In the June 2024 issue of Bridge Canada, you can review the last set of problems, along with the answers and comments of the expert panel. The whole panel were tightly bunched with scores in the high forties, but Mike Hargreaves (49) and David Turner (48) nipped the rest of the panel. Welcome Ben Zaidenberg to our June panel! Ben, a former representative of Canada when a Junior, is returning to more active playing. Ashot Harutyunyan had the best reader score for June.
Play along! Enter the Great Canadian Bidding Contest by emailing your answers to the June problems to Neil Kimmelman (editor@cbf.ca) by August 11th. Have fun! The results and the analysis of the experts will be published in the next issue of Bridge Canada.
September Problems
Host: David Turner
1. IMPs, Dealer: West, both vul. As South, you hold:
♠ K Q 4 ♥ A 6 5 4 3 ♦ A 7 3 ♣ J 2
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ |
| Pass | 2♠1 | Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | ? |
1 Game force
a) Do you agree with 2NT? If not, what would you have bid?
b) What now?
2. IMPs, Dealer: South, E-W vul. As South you hold:
♠ A ♥ 5 3 ♦ A Q 10 9 8 4 3 ♣ A K 7
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | |||
| 1♠ | 2♥ | Pass | 2♠ |
| Pass | 4♥ | Pass | ? |
a) Do you agree with 2♠? If not, what would you have bid?
b) What now?
3. IMPs, Dealer: South, both vul. As South you hold:
♠ 8 7 6 3 ♥ Q J ♦ Q 3 ♣ A J 10 9 3
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | |||
| Pass | 4♦1 | Pass | Pass |
| 4♠ | Pass | Pass | ? |
1 Unfamiliar expert partner.
a) Do you agree with the pass of 4♦? If not, what would you have bid?
b) What now?
4. IMPs, Dealer: West, neither vul. As South you hold:
♠ A K J 9 7 4 3 ♥ Q ♦ 7 ♣ A Q 6 5
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♠ | ? |
What is your plan?
5. IMPs, Dealer: East, both vul. As South you hold:
♠ K ♥ A K Q 9 ♦ A 10 8 7 ♣ A Q 6 3
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | ? |
What’s your choice, and why?