Saturday 1/22/2011 (Sectional Tournament)

No online hand records from the sectional.

Board 2: Dlr E, vul N/S

A5      K3

A8765   KQ1094

K6      AJ52

K1043   AJ

East opens 1H, West makes a forcing raise. Assuming Jacoby 2NT, East bids 3H to deny a singleton but show extra values, at least 16 or 18 depending on style. Either way West has enough power for slam and so bids 4NT to check on Aces or (better) Key cards. East replies with 3 key cards; with a known 10 card fit, West need not worry about the Queen of trumps and so bids 5NT confirming all 5 key cards plus the Queen (or, as in this case, at least a 10 card fit.) This invites partner to bid a grand slam or perhaps show number of side suit kings or a specific king according to style. East can infer the two minor suit Kings from West's leap to 4NT; with two quick losers in a side suit West would have cue-bid. That leaves only the 3rd and 4th diamonds to worry about, and West's 5NT lacking the Queen of trumps suggests five trumps and therefore a side suit doubleton. Diamonds is certainly the most likely candidate but not a certainty; East can count 14 hcp for West (the two missing Aces and two minor suit Kings) and so cannot count on any additional high cards. If the style is number of kings, East should reply 6D (6H playing simple Blackwood) and pass the decision about grand slam back to West. West cannot be sure of 13 tricks either and 6H should be the final contract, better than 6NT since a ruff may contribute the 12th or 13th trick.

If the style is specific Kings. East may have to settle for 6H without mentioning the King of spades. 13 tricks are easy by ruffing two diamonds; at 6NT you need luck or guesswork to land 13 tricks.

Board 9: Dlr N vul E/W

KQ         A98

A7         Q6

A107       KQ94

AJ10976    K853

East opens 1C or 1D according to style or taste; the usual advice is to open 1D with 4-4 "to provide an easy rebid", but here the planned rebid is 1NT. If partner will tend to bid diamonds "up-the-line"  I prefer to open 1C with this sort of hand; where the tendency is to skip over diamonds I would open 1D.

Over 1D, West has a classic strong jump shift (3C), planning to raise diamonds if East rebids the suit and otherwise rebid in notrump. Here East raises to 4C and West can safely employ 4NT (East showing one Ace or two Key Cards.) Note that the "1430" style could be awkward if East had zero key cards, but West can always bid 5S to request a sign-off at 5NT. On this occassion the partnership has all five key cards and 10 + trumps so West follows up with 5NT to invite grand slam. Note that East should not mindlessly reply number of kings, as any bid beyond 6C commits the partnership to 6NT or a grand slam. East's hand is fairly minimal and so East bids 6C; West can resonably choose 6NT at matchpoints, hoping he doesn't need to ruff a diamnd for trick #12. (At a team game West should settle for 6C which should have extra chances.) 7NT would be excellent but should not be ventured without more detailed information.

What if you don't play strong jump shifts? The bidding begins 1D-2C, and East either rebids 2NT or raises clubs. Most matchpoint veterans would probably choose 2NT; now West must be careful not to make a bid partner could pass or misunderstand. With 3 Aces, every suit under control, and a powerful source of tricks the practical bid would be 6NT.

Board 30: Dlr E vul none

     K72

     85

     KQ8

     K542

AQ1064      J8

KJ10762     Q943

9           Q75

9           K872

     953

     A

     K8642

     AJ104

South opens 1D in second seat and West bids 2D (Michaels cue-bid, showing both majors.) North doubles whether lead-directing (he has the Ace), as a raise (he stole my bid!), or to show general strength (the Michaels bid is a form of takeout and double is equivalent to a redouble, showing 10+ hcp. Discuss this with your partner; I recommend the general strength agreement.) East would pass with no preference between the majors; here be bids 2H. South has minimum values but a shapely hand with short hearts; 3C helps describe his hand. West leaps to 4H with his excellent shape and the expectation partner can ruff one or two spades given his free heart preference. All of North's cards seem to be working and partner's bidding suggests a better hand for offense than defense, so North bids 5D. East's two high honors in the minors should dissaude him from bidding 5H.

Many Wests would "automatically" lead the singleton club, but with only 1 trump that is far more likely to assist declarer than the defense. A more reasonable"swing for the fences" lead would be the Ace of spades, hoping partner has the King or a singleton or the King is in dummy and West can shift to a heart or club in time. East has no desire for a shift and may as well signal encouragement with the Jack; West continues with the Queen but is disappointed when East cannot ruff. Dummy wins and, picturing West with at least 5-5 in the majors, declarer runs the Jack of diamonds (East should duck), plays a low club to the Jack (noting the fall of the nine), cashes the Ace of hearts, King and Ace of diamonds to finish trumps, Queen of clubs (covered by the King and Ace, East following the rule of covering the last touching honor in dummy), ten of clubs, and finally a spade West or a club to East; whoever wins must yield a ruff-sluff which disposes of losing club or spade. A tricky line, so N/S pairs who sold out to 4H probably scored well, unless too many E/W pairs sacrificed with 5H (doubled) over 5D.

Sunday 1/16/2011 (STaC)

Right-click here for hands. Good turnout, 14.5 tables for the final "Sectional Tournament at Clubs" game.

Board 1: A somewhat awkward hand for East : 20 hcp (high card points) but unbalanced with no major suit. Some Easts may treat the hand as balanced with that stiff Ace, but it will be easier to reach a minor suit slam if one exists with a simple 1C opening. West replies with an "up-the-line" 1H, and East rebids 2D, forcing. Why is this non-jump rebid forcing? East's cannot count on any diamond length or extra heart lenght from partner and so cannot expect partner to pass 2D with a minimum. East's "reverse" is equal in terms of strength to rebidding 2NT or 3C. The modern style is to treat opener's reverse as forcing to at least 2NT; opener typcailly needs at least 17 hcp and 4-5 length in his suits; possibly fewer high cards with better playing strength. (Note to Kennedy club bidders: the auction begins 1C-1D (one or both 4 card majors) but East's 2D rebid has the same sense as in standard; East has a strong but unblanced hand with no four-card major, and the failure to open 1D suggests 4 diamonds and 5+ clubs.)

Over 2D, West can support clubs or rebid in notrump. With a near minimum response, balanced shape, and no worries about the unbid suit (spades) West should aim for notrump; if not playing lebensohl in this sequence 2NT seems a good description. There is no point in "showing" the spade suit, opener would not skip a 4 card major to rebid in a minor. East raises to 3NT. If East were uncertain that partner would recognize 2D as forcing, the practical bidding would be 1C-1H-3NT, but this will often miss an excellent heart fit or minor suit slam. Today, 3NT is the spot.

Either North or South is apt to lead a spade, East wins and has some work to do for 9 tricks. A heart honor holds the trick, and South covers the second heart, captured by West's Ace. A club to the Queen wins, but there is no entry to repeat the finesse so East cashes the Ace and concedes a club to North. North expects 25 or so hcp from E/W, and has 7 in his own hand; South should have something like 6-9 points , and has shown nothing in spades or clubs. Subtrat the King of hearts and that leaves 3-6 points in diamonds, and probalby 4 of them since East opened 1C rather than 1D. North shifts to the 9 of diamonds -- a low diamond risks blocking the suit while the Jack might suggest J10. East finesses, South wins but is uncertain who holds what in diamonds; a spade exit is likely. When North wins and swithces back to the Jack of diamonds, South can read North for J9x. East takes the Ace and cashes his club winners. South must keep his diamonds and so pitches his remaining spades before parting with one diamond. East makes 9 tricks but is forced to concede a diamond at the end.

Board 3: Some South's may open 2S but the relatively empty suit and Kxxx in the other major argue for pass. West may open 3D if he forgets to check the vulnerability. Assuming two passes, North opens 1C, planning to rebid 3NT over partner's expected 1S response. But it is East who overcalls in spades. Inexperienced Souths will undoubtedly huddle or even ask a highly inappropriate question "is that 1S bid natural?" There are 8 spades out, no reason to assume it is anything but natural. South could bid 1NT (8  hcp, spade stopper) or make a negative double to show the heart suit, but an experienced player will pass with little apparent thought - a sound practice when they bid your longest suit. East may leap to 3D, weak in competition; North has 8 tricks not counting the hearts and can afford to bid 3H. East may consider competing in diamonds but his defense is poor and why push them into game? Competing over 3H or 3S is one of the most common errors made by advancing players. Regardless, South is delighted to raise to 4H, expecting a massive crossruff. If East or West bid again they'll deserve their -500.

East leads the top of his spades sequence (safer than diamonds, especially if East passed originally.) North pitches his diamond loser on the Ace and, with plenty of club tricks, leads a low heart toward the Jack. Assuming West ducks East wins and tries the King of diamonds. North wins, leads another trump, and makes 10 or 11 tricks depending on his guess.

If East opens 3D, North should overcall 3NT with 8 fast tricks in his own hand. South must pass rather than assume this shows a balanced hand. North grabs 9 fast tricks on the likely spade lead, but an East who trusts partner's vulnerable preempt may try the King of diamonds and leave declarer with no reentry to his hand. North may as well win and cash his club winners; the spade void is hidden and either defender may make the mistake of keeping a spade and yileding the ninth trick at the end.

Board 7: South opens 1S and North replies 2H in standard methods or 1NT playing 2/1 game force, planning in either case to follow an invitational spade raise. (Those who do not require four trumps for an immediate limit raise may respond 3S directly.)  Over 2H, South rebids a game-forcing 3D -- if 2H itself wasn't game-forcing, a new suit by opener at the three level shows extra values and creates a game force. North shows 3 card support with 3S, and South re-evaluates: half a spade loser, one heart loser, a club loser, and three diamond losers -- the fifth one is a likely winner but with only 3 trumps opposite South cannot count on the fourth diamond setting up or being able to ruff it in dummy. So, about 5.5 losers; partner's bidding suggest 10-11 hcp, which translates to 3 or 4 high card winners. This illustrates the value in requiring 4 trumps for a strong raise even in a five-card major style -- with 4 trumps opposite, the diamnd suit would be easy to establish. Slam seems overly optimistic on partner's limited bidding, and any values in hearts will not fit well with South's hand. South should give up on slam and simply bid 4S.

Playing 2/1 Game Force, North isn't worth 2H but insterad bids a forcing 1NT. South has a pwoerful hand but is somewhere on the border between a non-forcing 2D and game-forcing 3D. Over 2D, North jumps to 3S, a "delayed limit raise" promising game-invitational values but only 3 trumps. South's calculation is much the same as the standard sequence and again 4S is the prudent bid.

If South bids a pushy 3D, North may get over-excited: 11 hcp and a fit when all he promised was 6 and no fit. A good agreement to have here is that 3S still shows the limit raise hand; North can bid 3NT or show a heart suit with only a doubleton spade. This allows North to show his values and then respect South's sign-off at 4S. Two pairs reached impossible slams, probably over-valuing the 5-5 shape. Note that Balckwood or RKCB is of no use here: N/S have all 5 key cards plus the queen of trumps, but the queston to ask before launching into 4NT is "do we have 12 tricks?"

On a club lead, South overtakes dummy's King to retain flexibility, and counts 5 spades, a heart, a diamond and three clubs for 10 sure tricks. The fourth and fifth diamond may also be winners. If diamonds are 3-3, some pairs may be making slam, so even at matchpoints it is sensible to play safe for 10 tricks: pull trumps and concede a low diamond. Win any return, play Ace and another diamond. South loses three diamond tricks on this plan for an average score; best play for 11 tricks would be Ace and another diamond early, then ruff a diamond high, pull trumps and concede a second diamond.

Sunday 1/9/2011

Right-click here for hands. I started a new job last week so haven't played much. Nice 8 table game today.

Board 6: East passes and Suth should pass; his primary suit is weak and he has excellent support for the other major. West has "only" 8 tricks and 18 high card points but all the slam controls; still, game is unlikely if partner cannot respond to 1D so no need to stretch for 2C with a minor-suited hand. North overcalls 1S; East has a close choice between pass and 2D; there is little chance of partner having only 3 diamonds since the only shape that opens 1D with 3 is 4432 and that's unlikely given his own spade length and the overcall. Raising puts partner in a good position to compete for the part-score, so let's assume East raises to 2D. Those who play "inverted minor" need to realize the convention is off over competition; a jump raise should be very weak while a cue-bid, 2S in this case, replaces the game-invitational raise.

South should now jump to 4S with his excellent fit and very shapely hand. When the opponents bid and raise a suit you are short in it pays to be optimisitic and assume partner has one or two low cards in the suit you can ruff or pitch on the long hearts. West applies the same logic: partner bid, so he has some values; they have a big spade fit, so partner's cards rate to be in hearts or clubs where they will fit with West's Aces. West must decide between game and slam; 5D seems reasonable to me but if West is going to bid slam he may as well bid 5S "on the way" to suggest 7D. West makes 12 or 13 tricks depending on how many hearts he arranges to ruff in dummy. Bidding game nets an average plus; only one pair bid slam (7D.)

If South opens a very undisciplined 2H West faces a problem. The normal way to show a powerful hand would be to double and then jump in your suit; but to double with a singleton or void in the other major is volunteering for a disaster whenever partner is long in the suit, which will be common. I think West's best guess is to leap to 5D. This will probably end the bidding but nets a solid 5 out of 7 score.

Board 7: West opens 1H; North is really too weak for a vulnerable 2 level overcall but I expect that was a popular action. East, with 9 tricks opposite a partner who opened, should drive the hand to slam unless partner proves to have no Ace or he is certain there are two diamond losers. A 2S response over 2C is 100% forcing, but it isn't clear East will learn anything useful. Playing RKCB or 1430, however, many play that an immediate leap to 4NT would agree hearts as trumps and so elevate the King of hearts to the status of an Ace. Plain Blackwood bidders or those who play simple Blackwood when no suit has been agreed may as well bid 4NT now; "implied fit" bidders like me should bid 2S and woe to partner who thinks that isn't forcing! South competes to 3C and West can pass with little more than already promised (South's raise will give East another chance to bid.) Now East can bid 4NT followed by 6S. What if partner had only the Ace of clubs or two fast diamond losers? Bad luck -- there isn't always a perfect way to bid every hand. 6S will make far too often for East to bid cautiously.

If North passes, East should reply to 1H with a strong jump shift, and repeat the suit at the 3 level. This may coax a cue-bid out of West, which will help clarify things after 4NT later in the auction. If East/West play weak jump shifts, the bidding is apt to be quite tortured: 1H-1S; 2C-2D (fourth suit artificial); 2H-3S; 4S and finally a 4NT sequence ending at slam.

East counts 8 trump tricks, two hearts and a club; one diamond ruff or establishing the heart suit will bring in the 12th trick. If the defense leads anything but a East can score his ruff by leading a diamond before pulling trumps. If the defense leads a trump East should win in hand, cash the Ace of hearts and ruff heart, then a low trump to dummy's 10, cash the King of hearts and breathe a sigh of relief when the suit splits 3-3, making 7 since all the diamonds can be pitched.

Board 23: South opens a 15-17 notrump and North follows a classic Stayman sequence:
1NT-2C; 2D-3S. The jump shows 5-4 in the majors and game-forcing values. In standard methods North jumps in his long major (spades in this case); Smolen bidders would jump in the shorter major to effect a transfer, but I don't find that convention especially useful -- I play it if it's what partner is used to.

Either way, South bids 4S on the known 5-3 fit and North continues with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB. North counts 31 hcp plus 2 points for shape once the fit is located, so slam should have a reasonable play. South's reply shows one Ace or key card (5D, or 5C in the "1430" style) and North bids 6S knowing only one Ace or key card is missing. A common mistake for advancing players is to think you need all four Aces or all five key cards for slam -- the point of Blackwood is to avoid a hopeless slam missing two Aces. If you are uncertain about bidding slam missing one Ace or key card, you have no business bidding 4NT.

Cashing an Ace is normal against a suit slam, unless the opponents have bid the suit. With no clue about South's diamonds, East cashes his Ace, followed by perhaps a low heart. North must be careful to retain a high honor with his ten of spades; in case of a bad split it is possible to pick up Jxxx with West but not East. Win the heart, count 5 spades, 4 hearts, 3 diamonds and a club, so only a trump loser can sink the slam. North cashes the King of spades, crosses to the Ace, notes East's show-out and finesses against West's Jack.

Was the Ace lead a mistake? Not really, North can always lead diamonds himself and score 5 spades, 3 hearts, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs.

Sunday 1/3/2011

No link to the hand records since the website has not been updated for 2011. Hope that gets fixed soon.

Board 25:  North deals, E/W vulnerable.

Do you know how to handle interference over 4NT? It happens:

K10987
AK102
3
AJ9

AQJ542
Q76
KQ2
4

North opens 1S, East passes and South needs to show a game-forcing raise with extra values. One gadget here is a splinter bid, 4C, showing 4+ trumps, 0 or 1 club, and some agreed range of high cards. The typical range is 11-14, and with 6 trumps South's hand may be too strong for that; if so, South should probably bid a Jacoby 2NT even though that bid is not usually made with a singleton.

We happen to be playing the splinter as 13-16, so South's hand was fine for 4C. West decided to enter the fray with a 4D bid (despite the adverse vulnerability, so he must have a very shapely hand.) North bid 4NT, Roman Key card Blackwood, and East competed with 5D. What should South do? The most popular expert agreement here is "DOPI", which stands for "Double Zero, Pass One" (D0P1 looks like DOPI.) South has one key card (or Ace, playing simple Blackwood), and the correct way to show that is to pass. North will then know that 4 key cards (or 3 Aces) are held and can bid 6S. If South had two key cards (or Aces) he would bid 5H, 5S = 3, etc. The idea is that with 2 Aces/key cards we will generally want to be in slam, while with 0 or 1 we might be missing two and should defend. 5D doubled was set 3 tricks for +800, but N/S can make the slam for +980. The defense can actually score 2 hearts, 2 clubs and 2 diamonds against 5 of either minor but it's natural for North to try and give partner a club ruff (knowing about the singleton) and that compresses a trick.

If you play RKCB or 1430, an alternative to DOPI is "DFPS": double = first step, pass = second step. With 0 or 1, the bid will be the same for regular RKCB, but it's opposite for 1430 -- be sure to discuss this with any partner you agree to play 1430! I think DFPS is logical but should NOT be assumed without discussion.