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.