What’s your call?
| 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT | |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass |
Problems 1, 2 and 4 from the District 8 Advocate; No. 3 from Bridge Challenge; No. 5 from The Common Game. Sanborn: “4♠, one level lower. 5♣ by me could imply a singleton spade.”
Colchamiro: “4♠. With potentially three losers off the top in the red suits, the five-level in clubs scares me. I’ve already bid hearts three times, so that leaves out 4♥.”
Meckstroth: “4♠. Trying to sign off.”
Weinstein says it’s close between 4♠ and 5♣. He chooses 5♣. “I wish 4♦ was ‘pick-a-game.’”
Lee bumps 4♣ to 5♣. “We’ve already slightly overbid our heart holding and ♣A 4 2 must be good enough to raise here. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to hear 6♣ from partner.”
Boehm: “5♣. I’m not fond of 3♥. I think bidding 3♦ to explore for 3NT would have been better. To bid 4♠, I’d like honor-doubleton.”
5♣ by Korbel. “Partner went out of his way to bid this way. I think he will be happy with ♣A 4 2 in support.”
A trio of experts sees this hand as viable only if hearts are trump.
Lawrence: “I have one useful card for partner. Period. If I bid 5♣ and partner passes, we will often go down. If he bids 6♣, we will often go down. If he bids slam over 4♥, I rate to make it.”
Hampson: “4♥. My hand is not very useful for spades. Maybe hearts will play better even facing zero support.”
Falk: “4♥. If partner has 5–5 in the blacks with no hearts, 4♥ has to have as much, or better, play as 5♣. If North is 6–6 in the blacks, he can bid 4♠ over 4♥.”
Cohen, startled, passes. “I think I just passed a forcing bid in print. Nothing in my hand other than the ♣A is of any use to partner.”
Pavlicek’s initial impulse is also to pass unless 4♣ is forcing. “If it’s forcing, I won’t offer hearts a fourth time – I’d need the ♥10 for that. So I’d bid 5♣, not surprised to be down, but I can’t rule out a slam with partner being unlimited.” We tabulated Richard as a pass so that Larry would have some company.
