Sunday 3/13/2011

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Competition Corner -- Board 10:
After two passes, West opens 1D. North does not really have a vulnerable overcall but I expect few would pass at matchpoints. East competes with 2D -- this is an important bid; if you play "inverted minors" that does not apply over an intervening bid, responder needs to show a four-card or better raise to allow opener to compete. A limit raise hand can cue-bid, while the jump to three should be strictly preemptive, 0-5 hcp with 5+ diamonds and perhaps a side singleton. South could double to show spades, but what's the point? When you've found an 8 card major suit fit, don't go fishing for another. South bids 2H. West would pass if South passed but over the raise should compete to 3D -- when both sides have a fit, try to make them play it at the three level. North and South have no extra distributional reason to bid again, and should be content to defend 3D. Perfect defense requires an unlikely club lead from North, so E/W will usually make 3D; it turns out that N/S have a double fit and E/W have nine trumps, so competing to 3H might work this time, but you will gain more often than not if you resist the urge to bid one more when they are already at the three level and you have no extra trumps or a singleton or a side suit source of tricks. Your high cards on balanced hands will work just as hard on defense.

Slam Away: after sessions where multiple small and grand slams could be bid and made, this one was rather tame. Board 22: East opens 1NT, West checks on a fit with Stayman (2C), and East replies 2S. Counting 6 losers, West might expect East's 15 hcp to cover five, if not much is wasted in hearts; but 4441 hands don't always play that well, and normal Goren valuation would be 28 to 30 hcp plus 2 for the singleton, not quite enough for slam, so 4S looks normal. Suppose West had a better hand -- trade his K10 of diamonds for South's AJ -- what's the best approach? Splinter bids -- an unusual jump promising four-card support for partner, a singleton or void in the suit jumped, and slam interest -- help partner decide whether the hands fit well or have wastage opposite the shortage. A jump to 4H should be an obvious splinter -- responder does not use Stayman and then insist on his own major. Here the King of hearts is wasted opposite the singleton, but lucky positions in the other three suits allow 12 tricks to be made at notrump. 6S would usually have better chances but on this occasion fails on a defensive ruff.

Board 24: North opens 1H and South has a difficult hand to value -- with 6 card support, there's a huge fit, but it's value will depend on how shapely opener's hand is. I'd count the hand as worth around 11 points and bid an invitational 3H. North counts 5 losers;  slam could be on if responder's values are outside diamonds. Counting two points for the jack singleton (don't count both high cards and shortness in the same suit) North's hand values to 17, so the combines total is around 28 or 29 and 4H looks normal. The two hands fit perfectly, however: declarer pulls trumps, pitches a club on the fourth spade, ruffs a club and concedes a diamond to set up a ruff for trick 12. Can't bid'em all.