(No hand records for team game.)
After Jacoby 2NT:
Partner opens 1S and you hold KJxxx xxx Axx Ax -- nice hand! This is clearly worth forcing to game and so you respond 2NT, the popular Jacoby Forcing Raise, promising 4+ trumps, game values, and generally a balanced hand -- with a side singleton or void you would usually splinter. (Exceptions might include a singleton Ace or King, or a hand too strong for a splinter. 11-14 hcp is a typical agreed range for a splinter.)
Opener replies 3H, showing a small singleton or a void. (I suggest opener not show a singleton Ace or King, as this will cause responder to mis-evaluate any high cards in that suit.) This is the best possible news, as declarer can ruff two losing hearts. In effect opener's bid adds about 5 points to your hand. All the side suits are under control and if partner has the Ace of spades, you can count 4 key cards and with a 10 card fit odds are the Queen of spades will drop (if partner doesn't have it.) But are there 12 tricks? Your hand revalues to around 18 points, which added to partner's presumed 13 value totals 31 -- enough to invite but a bit light to insist on slam. Let's try visualizing -- we expect opener to have at least 11 hcp outside of hearts (the singleton gives partner 13 Goren points, or the hand qualifies under the Rule of 20.) Try Axxxx x KQJx xxx -- 5 trumps, 2 heart ruffs, 4 diamond tricks and one club = 12, and only 10 hcp. Trumps will break 3-0 about 22% of the time, and you can finesse against the Queen in half of those cases, so this looks like an 89% slam. However AQxxxx x KQx Qxxx would have no play, so inviting slam, rather than insisting on it, looks correct. How do you invite?
After opener's singleton-showing rebid, I suggest the following scheme for responder's second bid:
(1) With less than 12 working high card points, sign off at 4 of the agreed suit. "Working points" includes all high cards outside the short suit, plus any high cards in the short suit ignoring the first 2. So today's responder has 12 working points, or maybe 13 for the extra trump. This sign off is not an absolute drop-dead bid (opener could have a huge hand) but warns partner of the duplication of values.
(2) With 15 or more working points and two losers that can be ruffed by opener's singleton, cue-bid your cheapest King or Ace. This announces sufficient values for slam and asks opener to cue-bid the next suit he can control. Once all suits are known to be under control, somone can use 4NT to check on Key cards.
(3) With some wasted values (Queen or King) opposite the singleton but 12-14 working points, responder bids 3NT. This is not a suggestion to play 3NT rather than the known 9-card major suit fit, it simply leaves room for opener to cue-bid with significant extra values.
(4) With little wastage (Ace, Jack or nothing) but less than 15 working points (note the Ace opposite the singleton counts only 2) or lacking two losers to ruff, responder bids 3 spades. Again this invites opener to cue-bid with extras. Today's responding hand falls in this category.
Why does the Ace opposite the singleton only count 2 working points? Although the Ace is a sure trick and you will have no losers in that suit, that Ace does not combine with any other high cards in partner's hand. If you lay out various combinations missing one Ace, you will almost always have more tricks when you are missing the Ace opposite the singleton than any other Ace. The traditional 4 point value of an Ace includes the ability to control a suit (not needed given the singleton) and to promote other high cards (again does not apply opposite a small singleton.)
And so responder bids 3S on today's hand. If opener bids 4S, responder passes; the combined hands lack the strength for 12 tricks. If opener cue-bids 4C, 4D, or 4H (showing a void), responder checks on key cards wih 4NT.
Opener actually holds AQxxx x KJx Kxxx, 13 working points. Slam will usually be good with a combined 27 working points, along with the nine card fit and useful singleton. Taking responder's 3S for 12-14, opener is uncertain about 12 tricks; 3NT asks responder if he had 14 rather than 12. Today's responder has 12 plus a doubleton plus a 5th trump. It's a tossup; there's some chance of a diamond lead, otherwise the slam appears to be about 50%. Either stopping at 4S or bidding 6S would be reasonable; just don't bid up to 5S and chicken out! Once you proceed beyond 4S, you should bid slam unless you are definitely mssing two key cards, one key card plus the Queen, or two quick losers in one suit.
Note on Roman Key Card Blackwood: the goal of RKCB is to stay out of slam if you are missing two Ace, one Ace plus the King or Queen of trumps, or both the King and Queen of trumps. This translates into needing "5 of 6". (You can ignore the Queen with a known 10 card fit.) In order to have "5 of 6", one partner or the other must have 3 key cards or 2+Q. And so with two hands of relatively equal strength, the player with 3+ should be the one to bid 4NT. On today's hand, opener (1+Q) should not bid 4NT, responder (3+Q equivalent) may. But remember the first priority is to decide you have the stuff for 12 tricks: add a minor suit Queen to either of today's hand and bidding the slam would be clear-cut. Knock a point off either hand and stopping at 4S would be equally clear. On today's actual layout you should satisfied with bidding either 4S or 6S.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 24th 2011
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15 and 15 -- Board 4: North opens 1NT (15-17) and South smells slam -- but with at most 32 hcp, and that unlikely, 6NT is apt to be marginal at best. An 8 or 9 card minor fit would have reasonable prospects, but most pairs lack a method to find such a fit. I'd say South is light even for a 4NT quantitative invitation, but if it is agreed that opener can bid a 4 card minor over that (not a Blackwood reply!) 4NT has some appeal. Several pairs stopped at 3NT or 4NT.
An old gadget bid was 2S as minor suit Stayman, but the frequency of use is rather low. Instead, I suggest ordinary Stayman (2C) by responder, followed by a game-forcing 3D (the clubs are too weak for slam), and then one more push, raising opener's 3NT to 4NT, invitational. (The rule is that 4NT as a raise of notrump is not Blackowod or RKCB when no suit has been agreed.) Opener passes 4NT with his flat minimum.
On lead, East starts with the Queen of hearts; West should overtake the second heart to avoid blocking the suit. Every declarer managed the obvious ten tricks.
Getting to 3NT -- Board 11: East opens 2C in 4th seat and West responds 2D, waiting or "non-bust". East's practical rebid is 2NT -- this reduces the chance of getting to a minor suit slam, but 3D crowds the bidding and makes it dfficult to reach 3NT. West checks for a major with Stayman (3C) and then bids 3NT. With a hand 26 hcp or so East could continue with 4D, showing a genuine suit and slam interest, but here 3NT is enough. South leads his fourth-best heart, declarer winning with the ten. Next come two rounds of diamonds to see if the suit is running, then the King of spades to set up a tenth trick. North wins and likely returns a heart, and declarer claims 11 tricks. Note the importance of setting up tricks whiile dummy still has an entry (the Queen of clubs.)
Poor Game -- Board 15: South opens 1D, North responds 1S and South rebids 1NT. North should deduct a point for no Ace and either pass or rebid 2S according to style -- does South guarantee at least two spades for the notrump rebid, or might he have a singleton? Most pairs pushed on to game, however, despite a mere 23 combined hcp and no fit. West leads the Jack of hearts and South cannot find a ninth trick.
Five card support -- Board 25: North opens 1S and South has a hand type you won't find in a textbook -- five trumps but no singleton. The value of South's hand depends on North's shape -- the trumps will trip over each other if North is 5332, but will be terrific if North has a second suit. 10 hcp is to much for a preemptive 4S raise, so the choices are an invitational 3S (feels like an underbid), Jacoby 2NT (feels like an overbid), or something "creative". Overall I think 2NT is best, and when North reveals his short suit (3H) South is worth a 4C cue-bid. (North might instead leap to 4C to show his two-suiter, but with his excellent controls 3H seems right.) North bids 4H to show the void -- 4D is cheaper, but how will you show the void over partner's 4NT? With no diamond control, South retreats to 4S but now North can bid 4NT and trust South to ignore the Ace of hearts. South shows 2 key cards and North bids the excellent slam. The clubs can be set up via ruffs for 13 tricks.
15 and 15 -- Board 4: North opens 1NT (15-17) and South smells slam -- but with at most 32 hcp, and that unlikely, 6NT is apt to be marginal at best. An 8 or 9 card minor fit would have reasonable prospects, but most pairs lack a method to find such a fit. I'd say South is light even for a 4NT quantitative invitation, but if it is agreed that opener can bid a 4 card minor over that (not a Blackwood reply!) 4NT has some appeal. Several pairs stopped at 3NT or 4NT.
An old gadget bid was 2S as minor suit Stayman, but the frequency of use is rather low. Instead, I suggest ordinary Stayman (2C) by responder, followed by a game-forcing 3D (the clubs are too weak for slam), and then one more push, raising opener's 3NT to 4NT, invitational. (The rule is that 4NT as a raise of notrump is not Blackowod or RKCB when no suit has been agreed.) Opener passes 4NT with his flat minimum.
On lead, East starts with the Queen of hearts; West should overtake the second heart to avoid blocking the suit. Every declarer managed the obvious ten tricks.
Getting to 3NT -- Board 11: East opens 2C in 4th seat and West responds 2D, waiting or "non-bust". East's practical rebid is 2NT -- this reduces the chance of getting to a minor suit slam, but 3D crowds the bidding and makes it dfficult to reach 3NT. West checks for a major with Stayman (3C) and then bids 3NT. With a hand 26 hcp or so East could continue with 4D, showing a genuine suit and slam interest, but here 3NT is enough. South leads his fourth-best heart, declarer winning with the ten. Next come two rounds of diamonds to see if the suit is running, then the King of spades to set up a tenth trick. North wins and likely returns a heart, and declarer claims 11 tricks. Note the importance of setting up tricks whiile dummy still has an entry (the Queen of clubs.)
Poor Game -- Board 15: South opens 1D, North responds 1S and South rebids 1NT. North should deduct a point for no Ace and either pass or rebid 2S according to style -- does South guarantee at least two spades for the notrump rebid, or might he have a singleton? Most pairs pushed on to game, however, despite a mere 23 combined hcp and no fit. West leads the Jack of hearts and South cannot find a ninth trick.
Five card support -- Board 25: North opens 1S and South has a hand type you won't find in a textbook -- five trumps but no singleton. The value of South's hand depends on North's shape -- the trumps will trip over each other if North is 5332, but will be terrific if North has a second suit. 10 hcp is to much for a preemptive 4S raise, so the choices are an invitational 3S (feels like an underbid), Jacoby 2NT (feels like an overbid), or something "creative". Overall I think 2NT is best, and when North reveals his short suit (3H) South is worth a 4C cue-bid. (North might instead leap to 4C to show his two-suiter, but with his excellent controls 3H seems right.) North bids 4H to show the void -- 4D is cheaper, but how will you show the void over partner's 4NT? With no diamond control, South retreats to 4S but now North can bid 4NT and trust South to ignore the Ace of hearts. South shows 2 key cards and North bids the excellent slam. The clubs can be set up via ruffs for 13 tricks.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 22nd 2011
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Board 34: If East's long suit were a major, a 2C opening would be reasonable, but here game is unlikely if partner passes the recommended 1C opening. West responds either 1D or 1S according to style or taste -- bidding diamonds has a slight edge at getting to the right spot, while an immediate spade bid assumes that the enemy may benefit more than partner. There is somewhat more reason to respond 1D if opener tends to open 1C with 4-5 or even 4-4 in the minors, and there is more reason to respond 1S if opener prefers to open 1D with both minors. My style is to open 1C with 4-5, and rebid the clubs if stuck for a bid, so I would tend to respond up-the line.
Over 1D, East can visualize a slam opposite Axxx in diamonds if the clubs run or the Queen can be ruffed out. The Ace of spades, however, will not be as useful; a heart lead may establish a trick for the defense before trumps can be pulled. Rather than launch into 4NT or the equivalent (4D as Minorwood, or 4H as Kickback), East should consider other slam moves. A jump to 3D would be merely game-invitational and could be passed, so that's not an option. 4D (if not agreed as Minorwood) is 100% forcing and invites West to cue-bid; that would useful if East had, say, the Ace of diamonds rather than the Ace of hearts. A jump to 4C suggests long, powerful clubs along with good diamond support. The best descriptive bid, however, is a 3S splinter (yes, opener can splinter, too, and splinters are useful over minors as well as majors.) 1S and 2S would both be natural, the latter being a game force, and opener has no use for a preemptive bid, so 3S shoudl logically be a fit showing bid of some sort and splinter raises are the popular treatment -- 4 card support, a singleton or void in spades, and slam interest. This bid also leaves 3NT as an option in case partner has concentrated values in spades.
West likes the two Aces opposite partner's slam try; with no control in hearts, a 4S cue-bid is reasonable -- hope partner doesn't think you've misunderstood the splinter! Even so, partner will have little choice but to follow through with 4NT, learn about the two Aces, and bid 6D with confidence.
North may deduce a heart lead from the bidding, but it's scary to underlead high cards against a slam, so I expect a "safe" trump to be the popular choice. Declarer quickly pulls trumps, cashes two high clubs, ruffs a club, and claims 12 tricks. So much for safety. On a heart lead, declarer must hope at least one of the minors breaks well -- Ace of hearts, Ace of clubs (hard to make the hand if clubs are 5-0 anyway), KQ of diamonds. If diamonds are 4-1, declarer cashes the King of clubs, ruffs a club with the Ace, and pulls the last two trumps in dummy. If instead both follow to the second trump, West may as well cash the King of clubs next. This can't be ruffed if clubs are 3-2, and you can possibly cope with 4-1 clubs if the defender with only one club started with only two trumps.
Board 34: If East's long suit were a major, a 2C opening would be reasonable, but here game is unlikely if partner passes the recommended 1C opening. West responds either 1D or 1S according to style or taste -- bidding diamonds has a slight edge at getting to the right spot, while an immediate spade bid assumes that the enemy may benefit more than partner. There is somewhat more reason to respond 1D if opener tends to open 1C with 4-5 or even 4-4 in the minors, and there is more reason to respond 1S if opener prefers to open 1D with both minors. My style is to open 1C with 4-5, and rebid the clubs if stuck for a bid, so I would tend to respond up-the line.
Over 1D, East can visualize a slam opposite Axxx in diamonds if the clubs run or the Queen can be ruffed out. The Ace of spades, however, will not be as useful; a heart lead may establish a trick for the defense before trumps can be pulled. Rather than launch into 4NT or the equivalent (4D as Minorwood, or 4H as Kickback), East should consider other slam moves. A jump to 3D would be merely game-invitational and could be passed, so that's not an option. 4D (if not agreed as Minorwood) is 100% forcing and invites West to cue-bid; that would useful if East had, say, the Ace of diamonds rather than the Ace of hearts. A jump to 4C suggests long, powerful clubs along with good diamond support. The best descriptive bid, however, is a 3S splinter (yes, opener can splinter, too, and splinters are useful over minors as well as majors.) 1S and 2S would both be natural, the latter being a game force, and opener has no use for a preemptive bid, so 3S shoudl logically be a fit showing bid of some sort and splinter raises are the popular treatment -- 4 card support, a singleton or void in spades, and slam interest. This bid also leaves 3NT as an option in case partner has concentrated values in spades.
West likes the two Aces opposite partner's slam try; with no control in hearts, a 4S cue-bid is reasonable -- hope partner doesn't think you've misunderstood the splinter! Even so, partner will have little choice but to follow through with 4NT, learn about the two Aces, and bid 6D with confidence.
North may deduce a heart lead from the bidding, but it's scary to underlead high cards against a slam, so I expect a "safe" trump to be the popular choice. Declarer quickly pulls trumps, cashes two high clubs, ruffs a club, and claims 12 tricks. So much for safety. On a heart lead, declarer must hope at least one of the minors breaks well -- Ace of hearts, Ace of clubs (hard to make the hand if clubs are 5-0 anyway), KQ of diamonds. If diamonds are 4-1, declarer cashes the King of clubs, ruffs a club with the Ace, and pulls the last two trumps in dummy. If instead both follow to the second trump, West may as well cash the King of clubs next. This can't be ruffed if clubs are 3-2, and you can possibly cope with 4-1 clubs if the defender with only one club started with only two trumps.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Sunday, June 19th 2011
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Board 7: South should view his hand as a powerful balanced hand, worth a 2C opening and 2NT or 3NT rebid. North should make a positive response in hearts. Although the usual standard for an immediate positive response is 8 hcp, it is normal to make such a bid with AKxxx, and North's AQ109xx suit also qualifies. An immediate positive announces slam interest. North counts 7.5 losers (3.5 spades, 1 heart, 3 clubs) and at 3 points per trick, it is reasonable to hope South's 22+ will cover 7 of those.
"Steps" bidders will, of course, bid 2H to show 4-6 points; 2D waiting or negative bidders can simply bid 2H naturally -- the bid will not interfere with opener unless opener was planning to bid hearts himself! 2H bust bidders must bid 2NT to show a heart positive, but this will "preempt" opener only if he has spades, which would be excellent, or a balanced hand with only 2 hearts. in which case opener will rebid 3NT and the contract may be wrong-sided when responder retreats to 4H. Every method has its flaws. After the positive bid, East may butt in a with an unusual 2NT -- although not a jump, it would be absurd to expect to take 8 tricks at notrump when opener has announced a majority of the points. East hopes to find a profiutable sacrifice in one of the minors, but the bid risks giving the enemy a "road map" to the hand. South is thereby warned of the bad break in diamonds, however, and should probably bid 3NT. With a normal balanced hand, South could pass (showing about 22-23 balanced, the most common hand for a 2C opening) or double (showing a stronger hand, possibly with a long suit.) Pass and double retain the option to play for penalties, so South's 3NT suggests a more offensively oriented hand, but lacking good support for hearts. North may nevertheless decide to pull to 4H, since his suit will play well even opposite a singleton and the diamond void is a worry. However, South's 3NT is the first natural or shape-describig bid for the side, so "system" should be assumed to be on and North bids 4D as a transfer. If uncertain, North had best pass 3NT and discuss agreements later, as it will be hard to recover from a misinterpreted 4D or 4H bid.
East cashes his Ace of clubs for lack of a better lead; declarer wins the second club in South's hand, pitches a club on the Ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond in case West started with Kx or Jx, cashes the King of hearts and then, trusting East's 2NT bid, finesses the ten of hearts! Trumps are pulled, declarer crosses to a high spade and ruffs another diamond, grabs the second spade and concedes the final two tricks.
If the auctiion begins 2C-2D (waiting or semi-positive) and East remains silent, South rebids 2NT, North bids 3C as Stayman -- the spades aren't pretty, but opener could have as many as five. East likely doubles 3C for a lead, and South bids 3D, which not only denies a major but actually shows 4+ diamonds -- with no suit other than clubs, opener could pass or (with a strong suit) redouble. The diamond bid dampens North's slam ambitions; North continues with 3H (or 3S, for Smolen enthusiasts), South denies 3 card support with 3NT, and North again finishes the auction with 4H.
3NT is likely to fail unless South finesses the second round of hearts based on East's Unusual Notrump.
Board 7: South should view his hand as a powerful balanced hand, worth a 2C opening and 2NT or 3NT rebid. North should make a positive response in hearts. Although the usual standard for an immediate positive response is 8 hcp, it is normal to make such a bid with AKxxx, and North's AQ109xx suit also qualifies. An immediate positive announces slam interest. North counts 7.5 losers (3.5 spades, 1 heart, 3 clubs) and at 3 points per trick, it is reasonable to hope South's 22+ will cover 7 of those.
"Steps" bidders will, of course, bid 2H to show 4-6 points; 2D waiting or negative bidders can simply bid 2H naturally -- the bid will not interfere with opener unless opener was planning to bid hearts himself! 2H bust bidders must bid 2NT to show a heart positive, but this will "preempt" opener only if he has spades, which would be excellent, or a balanced hand with only 2 hearts. in which case opener will rebid 3NT and the contract may be wrong-sided when responder retreats to 4H. Every method has its flaws. After the positive bid, East may butt in a with an unusual 2NT -- although not a jump, it would be absurd to expect to take 8 tricks at notrump when opener has announced a majority of the points. East hopes to find a profiutable sacrifice in one of the minors, but the bid risks giving the enemy a "road map" to the hand. South is thereby warned of the bad break in diamonds, however, and should probably bid 3NT. With a normal balanced hand, South could pass (showing about 22-23 balanced, the most common hand for a 2C opening) or double (showing a stronger hand, possibly with a long suit.) Pass and double retain the option to play for penalties, so South's 3NT suggests a more offensively oriented hand, but lacking good support for hearts. North may nevertheless decide to pull to 4H, since his suit will play well even opposite a singleton and the diamond void is a worry. However, South's 3NT is the first natural or shape-describig bid for the side, so "system" should be assumed to be on and North bids 4D as a transfer. If uncertain, North had best pass 3NT and discuss agreements later, as it will be hard to recover from a misinterpreted 4D or 4H bid.
East cashes his Ace of clubs for lack of a better lead; declarer wins the second club in South's hand, pitches a club on the Ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond in case West started with Kx or Jx, cashes the King of hearts and then, trusting East's 2NT bid, finesses the ten of hearts! Trumps are pulled, declarer crosses to a high spade and ruffs another diamond, grabs the second spade and concedes the final two tricks.
If the auctiion begins 2C-2D (waiting or semi-positive) and East remains silent, South rebids 2NT, North bids 3C as Stayman -- the spades aren't pretty, but opener could have as many as five. East likely doubles 3C for a lead, and South bids 3D, which not only denies a major but actually shows 4+ diamonds -- with no suit other than clubs, opener could pass or (with a strong suit) redouble. The diamond bid dampens North's slam ambitions; North continues with 3H (or 3S, for Smolen enthusiasts), South denies 3 card support with 3NT, and North again finishes the auction with 4H.
3NT is likely to fail unless South finesses the second round of hearts based on East's Unusual Notrump.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 8th 2011
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2NT, Slam Killer -- Board 12: No one reached the excellent slam on this board. West likely opens 2NT, which crowds the auction. East bids 3C (Stayman) and West bids hearts. East counts 8 losers, and it is certainly plausible for a 2NT opener to cover 7 of those, but there may be wasted values in diamonds. Time to visualize: if you could choose partner's cards, would 12 tricks be cold? Try AKx AQJx xxx AQx: 2 spades, 4 trumps + a ruff, 5 clubs = 12 tricks. Partner won't always have that perfect hand, so East should invite slam, not insist on it. But what bid invites slam over 3H? Most pairs have no agreed method; I happen to play "4 other major slam try", so 4S would be a slam try agreeing hearts. This bid is "self-alerting" since it is illogical for responder to use Stayman (rather than a transfer) and then insist on the other major. However, 4S takes the partnership beyond the safety level of game.
West, though, should upgrade for all 4 Aces and open 2C rather than 2NT. Now East makes a non-bust response (2D in my usual 2H = bust method), West rebids 2NT (showing 22+), 3C and 3H as before. Now that "perfect 20" is well below West's announced 22 points, and East should drive the hand to 6H, checking on Aces or Key cards along the way. Most would take a leap to 4NT as RKCB, but playing "4OM Slam Try" 4NT should invite slam while denying hearts; East bids 4S to set hearts as trumps, and West can bid 4NT. East shows 1 key card; "1430" bidders can ask about the Queen via 5D, and then West bids 6H when East denies holding her majesty.
Double or Slam? -- Board 19: South opens 1H, and West lets that club suit talk him in to an unsound (vulnerable) overcall. North can bid 4H, of course, but why not give partner a chance for slam? 4C, a splinter raise, paints a fair picture. East cannot believe partner bid clubs; with at least 12 trumps, 6C is tempting, but the 222 outside shape provides little play value. 5C looks reasonable, neither selling out to 4H nor driving the enemy into slam. The splinter warns South of near-mirror shape; despite his excellent controls, slam looks iffy. Noting the vulnerability, South should simply double and collect at least 500, more than the value of a N/S game. (South expects 3 quick tricks in his own hand and North should provide one or two, even if East or West is void in hearts.) As it happens, 6H can make, but declarer must finesse once in spades and then play to drop the King -- not a high percentage play. Adding the 9 of spades to either hand would make slam excellent. West should take the blame for the poor score at -500.
2NT, Slam Killer -- Board 12: No one reached the excellent slam on this board. West likely opens 2NT, which crowds the auction. East bids 3C (Stayman) and West bids hearts. East counts 8 losers, and it is certainly plausible for a 2NT opener to cover 7 of those, but there may be wasted values in diamonds. Time to visualize: if you could choose partner's cards, would 12 tricks be cold? Try AKx AQJx xxx AQx: 2 spades, 4 trumps + a ruff, 5 clubs = 12 tricks. Partner won't always have that perfect hand, so East should invite slam, not insist on it. But what bid invites slam over 3H? Most pairs have no agreed method; I happen to play "4 other major slam try", so 4S would be a slam try agreeing hearts. This bid is "self-alerting" since it is illogical for responder to use Stayman (rather than a transfer) and then insist on the other major. However, 4S takes the partnership beyond the safety level of game.
West, though, should upgrade for all 4 Aces and open 2C rather than 2NT. Now East makes a non-bust response (2D in my usual 2H = bust method), West rebids 2NT (showing 22+), 3C and 3H as before. Now that "perfect 20" is well below West's announced 22 points, and East should drive the hand to 6H, checking on Aces or Key cards along the way. Most would take a leap to 4NT as RKCB, but playing "4OM Slam Try" 4NT should invite slam while denying hearts; East bids 4S to set hearts as trumps, and West can bid 4NT. East shows 1 key card; "1430" bidders can ask about the Queen via 5D, and then West bids 6H when East denies holding her majesty.
Double or Slam? -- Board 19: South opens 1H, and West lets that club suit talk him in to an unsound (vulnerable) overcall. North can bid 4H, of course, but why not give partner a chance for slam? 4C, a splinter raise, paints a fair picture. East cannot believe partner bid clubs; with at least 12 trumps, 6C is tempting, but the 222 outside shape provides little play value. 5C looks reasonable, neither selling out to 4H nor driving the enemy into slam. The splinter warns South of near-mirror shape; despite his excellent controls, slam looks iffy. Noting the vulnerability, South should simply double and collect at least 500, more than the value of a N/S game. (South expects 3 quick tricks in his own hand and North should provide one or two, even if East or West is void in hearts.) As it happens, 6H can make, but declarer must finesse once in spades and then play to drop the King -- not a high percentage play. Adding the 9 of spades to either hand would make slam excellent. West should take the blame for the poor score at -500.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, June 5th 2011
Right-click here for hands. Another good turnout for Sunday, 11 tables.
Black 5-6 -- Board 7: Many would open South's hand 1S, but with excellent playing strength and much better clubs than spades, I much prefer 1C, planning to bid the spades twice. If the enemy preempts in a red suit, South can afford to bid 4S at his next turn if necessary. West might pass or jump in diamonds, but this looks like a simple 1D overcall to me -- the suit is poorish for the two level (expecially vulnerable), and why discourage partner from bidding a major if he has one? North bids 1H -- does this promise 4 or 5 card length? "Standard" would be only 4, with the double promising four cards in both majors, but many agree that 1H or 1S promises 5 and double merely shows 4 cards in at least one major. East might bid 1NT if West's vulnerable overcalls are known to be fairly sound, but with only 7 hcp pass seems normal. South rebids 1S as planned, and West should pass -- one bid is enough with this collection unless the bidding threatens to die at 2C. North bids 1NT, and South reveals his shape by repeating the spades. I've seen players pass 2S on this sort of auction, thinking they should prefer the major; that's silly, if opener wanted to play a 5-2 major fit he could've opened 1S. When partner goes out of his way to bid a minor suit first, support it! 3C looks right, leaving 3NT as an option, and with diamonds stopped South may bid that which ends the auction.
For any other major/minor combination, South's bidding would promise 5-6 shape; and some players may reserve the clubs-spades-spades sequence for 5-6 or a strong 5-5. North could then jump to 4C at his third bid, and South is likely to bid the excellent slam.
Competition Corner -- Board 27: After 2 passes, North may be tempted to preempt, but game chances are still high and a normal 1D opening is recommended. East overcalls 1S and South should compete with 2D. This is why it is important NOT to play "inverted minors" over interference -- had East passed, South could bid 1NT, but that would be silly with a small doubleton in the overcaller's suit; 2D should be 6-10 with 4+ support, 3D 0-5 with 5+ card support, and cue-bidding 2S covers 11+ hands with support.
West has an obvious leap to 4S -- whether or not it will make, the huge fit and good shape should produce a good score. Without South's raise, North would be uncertain whether to defend 4S or bid on to 5D; the raise reduces North's defense and improves his offense, so 5D is clear-cut. East's void and 5-5 shape opposite known excellent support likewise makes 5S look better than defending 5D. That will likely end the bidding, anything else would be a pure guess. East wins 11 or 12 tricks depending on a guess in hearts. I don't think the auction or play will make it clear who has the Queen, unless the defenders lead the suit.
Black 5-6 -- Board 7: Many would open South's hand 1S, but with excellent playing strength and much better clubs than spades, I much prefer 1C, planning to bid the spades twice. If the enemy preempts in a red suit, South can afford to bid 4S at his next turn if necessary. West might pass or jump in diamonds, but this looks like a simple 1D overcall to me -- the suit is poorish for the two level (expecially vulnerable), and why discourage partner from bidding a major if he has one? North bids 1H -- does this promise 4 or 5 card length? "Standard" would be only 4, with the double promising four cards in both majors, but many agree that 1H or 1S promises 5 and double merely shows 4 cards in at least one major. East might bid 1NT if West's vulnerable overcalls are known to be fairly sound, but with only 7 hcp pass seems normal. South rebids 1S as planned, and West should pass -- one bid is enough with this collection unless the bidding threatens to die at 2C. North bids 1NT, and South reveals his shape by repeating the spades. I've seen players pass 2S on this sort of auction, thinking they should prefer the major; that's silly, if opener wanted to play a 5-2 major fit he could've opened 1S. When partner goes out of his way to bid a minor suit first, support it! 3C looks right, leaving 3NT as an option, and with diamonds stopped South may bid that which ends the auction.
For any other major/minor combination, South's bidding would promise 5-6 shape; and some players may reserve the clubs-spades-spades sequence for 5-6 or a strong 5-5. North could then jump to 4C at his third bid, and South is likely to bid the excellent slam.
Competition Corner -- Board 27: After 2 passes, North may be tempted to preempt, but game chances are still high and a normal 1D opening is recommended. East overcalls 1S and South should compete with 2D. This is why it is important NOT to play "inverted minors" over interference -- had East passed, South could bid 1NT, but that would be silly with a small doubleton in the overcaller's suit; 2D should be 6-10 with 4+ support, 3D 0-5 with 5+ card support, and cue-bidding 2S covers 11+ hands with support.
West has an obvious leap to 4S -- whether or not it will make, the huge fit and good shape should produce a good score. Without South's raise, North would be uncertain whether to defend 4S or bid on to 5D; the raise reduces North's defense and improves his offense, so 5D is clear-cut. East's void and 5-5 shape opposite known excellent support likewise makes 5S look better than defending 5D. That will likely end the bidding, anything else would be a pure guess. East wins 11 or 12 tricks depending on a guess in hearts. I don't think the auction or play will make it clear who has the Queen, unless the defenders lead the suit.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, 6/3/2011
Right-click here for hands.
Note: Board 2 was fouled after the first table, the North and East hands being interchanged. The results, therefore, do not match the hands shown.
Dastardly Double: (Board 2, but interchange the North and East hands): East opens 1S on A1098x -- KJ10xx Qxx, and South doubles for takeout with 19 hcp and good clubs: xx AJx Ax AKJ98x . West jumps to 3S preemptively with KQxx 10xxx xxxx x. The jump raise over a takeout double has always been preemptive in standard methods, as a good supporting hand can redouble or use a gadget bid (Jordan 2NT.) North bids 4H with Jx KQ9xxx Q9 10xx . It's sound practice to bid game in a six-card major and a smattering of values when partner makes a takeout double -- partner should either have good support or a powerful hand (as here.) East, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable and with a hand much better suited to offense than defense (especially against hearts) bids 4S. South had planned to double-then-jump in clubs, but the bidding has reached the stratosphere. There's a fair chance partner has a singleton spade, but really everything appears to be a guess: does partner have a spade control? Five or more hearts? How many tricks down will 4S be? I would estimate East can score 5 or 6 trumps plus one or two club ruffs, but nothing else; down 3 doubled won't compensate even for game, let alone slam, but with two spade losers and a possible club loser, 5C isn't certain, and partner's heart length is unknown. I would probably double 4S but not be surprised to be wrong.
At our table declarer tried 4NT. Expecting that we could run the first 5 or 6 tricks, I doubled to "test" the North/South agreements about interference over 4NT. Many have never discussed what to do over a double; one partner may assume "ignore the double" while the other assumes "ROPI, of course" (Redouble = 0, Pass = 1.) Do you and aprtner agree here?
The result was even worse than a misunderstanding -- South failed to notice the double at all. North passed (hoping that would be the most discourging action), and South assumed that ending the bidding. North cannot legally or ethically call attention to the double -- partner has to pay attention! 4NT doubled went for 500.
Moral #1 -- If partner passes unexpectedly, look to your left and make sure you don't have another bid coming. There is no recourse for not noticing a bid.
Moral #2 -- Have an agreement about interference over Blackwood or RKCB. Various agreements are possible, but one method is universally known and accepted, and on frequency (once every several years, if that) I can't see it being worthwhile to play something different. The method is DOPI -- double = 0 Aces or key cards, Pass = 1 (D0P1, which looks like DOPI, pronounced "dopey".) If any bid is available at the 5 level, the cheapest bid = 2, next = 3, etc. If the interfering bid is 5NT or higher, play DEPO: Double Even, Pass Odd. Partner can presumably work out whether you have 0, 2 or 4 from the bidding. Over a double, the acronym ROPI applies: Redouble = 0, Pass = 1. Playing RKCB, none of these replies says anything about the Queen of trumps, but the cheapest illogical suit by the 4NT bidder asks about the Queen. With that agreement in place, North redoubles to show 0 key cards, and South retreats to 5H. The defense collects two spade tricks and knocks out the Ace of diamonds, but declarer can pull trumps and guess to finesse the opening bidder for the club Queen, +650. Surprisingly, East can also make 11 tricks at spades.
Side note: in an online discusssion group, half the players thought DOPI meant "Double = first step, Pass = Second". That's absurd: the purpose of an acronym is to make the agreement easy to remember, and D0P1 means what is says. You could agree DFPS (double = first,, pass = second) but as I said, why have a non-standard agreement for such a rare bid?
Who needs the Queen?: Board 21
North opens a shapely 6-4 11 count, and South uses that Jacoby 2NT bid that's been sitting there on the convention card forever. North shows his singleton spade (3S.) That isn't encouraging opposite South's AKx, but South could force to game without that wasted King and should make another slam try. Best move is a 4C control bid -- if North can bid 4D, South can proceed with RKCB. North does show his diamond control and then two key cards over 4NT -- but should bid 5S, 2+Q, not 5H. Why pretend to have the Queen? South's 2NT promises 4 trumps, and with 10 combined trumps, the Queen will drop the vast majority of the time. This has always been a normal part of Roman Key Card Blackwood, but players who learn their gadgets "at the table" are typically unaware of this logic. 6H makes easily.
Note: Board 2 was fouled after the first table, the North and East hands being interchanged. The results, therefore, do not match the hands shown.
Dastardly Double: (Board 2, but interchange the North and East hands): East opens 1S on A1098x -- KJ10xx Qxx, and South doubles for takeout with 19 hcp and good clubs: xx AJx Ax AKJ98x . West jumps to 3S preemptively with KQxx 10xxx xxxx x. The jump raise over a takeout double has always been preemptive in standard methods, as a good supporting hand can redouble or use a gadget bid (Jordan 2NT.) North bids 4H with Jx KQ9xxx Q9 10xx . It's sound practice to bid game in a six-card major and a smattering of values when partner makes a takeout double -- partner should either have good support or a powerful hand (as here.) East, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable and with a hand much better suited to offense than defense (especially against hearts) bids 4S. South had planned to double-then-jump in clubs, but the bidding has reached the stratosphere. There's a fair chance partner has a singleton spade, but really everything appears to be a guess: does partner have a spade control? Five or more hearts? How many tricks down will 4S be? I would estimate East can score 5 or 6 trumps plus one or two club ruffs, but nothing else; down 3 doubled won't compensate even for game, let alone slam, but with two spade losers and a possible club loser, 5C isn't certain, and partner's heart length is unknown. I would probably double 4S but not be surprised to be wrong.
At our table declarer tried 4NT. Expecting that we could run the first 5 or 6 tricks, I doubled to "test" the North/South agreements about interference over 4NT. Many have never discussed what to do over a double; one partner may assume "ignore the double" while the other assumes "ROPI, of course" (Redouble = 0, Pass = 1.) Do you and aprtner agree here?
The result was even worse than a misunderstanding -- South failed to notice the double at all. North passed (hoping that would be the most discourging action), and South assumed that ending the bidding. North cannot legally or ethically call attention to the double -- partner has to pay attention! 4NT doubled went for 500.
Moral #1 -- If partner passes unexpectedly, look to your left and make sure you don't have another bid coming. There is no recourse for not noticing a bid.
Moral #2 -- Have an agreement about interference over Blackwood or RKCB. Various agreements are possible, but one method is universally known and accepted, and on frequency (once every several years, if that) I can't see it being worthwhile to play something different. The method is DOPI -- double = 0 Aces or key cards, Pass = 1 (D0P1, which looks like DOPI, pronounced "dopey".) If any bid is available at the 5 level, the cheapest bid = 2, next = 3, etc. If the interfering bid is 5NT or higher, play DEPO: Double Even, Pass Odd. Partner can presumably work out whether you have 0, 2 or 4 from the bidding. Over a double, the acronym ROPI applies: Redouble = 0, Pass = 1. Playing RKCB, none of these replies says anything about the Queen of trumps, but the cheapest illogical suit by the 4NT bidder asks about the Queen. With that agreement in place, North redoubles to show 0 key cards, and South retreats to 5H. The defense collects two spade tricks and knocks out the Ace of diamonds, but declarer can pull trumps and guess to finesse the opening bidder for the club Queen, +650. Surprisingly, East can also make 11 tricks at spades.
Side note: in an online discusssion group, half the players thought DOPI meant "Double = first step, Pass = Second". That's absurd: the purpose of an acronym is to make the agreement easy to remember, and D0P1 means what is says. You could agree DFPS (double = first,, pass = second) but as I said, why have a non-standard agreement for such a rare bid?
Who needs the Queen?: Board 21
North opens a shapely 6-4 11 count, and South uses that Jacoby 2NT bid that's been sitting there on the convention card forever. North shows his singleton spade (3S.) That isn't encouraging opposite South's AKx, but South could force to game without that wasted King and should make another slam try. Best move is a 4C control bid -- if North can bid 4D, South can proceed with RKCB. North does show his diamond control and then two key cards over 4NT -- but should bid 5S, 2+Q, not 5H. Why pretend to have the Queen? South's 2NT promises 4 trumps, and with 10 combined trumps, the Queen will drop the vast majority of the time. This has always been a normal part of Roman Key Card Blackwood, but players who learn their gadgets "at the table" are typically unaware of this logic. 6H makes easily.
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