Bridge Blog 411: The last word on Blog 399 (maybe)

          Airport Bridge Club director Bill Finkelstein has asked for corrections on what I said he said regarding the hand in Blog 399 and I’ve tried and failed. Guess I just don’t understand what he’s trying to tell me about it. But I think he put it to rest for once and for all when his weekly Wednesday lessons resumed after a tax season hiatus.

          Reprinting the blog, he used it to explain how you should bid to tell your partner you have a 31-point hand. Do I remember what he said? Well, through my usual midnight fog of fatigue, here’s what I think he was talking about.

          The bids on this thing should be determined by a system which you should nail down with your partner. It’s an extension of the whole No Trump system and it works like this – 1 NT is 15 to 17 points (range of 3), a 1-bid followed by 2 NT is 18 to 19 points (range of 2), 2 NT is 20 to 22 points (range of 3), 2 Clubs is 23 to 24 points (range of 2).

          This part everybody is pretty familiar with. Bill suggests that this alternating pattern of 2 and 3 be extended on up the line like this:

          3 NT is 25 to 27 points (range of 3), 2 Clubs followed by 4 NT is 28 to 29 points (range of 2), 2 Clubs followed by 5 NT is 30 to 32 (range of 3). Partner should consider this a Blackwood bid asking for Kings.

          Therefore, the correct bidding sequence should be 2 Clubs, 2 Diamonds (waiting), 5 NT, 6 Diamonds (for the King of Hearts), 6 NT. Gamblers could go to 7 NT, but it depends on the weak hand having a long suit. Fortunately, it does.