An Unusual Remedy

Many players in our local bridge club -- and all tournament players nowadays -- play the Unusual Notrump and Michaels Cue conventions. It's high time we talked about what to do when the opponents make these bids against us.

First, a quick review. Our side has opened the bidding and overcaller has shown a two-suited hand, typically with five cards in each suit.

• The Unusual Notrump is a jump overcall in notrump that shows the lower two unbid suits (or the minor suits, depending on partnership agreement). For example, 1 ♠ - 2 NT shows clubs and diamonds. 1 ♦-2 NT probably shows clubs and hearts, though some partnerships use this for minors. (You can ask for an explanation when it is your turn to bid, or after the auction has ended).
• A Michaels Cue shows both majors over a minor suit opening; after a major suit opening, a Michaels Cue shows the other major and one of the minor suits. For example, 1 ♦- 2 ♦ shows both majors. 1 ♥ - 2 ♥ shows spades and a minor suit.

These auctions have taken some valuable bidding space away from us. What does a double mean now? What does a single raise mean? What about a jump raise, or a bid in one of the opponents' suits? If you've never discussed these with your partner it is very likely that the two of you won't be on the same page; disaster looms.

THE REMEDY: The standard defense against these bids is called "Unusual Versus Unusual". There are several variations of this convention. I recommend the following, which mostly reflects modern expert consensus.Consider an auction where the opponents make a two-suited overcall; for example, 1 ♠ - 2 NT. Since their bid shows two specific suits, keep in mind that you have two cue-bids available, as well as a bid in the fourth suit. Your options (other than Pass) are as follows:

• Double. Penalty-oriented, this denies a fit with partner's suit and promises a decent hand (nearly opening values, or more) that plans to penalize the opponents in at least one of their suits.
• Raise. A simple raise of partner's suit is competitive, not invitational, and not forcing. It shows perhaps 7-10 points and good support. Note that if partner opened a minor suit you should probably have a five-card fit in case partner opened a three-card suit. A jump raise is preemptive with a weak hand (less than 7 points) and at least five-card support.
• Fourth suit. Natural and not forcing. This denies a fit for partner's suit, and promises a decent suit (almost always six or more cards) and 7-10 points.
• Cheapest Cue. At least a game-invitational raise of partner's suit, forcing for one round; you might prefer to call it "limit raise or better". By cheapest cue, we mean the cheapest available bid in one of the opponent's suits. In our 1 ♠ - 2 NT example, clubs is the cheapest cue-bid in their suits so 3 ♣ shows at least four-card spade support and at least a good ten points. If you have game-going values, don't worry; you'll get another turn to bid.
• Second-Cheapest Cue. Shows the unbid suit, forcing for one round, and usually denies a fit for partner's suit. This promises a good six-card suit with at least game interest, at least a good ten points with no wasted values in the opponents' suits. In our 1 ♠ - 2 NT example, 3 ♦ shows a good six-card heart suit with some interest in game. If you have game-going values, don't worry; you'll have another turn to bid.
• Notrump bids at the two and three level are natural and non-forcing and promise appropriate values with solid stoppers in the opponents suits. 4NT and 5NT retain their usual conventional meanings.

If only one suit is known, such as in 1 ♥ - 2 ♥, a cue-bid in the known suit (spades here) shows at least a game-invitational raise of partner's suit. Other suit bids are natural and non-forcing.

And yes, there's more but that takes care of the basics. Because there are several published variations in how to use the two available cue-bids, you and your partner should discuss the details before playing Unusual Versus Unusual.

Note that all of these bids must be Alerted (other than pass or notrump) because they have specific conventional meaning in this context.  Finally, don't forget to add "Unusual Vs Unusual" to the bottom right of your convention card in the section for Other Conventional Calls.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes  Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Waste Not, Want Not

Not vulnerable, your partner is the dealer. You, South, hold

♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

West	North	East	South
	1 ♥	Pass	2 NT1
Pass	3 ♠2	Pass	??

at least four hearts, forcing to game singleton or void in spades

After partner's 1 ♥ opening, you can entertain visions of slam if partner has the right cards. Your 2NT bid was the Jacoby 2NT convention, promising at least four hearts and game-going values. Partner's response is a conventional response, showing a singleton or void in spades. What now?

ANSWER: Drop the anchor in 4 ♥. Your hand just got a lot weaker across from spade shortness; the king and queen of spades aren't pulling their full weight. If you had a slightly stronger hand -- perhaps with the king and queen of clubs -- you could keep the ball rolling with 4 ♦ to show a diamond control.

THE PRINCIPLE: When partner shows shortness in a suit, demote any honors you hold in that suit; those values have turned to dross. Partner might have shown shortness by conventional bids such as a splinter raise or the Jacoby 2 NT raise, or simply by bidding the other suits. By the same token, if you have mostly small cards in partner's short suit, partner can likely ruff those losers. If partner had instead bid 3♣ showing a singleton or void in clubs, that would have been good news indeed.

BONUS MINUTE: When responding to a Jacoby 2NT bid, showing a secondary five-card suit takes priority over showing a singleton or void. Establishing a secondary fit is usually a better source of tricks for slam. After opener promises a five-card major and then a secondary five-card suit, responder can also assess her values in the other two suits accordingly.

	♠ — ♥ A K 8 7 4 ♦ K Q 9 5 3 ♣ 10 5 2
	N W E S
	♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q J 6 5 3 ♦ A ♣ Q 8 7 4

North should bid 4 ♦ rather than 3 ♠. South will recognize that her black-suit values are likely to be facing shortness.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

A Smooth Plan

South Deals E-W Vul	♠ K J 10 9 ♥ Q 10 8 ♦ K J ♣ Q 9 6 4
♠ A 7 5 2 ♥ A 4 ♦ 10 3 2 ♣ A 10 8 7	N W E S

West	North	East	South
			2 ♥
Pass	3 ♥	All pass

You (West) led the A♥, and the other hands followed low. What now?

ANSWER: Decide now to duck declarer's spade lead! Yes, it is still your lead. No, declarer has not led spades out of turn. Yes, your next lead should be your remaining heart. But that is not the issue here.

If you look ahead, you'll notice that declarer will -- at some point in the play -- probably lead a small spade toward dummy's K-J-10-9. If she doesn't have the queen, she will be wondering whether to play the king or the jack, looking for clues to who has the other spade honors. Her best default plan is to play the jack. But if she thinks you have the ace, she will play the king. Your only chance for two spade tricks is that partner holds the queen and that declarer plays the jack. For that to come true you must play a low spade, smoothly in tempo. If you hesitate after the spade lead, she'll know you have the ace and play the king accordingly. 

THE PRINCIPLE: Before playing to the first trick as declarer or third hand, always take a few moments to ARCH: Analyze the lead, Review the bidding, Count tricks, and plan How to play the hand. As the opening leader, you should do the same before turning your first card face down if there hasn't been enough time already.

Note that ducking with the A♠ is the standard play with this holding unless there is a clear-cut reason for grabbing tricks quickly. Even if declarer has a singleton spade, she always gets a spade trick. If you play the ace immediately, declarer can set up the spades for a discard. If you hesitate, she doesn't have to guess. Your job is to stay out of the way and let her guess wrong.

South Deals E-W Vul	♠ K J 10 9 ♥ Q 10 8 ♦ K J ♣ Q 9 6 4
♠ A 7 5 2 ♥ A 4 ♦ 10 3 2 ♣ A 10 8 7	N W E S	♠ Q 8 4 ♥ 3 2 ♦ Q 9 7 5 4 ♣ K 5 3
	♠ 6 3 ♥ K J 9 7 6 5 ♦ A 8 6 ♣ J 2

Follow the Leader

You are on defense and hold an honor sequence in a suit: two or more cards "touching" or equal in rank. For example, the K-Q  or the J-10-9 . Since they all have the same practical effect toward winning a trick, does it matter which one you play? Does it matter whether you are on lead or following suit?

ANSWER: Yes, yes, it matters a lot to partner! Which card you play from equal honors gives your partner (and okay, yes, declarer too) some important clues about the other cards you hold in that suit. There is a very standard way of playing honor sequences:

1. Lead from the top of the sequence. The standard opening leads we all learned are the K from K-Q-whatever, the Q from Q-J-whatever, and so on. In general, the lead of an honor promises the next-lower honor (or a void) and denies the next-higher. Most experts today prefer A from A-K against suit contracts, although this is not universal; you and your partner should discuss how your partnership will lead from A-K. Note that this applies throughout the hand, not just on opening lead.
    
2. Follow from the bottom of the sequence. In general, try to win the trick as cheaply as possible. The card you play denies the next lowest card. For example, if you follow suit with the Q you have denied holding the J; you haven't promised the K, but partner will know that you don't have the J. As with leading from the top, this rule applies throughout the hand.
    
3. Discard (signal) from the top of the sequence. Discarding an honor promises the next-lower honor (or a void) and denies the next-higher. For example, discarding the Q promises the J and denies the K. 

There are, of course, some important exceptions:

• With doubleton honors (no other cards in the suit), reverse the above rules. For example, with K-Q doubleton, lead the Q; when you later play the K, partner will realize why you "broke the rule" of leading from the top.
• With three or more, lead from the top and then lead next from the bottom. For example, with K-Q-J you'll lead the K and then next lead the J; partner will realize that you have the Q but not the 10.
• When splitting honors in second or fourth seat I suggest "follow low" just for simplicity, but you should discuss this with your partner. Expert agreements vary in this situation, often depending on how many cards are in the sequence.

So how to remember this? Here are some mnemonic ideas:

• The leaders in an organization are at the top of the organization chart (sequence) and the followers are at the bottom. 
• The leaders are at the head of the parade (sequence) and the followers at the end
• "folLOW" (follow low)
• For signaling, think of smoke signals from the top of the mountain (sequence).

BONUS MINUTE: When you have the doubleton Q-J in a suit that declarer controls, it is best to follow suit randomly; play the Q first 50% of the time, and play the J first 50% of the time. Note that you'll have to make your decision before declarer plays the suit, otherwise declarer will read your hesitation like a book. The reasons for the randomized play are too complicated to explain here; you can Google "restricted choice in bridge" for more details.

answering partner's plea

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

The opponents are vulnerable, you are North, and the auction gets crowded. I'll show you your hand in a moment...

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	2 ♦	2 ♥
3 ♦	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♦
Pass	??

ANSWER: Clearly you must bid. Partner's 4 ♦ bid can't possibly be to play, since the opponents bid and raised diamonds. And, of course, a new suit by an unpassed hand is forcing.

It's not clear whether partner is fishing for heart support, or has slam interest in one of your black suits, or is fishing for a diamond stopper, or wants to find out which black suit is the least-worst option. Maybe several of those cases apply! Your objective here is to clarify as much as you can, without repeating what you've already told her about your hand. Don't tell the same story twice!.

So, what do you know about partner's hand?

• Partner has at least five good hearts, and at least 10 points, for her 2 ♥ bid.
• Partner is unwilling to pass 3 ♠ or simply sign off somewhere (3 NT, 4 ♣, 4 ♥, 4 ♠, or 5 ♣), so she likely has more than the minimum for her 2 ♥ bid.
• Partner is not just interested in how many aces you have, else she would have bid 4 NT Blackwood.

What does partner already know about your hand?

• You have a very good hand with game-going values (at least 16 points), because you bid 3 ♠ freely rather than just passing over 3 ♦.
• You don't have a 1 NT opener or a 2 NT opener; your hand is probably unbalanced.
• You probably don't have three hearts, because you didn't raise hearts right away.
• You have at least four spades and longer clubs; otherwise you would have bid spades first.

Here are some hands that you might hold in this auction.

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	2 ♦	2 ♥
3 ♦	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♦
Pass	??

♠ A Q x x ♥ K x ♦ x x ♣ A K J 10 x
Bid 4♥. Partner already knows you don't have three hearts.

♠ A Q x x x ♥ x x ♦ -- ♣ A K J 10 x x
Bid 4♠ promising a five-card suit, and therefore at least six clubs.

♠ A Q x x ♥ x ♦ A x ♣ A K J 10 x x
Bid 5♣, denying a five-card spade suit, and suggesting six clubs.

♠ A Q x x ♥ x x ♦ K x ♣ A K J 10 x
Bid 4 NT to play?? Don't you wish you had bid 3 NT at your previous turn?

♠ A K J x ♥ Q x ♦ x x x ♣ A K Q x
Bid 4♥. This hand (18-19 balanced) is the exception where your clubs are not longer than your spades. Partner already knows you don't have three hearts.

In ambiguous situations like this, take a moment to review the auction. What do you know about partner's hand? What does partner already know about your hand? What does partner not know about your hand? Partner is sending us a plea for help; how can you best clarify your hand for her?

Dearest Partner...

[This is a duplicate of a previous article that encountered email distribution problems. Stop me if you've already heard this...]

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

Here’s a hand from a couple weeks ago. I wasn’t satisfied with my choice at the table, and even less so the more I thought about it later. I posted this hand as an online bidding poll at BridgeWinners.com to get some expert opinions.

Matchpoints, E-W vulnerable, you are South.
♠ K 8 6 2   ♥ A K J 8 7 6 5   ♦ 2   ♣ 5

North 1 ♣ 3 ♠

East 2 ♦ Pass

You 2 ♥ ??

West 3 ♦

What do you bid over 3 ♠? What do you think the experts bid?

ANSWER: Half of the experts chose 4♦. The rest of the votes were split between 4♠ and 4NT, with just a few votes for other bids.

I am chagrined to admit that I didn’t think of 4♦ at the time, but I believe it is by far the best choice. It isn’t clear whether partner started with 5 spades and 6 clubs, or only 4 spades and 5 (or 6) clubs. While spades will be at least an 8-card trump suit, playing a spade slam could be tricky if partner holds only honor-fourth in the suit. We would like to know more about partner’s hand rather than acting unilaterally.

What does a 4♦ bid mean here? It is forcing; it means “partner, you must bid again”. With a diamond overcall and raise by the opponents, it can’t possibly be to play in diamonds. It may or may not show a diamond control. It doesn’t necessarily show spade support. It implies a hand that is unwilling to just sign off in 4♥ or 4♠. It doesn’t show something in particular; it asks partner for more information. Partner should notice that it is the only forcing call available short of 4♥ or 4♠, either of which would likely end the auction.

An expert player from the UK, Ian Grant, once wrote a lovely eloquent description of this kind of ambiguous bid. I’ll quote it in entirety:

"I think of it as sending a memo: 

Dearest Partner,

Once again I find myself faced with the prospect of a difficult decision in the near future. Since you are at least partially responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs I have no hesitation in requesting your help. Any further information you can provide regarding the cards you are holding would, I am sure, be of great assistance. 

your long suffering friend,

Ian"

Bridge is a partnership game, so get partner involved.

BONUS MINUTE: Spades, not hearts, should almost always be trump here; but you probably knew that already. The spade suit will have the same losers regardless of what's trump. But if there are any heart losers, declarer can most likely ruff them if spades are trump and then use the established hearts to pitch minor suit losers. If hearts are trump, there's no way to get rid of any heart losers.

Dear Partner...

Some hands are just plain hard to bid, with no clear-cut correct answer. That is partly why bridge is such a fascinating game.

Here’s a hand from last week. I wasn’t satisfied with my choice at the table, and even less so the more I thought about it later. I posted this hand as an online bidding poll at BridgeWinners.com to get some expert opinions.

Matchpoints, E-W vulnerable, you are South.
♠ K 8 6 2   ♥ A K J 8 7 6 5   ♦ 2   ♣ 5

North 1 ♣ 3 ♠

East 2 ♦ Pass

You 2 ♥ ??

West 3 ♦

What do you bid over 3 ♠? What do you think the experts bid?

ANSWER: Half of the experts chose 4♦. The rest of the votes were split between 4♠ and 4NT, with just a few votes for other bids.

I am chagrined to admit that I didn’t think of 4♦ at the time, but I believe it is by far the best choice. It isn’t clear whether partner started with 5 spades and 6 clubs, or only 4 spades and 5 (or 6) clubs. While spades will be at least an 8-card trump suit, playing a spade slam could be tricky if partner holds only honor-fourth in the suit. We would like to know more about partner’s hand rather than acting unilaterally.

What does a 4♦ bid mean here? It is forcing; it means “partner, you must bid again”. With a diamond overcall and raise by the opponents, it can’t possibly be to play in diamonds. It may or may not show a diamond control. It doesn’t necessarily show spade support. It implies a hand that is unwilling to just sign off in 4♥ or 4♠. It doesn’t show something in particular; it asks partner for more information. Partner should notice that it is the only forcing call available short of 4♥ or 4♠, either of which would likely end the auction.

An expert player from the UK, Ian Grant, once wrote a lovely eloquent description of this kind of ambiguous bid. I’ll quote it in entirety:

"I think of it as sending a memo: 

Dearest Partner,

Once again I find myself faced with the prospect of a difficult decision in the near future. Since you are at least partially responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs I have no hesitation in requesting your help. Any further information you can provide regarding the cards you are holding would, I am sure, be of great assistance. 

your long suffering friend,

Ian"

Bridge is a partnership game, so get partner involved.

BONUS MINUTE: Spades, not hearts, should almost always be trump here; but you probably knew that already. The spade suit will have the same losers regardless of what's trump. But if there are any heart losers, declarer can most likely ruff them if spades are trump and then use the established hearts to pitch minor suit losers. If hearts are trump, there's no way to get rid of any heart losers.

(minor update 7 Nov)