Better Get Thee to a Nunnery, perhaps?
To bid or not to bid? That is the question. Simply passing a (suitable) hand out at the one level (as in yesterday’s article) or in 1NT is most likely to result in a below average score on the board, and this one was no exception.
Board 14 from Thursday 9/05/2019
Dealer E Nil Vul
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T87652
95
J5
AKQEast, dealer, opens 1NT. South has nothing to say and passes, as does West. But North should bid 2S if NS play natural overcalls or 2C if playing something like Hamilton where 2C is a single suited overcall in any suit. Even if you play a system like we do where 2S shows spades and a minor, North should bid 2S and hope that South does not move, and most Souths will not move even if they have a hand like this South does.
The only real danger in bidding is that South may have passed a reasonable hand, not wanting to bid over a first in hand 1NT opening, and would now be encouraged to make a try for game or even bid it, but that is the chance you take, I would bid 2S on the North cards even with a couple less points and a six card suit at this vulnerability.
Evidence from results at our clubs shows that half the NS pairs played in 2S and half allowed East to play in 1NT, apart from a lone North who did end up overboard in 4S! Which camp were you in, the 75% score from bidding or the 25% for passing?
Check out the possibilities on this board by clicking here.
If you played the X-Clubs hands last night and played Board 26, I would like to hear your bidding on it. We Evil Acol players would have loved to bid it if we were playing NS.
