Dear Readers,

In this column, we are showing some of the more intriguing email questions Larry has answered. Larry gets too many emails to answer them all, but even with busy schedule, he tries the best he can. Note: Most questions can be answered with a simple search. Go to this site (LARRYCO.COM) and type in your question/topic in the SEARCH box. You are likely to get an article that answers your question.

Below is a recent question and answer that you might find helpful yourself. Please know that the letters may have been edited for clarification and/or to save space.

Common Game Pro Says...What?!!!! or What to do after the Transfer

Partner opened 1NT. I transferred to spades and then was in a quandary. I have in my notes from you that bidding a new suit is "game forcing" and natural. Fred Ferguson who wrote the hand analysis called it a Control Bid and game forcing and suggested 3C.

So I didn't know what to do so I picked 4NT asking partner to pick 6 or 6NT. A slight overbid but I thought better than some other things that could have happened. He picked 5.

I took this as confirmation of having 3 spades and 2 controls without the queen. So I put it in 6. And my assumption was correct and all was good.

Q2. Was his bid of 5 a good thing to do?

Dawn (Me), Santa Barbara

Dear Dawn,

A few comments...

1N-2
2-3 -- That is NOT a control bid!!!! Not in any system on this planet. Anyone who wrote it that way is not qualified to analyze!!!!!

1N-2
2-3 = CLUBS -- natural and GF. 5+ spades and 4+ clubs. This is 1,000% standard.

Repeat -- not a control bid.

You cannot ever control bid until a trump suit/fit is established.

You had a 5-3-3-2 balanced hand. You always start by transferring to the major and then bidding NT. This is 100% also true. Your partner can then go back to your suit if she wants.

The only question you need to consider is how many notrump you bid after the transfer.

This is also straightforward.

With a very weak hand, you transfer and pass.

With an invitational hand (9'ish) you transfer and then invite with 2NT (1N-2-2-2N)

With GAME (no slam interest), of course you go 1N-2-2-3N (and partner passes or corrects).

With a slam force, you can transfer and then bid 5NT pick a slam.

With a slam invite, you transfer and then bid 4NT quantitative.

Your hand is one of the last 2 - -just decide either to invite or drive.

1N-2
2-4N is NOT ace-asking.

To just ask for aces (or keycards), you start with Texas.

1N-4
4-4N = RKC in spades.

Read my Texas/Jacoby article to cement what I've written here - -and feel free to make it into a Q & A article -- especially for the person analyzing this hand. This is depressing. I would be wary right away of anybody who discusses seven losers. What in the world does that have to do with the opening of one notrump? Anyway, his comment about the club Ace is beyond ridiculous.
Analogously, I am sure we read tons of stuff in the real world, in the news for example, where we trust the source but shouldn't.

-Larry