Sunday 11/21/2010

Right-click here for hands. Seven tables, half 99'ers. Hope the game was enjoyable for all!

Board 4: South expects to open 1NT but North beats him to it! As it is just possible for North to have 15 hcp without an Ace, South can employ Gerber or Blackwood before bidding 6NT. Grand slam might be on if opener has, say, xx AKx Kxxx AQxx, but few players have tools to find the minor suit fit and a third-round ruff.

At 6NT, East leads the diamond Jack. North counts 12 tricks and has a safe play for an overtrick, finessing in clubs. Running the jack from dummy to tempt West to cover and (assuming he plays low smoothly) overtaking with the Ace to finesse East may work against inexperienced players, but an alert defender will not cover the Jack with the ten in dummy (covering is to promote a card for you or partner, not declarer!) This line risks going down at 6NT on a 5-1 club break, so it's better just to lead low to the Ace and finesse East, insuring at least 4 club tricks and the vulnerable slam.

Board 6: East, with 21 hcp and 9 likely tricks opens a strong 2C. South was planning to open but has no reason to bid with little shape and little prospects of points in partner's hand. West bids a negative or waiting 2D. Over East's 3C, West's Ace should be enough for game; he bids 3H and East takes a shot at 3NT.

South would like someone else to lead -- anyone else! -- but punting isn't allowed. They've bid both of his suits and partner rates to be broke, so underleading the Queen of spades, leading a heart, leading from the K10 tight of diamonds, or leading a club into openr's strong suit all look awful. Hoping the King of hearts is in dummy, he bangs down the Ace; this drops the King but does not solve his problem since continuing the suit will set it up for dummy. North plays a discouraging heart (low using standard signals) and South tries a low spade. East calls for the ten or nine; here, North must cover to protect South's Queen.

East wins and tests the clubs, groaning (inwardly at least) when North shows out. But he can still count 6 clubs, 2 spades and a diamond, so he gives South a club, scoring at least +600. (No lead from South beats it; if West were plaing it, a diamond lead establishes the crucial fifth trick for the defenders.)

At 5C, South faces the same horrible lead choices, with the Ace of hearts still looking least bad. East cannot avoid a heart, club and either diamond or spade loser or both. With a solid suit like this, strain to play 3NT.

Board 16: West opens 1NT and North should preempt with 3D (at any vulnerability IMO.) East would like to bid spades; but 3S would be forcing and game is a bit rich with only 4 tricks in hand. (If he does bid spades, the defense embarks on a brutal crossruff; East can limit the damage by pitching a heart on the second diamond.) South doesn't care for diamonds but no one asked for his opinion; a disciplined pass lets North score 7 diamonds and South's two Aces for +110. Bidding will likley get N/S overboard.

Board 19: West opens 1D and East counts 9+ tricks; an opning bid should provide at least 3 tricks (East is encouraged since the opening bid covers his small doubleton.) A strong jump to 2H may be followed by a raise and cue-bidding; if 2H does not deny a second suit, the bidding may instead go 1D-2H-2S-3H-4H-5C-5D-6C-6H. Those who play weak jump shifts might bid 1D-1H-1S-2C (fourth suit artificial -- a jump to 3H is generally not played as forcing these days, and certainly does not suggest this playing strength.) East shows 3 card support with 2H (must be 3, he would've raised immediately with 4.) If the 2C bid was forcing to game, East can bid 3H and West cue-bids 4D (or 3S, depending on style.) If you play weak jump shifts and 4th suit only forcing one round, East may as well bid 6H, he cannot extract any useful information from partner. (Blackwood or RKCB won't tell you whether to bid a slam if partner has one Ace, which could be in spades, or to stay out opposite none, since all you need is second round control of diamonds.)