Inverted Raises and Western Cue Bids
The Kibitzer is Shirley Wright
Inverted Raises and Western Cue Bids
Jon Shuster, Gainesville, FL
Shirley: Here is Board 8 from the Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Sectional Tournaments at Clubs for Unit 128 (Florida). This hand was problematic for the seasoned pair I watched. First, let us look at the bidding as it actually occurred, and see if you can find bidding errors (as opposed to unlucky results) made by each player.
With neither side vulnerable, West deals, with NS silent.
West East
S:AKQ3 S:1054
H:A6 H:843
D:AK1054 D:Q8732
C:85 C:A2
West East
1D 3D (1)
3S 4D
P
(1) Inverted Minors [1D-2D is what standard plays as a limit raise (or better), while 1D-3D is what the typical standard player would have raised 1D to 2D on. The roles of the single raise and jump raise are inverted.]
Can you spot the errors?
Solution:
Error 1: West gets a mild error for opening 1D, rather than 2NT. West has 20 HCP and while 1D is not a terrible choice, the reasons for opening 2NT are (a) it provides the most accurate picture of this hand, a relatively balanced 20-21 point hand. Partner will have an opportunity to check for a 4-4 major suit fit on game and slam going hands; (b) if hides your weakness in Clubs. If the bidding goes 1D-1H;2S , you will be screaming for a Club lead. At matchpoints, it pays to play stealth bridge, giving away as little information to the opponents as possible. So the bad result could have been prevented via a 2NT opener.
Error 2: Once East bid 3D, West’s 3S bid was the most serious error on the hand. There are two superior bids: (3H=the better choice or 3NT). After 1D-3D or 1C-3C, the next bids by the opener are Western Cue bids, showing stoppers up the line. New suits at the three level are not attempts to play in that suit, unless the opener has a 5-card suit, intending to rebid it next. So the 3S bid denied a Heart stopper.
West East
1D 3D
3H ?
West would not try for 3NT without 3 suits stopped, so 3H is looking for a stopper in a Black suit:
East:
3S (I have Spades stopped if that is what you are interested in)
3NT (I have Clubs stopped, or rarely both Black suits stopped)
4D (I have neither stopped)
Some may blame East for failing to bid 4C instead of 4D. But from East’s viewpoint, if Hearts are wide open, the East-West cards are unlikely to produce 9 tricks off the top in NT, even if NS can’t take 5 immediate Hearts. At matchpoints, when 3NT is going down, you generally get a good board just for getting a plus score. Why risk playing in 5D.
Summary: Often, players open a minor with 18-19 balanced, and hear an inverted raise from their partner. If you can stop all side, you can bid 3NT. In circumstances with an uncovered suit, the Western Cue bid can help you learn if partner has it covered.
For other Shirley Wright tips, visit www.gainesvillebridge.com and click on the tips icon.