Source:
Australian Youth Bridge Championships 2017
(1) In 2nd seat at vulnerable against not vulnerable, you pick up:
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
K10
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
AKQJ1096
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/c.gif)
A84
(a) RHO passes and you open 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
. LHO passes, partner responds 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
, and RHO overcalls 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
.
What do you do?
(b) Say you bid 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
. LHO now raises to 3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
passed back to you – what now?
(2) In 2nd seat at not vulnerable against vulnerable, you pick up this collection:
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
K9863
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
AQ105
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
9
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/c.gif)
J53
RHO passes, you pass, LHO opens 1NT (15-17), partner passes, and RHO bids 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
(transfer, showing 5+
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
). Would you bid? If you pass, LHO completes the transfer with 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
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:
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
K10
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
AKQJ1096
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/c.gif)
A84
(a) RHO passes and you open 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
. LHO passes, partner responds 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
, and RHO overcalls 1
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
.
What do you do?
(b) Say you bid 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
. LHO now raises to 3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
passed back to you – what now?
(a) If you play 3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
as asking for a spade stopper (implying a running diamond suit), then that’s certainly one option. If 3
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
will be understood as a splinter for hearts, then you will have to cuebid 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
, 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:
![](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Some-Interesting-problems-Board-3.jpg)
As it so happens, it didn’t matter whether you doubled or bid 4
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
as East will remove the double to 4
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
.
(2) In 2nd seat at not vulnerable against vulnerable, you pick up this collection:
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
K9863
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
AQ105
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
9
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/c.gif)
J53
RHO passes, you pass, LHO opens 1NT (15-17), partner passes, and RHO bids 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/d.gif)
(transfer, showing 5+
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
). Would you bid? If you pass, LHO completes the transfer with 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
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
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/s.gif)
balance a bit safer), but you would do just as good by defending 2
![Spade Suit](http://youth.worldbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/h.gif)
(opponents are vulnerable) and taking them down by one or two tricks.
Full deal from Board 15 of Match 2 Youth Teams: