Fair Winds on the Plate

Being an expert on splinter bids and a seasoned hurricane veteran, I was hired by the National Weather Service to conduct wind tests during Hurricane Wilma. Specifically, I was to find the exact wind velocity required to break 1/4 inch plate glass. Argh! A flying two-by-four broke it before I could measure anything, and broke my anemometer as well. Still, my report of “pretty fair winds” provides valuable data. Thanks to my research, homeowners now know to stand clear of plate-glass windows during a storm.

These six bidding problems are from a past tournament. Perhaps my clues will help you guess the year and location, but don’t worry about that. As South, simply select your call.

In November 2005 these problems were presented as a poll, with 1491 entrants from 126 locations.
The poll is closed, but you can still try it as a quiz and find your score immediately.

Assume both sides use Standard American bidding (unless noted otherwise) with 15-17 notrumps,
five-card majors and weak two-bids. The object is to determine the best calls based on judgment,
so only basic conventions are allowed. For a system reference, see Standard American Bridge.

Now it’s your turn to step up to the plate and test the winds.

Make your best call, and you can trust that my scoring will be fair — yeah, and some people will believe anything.

Problem 1

IMPs		E-W vul		You, South, hold:
West	North	East	South ?	K 10 7 4 K J 10 7 6 4 3 J 7 —
			Your call? Pass 1  2  3  4

Problem 2

IMPs		E-W vul		You, South, hold:
West Pass	North Pass 1	East 1 Pass	South 1 ?	A Q K 9 7 5 2 7 2 A Q 6 4
			Your call? Pass 2  2  2  2  3

Problem 3

IMPs		E-W vul		You, South, hold:
West 1	North 2	East 4	South ?	8 A 9 7 6 2 J 7 K Q 9 7 6
			Your call? Pass Dbl 4 NT* 5  5

*takeout

Problem 4

IMPs		None vul		You, South, hold:
West Pass Pass Pass	North 1 2 3 NT	East Pass Pass Pass	South 1 3 ?	A K J 8 7 6 10 10 6 A K 7 4
			Your call? Pass 4  4  4  4  5

Problem 5

IMPs		Both vul		You, South, hold:
West Pass	North 1	East 1 Pass	South Dbl ?	Q 5 4 A K 4 A 6 A 10 7 4 3
			Your call? Pass 1 NT 2  2  2

Problem 6

IMPs		None vul		You, South, hold:
West 1 2	North Pass Pass	East 1 NT Pass	South ? ?	4 K 8 3 Q J 6 4 A K Q J 5
			Your two calls?	A. Pass then Dbl B. Pass then 3 C. Dbl then Pass D. Dbl then Dbl E.  Dbl then 3 F.  2 then Pass G. 2 then Dbl

 Click to see how you did

Challenge 8W57 Main Analyses

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© 2005 Richard Pavlicek