Sunday, October 29, 2006 5:55 PM

Slam Tries Below Game

PITBULLS:

The entire idea behind “courtesy Q bids” & serious 3NT is so that partnerships can make slam tries below game. Making a slam try and going down at the 5 level is horrible Bridge as is making a slam try beyond 3NT and going down in 5 of a minor. Make your slam tries below game. If your system can not handle this notion, there is something very wrong with your system !

Thurs nite BJ & I won 8 IMPS on a hand because we make 3 slam tries under game. At the time there were 3 pairs in slam going down. I held ♠AJ10xx ♥Q10x ♦AQ10x ♣K 16 HCP’s counting the stiff king. In 2^nd seat BJ opened 1♥ and I bid 1♠ and LHO bid 1NT as a passed hand for the minors. BJ bid 2♠ so I wanted to make a slam try so I tried 4♣ . BJ obliged with 4♦ so I made a “Last Train” slam try by bidding 4♥. When you just bid a suit directly below the trump suit , it is not a Q bid in the traditional sense. If you had that control , it is obvious that you would have just bid 4NT KCB. The bid means , I am making one last stab at slam but lacking a needed control. BJ was looking at ♠KQxx ♥xxxxx ♦KJ ♣Ax & knew we were in trouble in the heart suit , so he signed off in 4♠. Mission accomplished. 5♠ can be beat with a heart ruff !!

We played a pair later on whose system must have some fundamental flaw as they were forced to make a slam try beyond 3NT. They opened 1♦ with a flat minimum hand and BJ overcalled 1♠ . They bid 2♠ which shows a limit raise or better in diamonds. The opener bid 2NT which in standard expert bidding is an either/or bid a minimum or a very good flat hand. 2NT is forcing to 3♦ in most expert partnerships. They bid 3♦ which in most partnerships means I have the limit raise & if you are the minimum , please pass. They must play it as forcing which is redundant to the 2♠ bid. The 2♠ bidder held ♠xx ♥Kx ♦AQJ10x ♣A109x a hand worth 16 HCP in support of diamonds which is a possible hand with any 2♠ bid. Partner Q bid 3♥ with virtually a non opening bid ♠Qxxx ♥AQx ♦Kxxx ♣Qx . Although there are 13 HCP’s , the hand lacks controls and has two unsupported queens . Truly a pitiful Bridge hand with proper hand evaluation. The 2 spade bidder must have taken the heart Q bid as forward going so she bid 4♣ beyond the 3NT game. They ended up in 5♦ down one where 3NT is cold.

Over 2NT , the 2♠ bidder should have bid 3♣ has an obvious slam try. Why is she not bidding 3NT or 3♦ ? 3♣ must be interpreted as a slam try and below 3NT. The bid is asking a question re traditional Q bidding theory. Do you have a slam going hand or not ? With this piece of junk that this person opened , we would retreat to 3NT rather quickly. Mission accomplished as we made a slam try below the 3NT game. What if partner held ♠Axxx ♥Ax ♦Kxxx ♣Kx and rebid 2NT & Q bid 3♥. 6♦ is +1370 and a lay down. Same 2NT bid but proper hand evaluation afterwards. A Q bid asks partner to evaluate her hand not just bidding the same values already bid.