Thursday, December 15th 2011

Right-click here for hands. I see I haven't posted in a while -- any body still reading this? I know you can "subscribe" to be notified when there's a new post.

Board 17: East opens 1C with a balanced 19-count. South may toss in a Michaels' cue-bid (2C, showing both majors and typically 6-10 or 16+ hcp), or overcall or pass according to style; looks like a reasonable Michaels bid to me. What's the best defense to this popular gadget? With no special agreement, the double of an artificial bid suggests length and strength in the suit; another approach is to treat this similar to bidding over a takeout double, with double of the cue-bid corresponding to a redouble over a double, showing 10+ hcp and typically a balanced hand. This "stakes a claim" to the hand and invites opener to double any bid by North where he has length. What West actually has is an unbalanced, excellent 9 count, with 5-5 shape of his own and two Aces. Another popular treatment is "Unusual over Unusual", where in response to the oppenent's two-suited bid, you use the cue-bids in their two suits to show values in the other two suits, lower = lower and higher = higher. So a 2H bid over their 2C shows a good hand with clubs, 2S shows a good hand with diamonds, and 2D or 3C would simply be competitive. One problem is that the non-vulnerable Michaels bid at this level might be based on 5-4 shape, so it's premature to completely rule out playing in one of the majors -- it's worth asking about their agreements. If 5-4 is a possibility, you may prefer to treat 2H and 2S as natural, forcing bids; or you could agree double-then-bid a major shows such hands.

Let's assume you've agreed double = strength, possibly with length in one of their suits, and Unusual over Unusual applies. West has only 9 hcp, not enough to invite 3NT opposite a balanced minimum, but excellent playing strength: 5C could be on opposite, say, xx Axxx Kx KQxx, or 6C opposite
Ax xxx KQx KQxxx. However, if East has only 3 clubs (or worse, 2, for those playing "could be short") 3C may be the limit. All in all I think I'd bid an agressive 2H cue-bid. For pairs who have not agreed Unusual over Unusual a simple 3C looks best.

North knows he has a fit in at least one major, but may not know which if South could be 5-4. North should certainly bid spades if West passes, but otherwise should stay quiet with his weak, shapeless hand. After a cue-bid or 3C, East has an obvious 3NT call -- no reason to fret over diamonds, a suit no one has mentioned. Slam seems unlikely with East's fairly balanced hand and most of his strength in South's majors.

At 3NT, East wins quickly in hearts or holds up two rounds in spades. East suspects North will have 3 clubs, but it's safe and reasonable to finesse first in diamonds. When South shows up with the K10, it's reasonable to play North for the Queen. (At a team game you might cash the AK to protect against South having 5422 shape including Qx of clubs.)

Only one pair reached the excellent club slam; East wins the first spade, cashes two top hearts to pitch his spade loser, plays two top trumps and finesses in diamonds for six; or plays North for the club Queen (based on Soth's bidding) and makes seven.

Board 21: North has 11 tricks in hand, with zero quick losers! Really, the best bridge hand I've ever seen in person. Over his 2C, South responds 2D (negative), 2D (waiting), 2D (semi-positive, where 2H would show a bust hand; this needs to be alerted) or 2H (steps, 4-6 hcp, aslo alertable.) As long as North can trust partner to honor a forcing bid, it makes sense to bid clubs so partner will know the King is a critical card. No need to do anything dramatic, 3C is 100% forcing. Remember this hand next time you're tempted to pass as responder in this sort of sequence! South bids 3S (suggesting some values) and North persists with 4C, still forcing! (It would be pointless to reserve this bid as a sign-off.) Here things get a bit murky -- would 4H suggest North's actual 5-5, or wuld it be a cue-bid in support of clubs? Experts have been known to play 2-1 "fits" on this sort of auction! When the bidding starts at the one level, I don't think new suits should be introduced at the four level; but when the bidding starts at higher levels or when enemy bids crowd the auction, I think it's sound to play "if it could be natural, it is." So South bids 4H and North either bids 6NT directly or possibly goes thorugh 4NT-5NT (the latter SHOWING all four Aces.) For Key Card bidders, what suit, if any, would 4NT ask about? Some play "none, no suit agreed", others play "last natural suit"; opener's rebid clubs probably makes more sense than either of those in this case, but it's hard to come up with a simple, foolproof rule to allow that. I suggest that when we haven't agreed on a suit, a JUMP to 4NT asks about, in order of priority (1)  jump-shifter's own suit, or (2) the last naturally bid suit. When 4NT is not a jump, it asks about (1) the only suit we've bid, or (2) bidder's own suit.

If you can't be sure what partner's reply to 4NT would mean, I think 6C is the practical bid, or a somewhat risky 6NT. On heart lead vs. 6NT, cash the four diamonds (pitching hearts) and the five spades (pitching clubs) and watch the enemy discards. When West never pitches a club, is he being cagey or is he trying to protect the King? East may give the show away by pitching his "useless" clubs, or both defenders may throw away all their hearts. Otherwise declarer must decide to risk the finesse for a possible make or -200 or cash out for -100.