Jim’s Bridge Lesson 37 – The Short Club - Practical Results This Lesson was based on an article in the June 2013 Bridge Bulletin – The Bidding Box.

Overview  The contestants were given 8 hands to bid. Top on a board was 10 or 11. One, playing a strong club, scored 44 and the other, playing 2/1 scored 60.  Here’s how the hands would be bid using the Short Club system described in Lesson 12

Problem 1 North Deals; Vul – None ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ J86 K KT865 QJT7 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ 94 AQJ872 A3 A54 WNES P1♥1♥P 1NTP3♥3♥AP WNES P1♥1♥P 1NTP3♥3♥P 4♥4♥AP WNES P1♥1♥P 1NTP3♥3♥P 4♥4♥AP Commentary: The 3♥ bid should show a great suit and significant extras. This hand has 18 playing points (10 points in hearts). Knowing this, West has an easy raise to 4♥ Note: 2♥ can be bid with 5 hearts & up to 17 - playing points: eg: ♠AQ6 ♥JT432 ♦A65 ♣KQ4) 2/1010/1010/10 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 2 East Deals; Vul - NS ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ K Q4 KQT93 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ Q8 AKQ872 A AJ62 WNES 1♣1♣P 1NTP2♣P 2♦2♦P2♠P 3♣P3NTAP WNES 1♥1♥P 1♠P3♣P 4♣P4♦4♦P 4NTP5♣AP WNES 2♣P 3♣P3♥3♥P 3♠P4♣P 4NTP5♣*P 6♣AP Commentary: East holds 23 playing points (12 in Hearts. West’s 3♣ bid shows at least 5 clubs headed by 2 top honors. West’s 3♠ bid should show a feature (A or K) or a second suit. Once East shows club support, West takes over. East’s 5♣ bid shows 0 or 3, and slam is easy. 6/2011/2020/20 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 3 South Deals; Vul - EW ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ AK643 - AK842 KQT ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ 7 QT942 QT76 J83 WNES 2♥2♥ 4♦4♦P5♦5♦P 6♦6♦AP WNES 2♥2♥ 3♥3♥P3NTP 4♦4♦P5♦5♦P 6♦6♦AP WNES 2♥2♥ 3♥3♥P3NTP 4♦4♦P5♦5♦P 6♦6♦AP Commentary: East holds 21 playing points (8 each in spades & diamonds. East’s 3NT bid shows hearts stopped and other values. West’s 4♦ bid leaves the option to bids 4♠ if necessary, but the 5♦ bid is all he needs to bid the slam 17/3122/3131/31 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 4 West Deals; Vul - Both ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ 74 AT83 KQ8 Q964 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ J2 K62 AT643 KJ3 WNES 1♦1♦ 1♠1♠ 2♠2♠ P 3♣P3♥3♥P 4♥4♥AP WNES 1♣1♠2♦2♠ 3♦3♦P3♠P 4♦4♦AP WNES P1♠2♦2♦2♠ 4♦4♦PAP Commentary: West passes her 11 scattered points, and East can only overcall at the 2-level with a hand that she would have opened had North passed. West can’t bid 3♠ (a Western Q- bid asking West to bid 3NT with Qx or Jxx or better in spades) or 3♦ (reverse Rosenkranz, showing a diamond raise with at least the Q, and around 8 HCP), so shows her excellent raise with 4♦, which West easily passes. 17/4129/4138/41 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 5 North Deals; Vul - None ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ 6 K7643 AQ ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ KQ752 A5 KT2 JT8 WNES P1♠P 1NTP2♣P 2♦2♦AP2♥2♥ WNES P1♠P 1NTP2♣P 2♦2♦AP WNES P1♠P 1NTP2♣P 2♦2♦AP Commentary: East will only bid diamonds or hearts after a forcing 1NT with at least 4 cards in the suit (so 2♣ has to be alerted) West has a tough choice – but not enough HCP to bid 2NT. She underbids 2♦ to ‘show where she lives’ 26/5139/5148/51 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 6 East Deals; Vul - EW ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ - AKQJ62 KJ86 KQ3 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ A AQ4 AT964 WNES 1NTP 2♦2♦P3NTP 4♠P5♣P 5♠P6NTAP WNES 1NTP 2♦2♦P3NTP 4♠P5♣P 5♠P6NTAP WNES 1NTP 2♦2♦P2♥2♥P 4♠P5♥5♥P 7♥7♥P7NTAP Commentary: West’s 4♠ bid is exclusion Blackwood, showing a void in spades. East dutifully shows 2 Keycards (not counting any values in spades,) and easily corrects 7♥ to 7NT 29/6146/6158/61 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 7 South Deals; Vul - NS ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ AK65 AQ873 J6 52 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ T AQT42 J7 WNES 1♣ 1♥1♥2♣PP DBLP2♥2♥AP WNES 1♣ DBL2♣2♦2♦P 2♥2♥P2♠2♠AP WNES 1♣ 1♥1♥2♣PP DBLP2♦2♦P 2♥2♥P2♠AP Commentary: The DBL is takeout, indicating a very good overcall and an expectation that East has some values, since South didn’t advance. East shows her diamonds which doesn’t excite West. The 2♥ bid allows East to bid 2♠ deducing that West has four By the way, if South had passed, West would have opened Flannery, to get to the same spot. 35/7156/7168/71 ACBL Scoring West East

Problem 8 West Deals; Vul - Both ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ Q8632 K8 9 AK943 ♠♥♦♣♠♥♦♣ 74 AQ4 AKQT5 QT2 WNES 1♠P2♦2♦P 3♣P3♦3♦P 3NTP4NTAP WNES 1♠P2♦2♦P 3♣P3♥3♥P 4♣P4NTP 5♥5♥P6♣AP WNES 1♣*P1♦1♦P 1♠P2♦**P 2♠P3♥3♥P 3NTAP Commentary: The 1♣ bid with 5-5 in the black suits is an exception to ‘normal’ 5-5 bidding The 2♦ bid is a game force (XYZ) without knowing which game. The rest of the bidding is easy. 44/8160/8178/81 ACBL Scoring West East