What’s your call?
| 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT | ||
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Dbl | Pass |
Guessing game
Seeking a middle-of-the-road position, Boehm passes. “If the vulnerable opponents are sane, partner doesn’t have much of a 4♠ bid.”
The Coopers explain their pass: “Our hand is pretty defensively oriented. Partner made the enemy guess, and they may have guessed wrong.”
“Will they please stop bidding diamonds?” pouts Weinstein as he passes.
“Partner’s favorable 4♠ bid has a wide range. We have too much defense to take what could easily be a phantom save at the five level. They made the last guess; let’s see if they got it right.”
“I have some defense against 5♦,” says Walker, “5♠ doubled could be minus 800. Partner’s 4♠ overcall can be pretty ugly at this vulnerability.”
The Sutherlins pass. “Our hand is okay to defend with and try and go plus. A 5♠ bid is just going to produce a minus score.”
“I can see many reasons why they cannot make 5♦, but I just can’t see these reasons clearly enough to double,” says Lawrence. “5♠ is a favorite
to go down, so bidding 5♠ against a contract that may go down is not a winning idea. Oddly, it is possible they can actually make 6♦, but I would not expect that.”
“Tough one,” comments Cohen. “I’m tempted to sacrifice at these colors.” But he passes.
“We preempted at favorable vulnerability,” note the Gordons, passing. “They bid at the five level. Everybody is guessing and we are not heroes.”
Colchamiro doesn’t think the guessing is over yet. “5♠. Make them make the last guess. I would expect partner to make nine to 11 tricks. I don’t know how many tricks they can make because
I don’t know how many spades partner has.”
Kennedy attributes her 5♠ to the vulnerability. “The hand probably belongs to the opponents.”
Sanborn also continues to 5♠. “I think they guessed right, and I hope so do I.”
Meyers, too: “We might be making and they might be making. I would not dream of doing anything else.”
And Hampson: “When it could be anyone’s hand, I tend to continue bidding.”
Rigal is the doubler. “Passing can hardly be right. I’ll gamble that we can find a way to three tricks.”
Once again Meckstroth abstains. “Another awful problem.” Someone, please! take that bridgewinners.com bidding box away from Jeff!