What’s your call?
| 2♠ | 2NT | |||
| 3♣ | 3♦ | 3♥ | 3♠ | 3NT |
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass |
Cohen bids 3♠, “a slight underbid, but I am devaluing my ♥K. I have too much for 2♠ but not enough to insist on game. Especially at this form of scoring, I am not introducing my 20 points-a-trick clubs.”
Lawrence, too: “3♠. The spade spots are responsible for this choice. I could look for a club slam, but that requires two aces and useful extras and it’s matchpoints.”
Sanborn’s 3♠: “Heading toward the most likely game or highest scoring partscore.”
Colchamiro: “3♠ may not be pretty, but I’m heading toward 4♠, which is what I think I can make. My second choice is 4♠. 2♠ or 3♣ = boo!”
3♠ by Weinstein: “I would like to start with a forcing 4♣, but with 3♥ available as a general force, 4♣ would be non-forcing to me. The problem with bidding 3♥ is it doesn’t leave me well placed over some of partner’s bids and might wrong-side clubs. Hmmmm, maybe 4♣ should be forcing?”
The Sutherlins, 3♠: “Invitational. If we have a game, it is most likely 4♠ rather than 3NT.”
Stack says that 3♠ shows the playing strength of this hand and is just about right because of the ♠10 and the ♠9. “It is worrisome that we may be missing a club slam, but most of the time, it is not possible to do everything in one bid.”
Likewise, Robinson keeps it simple: “3♠ – shows a six-card suit and a good hand.”
Boehm makes the slight overbid of 3♥ “ to continue the investigation for game in spades, notrump or clubs.”
Abdou votes for 3♥. “This gives partner a chance to show a doubleton spade – over which I will bid 4♣ – or bid notrump. Over 4♦ , I can bid 5♣ to complete the picture.”
Lee is a 3♥ bidder, too. “I think we have enough to force to game, so I will just cuebid. I’m pretty happy to hear any bid from partner. It’s worth the risk of wrong-siding a club contract.”
Meyers makes a “highly invitational” 4♣ call. “It also gives partner the opportunity to bid 4♠ on the way to 5♣ if partner has a game acceptance.”
Korbel bids 4♣. “It’s important to play this hand from our side of the table, so my choices are 3♠ and 4♣, and we can’t risk partner bidding clubs first. Any time partner has two spades, we probably want to be in spades; we might even survive playing opposite his singleton. But wave goodbye to the club suit if we bid 3♠ now. Sometimes you might back into a 6–2 fit when partner is accepting. I’ll bid 4♣ with reservations. You even made it matchpoints to further torture us.”
Falk, clinging to safety, bids 3♣. “It’s not like the ♥K has gone up in value. Until I hear further from partner, I’ll bid a suit in which I am confident we have a fit; otherwise, partner is going back to spades … or I am. 2♠ is not enough, but 3♠ is too much.”
Eliminating the detours, Hampson leaps directly to game. “4♠. This hand might belong in clubs, or even notrump, but I think 4♠ is the most likely game, and it will be difficult to find if I don’t bid it now.”
