.g.

Would one necessarily raise to 2 rather than re-bid 1NT?

Had the auction been 1: 1; 2 it is clear that this confirms 6+ clubs, because with fewer 1, 1, 1NT or 2 would be available to re-bid with a minimum hand.

I like your 1 bid holding only three of the suit as a way to economically solicit a descriptive rebid from partner.

The auction should have gone 1: 1; 1NT : 3NT.

My view is that you are a queen underweight to attempt slam. Change a small heart in your hand for the queen and, with this very balanced hand pattern and a twenty count, I would only bid 4NT, a quantitative raise. Even then 6 or 6NT is about a 50% proposition, still not quite good enough.

Regards
Peter Fordham

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