It’s Your Call
IMPs. North–South vulnerable.
♠A 10 5 2 ♥9 8 ♦A J 7 ♣A 8 6 2
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | 1♠ | Pass |
| 2♠ | Dbl | Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 3♦ | 3♠ | ? |
What’s your call?
| 3NT | ||||
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Dbl | Pass |
Walker suggests that the choice between double and pass may depend somewhat on partnership style. “Here, the passers seem to be allowing for the possibility that an aggressive part-ner is stretching, while the doublers are counting on him to have a near-opener.”
Much of the discussion of the bidding harkens back to the second-round 2NT call.
“What was 2NT by us?” ask the Coo-pers. “Pick a minor?”
Lawrence passes. “I do not expect to beat them two, so even if we can make 3♦, we can get only 100 against 3♠.” He adds that this would be a good sequence for a 2NT lebensohl bid. “If South was a passed hand, then 2NT here would be ‘pick a minor.’ I doubt there are any natural 2NT bid-ders on this panel.”
How about a natural 3NT bidder? Weinstein, the poker player, passes, but muses, “If I knew I was getting a spade lead, I might try 3NT.” He puts partner’s shape at 0=4=6=3. “Partner appears to have six diamonds and didn’t bid 2NT (two places to play) or 3♦ right away, so he must be trying to get all the suits in play.”
Boehm thinks partner’s likely shape is 1=4=5=3. He passes. “The opponents are probably down one, so I’d double at matchpoints, but at IMPs it’s risky — maybe at the end of a tight Swiss match.”
Sanborn is just happy to have gotten the opponents a level higher. “Already declarer will know that trumps are breaking poorly. I’m not even sure what to lead, so pass.”
Walker passes, too. “It sounds like a spade void is a big chunk of partner’s assets. I’m not going to hang him for a light balance with that hand.”
Cohen, “breaking all my normal rules,” doubles. “I don’t like to punish partner for pre-balancing, and I don’t like to double partscores at IMPs. However, partner was vul against non — he cannot be totally broke. I plan to lead the ♥9 and expect to set them several tricks.”
The Joyces agree. “We’re as hesitant as anyone to double a partscore into game at IMPs, but this has the ear-marks of success. Partner entered a live auction, so he should have solid values.”
Kennedy doubles, too. “So far, I have been unable to define my hand, so it’s time for me to show defensive values.”
Robinson, who also plans to lead a heart, is on the same page as the other doublers: “I have three sure tricks and a good lead. True, they could always make it, but I would expect down two more often than minus 530.”
Two panelists make a stab at the vulnerable 3NT game. One is Meck-stroth; the other, the Sutherlins, who “go for the big payoff.”
Last but certainly not least is Falk, who bids what he believes to be a “straightforward” 5. “Give partner something like:
♠— ♥K J 10 x ♦Q 10 x x x x ♣K J x.
3NT will be quite iffy, while 5♦ re-quires only the ♦K or ♥Q onside.”