[Kaitlyn S]

Hi - these problems should be very easy for experienced players but a beginner needs to think about the right things in an auction. If you are a beginner and get them wrong, don't feel too bad as long as you understand the rationale for the answers. I'll provide the answers later but I'll put a hint as a spoiler. Try to solve the problem without the spoiler. Also, let me know if you would be interested in seeing more of these from time to time.

1.

---

Spoiler

Two minimum hands belong below 2NT and your partner could be minimum. Think about the how many combined cards you have in each trump suit

.


2.

---

Spoiler

Do you have a game? Do you have a fit for sure?

[Zelandakh]

Let's change Hand 1 to (1b) ♠K7653 ♥K7 ♦K92 ♣652.

And for Hand 2 (2b) ♠J642 ♥QJ85 ♦K763 ♣2.

Those might make for a more interesting discussion.

[Kaitlyn S]

Zelandakh, on 2016-August-29, 16:29, said:

Let's change Hand 1 to (1b) ♠K7653 ♥K7 ♦K92 ♣652.

And for Hand 2 (2b) ♠J642 ♥QJ85 ♦K763 ♣2.

Those might make for a more interesting discussion.

Maybe one that belongs in the Intermediate/Advanced forum? I'd bet that most intermediate players wouldn't know there was a difference between your Example 1b and this hand:
K765, 75, J92, Q652. (If you're a true novice and don't have a clue what we're talking about, don't worry. Many more experienced than you don't either.)

However, I'm not so pompous as to think I can put problems in the I/A forum that would interest them and say with certainty that I know the answers. I was just wondering if there were some newer players that would be interested in seeing problems that we would call routine but are anything but routine to them, and seeing how a more experienced player might think about the problem.

[Kaitlyn S]

[quote name='Kaitlyn S' timestamp='1472504120' post='895948']
Hi - these problems should be very easy for experienced players but a beginner needs to think about the right things in an auction. If you are a beginner and get them wrong, don't feel too bad as long as you understand the rationale for the answers. I'll provide the answers later but I'll put a hint as a spoiler. Try to solve the problem without the spoiler. Also, let me know if you would be interested in seeing more of these from time to time.

1.

---

Hint: Two minimum hands belong below 2NT and your partner could be minimum. Think about the how many combined cards you have in each trump suit.

Answer: Since partner could be minimum and you are minimum, you would like to play in a contract below 2NT. How many spades might you have? Partner could have none or one, and a minimum partner will pass 2S even with zero or one spades unless he has very unusual distribution, and this spade suit opposite a singleton isn't your dream trump suit.

What about passing? You could say "I only had enough for one bid." That statement is nonsense. You are minimum but bidding an old suit (previously bid) at the two level shows a minimum hand so you are showing a minimum hand by either passing or by bidding 2H. So would you rather play in diamonds or hearts?

Partner has promised five hearts but only four diamonds. Since you would rather play in a seven-card trump fit than a six-card fit, you should bid 2H. Will partner think you have three hearts? He shouldn't - you would have raised hearts the first time with three hearts (those playing constructive raises can ignore this; if you don't know what constructive raises are, that's probably a good thing )


2.

---

Hint: Do you have a game? Do you have a fit for sure?

Answer: You do not have a game. Notrump looks like a reasonable spot, and the best way to play a part score in notrump is to pass 1NT. You might say "But I have to bid with 6 points"? That is when partner opens one of a suit and may have as much as 21 points - you are bidding to give partner another chance when he does hold that maximum hand. When partner opens 1NT, he has 15-17 points (some might say 16-18 but most here play 15-17) and you can rule out having enough strength for game, so you are not obligated to keep the bidding open to give partner another chance.

You don't have enough spades to insist on a spade partscore. Partner could have a doubleton spade and a 6-card fit is disastrous. You also don't have enough to bid Stayman to look for a 4-4 fit. If partner bids 2H (likely in light of your doubleton), you are poorly placed. You could bid 2NT but you would be inviting game; if partner passed, he would be playing 2NT with 21 points instead of playing 1NT which is a lot more likely to make; when partner has a maximum and might make 2NT, he will bid 3NT and try to make it with 23 points at most, which is unlikely to be a success.

[Kaitlyn S]

Zelandakh, on 2016-August-29, 16:29, said:

Let's change Hand 1 to (1b) ♠K7653 ♥K7 ♦K92 ♣652.

For the more advanced novices, let me post problem (1b).

---

Here's your hint:

Spoiler

When partner rebids 2D, he could be minimum but he could also have as much as 18 points (with more, he would jump shift.) Is game still possible? if so, do you have a safe way to not have the auction end if partner does have a really nice hand?

[Vampyr]

Your second answer applies to those who open a weak no-trump; it is surprising that you did not mention that but simply assumed that all beginners play your own preferred system.

[Kaitlyn S]

Vampyr, on 2016-August-30, 10:52, said:

Your second answer applies to those who open a weak no-trump; it is surprising that you did not mention that but simply assumed that all beginners play your own preferred system.

My second answer applies to those that play any range notrump where the top isn't more than 18, so it probably doesn't matter what system they are playing. However, your point is well taken, I should specify what the notrump bid shows.

On the other hand, are there many beginners here that do play the weak notrump?

[NickRW]

Kaitlyn S, on 2016-August-30, 10:59, said:

On the other hand, are there many beginners here that do play the weak notrump?

Of those that actually post, quite a high percentage are weak notrumpers. (Over recent years a lot of the US posters have made their way to Bridge Winners).

[Kaitlyn S]

Kaitlyn S, on 2016-August-30, 10:52, said:

For the more advanced novices, let me post problem (1b).

---

Here's your hint:

Hint: When partner rebids 2D, he could be minimum but he could also have as much as 18 points (with more, he would jump shift.) Is game still possible? if so, do you have a safe way to not have the auction end if partner does have a really nice hand?

Answer: You are still minimum and don't want to get higher than 2S in case partner is minimum. However, partner might have as much as 18 points so it would nice to let him make a game try which you will accept if partner does have that much.

You know you have 7 diamonds between you and you also have 7 hearts between you. However, passing 2D won't let your partner make a game try and bidding 2H will.

If partner has AJ4, A10654, AQJ5, 3, he can bid 2S in case you have 5, and you'll happily bid 4S. (If you had the 6-point response, you could just pass 2S since partner does not have a maximum - he didn't jump shift.)

If partner had 4, A654332, AQJ5, A7, he can bid 3H, non-forcing, and you will accept by bidding 4H. His hand got better when you showed that you had two hearts.

If partner had 4, QJ1095, AQ65, AK3, he can try for game by bidding 2NT and you'll raise to 3NT.

If partner has the normal minimum like 4, QJ1095, A865, KQJ, he'll just pass and play in 2H.

Of course, if you pass 2D, partner will play in 2D with any of those hands, which is the whole point of bidding 2H.

[tm255]

Thanks, I enjoy problems like these.

[Vampyr]

This is a good problem. False preference is a really important concept, and comes up all the time.

[tm255]

Vampyr thanks for stating the concept ie false preference. That allowed me to look up additional discussion and examples.

[Liversidge]

I play the weak no trump and got it right but until now had not understood the full reasoning as given here. I had it in my head that a 5-2 trump split generally works better than 4-3 and that was the reason for rebidding hearts.
A few weeks ago I brushed up on my reverses and for the first time I realised that a non reverse rebid by opener shows a range up to 18 and only with 19+ could I make a jump shift. (I had been confusing this with the 'high reverse' ) This discovery all stemmed from reading an article on why you should avoid a 2C opening unless you are really worried that game could be missed if partner has a sub minimum hand. My partner also plays with another partner who often openss 2c with 8 playing tricks if the had 'looks good' and insists that partner must not pass below game!! The article showed how opening at the 1 level and using rebids such as the jump shift and other forcing bids gave the partnership much more biding room to find the right contract. I shared this with my partner to help persuade him not to get into a very bad habit.
Anyway, the point of this ramble is this: until reading this thread I had not realised that false preference by responder also gives partner a chance to bid on t the 2 level with a strong hand showing delayed support for responder's suit or 6 cards in his own suit or stops in the unbid suit. That's another good reason I can give my 'other' partner for false reference.
So thanks for the problem, or more accurately, for the answer.

[Liversidge]

19+ after a 1 level response I should have said.