Mike’s Bidding Quiz

A classic auction for Gerber.

South jumped to 4♣ after a notrump bid, so it is defined as Gerber. South might have this hand:

♠ K Q J 8 7 5 4   ♥ K Q 8 4   ♦ 5   ♣ 4

South intends to bid 6♠ if North has three aces. If North shows one or two aces, South intends to bid 4♠.

4♣ is not a jump, so it is treated as natural. South has a hand such as:

♠ 3   ♥ J   ♦ A K J 4 3 2   ♣ A Q 10 9 8

South thinks that his good suits and good shape warrant looking for a slam in one of the minors. If South’s hand was more like:

♠ 3   ♥ J   ♦ A J 9 8 7 4   ♣ A J 8 7 4

he would pass 3NT. This hand is not strong enough to consider a slam, and in spite of the good shape, playing in 3NT should be successful since you have two potential sources of tricks.

This auction is one the partnership should discuss. South’s 4♣ can be treated as a splinter bid, showing one club, spade support and slam interest. It can also be treated as asking for aces. You have to choose your meaning in this case.

South transferred to spades and bid 4♣. For most players, 4♣ shows a singleton and slam interest in the major, spades in this case. It is not good bridge to play Gerber after making a transfer bid. There are better uses for 4♣ on these auctions. South might have:

♠ K J 10 9 8 7 4   ♥ A J   ♦ J 7 4   ♣ 8

South can imagine making 10 to 13 tricks facing different hands West can have. South’s 4♣, showing a singleton, invites North to venture an opinion based on that information.

This is clearly a cuebid. South is thinking about a slam and shows the ♣A. Perhaps North can do something useful. A possible hand for South:

♠ K J 8 7 3   ♥ Q J 8 4   ♦ K 3   ♣ A 9

South has a good hand but is worried about two heart losers, among other things. South hopes 4♣ will help clear up some of the issues. It is definitely not good to use this as Gerber. If North showed two aces, South would not know if there were two heart losers.

North did not bid notrump, so this jump is not Gerber. Using it as a splinter bid is excellent. If you do not yet use splinter bids, I suggest you give them some consideration.