Monday 4/24/2011

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Competition Corner -- competing after a 1NT opening
Board 2: South opens 1NT (15-17.) West, with a fair, unbalanced hand, overcalls 2C if natural, or as a two-suiter playing DONT (clubs and another suit.) North expects there may be a heart fit, but staring at 11 losers, vulnerable, passes in tempo. East can raise a natural club overcall, hoping to block the heart suit; playing DONT, the clubs may be only 4 cards, partner's second suit is probably hearts, and pass is the only safe call. South can double 2C for takeout (double by the 1NT opener in the balancing seat is normally played as takeout, penalty if the doubler is "over" the bidder) but must pass against 3C. This proves to be a winning call even though 3C makes; top scores for E/W came in the hard-to-find spade fit or against 3H or, of course, 3C doubled and making.

Red vs. Black -- Board 28: North's hand is strong enough for 2C but with less than 20 hcp, two-suited hands will generally do better to open one of a suit, planning to jump shift later. Over 1H, East similarly qualifies for a double followed by bidding clubs, but again the bidding may get out of hand and it's best to get the main suit in quickly with a 2C overcall. South and West pass; North, needing only a fit to have a shot at game, jumps to 3D. East is good enough for 3S, and South should realize partner forced to game with no promise of values; three little hearts are enough to raise to 4H. When this is passed around to East, a glance at the vulnerability justifies 5C; South doubles, planning to lead trumps and collect two spade tricks. North remembers South did not raise over 2C and leaves the double in rather bidding one more. 5C double, down 2 or 3, proves a good sacrifice. 5H looks like it might make if declarer ruffs the second club, cashes one high trump, then two diamonds, diamond ruff, club ruff, diamond ruff, exit a spade; declarer still has a small trump to ruff either black suit, and can then pull West's trumps and claim the fifth diamond. The double-dummy analyzer shows only 10 tricks at hearts and that's what every declarer made at the table.

At our table North opened 2C and I overcalled 3NT ! I counted 8 winners and, even if they run one or both of the red suits, it's only 50 points a trick undoubled. Partner mistook this as unusual (as he said later, "oh, it was simply weird, not unusual") but N/S stumbled into 6H without benfit of an Ace-asking bid, down 2. I think 3NT ought to be a gambling, long-suit type bid (or simply a bluff) by an unpassed hand rather than unusual; 2NT would show the minors while 4NT might be any two suits not including spades.

Pass in Tempo -- Board 19: West opens 1D, North overcalls 1S despite the ratty suit; not vulnerable at matchpoints and with a fair hand, bidding will gain more often than it loses. This sort of overcall is not recommended at IMP scoring. East passes with no apparent thought; South should pass but at our table chose an off-beat raise, perhaps based on the vulnerability (or expecting a better suit from partner.) West doubles 1S or 2S for takeout and East passes again, converting the double to penalties. Ace of spades and a low spade holds declarer to two high spades, a diamond and a club, +500 E/W against 1S doubles, +800 for 2S doubled. E/W can make 3NT as the cards lay but with only 22 hcp there is no reason to bid it.

If South escapes into hearts, West doubles but E/W can manage only 6 tricks and +100 will prove disappointing.