Bidding the BIG hand. Bridge Column for July 1, 2001, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN Both sides vulnerable. South deals. NORTH S: J 4 2 H: 9 8 7 5 D: Q 9 5 3 C: 6 5 WEST EAST S: 8 6 5 3 S: 10 7 H: J 6 H: 10 4 2 D: J 7 6 D: 8 4 2 C: K Q 10 2 C: J 9 8 4 3 SOUTH S: A K Q 9 H: A K Q 3 D: A K 10 C: A 2 The Bidding:// SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 2C Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass 4H Pass 7H Pass Pass Pass Thanks to Barbara Greenspan of Beachwood for sending me this hand from the Beechmont Country Club duplicate bridge game last month. Very few players have ever seen a 29 point hand and therefore don't spend much time discussing how they are going to bid one when it comes up. Some experienced partnerships open these hands by bidding four no trump which allows partner to bid a version of the Stayman Convention or even use some have other methods. Most of the players at this game opened two clubs and after the normal two diamond response, had to decide which "underbid" to use so as to get more information. Some of the South's rebid two no trump, which shows 23 to 24 high card points. The problem is that unless they have discussed this with partner, two no trump is not a forcing bid and many of those players played this contract making all of the tricks. Others tried three no trump, also making all of the tricks. Rosanne Kadis of Chagrin Falls and June Garson of Moreland Hills tried a different approach and had a stunning success. Kadis opened two clubs and heard two diamonds. She rebid two hearts, which is forcing. Garson had nothing to speak of but she did have four hearts and she knew that a three heart bid would show a stronger hand than she had, so she bid four hearts as a "close-out". Kadis was not about to be closed out! There was no advantage in asking for aces, she had them all. She knew her partner had four hearts and some values or she would have made a second negative bid after two hearts, so she took the bull by the horns and bid seven hearts. The opening lead was the king of clubs. Trumps were drawn in three rounds and the fourth spade provided a resting place for the the small club in dummy. Well done! By the way, many experienced players are playing a convention (Kokish Relay) that was developed by Eric Kokish of Canada. He says that when you hold a no trump type hand with more than 24 points you should open two clubs. The opener then rebids two hearts after hearing the normal two diamond response. Partner must alert the defense to the fact that he is required to bid two spades. If opener has the no trump hand with more than 24 points, he responds two no trump. If he has the hand that would have been a normal two heart bid, he makes any other call, which is forcing. This works very well when it comes up, which is not often. _______________________________________________________ Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.