Right-click here for hands. 8 tables, including the 99er's who joined the open game.
Board 3: West, falling in between a 1NT and 2NT opener, starts with 1C. East likely responds 1S although a standard, game-forcing 2NT would be a good alternative. West raises 1S to game. Are game bids always "shut-out" bids? Heavens no! Opener is showing 20+ in support and East is unlimited. East bids 4NT and gets a two-Ace or, better, three-keycard response (zero isn't plausible on West's strong bidding.) Blackwood bidders likely raise to 6S, while key-carders may have visions of a grand and inquire about the Queen of trumps (5D over 5C, or 5H over a "1430" 5D reply.) West denies the Queen (next step in some styles, 5S in others) and East contracts for 6S, making easily with the 3-2 trump split and a diamond ruff.
Several pairs tried 6NT instead; in our Precision style, the bidding started 1C (16+)-2NT (14+ balanced) and so as West I knew we had 33 points in high cards. When partner showed two key cards without the Queen, 6NT seemed a better shot than 6S. No joy -- the diamond finesse was off, clubs did not split and there was no squeeze. On another day spades might have broken 4-1 while 6NT rolled home.
If East or West does not know the combined high card count, I think 6NT would be wrong. After 1C-1S-4S, how certain is East that West is not bidding partly on ruffing values? If West would splinter with a singleton or jump to 4C to show a strong 6-4 hand, East might be justified in trying 6NT. In general, however, be wary of trying for 6NT rather than a suit slam if partner's bidding might be based partly on ruffing values. As it happened, only one pair bid 6S while 4 went down at 6NT.
Board 15: West might open an offbeat 2D, but more likely East opens 1C in 4th seat. West responds 1D or 1S; I prefer 1D, expecting a heart rebid and planning to bid the spades twice, which shows the 5-6 pattern. (With 5-5, responder should bid the higher ranking suit first.) I wouldn't expect aggressive bidding by N/S: both passed, and they're vulnerable; so 1D runs little risk of losing the spade suit. A 1S response makes for awkward rebid problems.
East might rebid 1H, especially if partner tends to respond light; but most would probably leap to 2H, game-forcing. West rebids 2S, natural in an up-the-line style after the game force. East raises to 3S; no need to jump again, the 2H bid commits the partnership to at least 3NT.
West can now visualize slam if opener has a control-rich hand: AKxx Axxx Q Axxx, for example, only 17 hcp but an excellent slam opposite West's QJxxx x KJ10xxx Q . This sort of slam is hard to bid, as West can't be sure East has three key cards to make even 5S and East does not know about West's great playing strength. +480 or even +510 scores well; the slam requires a finesse in trumps, and should not be bid.
Board 20: North could open 2C but two-suiters can be awkward and so 1S is probably better unless the tricks are more solid. He plans to jump-shift in diamonds. South raises to 2S or uses a Bergen gadget. If 2S is standard 6-9/10, West may double to compete for the part-score; against a constructive raise, pass is probably wiser. Assuming a pass, North can visualize slam if South can cover three losers: xxxx Kx xx Axxxx, for example. North might bid 3D as a "game try"; South, with help in diamonds and around 9 value in support of spades bids the game. Now North may try 4NT and then bid the slam; this requires a non-trump finesse, making it a better bet than Board 15, but still an OK slam not to bid. An odd thing: if South has nothing in diamonds, the AJ10 will probably lose only 1 trick; "help" in diamonds really doesn't help much (though Kx along with four trumps would be excellent.)
Board 21: North-South should not get active at this vulnerability and presumably pass throughout. East opens 1H, West plans to show a balanced, 3 card, game-invitational raise by way of a forcing 1NT followed by 3H. If 1NT isn't forcing West can temporize with 2C or 2D. Over 1NT East counts 8.5 tricks and leaps to game (4H.) Should West go on? 2.5 quick tricks and the unrevealed support might erase a trump loser; if partner's hearts were solid he might have bid 3NT rather than 4H. With no control in clubs, a 4S cue-bid is best; East is delighted to hear about the spade control and bids the slam after checking on Aces/Key cards. The slam needs one of two finesses and not Qxx of trumps with South; as it happens, the spade finesse isn't needed since Kxx of clubs is in the slot.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
5-5 majors over 1NT
Last time I discussed using jumps to 3H and 3S over 1NT as one-suited slam tries, which allows for cue-bidding below game level. Many players use those jumps for 5-5 major hands, 3H = invite, 3S = game force. I think that treatment is inefficient, wasteful of useful bids, and completely unnecessary:
With 5-5 weak, transfer to the better major and pass; or use Stayman-then-2H as weak with both majors.
With 5-5 invitational, transfer to hearts, then bid 2S. A Stayman or transfer bid followed by a new suit at the two level has always been invitational; why leap to the three level? With 4-5 majors, start with Stayman. However, if you've agreed 1NT-2C-2D-2H is weak with both majors, 1NT-2D-2H-2S may be 4-5 or 5-5 invitational. Using the jump for the 5-5 hand does clarify things, but at the expense of forcing our side to the three level. And these days it's not uncommon for opener to have Kx Qx KJxxx AQxx for his 1NT opening, so the 3H puts us at the three level with no fit and not enough points for 3NT. Ugh.
With 5-5 game forcing, 1NT-2H-2S-3H has always shown this shape and strength; again, with 5-4 majors, you would start with Stayman, then jump in spades if opener replies 2D (or jump in the shorter major if playing Smolen.) The transfer-then-3H sequence gives opener room to confirm spade support (3S) or cue-bid in support of hearts (4C or 4D.) The 5-5 jump makes it impossible for opener to both cue-bid and specify what's trumps, which in turn makes it impossible for either player to cue-bid a major.
Giving up the useful 3H and 3S bids for an inferior, unnecessary treatment is worse than useless. Some experts assign special, artificial meanings to the transfer-then-other major sequences, but I've never seen one I thought was worth the memory load.
Note: novice players often treat 1NT-2H-2S-3H or 4H as "oops, I forgot we were playing transfers." This is illegal, of course, but since no advantage is gained and the bid usually puts them at a higher level and playing the contract from the wrong side, experienced opponents can generally content themselves with a mild chuckle and not make a fuss about it.
With 5-5 weak, transfer to the better major and pass; or use Stayman-then-2H as weak with both majors.
With 5-5 invitational, transfer to hearts, then bid 2S. A Stayman or transfer bid followed by a new suit at the two level has always been invitational; why leap to the three level? With 4-5 majors, start with Stayman. However, if you've agreed 1NT-2C-2D-2H is weak with both majors, 1NT-2D-2H-2S may be 4-5 or 5-5 invitational. Using the jump for the 5-5 hand does clarify things, but at the expense of forcing our side to the three level. And these days it's not uncommon for opener to have Kx Qx KJxxx AQxx for his 1NT opening, so the 3H puts us at the three level with no fit and not enough points for 3NT. Ugh.
With 5-5 game forcing, 1NT-2H-2S-3H has always shown this shape and strength; again, with 5-4 majors, you would start with Stayman, then jump in spades if opener replies 2D (or jump in the shorter major if playing Smolen.) The transfer-then-3H sequence gives opener room to confirm spade support (3S) or cue-bid in support of hearts (4C or 4D.) The 5-5 jump makes it impossible for opener to both cue-bid and specify what's trumps, which in turn makes it impossible for either player to cue-bid a major.
Giving up the useful 3H and 3S bids for an inferior, unnecessary treatment is worse than useless. Some experts assign special, artificial meanings to the transfer-then-other major sequences, but I've never seen one I thought was worth the memory load.
Note: novice players often treat 1NT-2H-2S-3H or 4H as "oops, I forgot we were playing transfers." This is illegal, of course, but since no advantage is gained and the bid usually puts them at a higher level and playing the contract from the wrong side, experienced opponents can generally content themselves with a mild chuckle and not make a fuss about it.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
1NT-3H or 3S
Since work (tutoring) started up again, I haven't played bridge or blogged in a while.
An important tool for reaching slams is the jump to 3 of a major when partner opens 1NT (15-17.) This was a traditional part of standard bidding, 1NT-3H or 3S showing at least a five card suit and at least game-forcing values. Opener was expected to raise or cue-bid an Ace with 3 or more trumps, or bid 3NT to deny support. Since the widespread adoption of transfers, these jumps are no longer needed when trying to decide between 3NT and 4H/4S. Responder with, say, AJxxx KQx xx xxx simply transfers to 2S and then jumps to 3NT, expecting opener to correct to 4S with 3+ trumps.
But what about AJxxx AQx xx Axx ? Responder knows the combined assets total 30 to 32 hcp, plus a point for his 5 card suit, and possibly a point if opener has a doubleton and 3+ trumps. That's somewhere between 31 and 34 points in value. The usual target for 6NT is 33 hcp; but with a fit, slam in the major suit may be quite good. Picture opener with KQxx Kxxx Axx Kx, for example: 5 trumps, 3 hearts, 3 quick tricks in diamonds and clubs, plus a club ruff. That's a "perfect 15", but opener could have many 16 or 17 point hands which would give a good play for 6S. Note that 6NT requires a lucky 3-3 heart break, squeeze or defensive error, and in any of those cases you would likely take all the tricks at spades.
So, how should responder proceed? Most likely, transfer to 2S, then jump to 4NT, which partner takes as Blackwood or RKCB; if the response shows no more than one key card missing, responder then bids the slam (without knowing whether a fit exists!) or, more likely, huddles for a long time before bidding 5S. With a good hand, opener gets the message and raises to 6S. (If anyone reading this doesn't know, such bidding is illegal and is apt to result in an adjusted score and warning from the director at any high-level event.)
Go back to old-fashioned bidding: with a slammish hand, responder's hand is approximately as good as opener's and transferring to opener's hand isn't a priority. Jumping to 3H or 3S instead of transferring shows definite slam interest. Opener bids 3NT as before to deny support, but tends to cue-bid freely since responder is known to be interested in slam. A typical 1NT opening has 5 controls (Ace =2, King = 1, so AAK or AKKK); I would suggest cue-bidding any time opener has a fit and at least 4 controls (AA, AKK or four Kings.) Any such cue-bid promises 3+ trrumps. Opener raises 4 with trump support but no more than 3 controls (AK or KKK or worse.)
Traditionally, a slam cue-bid promised first-round control of a suit, and since opener is known not to have a void, such cue-bids promise the Ace. However, for a small slam, it is only necessary to avoid two quick losers in a suit, so KQ by opener or Kx by responder is adequate control. My practice is to "borrow" a key card from the trump suit when cue-bidding a King; with no such card to "borrow", I skip over the King and bid the cheapest Ace. With that restriction, cue-bid the cheapest control so that the partnership can quickly determine, below the game level, whether all suits are controlled. Then someone can use RKCB to make sure you aren't missing two key cards or one key plus the queen.
Example1:
KQxx AJxxx
Kx AQx
QJxx xx
Axx KQx
1NT-3S
4C-4H
4S-pass
Responder shows his 5 card suit and slam interest; opener has 4 controls and trump suipport, so he cooperates by cue-bidding 4C. Responder cue-bids 4H, skipping the diamond suit. With no control in diamonds, opener sings off at 4S. Despite 31 HCP, an excellent fit and 4 key cards, a poor slam is avoided.
Example 2:
Kxx AQJxx
Qx AJx
AQxx Kx
KQxx xxx
1NT-3S
4C-4D
4S-4NT
5H-6S
Responder shows his suit and slam interest; opener shows his fit by cue-bidding his cheapest control, "borrowing" the King of trumps to cue-bid in clubs. Responder shows his diamond control, "borrowing" the Ace of trumps to cue-bid the diamond King. Opener has no control in hearts; responder does, and RKCB shows four key cards are held. Holding the Queen of trumps, responder bids slam.
At first glance, slam seems to need a finesse in hearts; but one heart can be pitched on a diamond and their are chances for another pitch on clubs or the fourth diamond if South can be squeezed. So, this is a better than 50% slam. Add a ten to opener's hand in either minor and the odds improve substantially.
An important tool for reaching slams is the jump to 3 of a major when partner opens 1NT (15-17.) This was a traditional part of standard bidding, 1NT-3H or 3S showing at least a five card suit and at least game-forcing values. Opener was expected to raise or cue-bid an Ace with 3 or more trumps, or bid 3NT to deny support. Since the widespread adoption of transfers, these jumps are no longer needed when trying to decide between 3NT and 4H/4S. Responder with, say, AJxxx KQx xx xxx simply transfers to 2S and then jumps to 3NT, expecting opener to correct to 4S with 3+ trumps.
But what about AJxxx AQx xx Axx ? Responder knows the combined assets total 30 to 32 hcp, plus a point for his 5 card suit, and possibly a point if opener has a doubleton and 3+ trumps. That's somewhere between 31 and 34 points in value. The usual target for 6NT is 33 hcp; but with a fit, slam in the major suit may be quite good. Picture opener with KQxx Kxxx Axx Kx, for example: 5 trumps, 3 hearts, 3 quick tricks in diamonds and clubs, plus a club ruff. That's a "perfect 15", but opener could have many 16 or 17 point hands which would give a good play for 6S. Note that 6NT requires a lucky 3-3 heart break, squeeze or defensive error, and in any of those cases you would likely take all the tricks at spades.
So, how should responder proceed? Most likely, transfer to 2S, then jump to 4NT, which partner takes as Blackwood or RKCB; if the response shows no more than one key card missing, responder then bids the slam (without knowing whether a fit exists!) or, more likely, huddles for a long time before bidding 5S. With a good hand, opener gets the message and raises to 6S. (If anyone reading this doesn't know, such bidding is illegal and is apt to result in an adjusted score and warning from the director at any high-level event.)
Go back to old-fashioned bidding: with a slammish hand, responder's hand is approximately as good as opener's and transferring to opener's hand isn't a priority. Jumping to 3H or 3S instead of transferring shows definite slam interest. Opener bids 3NT as before to deny support, but tends to cue-bid freely since responder is known to be interested in slam. A typical 1NT opening has 5 controls (Ace =2, King = 1, so AAK or AKKK); I would suggest cue-bidding any time opener has a fit and at least 4 controls (AA, AKK or four Kings.) Any such cue-bid promises 3+ trrumps. Opener raises 4 with trump support but no more than 3 controls (AK or KKK or worse.)
Traditionally, a slam cue-bid promised first-round control of a suit, and since opener is known not to have a void, such cue-bids promise the Ace. However, for a small slam, it is only necessary to avoid two quick losers in a suit, so KQ by opener or Kx by responder is adequate control. My practice is to "borrow" a key card from the trump suit when cue-bidding a King; with no such card to "borrow", I skip over the King and bid the cheapest Ace. With that restriction, cue-bid the cheapest control so that the partnership can quickly determine, below the game level, whether all suits are controlled. Then someone can use RKCB to make sure you aren't missing two key cards or one key plus the queen.
Example1:
KQxx AJxxx
Kx AQx
QJxx xx
Axx KQx
1NT-3S
4C-4H
4S-pass
Responder shows his 5 card suit and slam interest; opener has 4 controls and trump suipport, so he cooperates by cue-bidding 4C. Responder cue-bids 4H, skipping the diamond suit. With no control in diamonds, opener sings off at 4S. Despite 31 HCP, an excellent fit and 4 key cards, a poor slam is avoided.
Example 2:
Kxx AQJxx
Qx AJx
AQxx Kx
KQxx xxx
1NT-3S
4C-4D
4S-4NT
5H-6S
Responder shows his suit and slam interest; opener shows his fit by cue-bidding his cheapest control, "borrowing" the King of trumps to cue-bid in clubs. Responder shows his diamond control, "borrowing" the Ace of trumps to cue-bid the diamond King. Opener has no control in hearts; responder does, and RKCB shows four key cards are held. Holding the Queen of trumps, responder bids slam.
At first glance, slam seems to need a finesse in hearts; but one heart can be pitched on a diamond and their are chances for another pitch on clubs or the fourth diamond if South can be squeezed. So, this is a better than 50% slam. Add a ten to opener's hand in either minor and the odds improve substantially.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday 9/5/10
Right-click here for hands. 3 tables each in the Open and 99er sections. I was busy re-arranging my living space (I have to reduce my life to one room by Oct. 1st) and so missed the game.
Board 3: A normal auction would be 1NT-2C-2H-3NT-pass. Various slams are makeable, but notice that you have winning finesses in hearts and diamonds and clubs split 3-3. 31 hcp with no fit will generally not give a good play for 6NT, and only two declarers managed 12 tricks.
Board 6: East should open 3D, even vulnerable vs. not; with such a good trump suit you are unlikely to be doubled. South overcalls 3H and North replies 3S; this is forcing by an unpassed hand. South rebids 4C (has to be natural, for hands just like this) and North should smell a slam, though 4S would be a reasonable matchpoint guess. Over 4D, South's 5 loser hand justifies 4NT; North replies with only 1 Ace or Key card but South guesses he has good trumps for his bidding and signs off in 6C.
West leads a diamond, dummy wins and South unblacks the Ace of spades before tackling trumps (low from hand). West ducks the first trump and South continues low to his King. Declarer plans on winning four trumps, two red aces and 5 or 6 spades along with a diamond ruff if needed. West holds off again, planning to cover dummy's last trump with his Ace. South leads another trump to dummy, and now West has the bare Ace while South has two trumps and North one. Leading another trump would leave no entry back to the spades, so declarer begins running the spades. West can ruff in on the fourth spade but dummy has a trump left for re-entry and N/S chalk up +920.
At 4S, a reasonable line for North would be to win the first diamond, ruff a diamond with the Ace, pitch the last diamond on the Ace of hearts, ruff a heart back to hand, play three top trumps and then knock out the Ace of clubs. Twelve tricks if the ten of spades drops, 11 if it does not but trumps are 4-2.
A safer line for 10 tricks would be to lead a club off dummy after cashing the Ace of hearts; this avoids losing control if spades are 5-1, but allows the defense a club ruff. At matchpoints one rarely surrenders an overtrick to guard against a 5-1 break, unless you're doubled.
Board 15: South opens 1C, North replies 1H, South raises to 2H and North bids either 4H (if South promises four card support) or 3NT (in case South raised on only 3.) Unless you have explicitly discussed and ruled out three card raises with this partner, South should correct to 4H despite his flat shape. (Most experts will raise with Qxx of trumps and a singleton, some with xxx or a small doubleton, so don't assume 4 trumps in this sequence without discussion.)
West has no attractive lead. Adding his 11 hcp to N/S's 24+ for game leaves very little for partner, so West should try to avoid blowing a trick on the lead. Also, the auction did not suggest any strong side suit for dummy or declarer. Leading the Ace without the King is very poor, Qxx in declarer's first suit is surely wrong, and there is no reason to consider a trump from Kx. That leaves the four of spades, high from a doubleton; this is a poor but "least-worst" choice. (With a weaker hand, where partner can be expected to have some values, it is better to lead from an honor than from a small doubleton; imagine partner has the King or Queen in whatever suit you lead. If you have an honor you may build up a trick for your side; if you lead from nothing you will often finesse partner with no opportunity for gain.)
South wins and should play the Ace and a low trump. Inexperienced players often confuse this sort of holding with one such as AJ10x opposite Q9xx; then, you would lead the Queen from dummy hoping East covers. A good guideline is to ask yourself whether, if you lead an honor and it is covered, you gain a trick; if not, do not lead an honor, lead toward it. As it happens, South can still pick up trumps with only one loser if he starts with the Queen by leading low toward the A10 the next round, but that play would cost a trick if West held KJx and can gain only against an unlikely singelton Jack with West.
West wins the King and observes dummy started with 14 hcp, not 12, so prospects of a useful card in partner's hand are quite bleak. May as well try Ace of diamonds and a diamond, hoping for a ruff. No such luck and declarer should score 4 spade tricks, 4 trumps, a diamond and two clubs for +650.
Board 16: West opens 1D, North overcalls 2C, South replies 2S. North has enough to try 2NT; South can support clubs but you hate to leave a secen card major "on the shelf". He should give some thought to 4S but should probably settle for 3S with his Aceless hand and most of his points in his short suits. North may raise but, having basically described his hand, should trust partner and pass.
West would like to pass the lead but the rules require him to select one. "When in doubt, lead a trump" is apt to be poor advice here -- North has announced a good source of tricks in clubs, and declarer can be expected to pull trumps and discard losers on clubs. Leading an Ace to "look at dummy" will generally prove to be an expensive view. And if you lead Ace from Ace-King, how can partner tell when you lead an unsupported Ace?
I think I'd try the King of clubs. This looks wrong: partner is unlikely to have an entry to give you a ruff, and it seems you are assisting declarer in establishing clubs. But he'll have to lead toward one of your Aces, or allow you to ruff a club. The lead proves not to be critical unless West cashes the Ace of diamonds and does not cash the Ace of hearts; West collects three Aces and another trump.
Board 19: West opens 1C and North likely doubles, though I might prefer 1D with this Aceless collection. Some Easts would redouble but the modern style is to respond in a major if possible, ignoring the double. Over 1H, South should go ahead and bid 1S -- don't leave partner to fight the part-score battles on his own; he should not expect more than this in competition. Likewise, West's 2C is "automatic"; pass would suggest a balanced minimum, not this excellent, shapely hand. If you learned from a textbook that free bids, even at levels, promise extra values, rip those pages out and burn them -- that theory has been obsolete for 50 years. Get in the trenches and fight for those part-scores!
North would pass partner's 1S if West passes but should confirm the four card support by raising to 2S in competition. The basic goal of competitive bidding, when both sides have a fit, is to force the oponnents to the three level.
East would like to bid 3NT at this point but lacks a clear spade stopper. I suggest 3D, forcing, hoping for delayed heart support or 3NT from partner. It's routine to bid a 3 card minor as a convenience bid when needed. West bids 3NT. (Ideal would be 3S, asking partner to bid 3NT; this helps when partner has Qx. But you'd need partner to bid 3NT regardless of his spade holding and few partnerships have such an agreement.)
Ten or more tricks are easy at 3NT. Five clubs can also make but requires a bit of guesswork. Long, running suits are ideal for notrump if you have enough quick tricks and stoppers on the side.
Board 3: A normal auction would be 1NT-2C-2H-3NT-pass. Various slams are makeable, but notice that you have winning finesses in hearts and diamonds and clubs split 3-3. 31 hcp with no fit will generally not give a good play for 6NT, and only two declarers managed 12 tricks.
Board 6: East should open 3D, even vulnerable vs. not; with such a good trump suit you are unlikely to be doubled. South overcalls 3H and North replies 3S; this is forcing by an unpassed hand. South rebids 4C (has to be natural, for hands just like this) and North should smell a slam, though 4S would be a reasonable matchpoint guess. Over 4D, South's 5 loser hand justifies 4NT; North replies with only 1 Ace or Key card but South guesses he has good trumps for his bidding and signs off in 6C.
West leads a diamond, dummy wins and South unblacks the Ace of spades before tackling trumps (low from hand). West ducks the first trump and South continues low to his King. Declarer plans on winning four trumps, two red aces and 5 or 6 spades along with a diamond ruff if needed. West holds off again, planning to cover dummy's last trump with his Ace. South leads another trump to dummy, and now West has the bare Ace while South has two trumps and North one. Leading another trump would leave no entry back to the spades, so declarer begins running the spades. West can ruff in on the fourth spade but dummy has a trump left for re-entry and N/S chalk up +920.
At 4S, a reasonable line for North would be to win the first diamond, ruff a diamond with the Ace, pitch the last diamond on the Ace of hearts, ruff a heart back to hand, play three top trumps and then knock out the Ace of clubs. Twelve tricks if the ten of spades drops, 11 if it does not but trumps are 4-2.
A safer line for 10 tricks would be to lead a club off dummy after cashing the Ace of hearts; this avoids losing control if spades are 5-1, but allows the defense a club ruff. At matchpoints one rarely surrenders an overtrick to guard against a 5-1 break, unless you're doubled.
Board 15: South opens 1C, North replies 1H, South raises to 2H and North bids either 4H (if South promises four card support) or 3NT (in case South raised on only 3.) Unless you have explicitly discussed and ruled out three card raises with this partner, South should correct to 4H despite his flat shape. (Most experts will raise with Qxx of trumps and a singleton, some with xxx or a small doubleton, so don't assume 4 trumps in this sequence without discussion.)
West has no attractive lead. Adding his 11 hcp to N/S's 24+ for game leaves very little for partner, so West should try to avoid blowing a trick on the lead. Also, the auction did not suggest any strong side suit for dummy or declarer. Leading the Ace without the King is very poor, Qxx in declarer's first suit is surely wrong, and there is no reason to consider a trump from Kx. That leaves the four of spades, high from a doubleton; this is a poor but "least-worst" choice. (With a weaker hand, where partner can be expected to have some values, it is better to lead from an honor than from a small doubleton; imagine partner has the King or Queen in whatever suit you lead. If you have an honor you may build up a trick for your side; if you lead from nothing you will often finesse partner with no opportunity for gain.)
South wins and should play the Ace and a low trump. Inexperienced players often confuse this sort of holding with one such as AJ10x opposite Q9xx; then, you would lead the Queen from dummy hoping East covers. A good guideline is to ask yourself whether, if you lead an honor and it is covered, you gain a trick; if not, do not lead an honor, lead toward it. As it happens, South can still pick up trumps with only one loser if he starts with the Queen by leading low toward the A10 the next round, but that play would cost a trick if West held KJx and can gain only against an unlikely singelton Jack with West.
West wins the King and observes dummy started with 14 hcp, not 12, so prospects of a useful card in partner's hand are quite bleak. May as well try Ace of diamonds and a diamond, hoping for a ruff. No such luck and declarer should score 4 spade tricks, 4 trumps, a diamond and two clubs for +650.
Board 16: West opens 1D, North overcalls 2C, South replies 2S. North has enough to try 2NT; South can support clubs but you hate to leave a secen card major "on the shelf". He should give some thought to 4S but should probably settle for 3S with his Aceless hand and most of his points in his short suits. North may raise but, having basically described his hand, should trust partner and pass.
West would like to pass the lead but the rules require him to select one. "When in doubt, lead a trump" is apt to be poor advice here -- North has announced a good source of tricks in clubs, and declarer can be expected to pull trumps and discard losers on clubs. Leading an Ace to "look at dummy" will generally prove to be an expensive view. And if you lead Ace from Ace-King, how can partner tell when you lead an unsupported Ace?
I think I'd try the King of clubs. This looks wrong: partner is unlikely to have an entry to give you a ruff, and it seems you are assisting declarer in establishing clubs. But he'll have to lead toward one of your Aces, or allow you to ruff a club. The lead proves not to be critical unless West cashes the Ace of diamonds and does not cash the Ace of hearts; West collects three Aces and another trump.
Board 19: West opens 1C and North likely doubles, though I might prefer 1D with this Aceless collection. Some Easts would redouble but the modern style is to respond in a major if possible, ignoring the double. Over 1H, South should go ahead and bid 1S -- don't leave partner to fight the part-score battles on his own; he should not expect more than this in competition. Likewise, West's 2C is "automatic"; pass would suggest a balanced minimum, not this excellent, shapely hand. If you learned from a textbook that free bids, even at levels, promise extra values, rip those pages out and burn them -- that theory has been obsolete for 50 years. Get in the trenches and fight for those part-scores!
North would pass partner's 1S if West passes but should confirm the four card support by raising to 2S in competition. The basic goal of competitive bidding, when both sides have a fit, is to force the oponnents to the three level.
East would like to bid 3NT at this point but lacks a clear spade stopper. I suggest 3D, forcing, hoping for delayed heart support or 3NT from partner. It's routine to bid a 3 card minor as a convenience bid when needed. West bids 3NT. (Ideal would be 3S, asking partner to bid 3NT; this helps when partner has Qx. But you'd need partner to bid 3NT regardless of his spade holding and few partnerships have such an agreement.)
Ten or more tricks are easy at 3NT. Five clubs can also make but requires a bit of guesswork. Long, running suits are ideal for notrump if you have enough quick tricks and stoppers on the side.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday 9/3/10
Right-click here for hands.
Board 7: After two passes, North opens a strong 2C. East may try to jam things up with a leap in hearts or a two-suited 4NT takeout (partner will expect the minors but East will correct 5C to 5D, showing diamonds and hearts.) No matter, N/S should land in 6S, making 7 when the King of clubs drops. Bidding with super-weak hands such as East's will as likely help declarer play the contract as lead to a winning sacrifice, but here it has no effect on the contract or play.
Board 11: West opens 1H and North likely preempts 3C. East bids 4C to show a high-card-rich raise (the bid has nothing to do with clubs) and West signs off at 4H. Should East make a slam try? A sound principle is not to venture beyond game unless you know your side has the power for 12 tricks. If you reach 5 with 12 tricks but 2 top losers, you will usually survive. If you have only enough for 11 tricks, any bad luck may be fatal.
South probably doubles 4C for a lead, in which case West has choices. 4H would be the weakest action; South's double suggests the club King may not lie under the Ace, and overall West has a fair hand; 4D would show active slam interest while pass is mildly encouraging. After 1H-(3C)-4C-(X)-pass, East cue-bids 4D. West is still minimum and uncertain how useful the club King will be, so 4H seems prudent as does East's final pass. Slam makes only due to the best luck possible in spades.
Board 12: A heartbreaker, with multiple slams makeable but difficult to handle at the table. North opens 1S (a cautious player might pass this control-poor, aceless collection) and South puts the pedal to the metal. A typical 2/1 GF sequence might be 1S-2H-4H, North showing his support and a very bad hand for slam. No matter, South continues with 4NT-5D (or 5C playing 1430)-5NT (we have all the key cards and the Queen of trumps)-6D (one side King)-6H-pass. North could bid the grand slam himself directly over 5NT if he had solid spades (that's why the bid MUST promise all six "prime" cards) so South should not get greedy.
At our table West led a club and the Queen won. This does not mark West with the King as East should not cover, looking at both the Queen and Jack and knowing South has the Ace. (West is hardly likely to be void in spades or diamonds on this bidding, so East can dismiss a spectacular underlead from partner.)
South can count a likely 2 spades, 5 hearts, 2 diamonds including a ruff and 2 clubs. He needs the spade finesse, a long spade, or another club trick. He wants to guard against a 4-1 trump split, and an early ruff, such as in clubs. A reasonable plan might be two rounds of trumps, Ace of diamonds and a ruff, spade back to hand, finish pulling trumps, finesse the Jack of spades This makes if niether spades nor trumps are 5-0, West does not have Jxxx of trumps, and either the spade finesse works or the suit split 3-2.
Which way to start the hearts? If East has Jxxx, you may switch gears and lead the third trump from dummy, planning to dispose of the diamond on a long spade if the suit is 3-2 or resort to the diamond finesse if spades are 4-1. Looks like low heart to the Ace, low to the King gives you the option to finesse or take the ruff as needed; at least two declarers took an immediate ruff, which seems premature.
Low the Ace and West shows out! Let's rethink -- you now have a trump loser and must hope the spade finesse works. Also, you need to pitch a club, so better hope West has Qx(x) of spades. That gives you 4 trumps, 5 spades, 1 diamond, 2 clubs, still 12 tricks. Heart back to the King, finesse a heart, Queen of hearts and give East his trump trick so he can't stop the spades later. With Aces in both minors and West's Qxx in spades, the slam rolls in despite the 5-0 break. No one at the table found this line. Playing the King of hearts first allows declarer to avoid a trump loser and make 7, but that play seems to cater only to East having 5 trumps, an unlikely case.
Several pairs landed in 6 spades, makeable on a squeeze against West, even with the opening heart ruff. With only Axx support, I see no reason for South to support spades once partner raises hearts.
Board 13: North opens 2NT (20-21) and South must decide whether to bid or pass. 3NT rates to be around 40% opposite 20, 59% opposite 21; and there is the possibility of a heart fit if South bids Stayman. However, 4H may not be a good spot even with a fit. With no Ace or King and a sketchy suit, pass is probably best, but at matchpoints South may reasonably try Stayman and, when opener bids hearts, pass! This seems inconsistent since South will have to bid 3NT over 3D or 3S, but simply getting to hearts may win the board as other Souths pass or raise to 3NT. Only two pairs stopped at 2NT, something to keep in mind when you face this sort of 24-or-25 combined hcp stop-or-bid decision.
Board 26: East opens 1S (higher ranking with 5-5), West responds 1NT (forcing for most these days), East jump-shifts to 3D (game forcing), West bids 3NT, all pass. North leads the six of hearts, Q, K. Should West win or hold up? Win, since 108x can stand a lead from either side and this is matchpoints. It looks like the defense should collect a diamond and two hearts (whether or not West holds up) but four declarers managed 11 tricks (two were East and perhaps the Wests got a different lead.)
Board 7: After two passes, North opens a strong 2C. East may try to jam things up with a leap in hearts or a two-suited 4NT takeout (partner will expect the minors but East will correct 5C to 5D, showing diamonds and hearts.) No matter, N/S should land in 6S, making 7 when the King of clubs drops. Bidding with super-weak hands such as East's will as likely help declarer play the contract as lead to a winning sacrifice, but here it has no effect on the contract or play.
Board 11: West opens 1H and North likely preempts 3C. East bids 4C to show a high-card-rich raise (the bid has nothing to do with clubs) and West signs off at 4H. Should East make a slam try? A sound principle is not to venture beyond game unless you know your side has the power for 12 tricks. If you reach 5 with 12 tricks but 2 top losers, you will usually survive. If you have only enough for 11 tricks, any bad luck may be fatal.
South probably doubles 4C for a lead, in which case West has choices. 4H would be the weakest action; South's double suggests the club King may not lie under the Ace, and overall West has a fair hand; 4D would show active slam interest while pass is mildly encouraging. After 1H-(3C)-4C-(X)-pass, East cue-bids 4D. West is still minimum and uncertain how useful the club King will be, so 4H seems prudent as does East's final pass. Slam makes only due to the best luck possible in spades.
Board 12: A heartbreaker, with multiple slams makeable but difficult to handle at the table. North opens 1S (a cautious player might pass this control-poor, aceless collection) and South puts the pedal to the metal. A typical 2/1 GF sequence might be 1S-2H-4H, North showing his support and a very bad hand for slam. No matter, South continues with 4NT-5D (or 5C playing 1430)-5NT (we have all the key cards and the Queen of trumps)-6D (one side King)-6H-pass. North could bid the grand slam himself directly over 5NT if he had solid spades (that's why the bid MUST promise all six "prime" cards) so South should not get greedy.
At our table West led a club and the Queen won. This does not mark West with the King as East should not cover, looking at both the Queen and Jack and knowing South has the Ace. (West is hardly likely to be void in spades or diamonds on this bidding, so East can dismiss a spectacular underlead from partner.)
South can count a likely 2 spades, 5 hearts, 2 diamonds including a ruff and 2 clubs. He needs the spade finesse, a long spade, or another club trick. He wants to guard against a 4-1 trump split, and an early ruff, such as in clubs. A reasonable plan might be two rounds of trumps, Ace of diamonds and a ruff, spade back to hand, finish pulling trumps, finesse the Jack of spades This makes if niether spades nor trumps are 5-0, West does not have Jxxx of trumps, and either the spade finesse works or the suit split 3-2.
Which way to start the hearts? If East has Jxxx, you may switch gears and lead the third trump from dummy, planning to dispose of the diamond on a long spade if the suit is 3-2 or resort to the diamond finesse if spades are 4-1. Looks like low heart to the Ace, low to the King gives you the option to finesse or take the ruff as needed; at least two declarers took an immediate ruff, which seems premature.
Low the Ace and West shows out! Let's rethink -- you now have a trump loser and must hope the spade finesse works. Also, you need to pitch a club, so better hope West has Qx(x) of spades. That gives you 4 trumps, 5 spades, 1 diamond, 2 clubs, still 12 tricks. Heart back to the King, finesse a heart, Queen of hearts and give East his trump trick so he can't stop the spades later. With Aces in both minors and West's Qxx in spades, the slam rolls in despite the 5-0 break. No one at the table found this line. Playing the King of hearts first allows declarer to avoid a trump loser and make 7, but that play seems to cater only to East having 5 trumps, an unlikely case.
Several pairs landed in 6 spades, makeable on a squeeze against West, even with the opening heart ruff. With only Axx support, I see no reason for South to support spades once partner raises hearts.
Board 13: North opens 2NT (20-21) and South must decide whether to bid or pass. 3NT rates to be around 40% opposite 20, 59% opposite 21; and there is the possibility of a heart fit if South bids Stayman. However, 4H may not be a good spot even with a fit. With no Ace or King and a sketchy suit, pass is probably best, but at matchpoints South may reasonably try Stayman and, when opener bids hearts, pass! This seems inconsistent since South will have to bid 3NT over 3D or 3S, but simply getting to hearts may win the board as other Souths pass or raise to 3NT. Only two pairs stopped at 2NT, something to keep in mind when you face this sort of 24-or-25 combined hcp stop-or-bid decision.
Board 26: East opens 1S (higher ranking with 5-5), West responds 1NT (forcing for most these days), East jump-shifts to 3D (game forcing), West bids 3NT, all pass. North leads the six of hearts, Q, K. Should West win or hold up? Win, since 108x can stand a lead from either side and this is matchpoints. It looks like the defense should collect a diamond and two hearts (whether or not West holds up) but four declarers managed 11 tricks (two were East and perhaps the Wests got a different lead.)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday 9/1/10
Right-click here for hands. More slams!
Board 3: 9 of 13 pairs reached slam. A typical 2/1 Game Force sequence might be 1H-2C-2H-2NT-3D-3H-4H-4NT-5S (two key cards + Q)-5NT (we have all 5 keys + Q, p)-6H (no king to show, playing "specific Kings", or 6C = 0, playing # of kings)-pass (or 6H over 6C.)
West wins the lead (perhaps a diamond) and may play Ace of clubs, club ruff to try and establish the suit in case diamonds misbehave. Next comes three rounds of trumps. Cross to Ace of spades (or a high diamond if a spade was led originally) and K of clubs, pitching the spade loser. When clubs fail to break, West can try for 7 by playing AK of diamonds, or play safe for 6 by ruffing a spade back to hand (make sure one high diamond has been played) and a low diamond toward dummy -- if North shows out, go up and lead back toward the Jack, otherwise cover any honor and play the nine if North follows low, insuring your 12th trick. Playing safe seems justified since not everyone bid or made the slam.
6NT fails on a spade lead but makes otherwise, a 3 matchpoint gain or a 9 matchpoint loss. As usual at matchpoints, bidding and making a slam is worth at least 75% of the matchpoints.
Board 13: East opens 1D, South overcalls 2C, and West plans to show both suits by bidding 2S followed by hearts and hearts again. East rebids 3D and raises 3H to game, suggesting 4 card support. West has a monster but two club losers -- should he pass or try for slam? Well, the first rule is to see if you can picture a less-than-ideal hand for opener that would make slam a near laydown: how about Qx Axxx xxxxx Ax ? But swap either Ace for the (more likely on the bidding) Ace of diamonds and a club lead sinks 6. Kx of clubs will be exposed on the lead, a singleton club is unlikeley given West's own shortage, and KQ seems unlikley on the bidding and may leave West short of tricks elsewhere. Also, any values in diamonds are likely to be wasted. Pass may be prudent at matchpoints; as we saw on board 3 not everyone will bid even good slams. If West proceeds, best slam try is 5H, asking partner to go on with a club control.
The defense collects two fast clubs and South continues with a spade. With South overuffing spades and not enough entries to establish the diamonds, 4H looks doomed. Anyone care to point out a winning line?
Board 17: North opens 3D, two passes to West, who doubles, planning to bid spades next to show 18+ or so. East has an excellent hand and should jump to 4S. West isn't sure about clubs but no one bid those and the hand is too good to pass. 4NT produces a gratifiying 5H (two key cards) response and West bids the good slam, claiming early in the play.
Let's back up -- did South pass? With nothing but the Ace in partner's preempt, it's not reasonable to expect East/West to stop short of game. South should raise with the expected 9 or 10 card fit; the flat shape makes a leap to 5 unattractive, but observe the effect of a simple raise to 4: West doubles as before, but East cannot jump to show his values and E/W will likely stop at game. Whatever South does, he should do quickly: don't bid 4D and then 5D, pick one or the other and then get out of the bidding. You don't want to give E/W multiple chances to bid the slam or double you.
If South leaps to 5D, West still doubles, East passes with 2.5 quick tricks and E/W score well for +800. Theoretically 4D could be doubled for +500 but that is unlikely to happen with no trump trick for the defenders.
Board 22: East opens 1H and South should jump to 2S at this vulnerability -- sure you'd like a better suit but E/W won't be eager to double you at this vulnerability. West would bid 3H at this point if his trumps were Jxx; he must bid 3S to show a good defensive hand worth at least a limit raise. That pushes E/W to game but it is generally better to stretch with a fit in competition than to underbid. North doubles 3S to show his good support and East signs off at 4H. South's hand is more defensive than offensive in terms of what he's already shown, so no reason to bid again. Two passes to North, and now we see the advantage of stretching with West's hand: North doesn't know if 4H is likely to make or not, and may well "sacrifice" at 4S, down 2 or 3 doubled. (West must double with 2 Aces opposite an opening bid; once in awhile 4S will make but you can't let them rob you blind.) At 4H, N/S cash two spades and get out with a diamond to kill dummy's entry to clubs; passive defense thereafter leaves declarer a trick short.
Board 3: 9 of 13 pairs reached slam. A typical 2/1 Game Force sequence might be 1H-2C-2H-2NT-3D-3H-4H-4NT-5S (two key cards + Q)-5NT (we have all 5 keys + Q, p)-6H (no king to show, playing "specific Kings", or 6C = 0, playing # of kings)-pass (or 6H over 6C.)
West wins the lead (perhaps a diamond) and may play Ace of clubs, club ruff to try and establish the suit in case diamonds misbehave. Next comes three rounds of trumps. Cross to Ace of spades (or a high diamond if a spade was led originally) and K of clubs, pitching the spade loser. When clubs fail to break, West can try for 7 by playing AK of diamonds, or play safe for 6 by ruffing a spade back to hand (make sure one high diamond has been played) and a low diamond toward dummy -- if North shows out, go up and lead back toward the Jack, otherwise cover any honor and play the nine if North follows low, insuring your 12th trick. Playing safe seems justified since not everyone bid or made the slam.
6NT fails on a spade lead but makes otherwise, a 3 matchpoint gain or a 9 matchpoint loss. As usual at matchpoints, bidding and making a slam is worth at least 75% of the matchpoints.
Board 13: East opens 1D, South overcalls 2C, and West plans to show both suits by bidding 2S followed by hearts and hearts again. East rebids 3D and raises 3H to game, suggesting 4 card support. West has a monster but two club losers -- should he pass or try for slam? Well, the first rule is to see if you can picture a less-than-ideal hand for opener that would make slam a near laydown: how about Qx Axxx xxxxx Ax ? But swap either Ace for the (more likely on the bidding) Ace of diamonds and a club lead sinks 6. Kx of clubs will be exposed on the lead, a singleton club is unlikeley given West's own shortage, and KQ seems unlikley on the bidding and may leave West short of tricks elsewhere. Also, any values in diamonds are likely to be wasted. Pass may be prudent at matchpoints; as we saw on board 3 not everyone will bid even good slams. If West proceeds, best slam try is 5H, asking partner to go on with a club control.
The defense collects two fast clubs and South continues with a spade. With South overuffing spades and not enough entries to establish the diamonds, 4H looks doomed. Anyone care to point out a winning line?
Board 17: North opens 3D, two passes to West, who doubles, planning to bid spades next to show 18+ or so. East has an excellent hand and should jump to 4S. West isn't sure about clubs but no one bid those and the hand is too good to pass. 4NT produces a gratifiying 5H (two key cards) response and West bids the good slam, claiming early in the play.
Let's back up -- did South pass? With nothing but the Ace in partner's preempt, it's not reasonable to expect East/West to stop short of game. South should raise with the expected 9 or 10 card fit; the flat shape makes a leap to 5 unattractive, but observe the effect of a simple raise to 4: West doubles as before, but East cannot jump to show his values and E/W will likely stop at game. Whatever South does, he should do quickly: don't bid 4D and then 5D, pick one or the other and then get out of the bidding. You don't want to give E/W multiple chances to bid the slam or double you.
If South leaps to 5D, West still doubles, East passes with 2.5 quick tricks and E/W score well for +800. Theoretically 4D could be doubled for +500 but that is unlikely to happen with no trump trick for the defenders.
Board 22: East opens 1H and South should jump to 2S at this vulnerability -- sure you'd like a better suit but E/W won't be eager to double you at this vulnerability. West would bid 3H at this point if his trumps were Jxx; he must bid 3S to show a good defensive hand worth at least a limit raise. That pushes E/W to game but it is generally better to stretch with a fit in competition than to underbid. North doubles 3S to show his good support and East signs off at 4H. South's hand is more defensive than offensive in terms of what he's already shown, so no reason to bid again. Two passes to North, and now we see the advantage of stretching with West's hand: North doesn't know if 4H is likely to make or not, and may well "sacrifice" at 4S, down 2 or 3 doubled. (West must double with 2 Aces opposite an opening bid; once in awhile 4S will make but you can't let them rob you blind.) At 4H, N/S cash two spades and get out with a diamond to kill dummy's entry to clubs; passive defense thereafter leaves declarer a trick short.
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