Wednesday 3/16/2011

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Competition Corner -- Board 23:
South has a clear 1S opener: ignoring the stiff Jack, there are still 10 hcp, 2 quick tricks including an Ace, and 13 Goren points or a Rule of 20 qualifier. The odds partner has at least 2 spades are about 78%, and when he doesn't he will often have 4 hearts. If his hand does misfit, the Jack of diamonds will be useful as a filler. Second choice would be 2S; pass should not be considered.

West does not have a vulnerable two level overcall, so there should be two passes to East; far to strong for a balancing 1NT, East doubles first, planning to bid notrump later. South passes, West bids a simple 2C (the balancing double may be only 9 hcp or even less), and East rebids 2NT. How strong is this? Many mark the "Balancing Notrump" section of their card for no more than 14 hcp, leaving an uncomforatble wide range for the double-then-notrump sequence. In fact, if that's your agreement, East should jump to 2NT in the balancing seat. However, Mike Lawrence recommends a wide range balancing notrump over a major suit opening, 10-16; now the double-then-notrump sequence promises about 17-19. West can comforatble raise to game, and the nine of spades provides a crucial extra stopper if South makes the normal lead of his King from KQ10xxx. (A low spade, such as the 4th best 8, actually defeats 3NT, but would be costly if partner has two small spades and a side entry to allow a lead through declarer's AJx.)

Discuss balancing notrump ranges with your partner.

Better Bidding -- Board 11:
West's hand is questionable for an opening bid -- 6-4 shape (like South on Board 23), but no Ace, a stiff King, and only 1.5 quick tricks. Assume West opens, however, and North does not indulge in a ridicoulously weak jump; East does not have quite enough for an immediate jump shift, so 1H. West rebids 1S. Now what does East do? 15 hcp, so East must force to game; but no stopper in the unbid suit (diamonds.) This is exactly the hand type for which Fourth Suit Artificial was invented. (The convention is known as Fourth Suit Forcing, since the British adopted the idea long before us Americans; 2D would not have been forcing for them back in the 1930's but in America a new suit by responder has always been forcing.) Point is, you need help from partner to decide on the final contract. If East actually had diamonds he could simply rebid 3NT; so the bid of the fourth suit suggests a relatively balanced hand but no stopper in the fourth suit.

West's stiff King will not appeal to many as a stopper, so West rebids his long clubs. East can raise clubs, but with that strong suit a 5-2 heart fit may be as good or better than a 5-3 club fit, as 10 tricks at hearts outscore 11 at clubs. East can rebid 3H; this bid is forcing even if the agreement is that the 4th suit is forcing only 1 round. Why? East could have rebid 3H, invitational but not forcing, the previous round; he doesn't need two different ways to shoe the same hand. When responder bids the fourth suit with merely invitational values, he plans to pass opener's rebid. Bidding again shows game-forcing values.

West raises 3H to 4 (East is implying 6 hearts since West would've shown three card support over 2D) and East loses two Aces and perhaps the Queen of clubs. Well-bid!

Slamarama
Board 7: East opens 1S after three passes; West has an excellent hand either for a limit 3S jump raise or Reverse Fit Drury 2C. (West should not force to game; give partner some leeway for opening light when you are a passed hand.) Over 3S East counts 5 losers (any missing A,K or Q among the first three cards of a suit, after a fit has been found); can partner cover 4? Picture AQxx x xxx Kxxxx and the answer is yes; some play 3NT after a limit raise as asking for a singleton, after which East can bid 4NT and cruise to slam. Lacking that agreement East can cue-bid 4C and West should drive to slam, perhaps with a 5H splinter over 4C. (I don't favor cue-bidding 4H since high cards and shortages have different values when comined with honors in partner's hand.)

Over R.F.Drury, East should bid 2NT as an artificial slam try, and now West can splinter with 4H.

South leads his singleton club and declarer counts five trumps in hand, one heart and four clubs; two heart ruffs in dummy will net 12 tricks. Trumps may be 3-1 and it isn't safe to lead either minnor before trumps are in, so declarer wins the club in hand, cashes the Ace of hearts, ruffs a heart, trump to hand, ruff a heart, pull trumps, Ace of clubs, overtake a club and pitch a red suit loser on the 10 of clubs.

Board 13: North opens a hefty 1D, South scrapes up a 1H response, and North can revalue to more than 20 points in support of hearts. 4H ends the auction, but the diamonds set up with a single ruff and the heart suit miraculously comes in without a loser for 12 tricks. Not a slam to consider bidding.

Board 28: West may open a light 2H not vul vs. vul. If so, North should hope for about 7 points in partner's hand and simply bid 3NT with his triple stopper. South suspects there may be a slam but must essentially guess to pass 3NT or blast 6C. At matchpoints, I'd pass.

East could lead partner's suit or try a low diamond (hoping partner has Ax), but at matchpoints I'd lead the obvious King of diamonds. North counts ten or eleven fast tricks; he can afford to duck once but no point in ducking again when East can switch to hearts. West keeps his Ace and East keeps a high diamond, one of which wins the last trick.

If West passes originally, North opens 1C (too strong for 1NT) and South bids an invitational 3C or inverted 2C. Over 3C I think 3NT is the practical rebid for North. Over 2C, there is room for North to show his stoppers, 2H and then 3S, so South will likely play 3NT. With no reason to lead diamonds (one heart stopper should not deter West from leading his suit) South will score twelve tricks on the likely heart lead. As it happens, 6C also makes if West cannot find a reason to lead diamonds.