I always try to bid as naturally as possible, but quite often what seems natural to me looks quite unnatural and even shocking to an unsuspecting onlooker. The point is that whenever there is a good fit, I don't count points but look for a game or a slam in hands that no "sane" player would. And it sometimes takes nothing short of rape to extract a crucial piece of information from my partner. In the following deal one of the members of our ladies national team was the unsuspecting onlooker. She was so shocked by my evaluation of the hand that she suggested that we play together some day. Well, I guess we will. She's grown up and she should know what she's getting into. My hand (South) was quite average: J109, A63, A2, J8653. My partner opened 1C promising at least three clubs, I bid 1NT (7-11 points without a major 4, definitely nonforcing), then he bid 2C and I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline in my body. His 2C promised five clubs and a minimal hand so what's the big deal? Well, the point is not what he did bid but also what he didn't! He told me that even though his hand was weak, he didn't want to play 1NT! So what? Well, think. His hand simply can't be balanced!!! What if he's got four diamonds or four spades? Let's be optimistic and imagine he's got something like Axxx, x, Kxx, AQxxx or KQxx, x, xxx, AKxxx or KQxx, x, xxx, AKxxx or even KQxx, x, xxx, AQxxx, and there are many similar hands that you'd like to play 5C with, wouldn't you? Now comes the rape: I bid 2H! Why 2H? It's an "impossible" bid since I just can't have four hearts in my hand so it must be forcing and my partner must duly describe his distribution since his strength is already known. Why 2H and not 2S? To make it easier on him and to keep the bidding as low as possible. Why not 2D? Well, he'll be scared anyway so why give him an excuse to pass with four diamonds? The rest was simple: he said 2S showing four spades, I decided not to give our opponents more information, forced myself to give up my dreams of a slam (which wasn't easy at all) and bid only 5C.
N E S W
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1C p 1NT p
2C p 2H p
2S p 5C p
p p
My partner's actual hand was: A853, J65, 5, AQ742, just about the worst one could imagine, but my 2H bid sounded as if my values were concentrated in hearts so luckily for us East saw no future in a heart lead and put the Jack of diamonds on the table. Let's take a look at our combined hands and try to plan a decent line of play:
A853
J65
5
AQ742
N
W E
S
J109
A63
A2
J8653
We have to assume that at least one of the spade honours is on side as well as the trump King and that clubs are nicely divided 2-1, but do we have enough entries to the dummy to try it all?My partner could take the Ace of diamonds and immediately finesse clubs, enter the dummy with the third club (or the second one if the King drops), play the Jack of spades and if East takes the trick and surely enough returns a heart, he could take the first or second heart and finesse spades again. This way he makes the contract if West has at least one spade honour taking 6 trump tricks, 3 spades and two red aces (he discards one of dummy's hearts on the last spade entering his hand with the fourth club or diamond ruffer). Another option was taking the first trick and playing a spade before trumps - I like it even better. But my partner chose a third option - he went into a state of deep shock like many rape victims do (mind you, he was brutally raped in the bidding!) and had a total blackout: he immediately ruffed the second diamond!!! Now it got really complicated, but the Force was definitely with us and he still made it. How? Take a look at all the actual hands and guess!!!
A8xx
Jxx
x
AQxxx
KQxx xx
KQxx N xxx
Qxxx W E KJ10xxx
K S xx
J109
Axx
Ax
Jxxxx
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