Thursday 3/10/2011

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Competition Corner -- Board 11: North, too strong for 1NT,  opens 1C after two passes. East overcalls 1H; the hand is not strong enough to double and then bid hearts, and chances are better than 50% partner will fit hearts. If not, the opportunity for a takeout double to show spades may crop up later. South and West still have nothing to say, and North shows his strength by bidding 1NT. Why does this show strength? Had partner responded, North could rebid 1NT with a balanced 12-14; but to do so when partner has shown nothing begs for a large minus score. With 18 however, partner can have 3-5 hcp and 1NT may be a good part-score or enable partner to remove to a suit. East passes, expecting 6 tricks against 1NT but unsure of setting the contract. South counts 22 hcp, not enough to make game a good bet even with the six card suit. With few entries, it is probably better to make the long suit trumps, though pass is a reasonable alternative. 2D is natural here (transfers don't apply over notrump rebids.) West may compete with a double if the partnership follows the modern style where undiscussed doubles at the one or two level are generally for takeout. North, having shown his powerhouse, passes, and East bids 2S. South can compete to 3D which should end the auction. South wins the heart lead, cashes the AQ of trumps (noting both follow), exits a heart, ruffs the fourth round of hearts high, pulls the last trump and finesses in clubs to make 9 tricks.

Better Bidding

You open 1D with AQxx Kxxx KJxx x and partner responds with the dreaded 2C. Why is this a problem? Because somewhere in the shift from four card to five card major openings, standard bidding forgot to fix this sequence. Most players will squirm a lot and then rebid 2NT, a space-eating misdescription. Responder's 2C has never in the history of standard bidding denied a four-card major; why make it hard to find such a fit?

Back in Old Goren days, the 2C response might be based on 8 hcp and a six card suit; opener needed extra values to "reverse" to 2H or 2S (or 2NT or 3C, for that matter.) Opener avoided this trap by opening the four-card major when too weak to reverse. Nowadays the 2C response shows sound values, at least enough for 2NT (or 3NT playing 2/1 Game Force), and the 1D opening is forced by the requirement to have a five card suit when opening a major. So, since the 2C bid promises enough for 2NT, no extra values are needed for opener to rebid 2H or 2S. Opener can simply rebid "up-the-line", 2D with 5, 2H with 4 hearts but not 5 diamonds, 2S with 4 of those but not 5 diamonds or 4 hearts, 2NT with a balanced minimum and none of the above, 3C with 4-4 or better in the minors.

"But how does opener show extra strength" you ask? How does opener show extra strength after 1S-2C? He doesn't -- the 2C bid is forcing to 2NT, and both players bid naturally up to that level. Then, a player with extra strength simply doesn't make a bid short of game partner can pass. Same principle here.

Slamarama -- Board 4: North opens 2C in second seat with a monster two-suiter,  requiring little more than a fit to make game. East has a nice hand but cannot expect much help from partner; 3C looks a bit rich vulnerable, so pass is best. South dutifully replies with whatever negative noise the system provides; I like an immediate 2H "super-bust." Over this bid, North is not so sure of game and bids a simple 2S. Is this forcing? Yes, under the most common agreement that 2C is forcing until opener repeats a suit or bids notrump or game. South shows lack of support with 2NT and North bids 3D. Still forcing, and South leaps to five based on the big fit. Now North can expect to set up his spades by ruffing, and bids the excellent 6D. Good thing he didn't simply guess to rebid 4S!

Board 10: East opens 1D, and West has immediate thoughts of slam. Unfortunately, each hand has wasted values opposite partner's singleton, and slam requires some lucky guessing. Is there a good way to avoid this slam? One approach is for West to bid hearts and clubs before supporting diamonds, suggesting shortage in spades: 1D-1H; 2H-3C (looks like a game try at this point)-4H. That won't keep West out of slam.
1D-1H;2H-3S (splinter); ? East has good support but the spade Queen is wasted and the splinter suggests West may have wasted values in clubs. If East signs off at 4H West can reasonably pass.
1D-2C (see Better Bidding, above); 2H-3H (game forcing when responder bids or raises a major after his initial 2C response); 4H-? Can't see West passing that. We see the great advantage of explicit splinter bids in staying out of bad slams, but in this case either East or West might continue anyway. No one managed more than ten tricks as declarer.



Play Problem -- Board 24: The bidding starts 1C-(2H)-3NT-(pass), and West can hope partner covers four of his five losers. 4C should be an obvious slam move (no point in running from game to a silly four-level part-score) but 6C is the surest way to reach slam.

North leads the King of hearts and declarer counts seven club winners and three Aces. Where to find two more tricks? The diamond finesse may provide one, and a squeeze might yield one in hearts, but at least one extra trick will be needed from spades. And if the suit splits 3-3, spades could provide two tricks. So, don't guess what to pitch on the Ace of hearts, play low and ruff in hand. Draw trumps and lead low toward the Q10 of spades (without playing the Ace, hate to go down without a fight if South has both the King and Jack.) North plays the 8 or 9 and declarer must guess to play the 10 rather than the Queen. That works, South wins the King and must return a spade -- either red suit would give declarer trick #12. No matter, the spades break 3-3 and declarer finally takes his two red Aces, pitching the diamond loser. Try to remember this technique with an Ace opposite a void -- wait until you know what to pitch before grabbing the Ace.