A few years ago with my partner Joaquin Pacareu we played in the 2013 Atlanta NABC as part of the d’Orsi team: Ernesto d’Orsi – Mauricio Figueiredo – Miguel Villas-Boas – Joao Paulo Campos, Sao Paulo Brasil; Benjamin Robles  y Joaquin Pacareu, Santiago Chile. White against red I received the following cards: 8 7 4 3 A 8 2 3  A J 10 8 4 The Bidding:
West North East South
Pacareu Stewart Robles Woolsey
11 22 Dbl Pass
33 Pass 44 Pass
45 Pass 46 Pass
47 Pass 4NT8 Pass
6 Pass Pass Pass
1: Can be 2 cards 2: Weak 3: Tempo 4: Natural – No Forcing 5, 6 & 7 :Cue Bids 8: Last train
Benjamin Robles
Benjamin Robles
Joaquin Pacareu opened 1(could be short) in a seat where we open all 11’s and some good 9-10 hcp hands. Stewart overcalled 2and I made the normal double. Now West, Kit Woolsey took maybe 3 or 4 seconds and then passed which suggested to me that he had the full spade suit. My partner, Joaquin, rebid 3natural non forcing and now I took some seconds to consider my next move. There are many hands in which we wouldn’t even make 3, like if partner had:  Jxx xx KQ KQxxxx, but in that case the opponents are cold for game in a major suit, so I finally raised to 4to see what happens, again natural and invitational to game. Over 4my partner bid 4, cue bid and accepting at least to play game. My hand became really strong now and with partner having at most 1 spade card,  slam should be pretty close. I cue bid 4 and my partner now cue bid 4 spades confirming a real hand. On a rainy day partner might have: Kx Axxx void Kxxxxxx and we would be cold for 7 but those hands only cross one’s head and never really happen in the table. I decided I had bid enough and couldn’t go by myself so I bid 4NT last train and partner signed off in 6 clubs. Stewart only asked if 4 clubs was forcing after seeing this weird auction and we both replied, natural and not forcing laughing. He lead the heart king and I noticed my partner wasn’t very happy with the dummy as his hand was: void 10 9 4 3 A K 4   K Q 9 7 5 2 Stewart had bid 2 vulnerable so it looked like a claimer for down 1 with the  A being ruffed. But… of hearts held as Stewart had only 5 hearts! +920 meant 11 imps for our team during the swiss.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR