West dealer, Game all

You are South holding:

 K Q 9 4
 3
 Q 10 9 7 6 5
 A 5

Partner opens 1 at second seat and you are obliged by system to reply 1 (since 2 would be game forcing). You regret your call because the auction goes:

West	North	East	South
Bjerregard	Weinstein	Morath	Stewart
Pass	1	Pass	1
3	Pass	3NT	Dble
4	Pass	5	??

Perhaps you disagree with the double of the enemy 3NT but this cannot change now. The question is: Pass, double or bid 5?

            (Scroll down and find out what happened.)

This was Board 20 from Sweden vs USA II for the Round Robin of the 1991 Bermuda Bowl, played in Yokohama.

Because of the initial reply of 1, the diamond suit was lost. It certainly seems very perilous bidding now 5. With a certain trump trick and a singleton in partner's suit, Fred Stewart doubled 5. He was not pleased with the outcome when the full deal turned out to be:

                             J 2
                             J 10 9 5 4 2
                             A K J 8
                             6

 10 8 7 6 5                                          A 3             
 Q 8                                                 A K 7 6
 ---                                                 4 3 2
 K Q J 8 7 3                                         10 9 4 2

                             K Q 9 4
                             3
                             Q 10 9 7 6 5
                             A 5    

As you see, 5 is cold. To add insult to injury, 5 is also cold your way! At the other table, the Swedish N-S managed to bring the diamonds into light and they reached 5, they were doubled and they made it easily, gaining no less than 17 IMPs!

Assuming that opponents are sane, their auction gives a few clues that would suggest a 5 bid by South. West passed as dealer and then he came into a live auction at sandwich position with a jump overcall. Why did he not open with a club preempt? He must have major length, almost certainly in spades, judging by his later 4 bid. East bid 3NT after having passed over 1. He figures to hold length and strength in the heart suit. West ran from 3NT doubled. This suggests a lot of distribution and extreme shortness in a suit, almost certainly diamonds. All this points to the fact that partner rates to have at least decent support for your diamonds.

As it happens, in defiance to the LAW, there are two more total tricks than total trumps (22 vs 20). So, bidding on was the winning option as cards lay.

What about the double of 3NT? If you find it a trifle naive, you may be right, but take into account that it was perpetrated in another table as well. But there, neither East nor West ran: they stood their ground and they went five down vulnerable for 1400!

Special thanks to Al "BiigAl" Lochli, District 16 ACBL Internet Coordinator for assistance with the HTML presentation.

Nikos Sarantakos,
Luxembourg, June 1998
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