Modern Bidding Box March 2022

The Modern American Bidding Box

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Problem 1

North Deals, Vul: None

BB auction: 1♠-2♠ (2♠ scores 11Mps)

(1) Compressed Bergen. 4-card raise with wide (6-18 HCP) point range.

(2) 6 Losing Trick Count hand

Our Compressed Bergen is a system that combines the Jacoby2NT and both Bergen raises into a single bid. Based on the idea that 9-card fits should play well at the 3-level, and the law of symmetry implies that if we have a good fit, the opponents also have one. The 2NT bid asks the opener to further describe their hand rather than tell the table (opponents included) about responder's points or shape. The bid only reveals the 4-card support. The opener bids their strength (calculated in Losing Trick Count). Strong hands (5 LTC) bid 3♣, Medium (6 LTC) bid 3♦, and minimal (7 LTC) bid 3♠.

Both expert pairs also arrive at 3♠. The BB makes just a constructive raise to 2♠ and awards top Matchpoints for stopping at the 2-level. We think the rewards for such hands exploring game-contracts outweigh the occasional hopeless, matched shape hand like this, where 3♠ is down 1 in spite of the good trump fit.

MA: 5 Expert1: 5 Expert2: 5

Problem 2

East Deals, Vul: N-S

BB auction: 1♥-1♠; 3♣-3♥; 4♥ (4♥ scores 10Mps)

(1) Gazzilli. Artificial and forcing. Asks responder to quantify their strength.

(2) Minimal (<8 HCP) response. Does not promise extra length in spades. Both responses imply that the responder has 2 or fewer hearts. They would have raised hearts with minimal hands and 3 hearts instead of mentioning the spade suit.

West feels that they stretched enough on the first bid to decline the invite to the makeable game contract. In the expert field, their use of Gazzilli allows the rebid 2♥ to show <8 HCP and 2 card support. I think we will examine this treatment in detail and think about redefining our 2♥ response in this sequence.

MA: 9 Expert1: 15 Expert2: 15

Problem 3

South Deals, Vul: E-W

BB auction: 1♠-2♣; 2♥-3♣; 3♦-3NT (3NT scores 11 Mps)

(1) Artificial 2♦ Game Force. The auction will not end below 3NT.

In Modern American, we decided to combine the plethora of 2/1 game forcing bid choices into a single 2♦ response. There is a choice in some hands, like this one, to bid our invitational 2♣ bid and then bid 3♣ after the 2♦ relay bid. This shows a game-force hand in clubs; in this case, East had forgotten that little wrinkle of the 2♣ convention.

An unfortunate result due to the poor quality heart suit. It loses the same tricks in No-Trump as Hearts. We split with the experts, one pair decides against rebidding hearts to show this ragged 5 cards and bids 3NT.

MA: 16: Expert1: 26 Expert2: 22

Problem 4

West Deals, Vul: Both

BB Auction: 1♣-1♦; 1NT-2♠; 3♣-5♣ (5♣ scores 10 Mps)

(1) TACO club. May be as few as 2 clubs, may have longer diamonds than clubs. 12-14 HCP when balanced, otherwise any opening strength with biddable club suit.

(2) Transfer to spades

(3) Exactly 3 spade cards

(4) XYZ Game Force

After the game force, West reveals that they have a biddable club suit. East figures on 3 spades and 5 or 6 clubs in their hand. Lacking a stopper and choosing not to play in a 4-3 fit, they grab the most likely game.

MA: 26 Expert1: 36 Expert2: 26

Problem 5

North Deals, Vul: N-S (North opens a weak 2♦)

BB Auction: (2♦)-Pass-(Pass)-Dbl; 2♠-3♦; 4♦-6♣ (6♣ scores 10 Mps)

Rare to see traditional weak 2♦, so many tournament players have updated the meaning to other conventions.

Why do the opponents preempt? Because sometimes it works so well!

West did their best, double and cue-bid shows a powerhouse hand. East holds 2 King but had no idea this hand would be a cold slam. I think the Bulletin bidding is a bit 'creative' and not an actual system of repeating the cuebid the diamonds to show two Kings.

MA: 32 Expert1: 42 Expert2: 29

Problem 6

East Deals, Vul: E-W

BB Auction: 1♣-1♥; 1♠-2♥ (2♥ scores 12 Mps)

(1) non-forcing. 6-9 HCP and denies spade support

(2) Does not promise extra values, 2♣ would be Gazzilli, 3♣ is just showing shape.

Another item for review. Experts recommend bidding the 6-card suit before a 5-card suit. East didn't like the series of small spots in the club suit and chose to start with 1♠. West is limited; they'd like to show the heart suit. Bidding 2♥ in Modern isn't forcing like 2/1, but still requires ~10-12 points. West is also 'too strong' to make a weak jump shift to 3♥, although the auction ends up there anyway.

Both expert pairs open with 1♣ and reach 2♠

MA: 38 Expert1: 50 Expert2: 37

Problem 7

South Deals, Vul: Both South opens 1NT as 15-17HCP

Yay, a contested auction.

BB Auction: (1NT)-2♠-All Pass. (2♠ scores 11 Mps)

(1) Transfer to spades. TRaSH is a conventional system when competing against strong No-Trump. The overcalls are all transfers to the next higher suit.

This is an interesting hand to include in the bidding box. I guess it explores how different expert pairs approach interference to strong No-Trump.

Most competitive systems have a bid for a single-suited hand, and probably most simply bid the suit at the 2-level or artificially use Dbl or 2♣ to communicate the same thing.

Both expert pairs felt something with this auction as they continued the bidding up to 3♠ and 4♠?

Last problem coming up, and we're exactly in between the experts.

MA: 49 Expert1: 53 Expert2: 45

Problem 8

West Deals, VUL: None

BB Auction: 1♣-1♠; 2♥-3♦;3♥-4NT;5♥-6NT (6NT scores 12 Mps)

(1) Doesn't promise extra values

(2) 4th Suit Forcing

Another 6-5 hand that we should revisit our choices to open a 5-card major in preference to the 6-card club suit. This is the second time in the problem set that it has come up, and we fared poorly.

I can't imagine with West's hand that I would be excited to try 6NT. East didn't consider 6NT after discovering that their partner has at least 10 cards in their bid suit, which might indicate a loser in both unbid suits in No-Trump. They might figure differently if they could envision their partner with a 6-card running club suit.

6♥ scores 6Mps. With one expert pair reaching 6NT and the other stopping at 5♥

MA: 55 Expert1: 56 Expert2: 57

Conclusion

We got edged out this month, but very competitive against the experts. We have flagged the decision on how to open 6-5 hands and will do more research on the impact of opening the minor (with our Modern Minor restriction/conventions).

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Written by Keith Schwols in Rockstar on Tue 01 March 2022.