A Coup For You

One of the great annual bridge events is the Cavendish Invitational Pairs. The top players in the world meet in Las Vegas, playing for a big prize pool instead of Master Points.

It is always great fun to watch on BBO Vu-Graph. This year the organizers are seeking a broader appeal. You can play from home by picking the winners. It is a free entry, so why not? It is unlikely that anyone will hit the superfecta of naming the first four or five at the top, but there is also a guaranteed prize.

Enter at the Cavendish Site, and watch there for Daily Bulletins and results. Entries close at midnight CDT on May 10th.

My preferred agreement is that a responsive double in this situation promises four hearts. In general, bids show more cards at higher levels, even in suits ostensibly promised by the original double.

The reason is that one is often forced to double without four of the other major. The corollary of this understanding is that the advancer may have an awkward hand with 2-3-4-4 in an example like this one. That’s why they pre-empt! At least my method gets the major suit fits right.

On the current problem, my partner was not playing my favorite agreement here, so I chose to bid 4.

Partner put down A 5 J 10 6 A 6 5 4 A K 7 5.

The defenders lost their way on this hand, allowing me to score 620, winning one IMP versus 3NT at the other table. In one sense, 3NT is an attractive vulnerable game, requiring only a diamond pickup with information from the bidding. The problem is that when you go down, it is probably -400.

What do you think?

Vulnerable versus not at IMP’s I pick up J 10 Q 9 8 3 K J 10 7 Q J 10.

RHO passes and so do you. LHO, third seat at favorable, opens 2. Partner doubles and RHO raises to 3.

What is your call? How many hearts do you promise with a double or if you bid the suit?

Look here for our “solution”.