Test Your Skills by Bobby Wolff

A: Pass: The auction has made it clear that you rate to be facing a very weak hand with long clubs and short spades. If so, where do you think you want to play? I'd guess a club part-score -- wouldn't you? If your partner has six clubs to the jack, he may take four tricks in his own hand in clubs and offer you none in a spade contract.


Your result so far:

A: Pass. A double of two diamonds would be penalty here, but you need rather more in defensive strength than this hand. Since the opponents are fairly sure to be correcting to two hearts now, a contract against which you have no sure winners, you don't want to encourage partner to double that contract unless he has real extras on defense.


Your result so far:

A: 2NT: Your quick tricks might suggest bidding three no-trump here -- but, in fact, two no-trump will suffice. That shows 18-19 in a balanced hand and lets partner in on the decision whether to play in a part-score or a game. A call of three clubs would be cowardly; and on a spade lead, it might play equally badly because of the risk of heart ruffs.

Your result so far:

A: Pass: On this auction your partner's two-spade call suggests a weak hand with no game interest and approximately a five-card suit. In just the same way that you complete the transfer when partner asks you to, so here you must pass two spades. If your partner was interested in another strain or a higher level, he would not have signed off, as he did here.

Your result so far:

A: 2♠: Whenever you have three spades on this auction and your values are in the majors, you should consider raising spades rather than rebidding no-trump. Even if partner is relatively short in hearts, your hand offers the possibility for ruffs or useful discards when played at spades. So it looks right to raise to two spades here.


Your result so far: