What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for February 2011

Pauline Collett made the best submission for the month of February.

Hand: Dealer North, nil Vulnerable, I was South.

Q753  A92  AJ64  Q5

AK82  K65  Q832  86

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
		1	2	3
	Pass	3	Pass	5
	Pass	Pass	Pass

Comments:    

I believed my 3 was game forcing, and thought that partner had something like a 3253 shape and bid straight to 5. She believes it is a cue raise and forcing for one round. We play 1 - 2 - 3 as a limit raise. Should l make a negative double instead or after her 3 should I bid 3? 

Many thanks
Pauline

Kieran's Reply:

You should start with a negative double. Whether it's a game-forcing bid or a limit+raise, the cuebid isn't about finding fits in majors. With a flexible hand like this, double keeps the bidding lower also, which gives you more ways to sort out major suit fits, club stoppers, or whatever else you might need to know to choose a game (or investigate slams). It's a mistake to think that the negative double necessarily delivers both majors (although it will tend to have them both if weak) - the negative double is necessary with invitational or game-forcing hands with only one four card major. You do need, however, to have a backup plan if partner bids a major that you don't have. With this hand, you can continue with 3 over 2 or 2, or 5 over 3 or 4. If partner bids spades or notrumps you just raise to game.

It's good to clarify what your cuebid might mean. For most experts, it's a limit+raise (the jump raise being used by weaker hands). It's perfectly sane, if your 3 raise is limit, to use it as a game-forcing raise. But using it as a general forcing bid is unnecessary - the requirements would be: no five+ majors (you'd bid it), no four card major (you'd double), no club stopper (you'd bid notrumps yourself)...what's left is diamond raises and game-going hands where clubs is the only suit (some of these can pass and play for penalties, others can bid notrumps). You might as well play it as explicitly a diamond raise and get some more definition into the bid and some more value out of it.

As the auction went, 3 over 3 looks like your best chance of a recovery. Partner might raise (if she doesn't think for too long about why you didn't double 2) and she also has a second chance to bid 3NT, which is a more likely game than 5. I'd be seriously tempted to pass 4 if that's all that she can bid. Two balanced minimum opening hands do not an eleven trick game make, especially if you start by losing two clubs.

As it is, you're a little lucky - 4 is a poor contract (needing a spade break and a diamond miracle) although you'd have lots of company in 4-1.

Kieran

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