Responding to Three-bids by David Bird

A: 4♠. The opponents are vulnerable and, from what you can see, they can probably make 4♥. Your side might score a spade trick in defense, if partner has the ♠A, but you are not certain to make two tricks in the minors, let alone three.

Suppose you pass and the defenders bid to 4♥. You would bid 4♠ then, since you can expect to go around 300 or 500 down, against their potential 620. In such circumstances, when you have a fit, it is better to bid 4♠ straightaway. You would make the same bid with a strong hand, expecting to make 4♠. Let the opponents guess which type you have! You are also taking away valuable bidding space from them.

The vulnerability is important. If you were vulnerable and the opponents non-vulnerable, your potential penalty in 4♠ would be more and their potential game in hearts would be worth less. You would pass.

Your result so far:

A: 4♥. If partner has as little as ♥K x x x x x x, you are likely to make seven heart tricks, two clubs and a diamond. (You would be unlucky to lose three spades and the ♦A.) So, you should raise to game in hearts.

As you can see, there are two main reasons to raise a preempt to game: (a) you think partner may make the game, or (b) you fear the opponents can make something good and want to make the bidding difficult for them.

Your result so far:

A: 3NT. Usually, you need a six-card major to respond in that suit, facing three of a minor. Partner will then sometimes choose to raise you with a doubleton. (Partner is expected to hold around six cards outside his long suit. It is not very likely that he will have three cards opposite your longest suit.)

Playing in 3NT, you expect there to be nine tricks (seven clubs and two aces). Even if partner has no help for you in diamonds, the suit may break 4-4 or the defender with three diamonds opposite his partner's five may not find a diamond lead.

Your result so far:

A: 4♣. What do you think 4♣ should mean here? If it were natural, suggesting clubs would be a better trump suit than spades, you could wait for years before using the bid! It is much more useful for it to be a cue-bid (control bid), suggesting a spade slam and showing a club control.

Here, you are hoping that partner can bid 4♦ to show the ♦A, ♦K, a singleton or a void in diamonds.

Your result so far:

A: 4NT. If partner has the ♠K, which is likely but not a certainty, you want to be in a slam. You can check by bidding 4NT (Roman Keycard Blackwood). If partner responds 5♣, showing one keycard, you will bid 6♠. If instead he bids 5♦, denying a keycard, you will sign off in 5♠ (unless you want to hope that the ♠K will drop singleton).

Partner's actual hand was: ♠K Q J 7 4 3 2 ♥10 3 2 ♦9 ♣J 8.

Your result so far:

A: Pass. When partner bids a major-suit game contract, this is to play. 4♥ cannot possibly be a cue-bid, suggesting a slam, because then he would have no control in either minor suit! He could not possibly want to suggest a slam. So, 3♣ - 4♠ is to play. So is 3♥ - 4♠.

Your result so far: