INTERNET POST
By Arlene Port
You are South – IMP’s, N/S Vul
Your hand is:
S Q 9 8 6 4
H A 8 4
D J 7
C K 6 5
The bidding is:
| SOUTH | WEST | NORTH | EAST |
| 2H | |||
| PASS | PASS | 3C | PASS |
| ??? |
What do you bid?
Jim Bachelder: 3S With 9 hearts accounted for, there's room in partner's hand for three spades. I'm going to try for the spade game rather than a shaky 3NT with potentially only a single stopper. If partner fits spades, he'll raise, if he doesn't, he may have a heart stopper too and bid 3NT, knowing that I have values. If neither situation exists and partner holds something like: AX, XX, AQX, AQJTXX, we'll play 5C which, at IMPS, is no concern.
Bruce Keidan: 3S. Values and a spade suit.
PJ Prabhu: 3S. No clear answer; but vulnerable at IMPs, I can stretch a bit to reach game. 3S bid here does not preclude 3NT, but 3NT would very likely preclude playing 4S on a 5-3 fit. Hope I don't get to play 3S on a 5-1 or 5-2 fit.
Jim Bossert: Pass. Partner is balancing
Mary Paulone Carns: 3NT. Least of evils. 3S only works if partner has exactly 3 spades and a minimum hand, and lessens the chance of finding 3NT when it's right (I have the stopper); 3H overstates my values and may well result in 4C rebid when 3NT is the right place.
Steve Nolan: 3H, trying for 3NT. I'd pass if I wasn't vulnerable, or at matchpoints.
Asim Ulke: 3H So many choices: pass, 3H, 3S, 3NT, 4C. I think 3H covers more possibilities. That is my bid.
Gail Carns 3S if notrump if right it should be played from partners side.
Herb Sachs: 3NT: I know my partner has a good playing hand. You don’t balance at IMP’s with nothing. Partner should not be balancing at IMP’s otherwise. So, I take my chances and bid 3NT, even though I don’t know I have enough tricks. Partner should be short in spades. If I bid spades, we will probably play it there and lose three no trump.
Trudy Cohn: 3NT Partner can have a pretty big hand and I am looking at a stopper in the opponents suit and a good fit for partner so I will bid 3NT.
Stanley Ruskin: 3H Very difficult. I’m going to eliminate 3 spades because partner can double with only 3 spades in this instance. I bypass 3NT if I raise clubs but I don’t want to be in 3NT unless he has a heart stopper or semi heart stopper like QX. I don’t want to force a game so I think I would bid 3H. If he doesn’t have a heart stopper, he would bid 4C and I would pass – Too bad if 3C is the limit of the hand.
Florine Walters: 3NT. The Club K makes this bid attractive, in addition to the fact that there is little room to investigate a spade contract. The spades are not robust and partner could easily support with A or K doubleton. The fact that I have a three card holding in the heart suit as well as the ace affords me the opportunity to hold up taking the trick if needed. All that being said, I am hopeful that partner will bid four clubs with stiff or void in the heart suit, so that we can arrive in 5 clubs rather than 3NT, if not I can always blame partner for not getting to the right contract!!!!
Bill Holt: Pass I am going to pass. If partner had the off-shape 15 that we need for game he'd surely double in the balancing seat - where he could be less perfect shape-wise than he would need to be in the direct seat. A question, though: Why do we always miss Vulnerable games when we're wrong? :)
Arlene Port: 3NT seems to me to be the most logical bid. If it doesn’t work, I still have the “I’m sorry” bid!!
Ernie Retetagos: 3 Hearts. Gives partner a chance to bid 3 NT with Qx or Jxx. If partner bids 3 spades, I'll raise to 4.
Auxiliary Experts:
Marvin Rulin: 3NT I guess it comes down to 3 hts or 3 nt. I’d take a shot at 3 nt and probably get killed in diamonds
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