Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

 

            Hands holding long strong Minor suits are difficult to exploit profitably.  One needs eleven tricks for game in the suit.  At duplicate pairs, however, even success is likely to produce a worse score than would 3NT.  Then there is the question of the opening bid. At which level should one start?  Should one be “natural”, or artificial?  There are almost as many approaches as there are systems.  Nevertheless, what many of them have in common is that the partnership arrives at a bid, or rebid, by opener at the three level in a six-card almost-solid Minor suit, based on a hand holding around 8 playing tricks. What then?

            Terence Reese analysed this situation over 30 years ago, suggesting various possible combinations of ideas taken from World Champion teams.  A scheme that emerges is in two parts, the simpler part when one is seeking to play in 3NT.  It is summarised best by the adage “Don’t Ask, Don’t tell”: the responder doesn’t ask, opener doesn’t tell.  To be more specific, and approach it from the positive viewpoint, the partner of the long-suited hand tells of stops, the long-suited opener asks for stops.  Hence, if starting from an artificial sequence (Benjamin, or the Multi-2D, say) one reaches the bid 3C, by opener, the responder then tells by bidding:

 

            3D:    I hold a Diamond stop, and perhaps others.

            3H:    I hold a Heart stop, perhaps a Spade stop, but not a Diamond stop.

            3S:    I hold a Spade stop, but neither a Diamond nor a Heart stop.

            3NT:  I hold a high Club honour, (A, K, or Q) but no outside stops.

 

The opener can then decide on 3NT, or knowing it is dangerous, with a suit open, revert to the Minor suit. If in doubt, and there is room, opener can bid an intervening suit at the three level, asking responder if a stop is held there too.  Responder would then bid 3NT with that suit stopped.

            Over a long-suited Diamond hand, the situation is more cramped but similar:

                        3H:      I hold a Heart stop, and perhaps other stops.

                        3S:      I hold a Spade stop, but no Heart stop.

                        3NT:   I hold no Major stop, but either a Club stop,

            or a high Diamond Honour, or both.

 

The above scheme covers most possibilities, and the concept is relatively simple.  Responder may also pass the 3-level Minor, with a blank hand.

With a strong hand, itself perhaps worth an opening bid, there may well be a slam contract to consider.  Holding a balanced hand, the first response is as above, your lowest stop.  If that response would have been 3NT, then it becomes 4NT quantitatively, showing an estimated 4 additional playing tricks.  Similarly, if opener “asks”, after your first “tell”, and your response could be 3NT, you bid 4NT instead.  Should you hold a more distributional powerful hand as responder, however, and you are interested in a slam contract in a different suit, bid your lowest stopped suit at the three level, as requested, then rebid your long suit at the four level.  If interested in a game, but not a slam, bid game directly in that suit. 

The responses of 4C and 4D are conventional.  4C asks for opener’s lower Major support.  4D asks for opener’s lowest Ace.  These examples may help:

 

                        S  K J x

                        H  A Q J 10 x x x

                        D  x x

                        C  x

 

            [2C – 2D (Benjamin)] – 3C – 4H!

Your suit is strong enough to play in game at the 4 level, but you are unlikely to have slam prospects.

 

                        S A K Q J x x             opposite         S x x

                        H A x                                                   H K J x

                        D x x                                                    D A K Q J x x

                        C K x x                                                C A x

 

2C – 2D – 3D – 3H(telling) – 3S(asking) – 4S! – 5C(cue bid) – 6NT(or 7NT!)

 

With a powerful solid 6+-card suit, and slam aspirations, you have bid your lowest stopped other suit, (Ace or King plus, in this context), then over partner’s asking rebid, you have bid your long suit at the 4-level.

4C asks for opener’s lower 3+-card Major (or failing that, a doubleton with one or more of the top three honours).  Denial is 4D.  One may then bid a 6-card Major suggesting that partner choose either to pass, or go to game in the long Minor with only a singleton in the Major, or even try 4NT to play!

 

                        S A Q 10 x x x            opposite         S x

                        H x x x                                     H A x x

                        D K x                                                   D A x x

                        C x x                                                    C A K Q J x x

 

            2C – 2D – 3C - 4C? – 4H – 4S – 4NT (to play)

 

or                     S A K x x x                  opposite         S  x x x

                        H K Q x x x                                         H J x

                        D x                                                      D A K Q 10 x x

                        C x x                                                    C A K x

 

            2C – 2D – 3D - 4C – 4S.

 

 

whereas

                        S -                               opposite         S K Q x

                        H A K x x                                            H x x

                        D K Q J x x x                                      D A x

                        C Q x x                                                C A K J 10 x x x

 

            2C – 2D – 3C – 4D? – 4NT – 7C or 7D!

 

4D asked for opener’s nearest Ace upwards (4NT shows AD).

 

To conclude I quote Mr Reese:

 

            “In proportion to their frequency these situations receive rather complicated treatment. But you know how it is – if you leave a sequence in the air it crops up in an important match just when you can’t afford a game swing.”

 

Think on these things.