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Practice Games #14 Reverses, jump shifts, “new minor forcing,” and “4th suit forcing.”

Board #1 – None vulnerable, Dealer North

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis N 1♣ 17 Shows 12-21 pts and 3+ clubs and no 5-card major S 1♠ 10 Shows 4+ spades and 6+ points. Forcing for one round. N 2♦ A “reverse” showing 17-20 pts, 5 clubs, 4 diamonds. Forcing. Enough points for game. With such a skewed hand and so many spades, take S 4♠ a chance that North has at least one spade and go to game. The singleton and doubleton are not as valuable in NT – they are worth more for cross-ruffing.

Contract: 4♠ by South Possible Opening ♥10 from West; longest, strongest suit; only unbid suit; top Lead: of touching high cards Expected Results: South should be able to take 11 tricks. (Score = 450) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 5♠ or 4NT (430 pts).

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Board #2 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer East

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis E 1♦ 14 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major. W 1♠ 12 Shows 4+ spades and 6+ points. Forcing for one round.

E 1NT Limits the hand to range of 12-15 pts. Not enough strength to bid 2♥ as that would be a “reverse” showing 17-20 pts. Non-forcing bid. “New minor forcing.” ALERT! Shows at least an invitational hand of 10+ pts. W 2♣ Forcing for one round. Shows 5 spades. E 2♠ Show 3-card support for spades. Consider singleton diamond as an extra point and take it to game, based on a W 4♠ minimum of 12 pts from East.

Contract: 4♠ by West Possible Opening ♥10 from North, only unbid suit, top of touching high cards Lead: Expected Results: West should be able to take 11 tricks. (Score = 450 pts.) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 5♠ or 5♥ or 4NT.

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Board #3 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer South

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis S Pass 7 Not enough pts to open Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major. Could be opening N 17 1♣ “light” in 3rd seat. Shows 4+ hearts, and 6-11 pts. Passed hand so has below opening points. Not S 1♥ forcing. (A change of suit in first round is forcing – this is the 2nd round.) N 2♦ A “reverse” showing 17-20 pts, 5 clubs, 4 diamonds. Forcing for one round. Cannot go to NT without stoppers in spades. Agree with one of partner’s suits. S 3♣ North has shown 5 clubs, so together they have 9 clubs, a good fit for trump. N Pass No stoppers in spades. Not enough points to go to game in clubs (5♣).

Contract: 3♣ by North Possible Opening th Lead: ♠2 from East, 4 highest from top of only unbid suit Expected Results: North should be able to take 9 tricks. (Score = 110) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 3♣ or 2NT.

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Board #4 – All vulnerable, Dealer West

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis W 1♣ 14 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major E 1♠ 11 Shows 6+ pts and 4+ spades. Forcing for one round. W 1NT Limits the hand to 12-15 pts. No fit in spades. “New minor forcing.” ALERT! Shows 5+ spades and 10+ pts. Forcing for one E 2♦ round. Show 3-card support for Partner’s first suit. (Any other bid would show fewer W 2♠ than three spades.) E 4♠ With a fit in spades, the singleton is worth more. Take it to game.

Contract: 4♠ by East Possible Opening ♥10 from South, top of touching high cards, the only unbid Lead: suit. Expected Results: East should be able to take 10 tricks. (Score = 620) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 4♠.

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Board #5 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer North

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis N 1♥ 14 Shows 12-21 pts and 5+ hearts Limits the hand to 6-9 pts; cannot support hearts; cannot bid a new suit S 1NT 8 at the 2 level as that would show 10+ pts. Not forcing.

N Pass *Should not bid 2♠ because that would be a “reverse,” showing 17-20 pts. Should not repeat hearts as that would show 6 hearts. *Note: With the 2/1 system, be careful not to bid a “reverse.” If using “1NT forcing,” must bid 2♥ (even with just 5 hearts) or something else. Use judgment to avoid bidding a “reverse.”

Contract: 1NT by South. Possible Opening ♦3 from West, 4th highest from unbid suit. Usually, not a Lead: good idea to “underlead” an unsupported Ace. Expected Results: South should be able to take 7 tricks. (Score = 90) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 1NT, 1♠ or 1♥.

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Board #6 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer East

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis E Pass 9 W 1♥ 14 Shows 12-21 pts and 5+ hearts. 1NT limits the hand to 6-9 pts with no fit in hearts and does not have 4 spades. 1NT 2♣ shows 5+ clubs and 10+ pts (add 1 pt for length). Neither bid is forcing or E because East is a passed hand. A change of suit by partner in the first round is 2♣ forcing; this is the 2nd round, so a change of suit is not forcing. Neither bid is forcing. W Pass West should not bid 2♠, because that’s a reverse showing 17-20 pts.

Contract: 2♣ or 1NT by East Possible Opening Lead: ♦Ace or ♦King from South (depending on preference – trend now is to lead the King to show either the Ace or Queen); top of touching honors from an unbid suit. Expected Results: East should be able to take 8 tricks in 1NT or 9 tricks in 2♣. (Score = 120 or 110) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 2NT, 2♠, 3♥, 2♦, or 3♣.

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Board #7 – All vulnerable, Dealer South

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis S 1♦ 19 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major. N 1♥ 16 Shows 6+ pts and 4+ hearts. Forcing for one round. Jump shift. Forcing to game. Showing 19-21 pts, 5 diamonds and 4 spades. S 2♠ Denying 4 hearts. Blackwood, asking for Aces. Gerber could be used (4♣). (See below.) If there is any chance that South could misunderstand 4♣ to mean “4th suit forcing” or N 4NT a strong club suit, then make it simple and use Blackwood. The final contract should end up in NT (which is usually initiated by Gerber), but North is in control and should be able to stop at 6NT or go to 7NT, depending on South’s responses. S 5♥ Showing two Aces. N 5NT Asking for Kings. (They have all the Aces.) S 6♥ Showing two Kings. (They have all the Kings.) N 7NT Having all the Aces and Kings, take it to 7NT, expecting to take all 13 tricks.

Contract: 7NT by North Possible Opening ♣Queen from East, the only unbid suit, lead high/low from a Lead: doubleton Expected Results: North should be able to take 13 tricks. (Score = 2220) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 7NT, 7♠, 5♥, 7♦ or 5♣.

Bidding for Gerber: North 4♣ (Gerber), South 4♠ (2 Aces); North 5♣ (Gerber); South 5♠ (2 Kings); North 7NT.

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Board #8 – None vulnerable, Dealer West

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis W 1♣ 15 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major. E 1♥ 14 Shows 6+ pts, at least 4 hearts. Forcing for one round. Limits the hand to 12-15 pts, denying 4 hearts or 4 spades. Bidding 2♦ would W 1NT show a “reverse.” West does not have 17-20 pts, but must bid something, so 1NT is the fallback bid. E 2♦ “New minor forcing.” ALERT! Shows 5 of the major and at least 10 pts. W 3♦ Cannot go to NT. Cannot support hearts. More support for partner’s 2nd suit. Has stoppers in all suits but no fit in a major. NT will usually give a higher score E 3NT than a minor suit and fewer tricks are needed to bid and make game.

Contract: 3NT by West Possible Opening Lead: ♠8 from North, only unbid suit, “top of nothing.” Note: It is recommended that you have 3 touching honors, to lead “top of touching honors” against a NT contract. However, many may prefer to lead the ♥King, even though hearts was bid and North has only two touching honors. Expected Results: West should be able to take 10 tricks. (Score = 430) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 4NT, 4♥, 5♦ or 5♣.

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Board #9 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer North

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis N 1♣ 14 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major. S 1♥ 15 Shows 6+ pts, 4+ hearts. Forcing for one round. Shows 4 spades, no fit in hearts. Minimum-range opening hand of 12-15 pts. N 1♠ (This is not a “reverse” as the bidding is still at the 1 level.) “4th suit forcing.” ALERT! Forcing to game. No fit has been found. South is not promising a good diamond suit. If South had a stopper in diamonds, he should S 2♦ be bidding NT. He could have a stopper in diamonds but be forcing another bid. North has a stopper in diamonds so should show it by bidding NT. Based on N 3NT the information from South, North knows there are enough pts for game.

Contract: 3NT by North Possible Opening Lead: ♦2 from West, only unbid suit. Expected Results: North should be able to take 9 tricks. (Score = 400) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 3NT, 3♠, or 3♥.

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Board #10 – All vulnerable, Dealer East

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis E 1♦ 13 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major. W 1♥ 12 Shows 6+ pts, 4+ hearts, forcing for one round. Limits the hand to a minimum-range opening bid (12-15 pts). No fit in hearts; E 1NT denying 4 spades. This is a “reverse” by responder, showing 10+ pts, 5 hearts and 4 spades, and W 2♠ forcing. E 3♥ Fit found in hearts based on new information from West. W 4♥ Singleton gives extra strength. Take it to game.

Contract: 4♥ by West Possible Opening ♣5 from North, only unbid suit. Lead: Expected Results: West should be able to take 11 tricks. (Score = 650) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 5♥ or 3♠ or 3NT.

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Board #11 – None vulnerable, Dealer South

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis S Pass 10 Not enough pts to bid N 1♠ 17 Shows 12-21 pts and 5+ spades. Shows 10+ pts and 5+ clubs. Not forcing because South is a passed hand. (A S 2♣ change of suit by Responder in the first round is forcing. This is the 2nd round.) A “jump shift” showing 16-18 pts, 5 spades, 4 hearts. Because North already shows 10+ pts, this jump shift shows 16-18 pts (a medium-strength opening N 3♥ hand). Forcing to game. A bid or 2♥ can be passed; it is not a “reverse;” it would show a minimum-strength opening hand (no jump) of 12-15 pts. S 3NT With stoppers in all suits and no 8-card fit found in a major, bid 3NT.

Contract: 3NT by South Possible Opening ♦5 from West, only unbid suit. Lead: Expected Results: South should be able to take 11 tricks. (Score = 460) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 5NT, 4♠ or 5♠, or 5♥ or 6♥.

Board #12 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer West

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis W 1♦ 14 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major. E 1♥ 13 Shows 6+ pts and 4+ hearts. Forcing. Shows a minimum-range opening hand (12-15 pts) with 4 spades, denying 4 W 1♠ hearts. Not forcing. This is not a “reverse” because the bidding is still at the 1 level. “4th suit forcing.” ALERT! They have not found a fit but East knows they have E 2♣ enough pts for Game. East cannot bid 3NT because a stopper in clubs has not been found. Bid the 4th suit, usually forcing to game. W 2NT Showing a stopper in clubs. E 3NT West has at least 12 pts and East has 13, so take it to game.

Contract: 3NT by West Possible Opening ♥Jack from North. North would prefer not to lead away from his Lead: ♣Ace/Queen, even though it was the 4th suit bid. East has shown a stopper in clubs, so probably has the ♣King. North wants the lead in clubs to come around to him so he can capture the King. Expected Results: West should be able to take 9 tricks. West should realize that his dangerous opponent is South. If South gets the lead and leads a club, the King/Jack can be captured by North. So, West can safely try the spade finesse. He will lose it, but North will be on lead again. By then, West has guaranteed 3 spade winners. The diamond suit will give 4 tricks. Remember to play the “high cards from the short side first.” West should not lead a club until he has his 9 tricks. (Score = 400) Computer E/W can make 3NT or 4♠. In this situation, the spade contract will Prediction: give a slightly better score (420), even with just 7 trump in total.

Board #13 – All vulnerable, Dealer North

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis N 1♣ 13 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major. Shows 6+ pts, 4+ hearts. Forcing for one round. It is recommended to bid a 4-card major if you have one. However, in this case, 1♦ would S 1♥ 7 allow North to bid 1♥, if North has a 4-card major. Most would consider a 1♦ response to 1♣ to be denying 4 hearts or 4 spades. N 1♠ Shows 4 spades and limits his hand to 12-15 pts. Not a “reverse.” th S 1NT Cannot bid 2♦ as that would be “4 suit forcing.” No fit found in any suit. Must bid 1NT to limit his hand to 6-9 pts.

Contract: 1NT by South Possible Opening ♦5 from West, the only unbid suit. Lead: Expected Results: North should be able to take 7 tricks. (Score = 90) Computer Prediction: N/S can make 1NT, 1♠, 2♥, 2♣, or 3♦.

Board #14 – None vulnerable, Dealer East

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis E 1♦ 14 Shows 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major. W 1♥ 8 Shows 6+ pts and 4+ hearts. Forcing for one round. Usually shows 5 diamonds and 4 clubs and limits the hand to 12-15 pts. This is not a “reverse” because the first bid was a higher-ranking suit than the second E 2♣ bid. 1NT is another possibility, but West is promising only 4 hearts and East has a void. W 2♥ Show 5 hearts. Could also pass, bid 2NT or 2♦. Difficult hand to bid. E 3♣ Now shows 5 diamonds and 5 clubs. Nowhere to go. Not enough pts to keep bidding higher. 3NT seems risky. W Pass Could bid 3♦, but that’s not any better than 3♣. Either way, West has only 2 cards to support.

Contract: 3♣ by East, though the contract could be different. Possible Opening ♠Jack from South, only unbid suit. Bidding using MUD Lead: strategy (Middle/Up/Down) Expected Results: East should be able to take 10 tricks (Score = 130) Computer Prediction: E/W can make 2NT, 3♠, 4♦ or 4♣.

Board #15 – N/S vulnerable, Dealer South

Bidding: (Assume that East/West pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis S Pass 10 Not enough pts to open. Showing 12-21 pts, at least 3 clubs, no 5-card major. Could also be N 19 1♣ opening “light” in 3rd seat. Showing 6+ pts and 4+ spades, denying 4 hearts. Not forcing. Even though spades are a very weak suit, South does have 4 of them and 10 points. S 1♠ *If East overcalls 2♥, South should double to show 4 spades and enough pts to compete. N 2♦ A “reverse” showing 17-20 pts, 5 clubs and 4 diamonds. Forcing. Cannot bid NT without any stoppers in hearts, and questionable stoppers in S 3♣ spades. Agree with one of the suits. North’s first bid showed more clubs than diamonds, so agree with the clubs. N 4♣ Invite to game, showing a higher level of points, the top end of the 17-20 range. S 5♣ With 10 pts, bid to game. *Note: In very competitive games, East might overcall 2♥ (weak hand with 6 hearts) as E/W are not vulnerable and it can make it much more difficult for N/S to find their best contract.

Contract: 5♣ by North Possible Opening ♥6 from East, 4th highest card of the unbid suit. Lead: Expected Results: North should be able to take 12 tricks, making a slam. (Score = 620). Some may bid it, but it’s difficult. N/S are missing the ♥Ace and ♥King, but they have a singleton in that suit, so should lose only one trick. Computer Prediction: N/S can make 4♠, 6♦ or 6♣.

Board #16 – E/W vulnerable, Dealer West

Bidding: (Assume that North/South pass) Bid HCP Comments and Analysis W 1♦ 17 Showing 12-21 pts, at least 3 diamonds, no 5-card major Showing 6+ pts and 4+ spades. Denying 4 hearts. Forcing for one E 10 1♠ round. W 2♥ A “reverse” showing 17-20 pts, 5 diamonds and 4 hearts. E 3NT Enough points for game with stoppers in unbid suit.

Contract: 3NT by East Possible Opening ♣4 from South, the only unbid suit. Lead: Expected Results: East should be able to take 10 tricks. (Score = 630) Computer Prediction: E/W can take 10 tricks in any contract, making 4NT, 4♠, 4♥, 4♦, or 4♣. 3NT will give the highest score.