No hand records for Swiss teams.
No one bid a slam in any of our 28 boards, but two hands had potential:
Board 22: West picks up KJ AK AKJ10xx A10 and hears passes from East and South. Two clubs looks right, planning to rebid either in the diamond suit or notrump. East responds with x Q10xxx 9xxx Qxx. This qualifies for 2D negative (0-7), waiting (0+) or semi-positive (4+) or a "Steps" 2H response (4-6). (Some play 2D promises an Ace or King, so they would bid 2H = bust.) After a negative or waiting 2D or 2H, I think West must leap to 3NT -- too much chance of missing game if you rebid 3D (the bidding may miss 3NT) or 2NT (not forcing.) This is likely to end the bidding.
After a forward-going 2D (4+) or 2H (4-6), West can rebid 2NT, an unlimited bid over these game-forcing responses. Stayman and transfers are on since the first two bids were artificial, so East shows the hearts with a 3D transfer. West bids 3H as requested and East must rebid 3NT despite the spade singleton --can't afford to carry the bidding any higher. From West's perspective, slam requires no diamond loser and two more tricks from partner; East's actual hand is excellent but without the big diamond fit 12 tricks are unlikely and passing 3NT looks reasonable, especially vulnerable at IMPs. If West does decide to invite slam, how? 4D is certainly a slam try, but it is apt to sound like a cue-bid in support of hearts, since West originally bid notrump. That leaves a simple 4NT raise as a quantitative slam try, which East is sure to pass with only two Queens and no knowledge of the big diamond fit.
What if West bids diamonds rather than notrump? 2C-2D (4+); 3D-? Should East raise or bid his hearts? I'd vote for the raise, particularly at IMPs where +600 or +920 at diamonds is no great loss compared to +620 or +980 at hearts. Now West can be optimistic about slam and bid 4NT followed by 6D when partner shows zero key cards or Aces.
Board 24: West picks up A10xx AKJ10xx Ax A as dealer, no one vulnerable. Game and slam chances look lively, and a strong 2C looks like a good start. You might not be passed out at 1H but I think it would be hard to portray a hand of this power after that opening. East holds x Q9xx xxx Q10xxx and responds in the same style as #22: 2D negative (0-7), waiting (0+), semi-positive (4+), or 2H steps (4-6) or bust (no Ace or King.) Over any 2D response West bids 2H and East raises. It is a key principle here that, when raising, East should bid 4H with zero controls: no ace, King or singleton. So East's 3H promises at least one control (the singeton spade on today's hand.)
West can assume no heart loser and one or two high card winners, but that does not appear to cover his four potential no-trump losers. With all the key cards, partner is not likely to cue-bid, but West may as well bid 3S to at least suggest slam. East cannot be sure how much the stiff spade is worth and likely retreats to 4H. West can try 5C -- perhaps East has the King of diamonds to cue-bid. No such luck, and East's 5H likely ends the bidding.
To reach slam, I think East must show West his singleton, such as with a splinter raise. After 2C-2D; 2H, East cannot have a very good spade suit (he would've responded 2S initially) and any raged suit can simply be bid and rebid, so a jump to 3S ought logically be a raise, so the splinter interpretation is reasonable -- but don't try this without prior discussion! Is East's hand worth 3S? I'm tempted to say no with bare minimum values and no Ace or King, but splinters can be most useful on minimal hands which could be worth a couple of extra tricks if partner can use the ruffing value.
Afer 2C-2D; 2H-3S, West trots out 4NT followed by 5NT simply to inform partner he has all the key cards or Aces, but East reveals zero Kings and the biddnig ends at 6H. Declarer counts nine tricks plus two spade ruffs; he can try for a third ruff or set up a long club for his 12th trick. I set up a club (the King fell on the third round of the suit) but on the layout give here it looks simple enough to ruff three times: win the diamond lead, Ace of spades, ruff a spade low, club to hand, ruff a spade high, trump to hand, ruff a spade high, ruff a club high, pull trumps and concede a diamond. I was able to make all 13 tricks (Ace of sapdes, two ruffs, six trumps, Ace of diamonds and three club tricks) at 4H for a not very important 1 IMP gain.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23rd 2011
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Board 3: East has a huge 5260 hand: what to open in 4th seat? With 18 hcp, the odds of being passed out at the one level are fairly low; if partner can't respond, one of the opponents is likely to bid. Diamonds are the best suit and the hand is certainly strong enough to bid and rebid spades later. Would it be easier to reach slam with a 2C opening? A likely auction might be 2C-2D; 3D-3NT; 4S -- does that suggest 5-6? I'm not sure, so I think I'd try opening 1D. South overcalls 2C, West passes, North raises to 3C -- opposite a passed hand, there's little risk of partner overbidding and the raise helps blockade East. A leap to 4S, however, should clearly suggest the powerful 5-6 shape (at least 5-5 for a jump shift opposite a passing partner, and longer diamonds since East bid the lower ranking suit first.) Holding an Ace and tolerance for both suits, West can pass or take a preference back to diamonds. In general, it's wrong for the shorter trump hand to insist on a non-fit (5-2 or 4-3) when there is a known fit. It's fine to suggest playing in a major, but the decision should be left to the one with the trump length, who will have a better idea how solid the suit is. Here West may suspect spades is a good spot but as partner could've opened spades with good spades and indifferent diaonds, I think it's safest to return to the known fit, 5D. East does not have enough information to bid further.
In the play, East expects to lose a club and a spade or possibly a diamond, hopefully not both. In fact both suits split well and East rolls up +620; as it happens spades would score +680, but slam would be a poor bet.
Board 4: North opens 1C in second seat, and East's suit is too weak for a vulnerable preempt. South responds 1H. North counts 7 likely winners and several plus values; if the clubs run or partner can provide some help in whatever suit they lead 3NT looks like a good bet. Note that this is the normal type of hand for a 3NT rebid -- with 18 or 19 balanced, North would rebid 2NT; with more, North would open 2NT or 2C. So North's 3NT suggests long, strong clubs and at least 7.5 tricks. South can expect to add at least 4 tricks and should invite slam in case North has extras. 4NT here should be invitational, and if not 4C should be a clear slam try (it would be silly to run from a game to a part-score) but in many partnerships South can expect 4NT to be taken as Blackwood. Still, there's probably some play for 12 trick if partner has at least two Aces. As North, I'd pass 4NT (only 6 clubs and 3NT was a bit of a stretch) but would react favorably to 4C with 3 Aces and the Queen of trumps: a possible sequence might be 1C-1H; 3NT-4C; 4D-4H (cue-bids); 4NT-1 ace or 2 key card reply; 6C or 6NT-all pass. If South bids 4NT as Blackwood, North replies 5S (3 Aces) and South should bid 6C -- the trump suit may be needed to set up hearts for 12 tricks.
North can win a spade lead and set the hearts up with a losing finesse. A diamond lead is trickier -- perhaps West doubled 4D for a lead. This dooms 6NT but 6C can be made by ruffing a heart before pulling the last trump. Should declarer try the ruff or finesse? A 3-3 split is about a 36% chance; in half of those cases the finesse also works, so we can say the ruff gains 18% (Qxx offside.) If East has Qxxx, the finesse wins and declarer can ruff a heart, return to dummy with the King of trumps, and pitch two diamonds; I make the odds of East having Qxxx about 16%. Hmm, the ruff also gains when West has Qx, another 8%, so it looks like ruffing is the better play. A singleton Queen or Qx with East will be obvious in any case, so overall the ruff looks like a better than 50% chance.
Board 3: East has a huge 5260 hand: what to open in 4th seat? With 18 hcp, the odds of being passed out at the one level are fairly low; if partner can't respond, one of the opponents is likely to bid. Diamonds are the best suit and the hand is certainly strong enough to bid and rebid spades later. Would it be easier to reach slam with a 2C opening? A likely auction might be 2C-2D; 3D-3NT; 4S -- does that suggest 5-6? I'm not sure, so I think I'd try opening 1D. South overcalls 2C, West passes, North raises to 3C -- opposite a passed hand, there's little risk of partner overbidding and the raise helps blockade East. A leap to 4S, however, should clearly suggest the powerful 5-6 shape (at least 5-5 for a jump shift opposite a passing partner, and longer diamonds since East bid the lower ranking suit first.) Holding an Ace and tolerance for both suits, West can pass or take a preference back to diamonds. In general, it's wrong for the shorter trump hand to insist on a non-fit (5-2 or 4-3) when there is a known fit. It's fine to suggest playing in a major, but the decision should be left to the one with the trump length, who will have a better idea how solid the suit is. Here West may suspect spades is a good spot but as partner could've opened spades with good spades and indifferent diaonds, I think it's safest to return to the known fit, 5D. East does not have enough information to bid further.
In the play, East expects to lose a club and a spade or possibly a diamond, hopefully not both. In fact both suits split well and East rolls up +620; as it happens spades would score +680, but slam would be a poor bet.
Board 4: North opens 1C in second seat, and East's suit is too weak for a vulnerable preempt. South responds 1H. North counts 7 likely winners and several plus values; if the clubs run or partner can provide some help in whatever suit they lead 3NT looks like a good bet. Note that this is the normal type of hand for a 3NT rebid -- with 18 or 19 balanced, North would rebid 2NT; with more, North would open 2NT or 2C. So North's 3NT suggests long, strong clubs and at least 7.5 tricks. South can expect to add at least 4 tricks and should invite slam in case North has extras. 4NT here should be invitational, and if not 4C should be a clear slam try (it would be silly to run from a game to a part-score) but in many partnerships South can expect 4NT to be taken as Blackwood. Still, there's probably some play for 12 trick if partner has at least two Aces. As North, I'd pass 4NT (only 6 clubs and 3NT was a bit of a stretch) but would react favorably to 4C with 3 Aces and the Queen of trumps: a possible sequence might be 1C-1H; 3NT-4C; 4D-4H (cue-bids); 4NT-1 ace or 2 key card reply; 6C or 6NT-all pass. If South bids 4NT as Blackwood, North replies 5S (3 Aces) and South should bid 6C -- the trump suit may be needed to set up hearts for 12 tricks.
North can win a spade lead and set the hearts up with a losing finesse. A diamond lead is trickier -- perhaps West doubled 4D for a lead. This dooms 6NT but 6C can be made by ruffing a heart before pulling the last trump. Should declarer try the ruff or finesse? A 3-3 split is about a 36% chance; in half of those cases the finesse also works, so we can say the ruff gains 18% (Qxx offside.) If East has Qxxx, the finesse wins and declarer can ruff a heart, return to dummy with the King of trumps, and pitch two diamonds; I make the odds of East having Qxxx about 16%. Hmm, the ruff also gains when West has Qx, another 8%, so it looks like ruffing is the better play. A singleton Queen or Qx with East will be obvious in any case, so overall the ruff looks like a better than 50% chance.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22nd 2011
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Board 15: Roman Key Card Blackwood should keep N/S out of slam, missing an Ace and the King of hearts. An auction like 1H-2C; 4H-4NT; 5D-5H; all pass would be reasonable, where 5D shows 1 or 4 key cards. Slam makes if declarer guesses to drop the stiff King, but there is no obvious reason to make that play.
On lead, West should not consider a club -- if partner has anything there, he'll get it sooner or later. The threat is that a side winner may go away on dummy's clubs. Since East rates to have few values, underleading diamonds is risky. The ten of spades has some hope of helping to set up a trick, and a good chance of not giving anything away. As it happens, the defense collects two spades, and East shifts to a diamond at trick three. Declarer then tries the trump finesse and finishes down one. On a foolish club lead, the defense should still prevail sicne West can find the spade shift after winning the King of hearts -- but declarer might try a safety play, reasoning that he must keep West off lead. Going up with the Ace allows declarer to run the table.
Can the risky five level be avoided? Perhaps South's jump to 4H should deny as many as three key cards or two plus the Queen. With that understanding, North has no reason to disturb 4H.
Board 21: East opens 1C and West shows a balanced 13-15 hcp with a standard 2NT (forcing) or that modern abomination, a direct leap to 3NT. Either way, East counts 8 tricks and expects opener to provide 4 more; it seems unlikely a trump suit will add anything so East jumps straight to 6NT. West wins the lead, tests clubs, and then cashes the Ace of diamonds, one high heart (that may have been the lead) and three spades before running all the clubs, pitching diamonds from his hand. South shuold guard diamonds while North guards hearts; a defensive slip allows declarer to take all 13 tricks.
Board 15: Roman Key Card Blackwood should keep N/S out of slam, missing an Ace and the King of hearts. An auction like 1H-2C; 4H-4NT; 5D-5H; all pass would be reasonable, where 5D shows 1 or 4 key cards. Slam makes if declarer guesses to drop the stiff King, but there is no obvious reason to make that play.
On lead, West should not consider a club -- if partner has anything there, he'll get it sooner or later. The threat is that a side winner may go away on dummy's clubs. Since East rates to have few values, underleading diamonds is risky. The ten of spades has some hope of helping to set up a trick, and a good chance of not giving anything away. As it happens, the defense collects two spades, and East shifts to a diamond at trick three. Declarer then tries the trump finesse and finishes down one. On a foolish club lead, the defense should still prevail sicne West can find the spade shift after winning the King of hearts -- but declarer might try a safety play, reasoning that he must keep West off lead. Going up with the Ace allows declarer to run the table.
Can the risky five level be avoided? Perhaps South's jump to 4H should deny as many as three key cards or two plus the Queen. With that understanding, North has no reason to disturb 4H.
Board 21: East opens 1C and West shows a balanced 13-15 hcp with a standard 2NT (forcing) or that modern abomination, a direct leap to 3NT. Either way, East counts 8 tricks and expects opener to provide 4 more; it seems unlikely a trump suit will add anything so East jumps straight to 6NT. West wins the lead, tests clubs, and then cashes the Ace of diamonds, one high heart (that may have been the lead) and three spades before running all the clubs, pitching diamonds from his hand. South shuold guard diamonds while North guards hearts; a defensive slip allows declarer to take all 13 tricks.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 18th 2011
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No slams bid today. Best of the lot was Board 7:
West is too strong for any preempt, and does not have enough high cards or trick to justify 2C. West opens 1S and rebids 4S over practically any bid by anyone -- in this case, partner's 2H. East suspects hearts might play better, but his suit is broken and it won't pay to argue over suits. As it happens, 6H or 6NT makes on the heart finesse while West must lose a trump trick to North, but +650 is the normal result here. Even playing 2/1 Game Force, I don't see a rational way to play in hearts - West has an 8-card major suit fit all by himself. 1S-2H; 2S(!)-3D; 3S-3NT; I can't see West passing 3NT or supporting hearts without bidding the spades one more time. Slam depends not only on avoiding spades but also on a heart finesse and no voids for the defenders, so it's less than 50%.
Board 10: Some might open 2D on South's Jack-high suit, but I expect most Wests opened 1C after two passes. East responds 1H and West rebids either 1S or 1NT. Normally I would recommend looking for the 4-4 fit: if East has 4 spades along with 4 hearts, he must have a doubleton in one of the minors; but on this particular hand West has a double stopper in both red suits and may prefer not to mention 9xxx in spades. Over 1NT, should East raise? I wouldn't -- playing 15-17 notrumps, West's 1NT rebid suggests 12-14 points, and 12 is much more likely than 14. You can't have 26 hcp and 25 is unlikely -- why volunteer for 2NT with such poor prospects for game? Only 1 pair stopped at 1NT, however, and that by a cautious East who must've rebid 1NT over West's 1S.
The double-dummy analyzer says nine tricks can be made, but no pair managed more than eight. Against 1C-1H; 1NT-all pass, North leads a low spade. South wins the Queen and returns a diamond. Declarer has no reason to suspect the stiff King, so West plays low and North wins his King. North may as well continue spades as break a new suit, and declarer ends with 2 tricks in each suit for +120. Nine tricks requires employing the Rabbi's Rule: when the King is singleton, play for it to drop.
No slams bid today. Best of the lot was Board 7:
West is too strong for any preempt, and does not have enough high cards or trick to justify 2C. West opens 1S and rebids 4S over practically any bid by anyone -- in this case, partner's 2H. East suspects hearts might play better, but his suit is broken and it won't pay to argue over suits. As it happens, 6H or 6NT makes on the heart finesse while West must lose a trump trick to North, but +650 is the normal result here. Even playing 2/1 Game Force, I don't see a rational way to play in hearts - West has an 8-card major suit fit all by himself. 1S-2H; 2S(!)-3D; 3S-3NT; I can't see West passing 3NT or supporting hearts without bidding the spades one more time. Slam depends not only on avoiding spades but also on a heart finesse and no voids for the defenders, so it's less than 50%.
Board 10: Some might open 2D on South's Jack-high suit, but I expect most Wests opened 1C after two passes. East responds 1H and West rebids either 1S or 1NT. Normally I would recommend looking for the 4-4 fit: if East has 4 spades along with 4 hearts, he must have a doubleton in one of the minors; but on this particular hand West has a double stopper in both red suits and may prefer not to mention 9xxx in spades. Over 1NT, should East raise? I wouldn't -- playing 15-17 notrumps, West's 1NT rebid suggests 12-14 points, and 12 is much more likely than 14. You can't have 26 hcp and 25 is unlikely -- why volunteer for 2NT with such poor prospects for game? Only 1 pair stopped at 1NT, however, and that by a cautious East who must've rebid 1NT over West's 1S.
The double-dummy analyzer says nine tricks can be made, but no pair managed more than eight. Against 1C-1H; 1NT-all pass, North leads a low spade. South wins the Queen and returns a diamond. Declarer has no reason to suspect the stiff King, so West plays low and North wins his King. North may as well continue spades as break a new suit, and declarer ends with 2 tricks in each suit for +120. Nine tricks requires employing the Rabbi's Rule: when the King is singleton, play for it to drop.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Sunday, September 4th 2011
No hand records again.
Board 1: North opens 1H holding QJxx AKxxx Ax Ax; South responds 1S. North has fantastic cards -- QJ in partner's suit, four quick tricks outside, control of all suits and a source of tricks. Basic count would be 18 hcp + 1 for the 5 card suit + 2 for the 2 doubletons when raising partner with four trumps = 21; another approach is to figure North can cover 7 of South's losers: 5 with high cards, another with a long heart, and one more ruffing in a minor, and North's Aces may promote some cards for South. That sounds like slam; visualizing, South might have AKxxx xx xxx xxx, but unless hearts split 3-3 there would be two minor suit losers. So North should force to game but leave it to partner to carry the bidding any higher. Four spades gives a reasonable description of North's hand; the failure to splinter (4C or 4D) suggests no singleton, so North must have a lot of high cards.
South likes his hand on this bidding: AK10xx QJ 10x J109x . The QJ in partner's suit are excellent, the trumps are likely to come in without loss (either a 2-2 split or partner having the Queen), diamonds or clubs can be pitched on hearts, but does partner have the minors under control? With no splinter, partner should have at least 18 hcp, but it is possible to be missing two Aces or the AK in one of the minors. With no room below game to cue-bid, and no side controls to cue-bid anyway, I think the practical approach is to check on Aces or Key cards with 4NT and bid slam unless two are missing. Do not bid 4NT and "chicken out" at 5S if an ace is missing "because we might have two quick losers." You may not, or they may not find the right lead. Today, North shows 3 Aces, 5S over Blackwood, 5C (0 or 3) using RKCB, or 5D (0 or 3) using "1430" responses. South can ask about Kings or the trump Queen, but it is difficult to construct a grand-slam worthy hand for North that would not open 2C, so South may simply bid 6S.
Five spades, five hearts and two Aces makes for an easy 12 tricks.
Board 8: North opens 1D with AKQx Kxx K9xxx x and South responds 1S. North can add 3 for the (small) singleton when raising partner with four trumps, so North is well worth a jump raise (3S.) South, holding J10xxx A10xx AQJ x, counts 12 high cards points, none wasted, and one or two more for shape; opposite partner's 17-19 is there enough for slam? The total is unlikely to reach 33, but suit slams can sometimes be made with less if the cards fit right. Try visualizing: AKQx x Kxxxx xxx makes for an easy 12 tricks, and is well below jump-raise strength. The hand looks perfect for RKCB, so South bids 4NT and North replies 5S, 2 Key Cards plus the Queen of trumps. With five of the six "prime" cards (4 Aces plus KQ of trumps) South bids the excellent slam.
Oops -- over North's 1D, East preempts in clubs. How high? Not vulnerable with 7 sure tricks and essentially no defense, I'd blast 5C. East does not want to defend against four of a major, make 'em guess at the five level. Now what does South do? He cannot picture slam opposite a minimum opener and does not want to bid a crummy 5 card suit at the five level, so double appears to be the only rational choice. North must either pull to 5S, hoping spades or diamonds will be playable, or pass and hope for a good penalty. The defense collects 5 tricks for +500, better than a game but less than the value of the slam.
If East bids only 3 clubs, South can bid 3S freely, and North is worth a 4C cue-bid, which may lead to slam. If East bids 4C, South may double ("do something" at this level), West should raise to 5C, North tries 5S and South may pass or bid slam.When preempting it pays to maximize the pressure on the opponents, taking into account how many tricks you expect to make and what they can make if partner doesn't provide any help. 4C is the "book" bid here with KQJ9xxxx, and either 4C or 5C may keep N/S out of slam.
Board 9: North as dealer holds KQJx x Kxxxxx Qx; I open a lot of shapely 11 counts but with no Ace and the unguarded Queen I'd pass this one. (I'd open KQJx x KQxxxx xx with little pause for thought.) South opens 1H in third seat with 10x AK987 AQ9 AJ8. North has an awkward hand -- partner may pass 2D, but responding 1S may bury the long suit. (A jump response with a misfit for partner is not an option.) I'd bid 1S and cross my fingers the hand doesn't belong in diamonds. South rebids 2NT, suggesting 17-19 hcp and now North can be sure there is a diamond fit, and probably enough strength for slam, but South will need all four Aces or three plus the Queen of diamonds. Either is possible in light of the strong rebid, but can North safely inquire? 4NT would be an invitational raise of notrump ("quantitative slam try") but that means 4C is Gerber. North won't find out about the Queen of diamonds that way, but it's a souind policy not to avoid bidding slam when you cannot ask about Queen -- it is likely that partner has it or it may drop or be finessable. South counts carefully -- Gerber doesn't come up often -- 4D = 0, 4H = 1, 4S = 2, 4NT = 3, that's the right bid. Or just remember Gerber responses are one level lower but one denomination higher than Blackwood. Over 4NT North might leap to 6D, but a little though makes it seem likely that if the diamond suit comes in, 6NT will make, and perhaps spaes and hearts will provide enough tricks if diamonds don't. Three spades, two hearts, six diamonds and a club makes an easy 12 tricks.
Board 1: North opens 1H holding QJxx AKxxx Ax Ax; South responds 1S. North has fantastic cards -- QJ in partner's suit, four quick tricks outside, control of all suits and a source of tricks. Basic count would be 18 hcp + 1 for the 5 card suit + 2 for the 2 doubletons when raising partner with four trumps = 21; another approach is to figure North can cover 7 of South's losers: 5 with high cards, another with a long heart, and one more ruffing in a minor, and North's Aces may promote some cards for South. That sounds like slam; visualizing, South might have AKxxx xx xxx xxx, but unless hearts split 3-3 there would be two minor suit losers. So North should force to game but leave it to partner to carry the bidding any higher. Four spades gives a reasonable description of North's hand; the failure to splinter (4C or 4D) suggests no singleton, so North must have a lot of high cards.
South likes his hand on this bidding: AK10xx QJ 10x J109x . The QJ in partner's suit are excellent, the trumps are likely to come in without loss (either a 2-2 split or partner having the Queen), diamonds or clubs can be pitched on hearts, but does partner have the minors under control? With no splinter, partner should have at least 18 hcp, but it is possible to be missing two Aces or the AK in one of the minors. With no room below game to cue-bid, and no side controls to cue-bid anyway, I think the practical approach is to check on Aces or Key cards with 4NT and bid slam unless two are missing. Do not bid 4NT and "chicken out" at 5S if an ace is missing "because we might have two quick losers." You may not, or they may not find the right lead. Today, North shows 3 Aces, 5S over Blackwood, 5C (0 or 3) using RKCB, or 5D (0 or 3) using "1430" responses. South can ask about Kings or the trump Queen, but it is difficult to construct a grand-slam worthy hand for North that would not open 2C, so South may simply bid 6S.
Five spades, five hearts and two Aces makes for an easy 12 tricks.
Board 8: North opens 1D with AKQx Kxx K9xxx x and South responds 1S. North can add 3 for the (small) singleton when raising partner with four trumps, so North is well worth a jump raise (3S.) South, holding J10xxx A10xx AQJ x, counts 12 high cards points, none wasted, and one or two more for shape; opposite partner's 17-19 is there enough for slam? The total is unlikely to reach 33, but suit slams can sometimes be made with less if the cards fit right. Try visualizing: AKQx x Kxxxx xxx makes for an easy 12 tricks, and is well below jump-raise strength. The hand looks perfect for RKCB, so South bids 4NT and North replies 5S, 2 Key Cards plus the Queen of trumps. With five of the six "prime" cards (4 Aces plus KQ of trumps) South bids the excellent slam.
Oops -- over North's 1D, East preempts in clubs. How high? Not vulnerable with 7 sure tricks and essentially no defense, I'd blast 5C. East does not want to defend against four of a major, make 'em guess at the five level. Now what does South do? He cannot picture slam opposite a minimum opener and does not want to bid a crummy 5 card suit at the five level, so double appears to be the only rational choice. North must either pull to 5S, hoping spades or diamonds will be playable, or pass and hope for a good penalty. The defense collects 5 tricks for +500, better than a game but less than the value of the slam.
If East bids only 3 clubs, South can bid 3S freely, and North is worth a 4C cue-bid, which may lead to slam. If East bids 4C, South may double ("do something" at this level), West should raise to 5C, North tries 5S and South may pass or bid slam.When preempting it pays to maximize the pressure on the opponents, taking into account how many tricks you expect to make and what they can make if partner doesn't provide any help. 4C is the "book" bid here with KQJ9xxxx, and either 4C or 5C may keep N/S out of slam.
Board 9: North as dealer holds KQJx x Kxxxxx Qx; I open a lot of shapely 11 counts but with no Ace and the unguarded Queen I'd pass this one. (I'd open KQJx x KQxxxx xx with little pause for thought.) South opens 1H in third seat with 10x AK987 AQ9 AJ8. North has an awkward hand -- partner may pass 2D, but responding 1S may bury the long suit. (A jump response with a misfit for partner is not an option.) I'd bid 1S and cross my fingers the hand doesn't belong in diamonds. South rebids 2NT, suggesting 17-19 hcp and now North can be sure there is a diamond fit, and probably enough strength for slam, but South will need all four Aces or three plus the Queen of diamonds. Either is possible in light of the strong rebid, but can North safely inquire? 4NT would be an invitational raise of notrump ("quantitative slam try") but that means 4C is Gerber. North won't find out about the Queen of diamonds that way, but it's a souind policy not to avoid bidding slam when you cannot ask about Queen -- it is likely that partner has it or it may drop or be finessable. South counts carefully -- Gerber doesn't come up often -- 4D = 0, 4H = 1, 4S = 2, 4NT = 3, that's the right bid. Or just remember Gerber responses are one level lower but one denomination higher than Blackwood. Over 4NT North might leap to 6D, but a little though makes it seem likely that if the diamond suit comes in, 6NT will make, and perhaps spaes and hearts will provide enough tricks if diamonds don't. Three spades, two hearts, six diamonds and a club makes an easy 12 tricks.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2nd 2011
Results not available online at the time of blogging
Board 3: West opens 1S with A10xxx 10xx A109 Ax, East responds 2H with J AQ9xx KQJxx KJ . Two hearts over two spades promises a five-card suit; with only four, responder should use 1NT forcing or bid a minor suit, possibly a 3 card club suit (with 3433 shape, planning to support sapdes or raise hearts.). Opener will certainly rebid in hearts if he has four. So opener knows a 5-3 major fit exists; but it is important to clarify opener's strength. Standard bidders may simply raise to 3H with a minimum and leap to 4H with extras, while 2/1 Game Force bidders may reverse those bids, but either way leaping to 4H eliminates any chance of investigating slam below the game level. My style is treat the immediate raise to 3H as showing extras, about 15 hcp (whether or not 2H was forcing to game.) Here opener rebids his suit to limit his values -- this does not promise extra length in the recommended style -- planning to bid 3H next round. Responder continues with 3D, creating a game force. (Responder with only 11 or so points must rebid 2NT, 3H or 3S to limit his hand.) Opener bids 3H, which does not necessarily promise 3 card support, it might be a doubleton where opener lacks a club stopper to bid 3NT.
Whether or not hearts is the best trump suit, responder's only interest is in how many of the three missing Aces and the King of hearts opener holds. This would be an ideal hand for Roman Key Card Blackwood, but is the five level safe? Opener needs three key cards for slam, and two for comfort at the five level; unfortunately, it is not hard to picture a hand like AKQxxx xxx xx Qx where even 4 hearts may be in jeopardy. That would be quite unlucky, but hoping for three key cards when opener has limited his values may be asking for too much good luck. A reasonable compromise is to make a slam try below game, and trust that opener, looking at three key cards, will carry on. Four diamonds describes responder's shape but is not a clear slam try; four clubs is, and this illustrates why it is important not to restrict cue-bdding to first-round controls. I mentally "borrow" the trump key-card to justify such a cue-bid; if partner bids 4NT he won't go overboard.
So, 1S-2H; 2S-3D; 3H-4C, and in fact opener has the desired three key cards and drives to slam after checking on key cards. Missing the KJ of trumps, odds are about 75% one of two finesses will work; today, however, South holds both trump honors, and it so happens playing the Ace and a low trump would succeed. Down one, but this is a slam that definitely should be bid. Six diamonds offers more solid trumps but depnds in the end on the same play in hearts.
Board 8: West opens 1C with a juicy 18 count, AQx xxx AJx AKxx . East should be thinking slam with K9x AKQ98x Qxx J ; even the stiff Jack may be useful to set up spade or diamond discards. For me this an obvious strong jump shift, 2H. West need not rush to raise hearts with 3 small; and as 2H forces to game, West can show his shape with 2NT, planning to drive to slam in any case. East rebids hearts and now West comes to life with 4NT. Playing RKCB, East's 5S shows two Key Cards plus the Queen of trumps, and West confirms all six "prime" cards (4 Aces + KQ of trumps) with 5NT. East either shows one outside King (5D) or, playing "specific Kings" style, bids 6H since he cannot show the spade King below 6H, and cannot be sure 6NT is a safe alternative. I don't think either player can count 13 tricks; West may choose 6NT or may opt for 6S hoping the trump suit produces an overtrick.
I expect most East responded only 1H, either from system (Weak Jump Shifts) or, well, whatever. West leaps to 2NT, revealing his 18 count, and now East can anticipate a grand slam -- 33 hcp plus the long, solid heart suit. 4C (Gerber, a jump over notrump) confirms West's three Aces and the follow up shows one King; East can count 2 spades, 6 hearts, and AK A in the minors for 11 tricks, but that's only 15 hcp of 18 for opener, so East can choose 6NT or 7H. The field often misses even laydown small slams, so I think I'd settle for 6NT rather than risk a zero at 7H. Bid grand slams only when you can count at least 13 tricks.
Board 10: I like to open good suits, and East's AQ10xxx is tempting, but vulnerable I expect most passed for lack of a seven card suit. South opens 1D and North responds with an up-the-line 1H. The spade fit comes to light when opener rebids 1S and North raises -- how high? North has 13 hcp including his stiff King; it is reasonable to count either 3 points for the kIng or 3 for raising partner with a singleton and four trumps, though North's poor trumps are a worry. Try visualizing: can we construct a balanced 12 point hand that makes game a virtual laydown? Can we do it with less? Picture AKxx xx KQxxx xx, you would expect to lose a trump, a heart and a club, needing only a 3-2 trump split, and if trumps don't split the heart finesse might work. Delete the Queen of diamonds and you would need both red suits to split or one good split and the heart finesse, fair odds but not great. A key insight is that it's hard for the King of clubs to be useful even if partner has the Ace or Queen -- pitching one heart or one diamond from North's hand won't help much.
Point-count suggests raising to game (perhaps with a 4C splinter, doulbed by East for a lead) but visualizing suggests an invitational jump to 3S. Over 4S South surely drives to slam, checking on Aces or Key Cards with 4NT. Over 3S South may settle for game, or make a natural slam try bid of 4D. North cooperates with a 4H cue-bid and South may pause at 4S or continue with 4NT.
If East does open 3C, South doubles and North cue-bids 4C, asking doubler to pick a major for game. South may suspect a slam but should allow that partner may be stretching for game, as 3H or 3S would not promise any values in response to the double. I would not expect to reach slam after 3C.
Against 4S or 6S, the defense likely cashes one club and exits with a heart or trump; declarer pulls trumps and attempts to locate the Queen of diamonds. Cashing three rounds of hearts reveals East's singleton, leaving more "empty spaces" for him to hold the diamond Queen, and a successful finesse lands the slam. With the J-10 divided, declarer cannot afford the ploy of leading the Jack and overtaking if West fails to cover.
Board 27: South opens 2C with KJ AKx A9xx AK98. North may bid 2D "waiting", 2D "semi-positive" (where 2H would be a bust), 3NT (10-12 hcp, balanced) or 2NT ("Steps" 10-12) according to style. Asssuming 2D, South rebids 2NT; North could leap to 6NT but might there be a grand slam or might 6S give a better chance for an overtrick? Looking at A9xx 10x KQJx Qxx, North counts 7 losers and it is reasonable to hope South can cover all 7 with his announced 22 hcp (using the guideline of 3 points = 1 trick.) The spades are a bit weak for slam, but opener is almost certain to have help. Let's say North uses Stayman; South bids 3D (no 4 card major) or 3NT (no 4 or 5 card major, playing Puppet.) Now there's a high probability of a fit in diamonds, but most partnerships do not have a defined way to look for a minor suit fit. A good stab would be 5NT -- as 4NT would be inviting 6, 5NT forces to 6, invites 7, and leaves room for opener to bid a minor suit. 2C-2D; 2NT-3C; 3D-5NT; 6C-6D; 7D is a possible path to grand slam, but with "only" 34 hcp I'd settle for a simple 6NT over South's reply to Stayman. A 3-3 club split provides the 12th trick at 6NT or the 13th in a diamond slam.
Board 3: West opens 1S with A10xxx 10xx A109 Ax, East responds 2H with J AQ9xx KQJxx KJ . Two hearts over two spades promises a five-card suit; with only four, responder should use 1NT forcing or bid a minor suit, possibly a 3 card club suit (with 3433 shape, planning to support sapdes or raise hearts.). Opener will certainly rebid in hearts if he has four. So opener knows a 5-3 major fit exists; but it is important to clarify opener's strength. Standard bidders may simply raise to 3H with a minimum and leap to 4H with extras, while 2/1 Game Force bidders may reverse those bids, but either way leaping to 4H eliminates any chance of investigating slam below the game level. My style is treat the immediate raise to 3H as showing extras, about 15 hcp (whether or not 2H was forcing to game.) Here opener rebids his suit to limit his values -- this does not promise extra length in the recommended style -- planning to bid 3H next round. Responder continues with 3D, creating a game force. (Responder with only 11 or so points must rebid 2NT, 3H or 3S to limit his hand.) Opener bids 3H, which does not necessarily promise 3 card support, it might be a doubleton where opener lacks a club stopper to bid 3NT.
Whether or not hearts is the best trump suit, responder's only interest is in how many of the three missing Aces and the King of hearts opener holds. This would be an ideal hand for Roman Key Card Blackwood, but is the five level safe? Opener needs three key cards for slam, and two for comfort at the five level; unfortunately, it is not hard to picture a hand like AKQxxx xxx xx Qx where even 4 hearts may be in jeopardy. That would be quite unlucky, but hoping for three key cards when opener has limited his values may be asking for too much good luck. A reasonable compromise is to make a slam try below game, and trust that opener, looking at three key cards, will carry on. Four diamonds describes responder's shape but is not a clear slam try; four clubs is, and this illustrates why it is important not to restrict cue-bdding to first-round controls. I mentally "borrow" the trump key-card to justify such a cue-bid; if partner bids 4NT he won't go overboard.
So, 1S-2H; 2S-3D; 3H-4C, and in fact opener has the desired three key cards and drives to slam after checking on key cards. Missing the KJ of trumps, odds are about 75% one of two finesses will work; today, however, South holds both trump honors, and it so happens playing the Ace and a low trump would succeed. Down one, but this is a slam that definitely should be bid. Six diamonds offers more solid trumps but depnds in the end on the same play in hearts.
Board 8: West opens 1C with a juicy 18 count, AQx xxx AJx AKxx . East should be thinking slam with K9x AKQ98x Qxx J ; even the stiff Jack may be useful to set up spade or diamond discards. For me this an obvious strong jump shift, 2H. West need not rush to raise hearts with 3 small; and as 2H forces to game, West can show his shape with 2NT, planning to drive to slam in any case. East rebids hearts and now West comes to life with 4NT. Playing RKCB, East's 5S shows two Key Cards plus the Queen of trumps, and West confirms all six "prime" cards (4 Aces + KQ of trumps) with 5NT. East either shows one outside King (5D) or, playing "specific Kings" style, bids 6H since he cannot show the spade King below 6H, and cannot be sure 6NT is a safe alternative. I don't think either player can count 13 tricks; West may choose 6NT or may opt for 6S hoping the trump suit produces an overtrick.
I expect most East responded only 1H, either from system (Weak Jump Shifts) or, well, whatever. West leaps to 2NT, revealing his 18 count, and now East can anticipate a grand slam -- 33 hcp plus the long, solid heart suit. 4C (Gerber, a jump over notrump) confirms West's three Aces and the follow up shows one King; East can count 2 spades, 6 hearts, and AK A in the minors for 11 tricks, but that's only 15 hcp of 18 for opener, so East can choose 6NT or 7H. The field often misses even laydown small slams, so I think I'd settle for 6NT rather than risk a zero at 7H. Bid grand slams only when you can count at least 13 tricks.
Board 10: I like to open good suits, and East's AQ10xxx is tempting, but vulnerable I expect most passed for lack of a seven card suit. South opens 1D and North responds with an up-the-line 1H. The spade fit comes to light when opener rebids 1S and North raises -- how high? North has 13 hcp including his stiff King; it is reasonable to count either 3 points for the kIng or 3 for raising partner with a singleton and four trumps, though North's poor trumps are a worry. Try visualizing: can we construct a balanced 12 point hand that makes game a virtual laydown? Can we do it with less? Picture AKxx xx KQxxx xx, you would expect to lose a trump, a heart and a club, needing only a 3-2 trump split, and if trumps don't split the heart finesse might work. Delete the Queen of diamonds and you would need both red suits to split or one good split and the heart finesse, fair odds but not great. A key insight is that it's hard for the King of clubs to be useful even if partner has the Ace or Queen -- pitching one heart or one diamond from North's hand won't help much.
Point-count suggests raising to game (perhaps with a 4C splinter, doulbed by East for a lead) but visualizing suggests an invitational jump to 3S. Over 4S South surely drives to slam, checking on Aces or Key Cards with 4NT. Over 3S South may settle for game, or make a natural slam try bid of 4D. North cooperates with a 4H cue-bid and South may pause at 4S or continue with 4NT.
If East does open 3C, South doubles and North cue-bids 4C, asking doubler to pick a major for game. South may suspect a slam but should allow that partner may be stretching for game, as 3H or 3S would not promise any values in response to the double. I would not expect to reach slam after 3C.
Against 4S or 6S, the defense likely cashes one club and exits with a heart or trump; declarer pulls trumps and attempts to locate the Queen of diamonds. Cashing three rounds of hearts reveals East's singleton, leaving more "empty spaces" for him to hold the diamond Queen, and a successful finesse lands the slam. With the J-10 divided, declarer cannot afford the ploy of leading the Jack and overtaking if West fails to cover.
Board 27: South opens 2C with KJ AKx A9xx AK98. North may bid 2D "waiting", 2D "semi-positive" (where 2H would be a bust), 3NT (10-12 hcp, balanced) or 2NT ("Steps" 10-12) according to style. Asssuming 2D, South rebids 2NT; North could leap to 6NT but might there be a grand slam or might 6S give a better chance for an overtrick? Looking at A9xx 10x KQJx Qxx, North counts 7 losers and it is reasonable to hope South can cover all 7 with his announced 22 hcp (using the guideline of 3 points = 1 trick.) The spades are a bit weak for slam, but opener is almost certain to have help. Let's say North uses Stayman; South bids 3D (no 4 card major) or 3NT (no 4 or 5 card major, playing Puppet.) Now there's a high probability of a fit in diamonds, but most partnerships do not have a defined way to look for a minor suit fit. A good stab would be 5NT -- as 4NT would be inviting 6, 5NT forces to 6, invites 7, and leaves room for opener to bid a minor suit. 2C-2D; 2NT-3C; 3D-5NT; 6C-6D; 7D is a possible path to grand slam, but with "only" 34 hcp I'd settle for a simple 6NT over South's reply to Stayman. A 3-3 club split provides the 12th trick at 6NT or the 13th in a diamond slam.
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