Our team has been trying to implement agreements about NT ranges in various auctions. Here is an interesting example on that theme.
Playing in a KO final, with neither vul, you pick up the following hand:
8 6, 
A K 6 3 
K J 7 5 
A Q 6
Your partner opens 1. Since we play 3NT to show a 4 hand with some defensive values. Thus constrained, you respond 2 and partner rebids 2.
What now?
Playing IMP’s, red on white, you pick up the following hand as dealer:
K Q J 7 4, K T 9 5 T 6 3 A.
You open 1 and see LHO bid 3, partner calls 4, and RHO bids 6.
What do you call and why? In particular, does your action refer to hand quality, clubs, or both?
Playing in a KO match you pick up an exciting hand, dealer, both red.
Q 5 3 6 4 A K Q 9 8 7 6 5 4
Let us suppose that you choose to open 4. LHO passes and partner calls 4. RHO passes.
What is your move?
UPDATE: What actually happened…
Thanks to everyone for offering comments. As several of you suspected, it was not our partnership that bid this way. 4 was alerted as showing hearts. The partner, holding A J x, A x x xx , A Q x x, x bid 4!! (I would probably still be bidding:)) The opener, hearing the alert, removed to 5, a bid that she viewed as “automatic – just bidding my hand.” The responding hand now passed. To our surprise, the director ruled that this was OK.
Since the issue never went to a committee, it was my hope that some objective commentary from impartial players would provide a little education on this subject. Perhaps it will do no good, but maybe it will.
It is the old lesson — the player with unauthorized information always sees the bid as “automatic.” How hard it is to be objective…
Thanks,
Jeff
You find yourself in a four-board playoff to win a little KO. The first three boards seemed pretty flat, so it might all hinge on the last hand. You pick up the following hand:
K J 6 K 9 6 5 J 8 4 3 J 7.
With neither vulnerable, partner opens 1 and RHO overcalls 1. You make a sound raise to 2. LHO raises to 2. Partner introduces a new suit with 3.
The auction now diverged at the two tables. What do you do in the following cases:
1) RHO bids 3?
2) RHO bids 4?
The match and the event are on the line …..
UPDATE: You had better double 4 if you get the chance. At the other table they failed to do so and partner bid 5, got doubled and went for 300, guessing hearts correctly. Your partner played 4 undoubled and guessed them wrong for -100, but winning 5 IMP’s.
Partner’s bidding was a bit imaginative, with lead direction in mind. You needed to do your part to win the match.
With neither vulnerable at IMP’s, you hold A 6 5 4 3 Q K T 6 5 4 K 7.
Your RHO, the dealer, opens 1 . Your suit quality is poor, but partner will find it difficult to compete with length in the enemy suit. Since you play a wide-ranging Michaels treatment, you decide to show both suits with a call of 2. LHO says DBL, showing a penalty interest somewhere. Partner and RHO pass.
What is your call?