3 
K10 
AKQJ1096 
A84
(a) RHO passes and you open 1. LHO passes, partner responds 1, and RHO overcalls 1.
What do you do?
(b) Say you bid 2. LHO now raises to 3 passed back to you – what now?
(2) In 2nd seat at not vulnerable against vulnerable, you pick up this collection:
K9863 AQ105 9 J53
RHO passes, you pass, LHO opens 1NT (15-17), partner passes, and RHO bids 2 (transfer, showing 5+). Would you bid? If you pass, LHO completes the transfer with 2 and again passed back to you. Would you bid now?
Find your own solutions before reading ours:
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Solutions
(1) In 2nd seat at vulnerable against not vulnerable, you pick up:3 K10 AKQJ1096 A84
(a) RHO passes and you open 1. LHO passes, partner responds 1, and RHO overcalls 1.
What do you do?
(b) Say you bid 2. LHO now raises to 3 passed back to you – what now?
(a) If you play 3 as asking for a spade stopper (implying a running diamond suit), then that’s certainly one option. If 3 will be understood as a splinter for hearts, then you will have to cuebid 2, a general game force.
(b) Anything could be right, but my preference is to double. This can’t be for penalties (doesn’t make sense – plus, the opponents are likely to have a nine-card fit), and usually asks partner to bid 3NT with a spade stopper.
This was Board 3 from the first round of the Youth Teams:
As it so happens, it didn’t matter whether you doubled or bid 4 as East will remove the double to 4.
(2) In 2nd seat at not vulnerable against vulnerable, you pick up this collection:
K9863 AQ105 9 J53
RHO passes, you pass, LHO opens 1NT (15-17), partner passes, and RHO bids 2 (transfer, showing 5+). Would you bid? If you pass, LHO completes the transfer with 2 and again passed back to you. Would you bid now?
With such good trumps, it is better to pass and defend. Whilst it’s true that your side is not
vulnerable (making a 2 balance a bit safer), but you would do just as good by defending 2 (opponents are vulnerable) and taking them down by one or two tricks.
Full deal from Board 15 of Match 2 Youth Teams:
