What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for March 2008

The best submission for March came from Julian Foster.

 Hand: All vulnerable, West the dealer, you hold:

K865  A8542  -  AQ64

Bidding:	West	North	East	South
	3	P	P	?

Comments:  Nasty problem I thought. Partner has got short clubs and hasn't acted so perhaps you should be passing out? But then if you have a decent major suit fit, you don't need that much to make a vulnerable game even with a few values opposite (e.g. AQxxx Kxxx xxxx x). I bid 3 in the end which partner raised to 4 on Axx 10x AQxxxx 10x and went two off.

At the other table my hand doubled then over the 3 response bid 3 which got raised to 4. They went 3 off so we actually picked up on the board. Does the opponent's sequence promise a huge hand with hearts here?

Or perhaps there's a case for it not to show extras here after the double (i.e. the equal level conversion principle) on the grounds that a really big hand with Hs would just have bid 4 initially?

Other question is should partner overcall 3 initially (he didn't think he was quite strong enough) - if he does we will land up in 3NT which also has no chance.

Passing out 3 for 2 or 3 off and +200 was definitely the winning action at the table.

Sartaj's Reply:

Hi Julian,

It is rather nasty. We probably have the best hand at the table but I think the winning bid is to pass. Admittedly we may miss game on a really bad day but the chance of converting a plus to a minus is too great on all the other days. Also partner will "ill-advisedly" raise 3 to 4 on say a 6 count with a stiff club and three trumps and game won't have much play. On the dream hand, AQxxx,Kxx,xxxx,x partner may have found an imaginative double. We are allowed to dream!

The man with the shortage must bid!

You raised a good question about the meaning of pass and bid. Tony and I play that if the opponents open a preempt, then dbl and bidding a suit is a flexible hand, always. No exceptions. It's a lot more useful to get to the best game than to try and diagnose slam issues.

I have to admit that I am not totally convinced that this is the best approach as we have in recent history missed a couple of slams that the "double and bid = monster hand" school were likely to get to.

About partner's 3 bid, it seems too much without a singleton club. Need another K to bid 3 with xx in their suit.

Great hand!
Sartaj Hans

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