What’s your call?
| 2NT | ||||
| 3♣ | 3♦ | 3♥ | 3♠ | 3NT |
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass | Dbl |
Most of the panelists are on a slam hunt. Only their weapons differ: start with a 3♠ cuebid or jump to 5♥?
Cohen calls it easy to start with 3♠. “I don’t see the need to bid 5♥ yet. Partner would bid six with:
♠x ♥K x x x ♦ K Q x x ♣K Q x x,
expecting something like:
♠x x ♥A J x x x x ♦ A x ♣A x x.”
Lee: “3♠, with the hope I’ll be able to pull whatever partner bids to 4♥ to show extras. Because I didn’t start with a double, partner should know I have a one-suiter.”
Weinstein: “3♠, then 5♥ over 4♣, 4♦ or 4♥. Over 3NT, I’ll go quietly with 4♥.”
Ditto Meyers: “3♠ and then correct to some number of hearts. I also think that a direct 5♥ bid is totally reasonable.”
Stack bids 3♠. “A jump to 4♥ does not begin to do justice to this hand. Let us show the power of this hand by cuebidding and then bidding our colors – the great heart suit.”
Falk, on the other hand, likes 5♥. “I’m hoping partner can bid a slam with a singleton spade or other spade control.”
Rigal says that 5♥ asks partner to bid slam with a spade control. “I’m tempted just to bid 6♥ myself, but again, good partners are at a premium and one can’t lose them willy-nilly by assuming they have shortage in this position.”
5♥ by Lawrence, “asking about partner’s spade holding. Again, some luck is required.”
Boehm bids 4♥/5♥. [We are tallying him as a 5♥ bidder so he gets more points.] “Who are my opponents? Against sound vulnerable opponents, I bid 4♥ and give up on slam. Otherwise, I’ll bid 5♥, a general slam try and not spade-specific in my book (although partner may not agree).”
Meckstroth and Robinson settle for the heart game.
Meckstroth: “I don’t see any way to intelligently bid slam.”
Robinson: “I save my 3♠ cuebid for a hand with four hearts and a five-card minor – a hand where I don’t want to play a 4–3 heart fit. Even if I bid 3♠, I won’t know if partner has a spade control.”
The Sutherlins are doubling solo. “When partner hears us bid 4♥ after his response to our responsive double, he will understand that we have a onesuited hand with slam interest.”
