Right-click here for hands.
Board 1: North opens 1C, East overcalls 1S. South has a good hand for a junp riase "weak after overcall." This bid should show 0-5 hcp and at least five card support. With less than 6 hcp, game is very unlikely, and showing the trump length will help partner judge well in competition. Don't consider a negative double to show the hearts -- they've got you outgunned with the spades, so make the best competitive bid. West leaps to 4S with a classic distributional raise, five card support with a singleton and around 5-9 hcp. North, alerted to the big club fit and lack of defense by partner's 3C raise, can estimate 19 or 20 total tricks: 10 card fit for N/S and 9 or 10 spades for E/W. Five clubs should be down no more than two tricks, and there looks to be little chance of beating four spades.
East has a defensive hand, with three Aces and poor 5332 shape for offense. There is no reason to expect to be able to make 11 tricks: assume five spade winners, two Aces, a singleton for two ruffs, and a side card for partner -- that only adds up to 10. With a stronger hand partner could've cue-bid 4C. East doubles; should West pull to 5S? It turns out the fifth diamond can provide the crucial 11th trick, but despite the void I think passing 5C will be the long-run winner, unless you know the enemy is apt to foolishly bid six clubs. Only one declarer managed eleven tricks at spades.
Board 2: East opens 1S and South overcalls 2C. Once again West leaps to game with a freakish hand. Should North consider a bid? Only three card support for partner, but the spade void and good diamond suit rate to provide several tricks for partner while being useless on defense. But vulnerable vs. not, South would have to score ten tricks, so North prudently passes. West has a control-rich hand; it's not hard to guess partner is short in clubs, in which case all that's needed is one side winner to cover the heart loser. With three Aces, East simply leaps to 6S, which ends the bidding. (No reason to bid 4NT with 3 Aces and no interest in the seven level.) West's dummy does, in fact, provide the needed club ruffs and heart winner.
Some players believe any jump to game "closes out" the bidding, but that's a silly notion when partner's hand is nearly unlimited. West's jumps on hands 1 and 2 are descriptive bids, not "close-outs".
Board 9: North opens 3S and East doubles for takeout. This suggests a trick or so better than an opening bid as partner will be forced to bid at the four level. South can visualize a lot of tricks in the majors, but partner's weak hand suggests you cannot expect to enjoy any discards; South must pass. West considers bidding 3NT, 4 or 5 clubs, or passing 3S doubled for penalties. The usual guideline is that partner assumes 7 points or so in your hand, which is all West has; holding up the spade Ace may shut out North's suit, but West's clubs are frightfully weak and 3NT looks like too much of a gamble. Likewise passing or 5C seem to require a lot from partner. West bids a simple 4C, passed out: East has a fine hand but inadequate trump support. As it happens the hands mesh very well; West pulls two rounds of trumps and then runs the diamonds to dump a heart. South can ruff the third diamond but the heart still goes away and dummy's last trump takes care of one spade. (Making six appears to require a lucky guess, such as taking the King of diamonds and a diamond finesse before playing the top trumps. This is odds-against as South is more likely to have diamond length than North, who is known to have long spades.)
Several N/S pairs bid on to 4S, perhaps paying attention to the favorable vulnerabilty while overlooking the fact that 4C isn't a game contract. West gleefully doubles and the defense collects five top tricks and a late diamond or over-ruff for +500. It doesn't pay to sacrifice when the opponents aren't bidding game.
Board 11: South opens 1NT and North bids 2C, Stayman. Pleased with South's spade reply, might there be enough for slam? North has seven losers, and at 3 points a trick South can be expected to cover five of those -- not enough. Viewed as dummy, North might cover as many as six losers for South: the trump Queen, two Aces, perhaps two heart ruffs and the fifth diamond, with the two Jacks thrown in for good measure. The hands will fit well if partner has little wasted in hearts; a leap to 4H would be played as a singleton-showing splinter by most pairs familiar with such bids. With almost half his points opposite the shortness, South signs off at 4S.
The strong diamond spots and two winning finesses make for a lucky twelve tricks, but the 5-0 split dooms either 6S or 6D. 6NT is simply not a contract to consider bidding, and +450 should be the normal result.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Cabin Fever Sectional, Friday afternoon, January 20th 2011
Right-click here for hands and here for results.
Board 2: East opens 1H. South has just enough strength for an overcall (basic guideline is 8 hcp with a good suit at the one level, 10 at the level, 12 at the three level, etc.) but the club suit is too weak, especially vulnerable. Ron Klinger suggests adding the number of honors in your suit to the length, the result should equal the level of the overcall; I recommend also having at least 5 hcp in the suit or compensating additional values. QJxxx fails both tests. Assuming South and West pass, North has a fine hand in the balancing seat. With 14 working hcp and 5350 shape, what should North bid? Firs thing to understand is that 2H isn't Michaels in the balancing seat; it is used instead for a powerful, freakish hand unsuitable for a double. The club void suggests that if you double, that's the suit partner will bid, so on that basis the hand qualifies for 2H, but the overall strength is not that wonderful. I suggest a simple 1S balancing bid, planning to bid strongly if partner shows any sign of life.
East has no reason to bid again in the face of partner's pass. South's hand shoots up in value with the big spade fit, but South must remember North's bid was in the passout seat -- don't punish partner for not selling out to 1H. I would expect partner to have nine or more hcp but not necessarily a good suit. South can cue-bid 2H as a limit raise, leaving room for North to sign off at 2S with anything less than an opening bid.
With the announced fit, North revalues his hand at five losers and can expect partner to cover three or four or more of those -- definitely in slam territory. 3D at this point would be mildly natural and sound like a game try; this isn't usually a good idea with a solid side suit since you cannot expect partner to have a fitting honor. What about 4D? Many partnerships would play that as a splinter (singleton or void.) So, if that's your style, 4C to show the shortage will be an obvius slam move. On today's hand South looks skeptically at his wasted club honors and singleton diamond; the King of hearts appears to be well placed, but there may be some risk of a singleton with West. I'd settle for 4S and that should end the bidding. Slam makes on the lucky 2-2 spade break, but bidding a slam missing both a key card and the trump Queen is generally a poor bet. +680 scored 20 out of 25 (80%). [Edit -- I misread the results when I first posted, reading down a column instead of across a row.]
Board 6: East opens 1NT (15-17) and West has 1543 shape with 11 hcp. After transferring to hearts, how should West proceed? A normal auction would coontinue 3D by west, forcing to game and suggesting a black suit singleton and/or slam intererst -- with 2542, West would likely rebid 3NT. East fits the diamonds but notrump is always the highest priority -- East continues with 3S, a "concentration of values" bid that carries the message "3NT is fine if your singleton is in spades." With little more than game-going values, West ends the bidding at 3NT. Note that the fact East actually has a spade suit is irrelevant -- if West had spades, he would's started with Stayman rather than a transfer. If West's singleton had been in clubs rather than spades, he could rebid his good hearts and game would be reached in hearts or diamonds.
Paying attention to the bidding, South leads a club rather than spade. With AQx in third seat, North plays the Queen, not the Ace -- this is standard against notrump. If partner has the King it won't matter which card North plays; if declarer has the King and North mistakenly plays his Ace, declarer can hold up his King as needed. Playing the Queen virtually forces declarer to play his King for fear of a continuation back to South's Ace. When the defense next gets the lead the suit can be cleared. East may fear losing the lead to either defender and cash out for +600 for a cold bottom.
Board 2: East opens 1H. South has just enough strength for an overcall (basic guideline is 8 hcp with a good suit at the one level, 10 at the level, 12 at the three level, etc.) but the club suit is too weak, especially vulnerable. Ron Klinger suggests adding the number of honors in your suit to the length, the result should equal the level of the overcall; I recommend also having at least 5 hcp in the suit or compensating additional values. QJxxx fails both tests. Assuming South and West pass, North has a fine hand in the balancing seat. With 14 working hcp and 5350 shape, what should North bid? Firs thing to understand is that 2H isn't Michaels in the balancing seat; it is used instead for a powerful, freakish hand unsuitable for a double. The club void suggests that if you double, that's the suit partner will bid, so on that basis the hand qualifies for 2H, but the overall strength is not that wonderful. I suggest a simple 1S balancing bid, planning to bid strongly if partner shows any sign of life.
East has no reason to bid again in the face of partner's pass. South's hand shoots up in value with the big spade fit, but South must remember North's bid was in the passout seat -- don't punish partner for not selling out to 1H. I would expect partner to have nine or more hcp but not necessarily a good suit. South can cue-bid 2H as a limit raise, leaving room for North to sign off at 2S with anything less than an opening bid.
With the announced fit, North revalues his hand at five losers and can expect partner to cover three or four or more of those -- definitely in slam territory. 3D at this point would be mildly natural and sound like a game try; this isn't usually a good idea with a solid side suit since you cannot expect partner to have a fitting honor. What about 4D? Many partnerships would play that as a splinter (singleton or void.) So, if that's your style, 4C to show the shortage will be an obvius slam move. On today's hand South looks skeptically at his wasted club honors and singleton diamond; the King of hearts appears to be well placed, but there may be some risk of a singleton with West. I'd settle for 4S and that should end the bidding. Slam makes on the lucky 2-2 spade break, but bidding a slam missing both a key card and the trump Queen is generally a poor bet. +680 scored 20 out of 25 (80%). [Edit -- I misread the results when I first posted, reading down a column instead of across a row.]
Board 6: East opens 1NT (15-17) and West has 1543 shape with 11 hcp. After transferring to hearts, how should West proceed? A normal auction would coontinue 3D by west, forcing to game and suggesting a black suit singleton and/or slam intererst -- with 2542, West would likely rebid 3NT. East fits the diamonds but notrump is always the highest priority -- East continues with 3S, a "concentration of values" bid that carries the message "3NT is fine if your singleton is in spades." With little more than game-going values, West ends the bidding at 3NT. Note that the fact East actually has a spade suit is irrelevant -- if West had spades, he would's started with Stayman rather than a transfer. If West's singleton had been in clubs rather than spades, he could rebid his good hearts and game would be reached in hearts or diamonds.
Paying attention to the bidding, South leads a club rather than spade. With AQx in third seat, North plays the Queen, not the Ace -- this is standard against notrump. If partner has the King it won't matter which card North plays; if declarer has the King and North mistakenly plays his Ace, declarer can hold up his King as needed. Playing the Queen virtually forces declarer to play his King for fear of a continuation back to South's Ace. When the defense next gets the lead the suit can be cleared. East may fear losing the lead to either defender and cash out for +600 for a cold bottom.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Thursday, January 19th 2011
Right-click here for hands.
Board 12: North has a simple 1C opener, with an easy rebid in spades; but apparently 5 players chose to open 1NT. This should have little appeal: the hand has no tenaces to benefit from being lead into, it ahs a weak doubleton, and it rates to play significantly better in a trump contract. I'll open 1NT on 4-5 hands when the doubletons are strong and I have tenaces to protect; but 4 spades and 5 clubs is one of the easiest shapes to bid without distorting your hand.
South responds 1H and North rebids 1S as planned -- no need to do anything special with 16 at this point, partner won't pass 1S with 8+ hcp. South's hand is clearly worth forcing to game, and 4H is the obvious choice. A few old-style bidders play all jump rebids by responder as game forcing, and a forcing 3H leaves some wiggle room to discuss slam -- opener can have quite a good hand, as here. A more popular modern style is to treat 3H as invitational and use the fourth suit (2D) artificially to establish a game force. Opener rebids 2NT (3NT if 2D were merely forcing one round) and South can now rebid 3H. This shows the advantage of playing the fourth suit as a game force: neither player had to leap and eat up all the bidding room below game.
North should not be bothered by the two small hearts: partner has announced a six-card suit and a 6-2 fit makes for a sound trump suit. Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) can sort out the suit quality. North is worth a cue-bid with his excellent controls; 4D is unambiguosly a cue-bid, but this may be the last chacne to show a spade control. It pays to cue-bid the cheapest control -- if anyone skips a suit, that identifies a problem. Might 3S be natural? No, North would've rebid 2S over 2D with a 5-5 or 5-6 hand, so 3S should be a control bid. South cooperates with 4C. Does this show any extras? Perhaps not, so North should simply bid 4D rather than launch into RKCB. If partner has the right hand, he'll ask.
South counts no more than 5 1/2 losers and North's slam moves suggest better than 4 cover cards, so South can reasonably employ 4NT to check on Aces or key cards. Playing simple Blackwood, North shows two Aces and South should bet on the slam -- don't stay out of a slam for lack of only one Ace. Playing RKCB, North's 5H bid shows two key cards without the Queen of trumps. Here South knows an Ace is missing and trump suit will require a finesse (50%) or drop (52%). That's not good enough odds, so South passes 5H.
In the actual play, South cashes one high trump and, lacking any better information, cashes the second, finishing with eleven tricks. For those not in slam, however, taking the finesse is a reasonable shot at a top board, expecting some pairs to reach the slam and play for the drop.
Where North opened 1NT, South has a borderline hand for a slam try. A simple approach is to transfer to hearts; if partner happens to super-accept (leaping to 3H over your 2D) you proceeed toward slam, otherwise you simply raise hearts to game.
Board 16: North opens 2NT (20-21) and South has 11 with 5-4 shape and scattered honors. This is a tricky hand to evaluate; there really aren't enough points for 6NT (31-32, plus a bit for the long suit) and the soft honors in hearts and clubs suggests 6S or 6D may also be too much. A simple raise to 3NT would be reasonable; or bid 3C, Stayman, and get excited if partner bids spades. If you play Texas transfers, you could bid Jacoby (3H) followed by 4NT as a slam invitation with five spades -- you would use Texas if you wanted to set spades as trumps before asking for Key cards. On that sequence I think I'd pass 4NT with North's flat, soft minimum. Note that North is sure to have a Queen or Jack opposite whatever doubleton(s) South has. With a "sharper" hand, say Kxx AQJx Kx AKxx, North should correct to spades. All in all, I think South's spades are too poor (for slam purposes) to mention -- note how much better the suit would be with Jack or even Ten added.
3NT or 4NT proves to be a big winner as five pairs could not resist the allure of slam. I see a lot of these 31 point slams and while they sometimes make I think the odds are poor. North can actually make 12 tricks at notrump since East cannot lead a club and West cannot ruff a diamond. To succeed, however, North must guess the spades correctly: low to the Queen, then low back to hand and duck to catch the Ace. This play is known as an "obligatory finesse" in the literature: the duck cannot lose but may gain a trick. I've used it twice in recent weeks, but here I'd as likely try a low spade toward the King on the first round of the suit and be forced to surrender two spade tricks.
Board 23: East opens 1NT and West has an awkward hand: 7 hcp isn't enough to invite game at notrump even with the good diamond suit, but six losers might give you a play for slam in either red suit! The obvious approach of transferring to hearts and then bidding 3D risks getting too high when partner does not fit hearts. I judged that more tricks would likely be available in hearts than notrump, even opposite a doubleton; the good Q109xx suit is sturdy in its own right, and partner is overwhelmingly likely to have three trumps and/or the Jack, King or Ace. Although 2D followed by 3H promises a six card suit, that's the best treatment here.
East has a clear raise to 4H. Don't even consider another bid -- you have an excellent 17 count, and partner's sequence does not ask your opinion about what should be trumps. Four hearts makes easily with a simple trump finesse and the lucky 3-3 split limiting the defense to the AK of trumps and possibly a ruff if South stumbles onto a diamond lead.
Board 12: North has a simple 1C opener, with an easy rebid in spades; but apparently 5 players chose to open 1NT. This should have little appeal: the hand has no tenaces to benefit from being lead into, it ahs a weak doubleton, and it rates to play significantly better in a trump contract. I'll open 1NT on 4-5 hands when the doubletons are strong and I have tenaces to protect; but 4 spades and 5 clubs is one of the easiest shapes to bid without distorting your hand.
South responds 1H and North rebids 1S as planned -- no need to do anything special with 16 at this point, partner won't pass 1S with 8+ hcp. South's hand is clearly worth forcing to game, and 4H is the obvious choice. A few old-style bidders play all jump rebids by responder as game forcing, and a forcing 3H leaves some wiggle room to discuss slam -- opener can have quite a good hand, as here. A more popular modern style is to treat 3H as invitational and use the fourth suit (2D) artificially to establish a game force. Opener rebids 2NT (3NT if 2D were merely forcing one round) and South can now rebid 3H. This shows the advantage of playing the fourth suit as a game force: neither player had to leap and eat up all the bidding room below game.
North should not be bothered by the two small hearts: partner has announced a six-card suit and a 6-2 fit makes for a sound trump suit. Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB) can sort out the suit quality. North is worth a cue-bid with his excellent controls; 4D is unambiguosly a cue-bid, but this may be the last chacne to show a spade control. It pays to cue-bid the cheapest control -- if anyone skips a suit, that identifies a problem. Might 3S be natural? No, North would've rebid 2S over 2D with a 5-5 or 5-6 hand, so 3S should be a control bid. South cooperates with 4C. Does this show any extras? Perhaps not, so North should simply bid 4D rather than launch into RKCB. If partner has the right hand, he'll ask.
South counts no more than 5 1/2 losers and North's slam moves suggest better than 4 cover cards, so South can reasonably employ 4NT to check on Aces or key cards. Playing simple Blackwood, North shows two Aces and South should bet on the slam -- don't stay out of a slam for lack of only one Ace. Playing RKCB, North's 5H bid shows two key cards without the Queen of trumps. Here South knows an Ace is missing and trump suit will require a finesse (50%) or drop (52%). That's not good enough odds, so South passes 5H.
In the actual play, South cashes one high trump and, lacking any better information, cashes the second, finishing with eleven tricks. For those not in slam, however, taking the finesse is a reasonable shot at a top board, expecting some pairs to reach the slam and play for the drop.
Where North opened 1NT, South has a borderline hand for a slam try. A simple approach is to transfer to hearts; if partner happens to super-accept (leaping to 3H over your 2D) you proceeed toward slam, otherwise you simply raise hearts to game.
Board 16: North opens 2NT (20-21) and South has 11 with 5-4 shape and scattered honors. This is a tricky hand to evaluate; there really aren't enough points for 6NT (31-32, plus a bit for the long suit) and the soft honors in hearts and clubs suggests 6S or 6D may also be too much. A simple raise to 3NT would be reasonable; or bid 3C, Stayman, and get excited if partner bids spades. If you play Texas transfers, you could bid Jacoby (3H) followed by 4NT as a slam invitation with five spades -- you would use Texas if you wanted to set spades as trumps before asking for Key cards. On that sequence I think I'd pass 4NT with North's flat, soft minimum. Note that North is sure to have a Queen or Jack opposite whatever doubleton(s) South has. With a "sharper" hand, say Kxx AQJx Kx AKxx, North should correct to spades. All in all, I think South's spades are too poor (for slam purposes) to mention -- note how much better the suit would be with Jack or even Ten added.
3NT or 4NT proves to be a big winner as five pairs could not resist the allure of slam. I see a lot of these 31 point slams and while they sometimes make I think the odds are poor. North can actually make 12 tricks at notrump since East cannot lead a club and West cannot ruff a diamond. To succeed, however, North must guess the spades correctly: low to the Queen, then low back to hand and duck to catch the Ace. This play is known as an "obligatory finesse" in the literature: the duck cannot lose but may gain a trick. I've used it twice in recent weeks, but here I'd as likely try a low spade toward the King on the first round of the suit and be forced to surrender two spade tricks.
Board 23: East opens 1NT and West has an awkward hand: 7 hcp isn't enough to invite game at notrump even with the good diamond suit, but six losers might give you a play for slam in either red suit! The obvious approach of transferring to hearts and then bidding 3D risks getting too high when partner does not fit hearts. I judged that more tricks would likely be available in hearts than notrump, even opposite a doubleton; the good Q109xx suit is sturdy in its own right, and partner is overwhelmingly likely to have three trumps and/or the Jack, King or Ace. Although 2D followed by 3H promises a six card suit, that's the best treatment here.
East has a clear raise to 4H. Don't even consider another bid -- you have an excellent 17 count, and partner's sequence does not ask your opinion about what should be trumps. Four hearts makes easily with a simple trump finesse and the lucky 3-3 split limiting the defense to the AK of trumps and possibly a ruff if South stumbles onto a diamond lead.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Wednesday, January 18th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Two-suited troubles:
Board 5: North opens 1C and East has 5-5 in the majors. Is this a Michaels cue-bid? It depends on your agreements -- and if your entire discussion consisted of "Michaels? Sure" you likely have none. There's no clear "standard" range for this bid; a popular treatment is a split range, either 6-10 hcp or 16+ (working high cards, either in your long suits or side Aces or Kx.) With the weaker hand you presumably make your cue-bid and don't bid again unless partner forces or invites you with something such as a cue-bid. (Bids in the majors are all considered to be preemptive.) With the stronger hand you cue-bid and then bid again. In between, 11-15 hcp, you overcall in spades and later bid hearts, possibly twice. However, Mike Lawrence has been running a series in the Bulletin where he clearly advocates using the cue-bid with any strength above some minimum (not sure he ever specified what that was), making it harder to clarify your strength.
The next issue is whether the bid always promises 5-5, or if 5-4 qualifies in some cases. Lawrence insists the bid always shows 5-5 or better; but when not vulnerable, I'm inclined to make the bid with a good 5-4 in the majors (a major suit cue-bid should always be 5-5 IMO.) "Good" means 8-10 hcp in the two suits. I would certainly discourage anyone from trying to play 5-4, any strength -- too much to sort out after the cue-bid!
My partner on this hand suggested 6-12 hcp but I think that's an uncomfortably wide range. Watch what happened: with 2-2 in the majors, I selected my stronger one, which partner raised to the three level with five low trumps. Although he was at the top of his range (not one we had discussed or agreed), I think it's a clear error to raise with 5 trumps. Instead, to show extra strength, make an unusual bid such as 2NT, cue-bid, bidding the other minor, double, or redouble. Here, East might bid 2NT to show his maximum hand, and West can guess to pass. Although 3S theoretically makes, it's a difficult contract, and notrump also scores makes nine tricks -- West's length suggests North may have no more than 4 (this proved to be true) and the hearts split 3-3.
Playing the suggested split range, East overcalls 1S. The suit is unappealing, but with 12 hcp I don't worry about suit quality when bidding a major at the one level -- you are likely to win the hand and partner will be spared leading to your worthless suit. West, with 11 hcp, has a tough choice -- pass could miss a game. Again, the club length makes 1NT look like the best call -- this suggests something like 8-11 hcp in response to an overcall. East rebids 2H -- no need to jump, bidding two suits shows at least 5-4 shape and opening bid values. West does well to pass, but a 2S preference followed by passing East's 3H works OK today.
Key point -- if you've shown a 5-5 hand, don't raise partner's forced choice with only the expected five trumps! I've seen multiple disasters from ignoring that rule. Keep in mind that three card support does not make a 5-5 hand into a powerhouse -- declarer cannot pull trumps AND use them to establish the second suit. With four trumps, partner will typically be worth a preemptive jump, so you should view a simple, lowest level choice as unencouraging (and often not even a fit.)
Board 32: West passes, North opens 1S and East holds Q x AKQ10xx K9xxx . Time for an Unusual 2NT? Again, it depends on your agreements, if any. Using the same split-range treatment as discussed for Michaels, East's hand falls in the in-between 11-15 range, so East should overcall 2D and plan to bid club later. If South passes West has no convenient bid, but North, short in diamonds, should reopen with a double or 2H -- partner may have trap-passed, and in any case it usually pays to contest the part-score when you are short in their suit. Now East can describe his hand well with a leap to 4C, and West has an easy raise to game. (Slam makes thanks to some luck in the trump suit.) No pair reached this excellent game; I suspect few had any clear agrements about the strength of 2NT.
Our auction was pass-(1S)-2NT; 3C-(3S)-4C. As suggested earlier, I don't think East should raise clubs with only the expected 5; also, raising partner should generally be based on extra shape, not high cards. If East-West have agreed on a range such as 8-12 (vulnerable), East can double 3S to show the top of his range.
Two-suited troubles:
Board 5: North opens 1C and East has 5-5 in the majors. Is this a Michaels cue-bid? It depends on your agreements -- and if your entire discussion consisted of "Michaels? Sure" you likely have none. There's no clear "standard" range for this bid; a popular treatment is a split range, either 6-10 hcp or 16+ (working high cards, either in your long suits or side Aces or Kx.) With the weaker hand you presumably make your cue-bid and don't bid again unless partner forces or invites you with something such as a cue-bid. (Bids in the majors are all considered to be preemptive.) With the stronger hand you cue-bid and then bid again. In between, 11-15 hcp, you overcall in spades and later bid hearts, possibly twice. However, Mike Lawrence has been running a series in the Bulletin where he clearly advocates using the cue-bid with any strength above some minimum (not sure he ever specified what that was), making it harder to clarify your strength.
The next issue is whether the bid always promises 5-5, or if 5-4 qualifies in some cases. Lawrence insists the bid always shows 5-5 or better; but when not vulnerable, I'm inclined to make the bid with a good 5-4 in the majors (a major suit cue-bid should always be 5-5 IMO.) "Good" means 8-10 hcp in the two suits. I would certainly discourage anyone from trying to play 5-4, any strength -- too much to sort out after the cue-bid!
My partner on this hand suggested 6-12 hcp but I think that's an uncomfortably wide range. Watch what happened: with 2-2 in the majors, I selected my stronger one, which partner raised to the three level with five low trumps. Although he was at the top of his range (not one we had discussed or agreed), I think it's a clear error to raise with 5 trumps. Instead, to show extra strength, make an unusual bid such as 2NT, cue-bid, bidding the other minor, double, or redouble. Here, East might bid 2NT to show his maximum hand, and West can guess to pass. Although 3S theoretically makes, it's a difficult contract, and notrump also scores makes nine tricks -- West's length suggests North may have no more than 4 (this proved to be true) and the hearts split 3-3.
Playing the suggested split range, East overcalls 1S. The suit is unappealing, but with 12 hcp I don't worry about suit quality when bidding a major at the one level -- you are likely to win the hand and partner will be spared leading to your worthless suit. West, with 11 hcp, has a tough choice -- pass could miss a game. Again, the club length makes 1NT look like the best call -- this suggests something like 8-11 hcp in response to an overcall. East rebids 2H -- no need to jump, bidding two suits shows at least 5-4 shape and opening bid values. West does well to pass, but a 2S preference followed by passing East's 3H works OK today.
Key point -- if you've shown a 5-5 hand, don't raise partner's forced choice with only the expected five trumps! I've seen multiple disasters from ignoring that rule. Keep in mind that three card support does not make a 5-5 hand into a powerhouse -- declarer cannot pull trumps AND use them to establish the second suit. With four trumps, partner will typically be worth a preemptive jump, so you should view a simple, lowest level choice as unencouraging (and often not even a fit.)
Board 32: West passes, North opens 1S and East holds Q x AKQ10xx K9xxx . Time for an Unusual 2NT? Again, it depends on your agreements, if any. Using the same split-range treatment as discussed for Michaels, East's hand falls in the in-between 11-15 range, so East should overcall 2D and plan to bid club later. If South passes West has no convenient bid, but North, short in diamonds, should reopen with a double or 2H -- partner may have trap-passed, and in any case it usually pays to contest the part-score when you are short in their suit. Now East can describe his hand well with a leap to 4C, and West has an easy raise to game. (Slam makes thanks to some luck in the trump suit.) No pair reached this excellent game; I suspect few had any clear agrements about the strength of 2NT.
Our auction was pass-(1S)-2NT; 3C-(3S)-4C. As suggested earlier, I don't think East should raise clubs with only the expected 5; also, raising partner should generally be based on extra shape, not high cards. If East-West have agreed on a range such as 8-12 (vulnerable), East can double 3S to show the top of his range.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday, January 11th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Board 10: East opens 2D and South must pass with his poor, aceless 9 count despite good shape. West has five-card support, but the losers will be tripping over each other; don't believe the Law of Total Tricks will protect you when you have no points and no singletons or voids. A raise to 3D is the most West can bid vulnerable. North has a prime 18 count and starts with a double. South must show life, not meekly bid 3S. A leap to 4S or a 4D cue-bid is in order. The only problem with the cue-bid is that it could be "pick a major" or simply a strong hand -- and North wants to know which slam to bid! Experts might try a 5NT "pick a slam" bid, but it could be difficult to land in the proper fit. I guess North can pass the buck back with 5D (partner won't pass) and raise South's 5S to 6. No one reached slam, but one earned the equivlanet hammering 5D for 1400. Seven side suit losers should hardly have surprised West.
Board 11: West opens 1H and, despite the void in partner's suit, East should be thinking slam. However, he'll need some help in diamonds. Ordinary Blackwood won't help -- East has three first-round controls, and even if partner has two Aces he might have no diamonds. East can start with a strong jump shift (3D) and rebid the diamonds -- partner will recognize the King or Queen as a valuable card. West rebids his hearts over 3D and can proceed with Blackwood or RKCB over 4D.
Not playing strong jumps, East starts with 2D and West shows a good hand by reversing to 2S. (I recommend that opener's 2H rebid here not promise any extra length; it's the normal bid on any minimum range hand unsuitable for 2NT. 2S, 3C, 3D or 3H all show extra values, forcing to game if the 2D bid was standard.) The 2S creates a game force, so East can rebid 3D with no fear of being passed. West continues with 3H and East persists with 4D, still forcing! West can now bid 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB for diamonds) and bid 6D over East's 2 key card response. Seven can't be reached unless East can be certain of the Kx support -- with 10 trumps, the suit will come in at least 90% of the time, but on this bidding West might have the stiff King, or East might have only seven diamonds.
Board 10: East opens 2D and South must pass with his poor, aceless 9 count despite good shape. West has five-card support, but the losers will be tripping over each other; don't believe the Law of Total Tricks will protect you when you have no points and no singletons or voids. A raise to 3D is the most West can bid vulnerable. North has a prime 18 count and starts with a double. South must show life, not meekly bid 3S. A leap to 4S or a 4D cue-bid is in order. The only problem with the cue-bid is that it could be "pick a major" or simply a strong hand -- and North wants to know which slam to bid! Experts might try a 5NT "pick a slam" bid, but it could be difficult to land in the proper fit. I guess North can pass the buck back with 5D (partner won't pass) and raise South's 5S to 6. No one reached slam, but one earned the equivlanet hammering 5D for 1400. Seven side suit losers should hardly have surprised West.
Board 11: West opens 1H and, despite the void in partner's suit, East should be thinking slam. However, he'll need some help in diamonds. Ordinary Blackwood won't help -- East has three first-round controls, and even if partner has two Aces he might have no diamonds. East can start with a strong jump shift (3D) and rebid the diamonds -- partner will recognize the King or Queen as a valuable card. West rebids his hearts over 3D and can proceed with Blackwood or RKCB over 4D.
Not playing strong jumps, East starts with 2D and West shows a good hand by reversing to 2S. (I recommend that opener's 2H rebid here not promise any extra length; it's the normal bid on any minimum range hand unsuitable for 2NT. 2S, 3C, 3D or 3H all show extra values, forcing to game if the 2D bid was standard.) The 2S creates a game force, so East can rebid 3D with no fear of being passed. West continues with 3H and East persists with 4D, still forcing! West can now bid 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB for diamonds) and bid 6D over East's 2 key card response. Seven can't be reached unless East can be certain of the Kx support -- with 10 trumps, the suit will come in at least 90% of the time, but on this bidding West might have the stiff King, or East might have only seven diamonds.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday, January 9th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Two grand slams! (Both E/W, sorry about that N/S!)
Board 3: West opens 2C with his balanced 22 count, planning to rebid 2NT. Don't deduct anything for honors in short suits at notrump -- that QJ of hearts is a good reason to want to play notrump rather than a suit contract.
East might reply 2D waiting or semi-positive, but with eight spades headed by the King and a side Ace I think a 2S reply is warranted, even if your usual standards specify two of the top three honors. West raises to 3S and East can learn all he needs to know with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB. Assuming RKCB, West shows 3 key cards (5C = 0 or 3, or 5D playing the "1430" variation.) Now 5D (or 5H using "1430") asks about the Queen -- but does the Queen really matter? With 10 trumps the odds of a 3-0 break are only 22%, and opener may have a third trump or the Jack, so the chances of a trump loser are probably less than 10%. It pays to be cautious about bidding grand slams but I wouldn't avoid this one for lack of the trump Queen. What about the third heart? Partner has indicated 22 hcp or the equivalent and his three Aces only account for 12 -- I'd say 7NT is an excellent bet, and no reason to risk a defensive ruff , however unlikely.
Side note on Queen asking: Many players adopt RKCB without learning that, over the 5C and 5D replies, asking about the Queen is part of the method. The cheapest side suit that can't logically be to play (either 5D over 5C or 5H over 5D qualifies in this case) asks about the Queen. The original replies were simply next step = no, one more = yes; and as the above analyis shows, you should pretend to have the Queen when you know the partnership has at least 10 trumps. A popular alternate method is to rebid the agreed suit to deny the Queen, and bid anything else to show it; a side suit shows that specific King as well as the requested Queen of trumps.
Our auction started 2C-2D, semi-positive (4+) and forcing to game. I rebid 2NT and partner transferred with 3H, then followed with 4NT. We play Texas transfers, so a 4H bid would also have transferred to spades. What's the difference? The 4 level transfer is used when responder knows both strain and level: 6 or more spades and either no interest in slam or definitely enough for slam. The Jacoby transfer therefore indicates some doubt about strain (only 5 spades, so we may not have a fit) or level (enough to invite but not insist on slam.) The upshot is that Jacoby-then-4NT should be quantitative, inviting slam with 5 spades and, say, a balanced 10 count, while Texas-then-4NT should be RKCB. I think this distinction is the primary argument for playing two types of transfers.
Despite this, I assumed partner meant 4NT as RKCB, but we missed the grand when I realized I didn't know which scheme we used for the Queen ask: 5S was either "yes" or "no" !
Board 5: East has an nice 14 count -- should it be upgraded to 1NT? Aces, tens, nines, and five-card suits all carry more weight than the standard point count assigns them, and East has two Aces, two tens, a nine, and five diamonds. An average hand includes one Ace, one ten and one nine, and analysis of real-world declarer play indicates a five card suit is equivalent to an extra ten, about 0.4 hcp. So I'd say East has just enough to open 1NT. This startles West, who adds his 21 and notes there could be a missing Ace. Time to trot out Gerber and hope both you and partner get the responses right! East replies 4S (two Aces) and with 36 hcp and the sure 4th spade trick West leaps to 7NT. With 12 tricks on top, all East needs is to drop the Jack of diamonds or finesse against the King of hearts, making this something like an 83% grand slam.
Without the upgrade, East opens 1D. Now West counts at most 35 hcp and will likely settle for small slam unless a good fit comes to light. A strong jump shift doesn't do justice to this hand, so West may as well respond a simple 1S or 2C and see what develops. East has the shape for a 1NT rebid, but after bidding two suits it's scary to rebid notrump with only 109x in hearts. There's a lot to be said for 1NT -- it limits the shape and strength, and no one overcalled in hearts -- but most Easts I expect rebid their sturdy suit. This alerts West to the fit, and a 4NT (or 4D Minorwood) inquiry revels three Key cards. 5H asks about the Queen; playing "specific Kings" style, 5NT would be negative (since five of the agreed suit is unavailable.) On today's hand East bids 6D to confirm the Queen but deny a side King.
West counts 12 top tricks if the diamonds run, and possibilities for a 13th trick include the fourth club and the heart finesse. There does not appear to be a useful ruff (you won't need one if the heart finesse wins) so the choice is between 6NT and 7NT. West might cue-bid 6H to pass the decision back to opener, but I think I'd settle for 6NT since you appear to need the diamonds to run plus something extra.
Two grand slams! (Both E/W, sorry about that N/S!)
Board 3: West opens 2C with his balanced 22 count, planning to rebid 2NT. Don't deduct anything for honors in short suits at notrump -- that QJ of hearts is a good reason to want to play notrump rather than a suit contract.
East might reply 2D waiting or semi-positive, but with eight spades headed by the King and a side Ace I think a 2S reply is warranted, even if your usual standards specify two of the top three honors. West raises to 3S and East can learn all he needs to know with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB. Assuming RKCB, West shows 3 key cards (5C = 0 or 3, or 5D playing the "1430" variation.) Now 5D (or 5H using "1430") asks about the Queen -- but does the Queen really matter? With 10 trumps the odds of a 3-0 break are only 22%, and opener may have a third trump or the Jack, so the chances of a trump loser are probably less than 10%. It pays to be cautious about bidding grand slams but I wouldn't avoid this one for lack of the trump Queen. What about the third heart? Partner has indicated 22 hcp or the equivalent and his three Aces only account for 12 -- I'd say 7NT is an excellent bet, and no reason to risk a defensive ruff , however unlikely.
Side note on Queen asking: Many players adopt RKCB without learning that, over the 5C and 5D replies, asking about the Queen is part of the method. The cheapest side suit that can't logically be to play (either 5D over 5C or 5H over 5D qualifies in this case) asks about the Queen. The original replies were simply next step = no, one more = yes; and as the above analyis shows, you should pretend to have the Queen when you know the partnership has at least 10 trumps. A popular alternate method is to rebid the agreed suit to deny the Queen, and bid anything else to show it; a side suit shows that specific King as well as the requested Queen of trumps.
Our auction started 2C-2D, semi-positive (4+) and forcing to game. I rebid 2NT and partner transferred with 3H, then followed with 4NT. We play Texas transfers, so a 4H bid would also have transferred to spades. What's the difference? The 4 level transfer is used when responder knows both strain and level: 6 or more spades and either no interest in slam or definitely enough for slam. The Jacoby transfer therefore indicates some doubt about strain (only 5 spades, so we may not have a fit) or level (enough to invite but not insist on slam.) The upshot is that Jacoby-then-4NT should be quantitative, inviting slam with 5 spades and, say, a balanced 10 count, while Texas-then-4NT should be RKCB. I think this distinction is the primary argument for playing two types of transfers.
Despite this, I assumed partner meant 4NT as RKCB, but we missed the grand when I realized I didn't know which scheme we used for the Queen ask: 5S was either "yes" or "no" !
Board 5: East has an nice 14 count -- should it be upgraded to 1NT? Aces, tens, nines, and five-card suits all carry more weight than the standard point count assigns them, and East has two Aces, two tens, a nine, and five diamonds. An average hand includes one Ace, one ten and one nine, and analysis of real-world declarer play indicates a five card suit is equivalent to an extra ten, about 0.4 hcp. So I'd say East has just enough to open 1NT. This startles West, who adds his 21 and notes there could be a missing Ace. Time to trot out Gerber and hope both you and partner get the responses right! East replies 4S (two Aces) and with 36 hcp and the sure 4th spade trick West leaps to 7NT. With 12 tricks on top, all East needs is to drop the Jack of diamonds or finesse against the King of hearts, making this something like an 83% grand slam.
Without the upgrade, East opens 1D. Now West counts at most 35 hcp and will likely settle for small slam unless a good fit comes to light. A strong jump shift doesn't do justice to this hand, so West may as well respond a simple 1S or 2C and see what develops. East has the shape for a 1NT rebid, but after bidding two suits it's scary to rebid notrump with only 109x in hearts. There's a lot to be said for 1NT -- it limits the shape and strength, and no one overcalled in hearts -- but most Easts I expect rebid their sturdy suit. This alerts West to the fit, and a 4NT (or 4D Minorwood) inquiry revels three Key cards. 5H asks about the Queen; playing "specific Kings" style, 5NT would be negative (since five of the agreed suit is unavailable.) On today's hand East bids 6D to confirm the Queen but deny a side King.
West counts 12 top tricks if the diamonds run, and possibilities for a 13th trick include the fourth club and the heart finesse. There does not appear to be a useful ruff (you won't need one if the heart finesse wins) so the choice is between 6NT and 7NT. West might cue-bid 6H to pass the decision back to opener, but I think I'd settle for 6NT since you appear to need the diamonds to run plus something extra.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Sunday, January 8th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Board 19: South opens 2C with his 27-point monster (adding one for all four Aces) and North replies 2D (negative, waiting, or semi-positive) or 2H (steps) according to style. South bids 2S; this is 100% forcing. North raises to 3S, showing support and at least one slam control (the King of diamonds, in this case.) (With a fit and no Ace, King or singleton, but some values (such as a pair of Queens) North should raise straight to 4S.) It's easy to visualize 12 or 13 tricks opposite as little as xxxx xxx Kx xxxx, so I think South is justified in driving to slam. Add the Queen of hearts to that and 13 tricks are practically on ice, so South should give the partnership a chance to bid a grand slam. 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB, may seem pointless when South has everything; but his 5NT follow-up tells partner the good news and invites seven. (Billy Miller wrote about this a few minths back in the Bulletin.) On today's hand, of course, North has little to spare and merely replies 6D to show one King or perhaps that specific King (a popular treatment among RKCB bidders.) This still leaves two possible losers (the third heart and fourth diamond) so South settles for 6S. 6NT would be risky as South may need to ruff a red card for his 12 trick.
As it happens the Queen of hearts falls doubleton and South rolls 13 tricks at either spades or notrump, but six spades making seven scores 6.5 out of 8 and it isn't worth the gamble to try for a top with 6NT or 7S.
Board 24: 2NT by North looks routine with his balanced 20, but I'll admit I disliked the small doubleton and opted for 1C instead. There's little risk of missing game if partner passes 1C. Reaching slam should be automatic after 2NT -- South adds 20+13 and should drive to six. The obvious approach would be to transfer into spades (3H) and follow with a leap to 6D, offering North a choice of slams. Another would be 3H-the-4D, forcing; when North shows a preference for spades South can continue with 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB) and bid 6S after determing that only Ace is missing. Or wait -- 33 hcp should be enough for 6NT; with a sure loser, 6S won't score an overtrick, so at matchpoints 6NT is appealing. Surprisingly, only 4 pairs reached any slam, and two went down, so 6S with South's unbalanced hand was a sound choice.
East leads the Jack of hearts, hoping his J10 will combine with something in partner's hand to set up a trick or at least not give one away. Assuming South showed his 2-suiter, it would not be safe to lead a diamond or trump. North counts 5 spade tricks, 3 hearts, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs, so he should simply pull trumps and play clubs until he drives out the Ace or scores two tricks in the suit.
Board 19: South opens 2C with his 27-point monster (adding one for all four Aces) and North replies 2D (negative, waiting, or semi-positive) or 2H (steps) according to style. South bids 2S; this is 100% forcing. North raises to 3S, showing support and at least one slam control (the King of diamonds, in this case.) (With a fit and no Ace, King or singleton, but some values (such as a pair of Queens) North should raise straight to 4S.) It's easy to visualize 12 or 13 tricks opposite as little as xxxx xxx Kx xxxx, so I think South is justified in driving to slam. Add the Queen of hearts to that and 13 tricks are practically on ice, so South should give the partnership a chance to bid a grand slam. 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB, may seem pointless when South has everything; but his 5NT follow-up tells partner the good news and invites seven. (Billy Miller wrote about this a few minths back in the Bulletin.) On today's hand, of course, North has little to spare and merely replies 6D to show one King or perhaps that specific King (a popular treatment among RKCB bidders.) This still leaves two possible losers (the third heart and fourth diamond) so South settles for 6S. 6NT would be risky as South may need to ruff a red card for his 12 trick.
As it happens the Queen of hearts falls doubleton and South rolls 13 tricks at either spades or notrump, but six spades making seven scores 6.5 out of 8 and it isn't worth the gamble to try for a top with 6NT or 7S.
Board 24: 2NT by North looks routine with his balanced 20, but I'll admit I disliked the small doubleton and opted for 1C instead. There's little risk of missing game if partner passes 1C. Reaching slam should be automatic after 2NT -- South adds 20+13 and should drive to six. The obvious approach would be to transfer into spades (3H) and follow with a leap to 6D, offering North a choice of slams. Another would be 3H-the-4D, forcing; when North shows a preference for spades South can continue with 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB) and bid 6S after determing that only Ace is missing. Or wait -- 33 hcp should be enough for 6NT; with a sure loser, 6S won't score an overtrick, so at matchpoints 6NT is appealing. Surprisingly, only 4 pairs reached any slam, and two went down, so 6S with South's unbalanced hand was a sound choice.
East leads the Jack of hearts, hoping his J10 will combine with something in partner's hand to set up a trick or at least not give one away. Assuming South showed his 2-suiter, it would not be safe to lead a diamond or trump. North counts 5 spade tricks, 3 hearts, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs, so he should simply pull trumps and play clubs until he drives out the Ace or scores two tricks in the suit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)