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False Preference

You are responder and hear partner open 1 . You respond 1 NT (because you have a grubby 6-9 point hand without a fit). Partner now rebids 2 , showing his 5 -4  shape (he could be 6 -4  / 5 -5  but you assume 5 -4  until further notice). What now with these?

 
Hand i) Hand ii) Hand iii)
♠ J 2
 J 7 4 3 2
 K 4
♣ K 7 5 2
♠ 10 4
 A 7 6  2
 J 8 4
♣ Q 8 3 2
♠ Q 8 2
 Q 4 3 2
♦ 4 2
♣ K J 5 3

(i) Bid 2 . Because you have merely put opener back to his first suit, you have not shown support, merely preference. Default number of spades in your hand: two.

(ii) Also bid 2 . This is the classic ‘false preference’. You prefer diamonds, but there are good reasons for going back to 2 . Partner could easily have a good hand, say 17 or 18 points; if you pass, it’s bidding over; if you go back to 2 , partner can bid on. Further, 5-2 fits tend to play better than 4-3 fits.

(iii) This is a trick question You would (I hope) have raised 1  to 2  straight away, not bid 1 NT. You should avoid responding 1 NT with three-card support for partner’s 1  (unless you have three rags in a 4333 shape). Yes, partner could only have four spades, but at least he’ll have 15+ points then (with 12-14 he’d have opened 1 NT). When you go back to 2 , you’ll normally have precisely two spades. Sometimes you’ll like partner’s second suit better (the false preference).

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South Deals
None Vul
K 2
10 9 2
A 8 4 2
8 5 3 2
Q 9 8 4
Q 6
K Q 7
Q 9 7 6
 
N
W   E
S
 
10 6
J 8 4
J 10 9 6 5
K J 10
 
A J 7 5 3
A K 7 5 3
3
A 4
West North East South
      1 
Pass 1 N Pass 2 
Pass 2 1 Pass 3 2
Pass 4 3 Pass Pass
Pass      
  1. False preference – the key cog in the bidding machine. North prefers hearts, but passing 2  does not give partner another bid (and clearly he lacks the strength to do more than either pass or bid 2 ). So he puts South back to 2 , knowing that if he has a standard 5-4 minimumish opener, 2  will play fine (and probably better than the trickier 4-3 fit 2  ); but that if he has his actual hand-type, 4  stays in the frame...
  2. Showing extra values and 5 -5  .
  3. North’s features ( K,  109 and  A) look very suitable facing ten major suit cards. So much better than, say,  xx,  xxx, KJxx,  QJxx: same shape, same point-count.
4  by South
Lead:  K

Declarer won  K with  A and correctly started on spades, cashing  K, crossing to  A and ruffing  5 with  9. East overruffed with  J and led back  4. Rising with  K, declarer ruffed  7 with  10. He crossed to  A, cashed  A drawing  Q and  8 and enjoyed  J. He merely gave up  4 at the end. Eleven tricks and game made plus one.

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