By Val Rhead
After a string of rotten hands, partner opens the bidding with a strong Two Clubs. Great, she has 22 or more points! What do you the responder bid? You have only three choices: 1) Bust 2) Waiting 3) Positive. Each of these responses deserves a full column in its own right so this is part one of three parts. Today we will concentrate on the “Bust” hand response. A “Bust” hand is one that does not contain at least one Ace, or one King or two Queens. You want opener to know what is in your hand – nothing!
Some players use the Waiting Bid Convention that always responds with a Waiting Bid of Two Diamonds even when the hand contains less than one Ace, or one King or two Queens. The partnership gets into trouble with this convention because it is not specific enough. Thinking she is on the way to game, Opener makes further bids looking for the best fit. Maybe the hand will play best as a part score in Opener’s suit. With the Waiting Bid Convention, even very weak, you are not supposed to PASS Opener’s second bid but you get nervous with your “Bust” hand and PASS leaving the contract in the lurch.
With the Waiting Bid Convention, Opener may have a minimum 22 point hand, but she has no way of immediately knowing that you are very weak. She is hoping that you will have the relatively few points necessary to bring the partnership up to the game-going level. But, this doesn’t always work. Most of the bidding is concentrated on finding the best game. But if you are very weak, a game contract will go down if Opener has a minimum 22-24 hand. Perhaps you will be nervous of this and will PASS after Opener bids again. However, perhaps, Opener’s hand contains 25 or more points and she knows that the partnership has enough for game. Or perhaps Opener may have 35 points in her hand and she has a possible slam in her hand alone. Of course, when you PASS Opener’s second bid, the game is gone, the slam is gone, and the partnership may not even be in the best part-score contract. Your PASS would be a travesty.
The convention “Two Hearts Bust” response overcomes this problem. When Opener bids a Strong Two Club bid and you bid Two Hearts Bust, Opener knows immediately that she is on her own and must set the contract. Occasionally, it can happen that you are lucky enough to have length in the suit that Opener has bid and perhaps you have a void or singleton that will allow your weak hand to ruff and make extra tricks. So YOU bid the game! Except in this kind of rare situation, you should not bid again! Perhaps Opener has a game in her hand and she will bid the game. Perhaps if her Two Club bid was for a “mere” 22 or 23 points, she will stop in a part score.
What does Opener do if her best suit is Hearts after your “Bust” bid of Two Hearts? C’est la vie. That can be a bit inconvenient because Opener, depending on her strength, either just passes or bids a Heart game and the strong hand will now be on the table for the opponents to see. No convention is perfect. Sometimes you have to give up a little to get the full benefit of a convention.
I will continue with Part Two – the Waiting Bid next week.
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group or ask a bridge question, send the information to [email protected] and I will try to include it in this column.
CFUW MUSKOKA BRIDGE FOR BURSARIES FUNDRAISER
FALL LUNCH AND BRIDGE/CARD/SCRABBLE PARTY, ALL WELCOME
12 NOON FOR LUNCH Friday, Nov 3, 2017 $25 per person
Gravenhurst Senior’s Centre 480 First Street North
A great opportunity to enjoy companionship while supporting young women in Muskoka to go to college and university. Arrange your foursome and bring necessary supplies for your table. To register, please provide all four names to: Mary 705-646-8881 [email protected]
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games at the Huntsville Club are Tuesday 7:15 start, Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For partners and information call Jan Roberts 705 635-2522 or email [email protected]
The following winners are for Tuesday, Oct 17 with 11 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Mary Hogarth and Albert Eatock; 2. Frank Vagnoni and Gerry Lawrence; 3/4. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 3/4. Mary Simonett and Kel Andresen; 5. Barb Golding and Arlene Crozier; 6. Fay MacDonald and Yvonne Cox
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, Oct 16 with 16 pairs playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 2. Mary Hogarth and Albert Eatock; 3. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 4. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; East-West 1. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 2. Art Insley and Don Evans; 3/4. Fay MacDonald and Mary Whitehead; 3/4. Kathy Kent and David Kent
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