Friday, July 13th 2012

Right-click here for hands.

Board 1: North likely opens 3H. At this vulnerability, South can expect a broken 7 card suit, so 6 trump tricks and one trump loser seems likely. That leaves 6 side suit losers to dispose of; South's two AK's obviously cover four of those, and if partner has three cards in either minor the fifth club should dispose of another loser. That still leaves a trump and one or more spades. With AKJxxxx North might've opened 4H (I would), so slam looks ambitious and South should simply raise to 4H. Don't even think about notrump on such a hand -- you won't be able to use partner's long suit; it is often correct to raise even with a void, after allowing for an additional trump loser.

As it happens, it's a magic hand -- North's spade void controls that suit and his Qx in clubs allows for two diamond pitches as long as the suit breaks 3-3 or 4-2 (you can set up the last club with a ruff, although repeated diamond leads could leave you short of an entry.) All but two pairs recorded +480. Top score was for 3S doubled -- neither East nor West has a suitable hand to enter this auction (both are 5332, too many losers.)

Board 6: East opens 1S. With 14 hcp and 1444 shape, West simply responds 2C. There could be a slam if a 4-4 fit appears. East rebids 2D -- in the modern style, this new suit by opener after a 2/1 bid is 100% forcing; responder promises a rebid except possibly over 2S, 2NT or 3C according to style. (My recommendation is to play only 2NT as non-forcing.) When groping for the right contract, it's important to be able to bid without fear of being dropped suddenly. Responder should start with 1NT if he's too weak to continue over a 2D or 2H rebid.

After 1S-2C-2D, responder has to think. Slam is possible if opener's diamonds are fairly good, but there's still a bit of a misfit with the spades, and opeenr will need extra strength or perfect cards for 12 tricks. By point count responder can add two for his singleton for a total of 15, suggesting opener needs 18 for slam (16 + two doubletons, for example.) Visualizing, perhaps opener has Axxxx Qx AQxx Kx. That's a King better than a minimum, so any move that takes the bidding beyond 3NT cannot be justified. Those playing 2/1 game force can try a simple 3D raise, hoping to land at 3NT if opener doesn't head toward slam. For standard bidders, 3D might be passed, so the usual gadget is "fourth suit forcing", 2H simply to keep the ball rolling. This is best played as forcing to game. Having shown his 5-4 shape, opener bids a natural 2NT next, and responder can now bid 3D without fear of being passed. (That's why you want to play 4SF to game, not just one round.) Time for opener to consider: 4-4 diamond fit, at least 28 hcp plus some shape; still seems short of slam. Visualising, perhaps responder has Kx xxx AKxx Qxxxx, 12 easy tricks if diamonds split 3-2. When you can picture a minmum hand for partner that requires no more than ordinary luck for slam, it's worth inviting. East may try 3H at this point; however partner interprets that at the moment, any later move toward slam will make it clear that was a cue-bid. West has told most of his story and retreats to 3NT. East makes one more try, perhaps a 4C cue-bid (it can't be a suggestion to play clubs, given the previous bidding.) Now West can proceed with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB; but wait, his trumps are poor and perhaps so are partner's -- Kxxx opposite Qxxx makes for a lousy slam. West can stall with 4D, but I can't see a good way to stop at 4NT. Neither player has good enough trumps to justify using 4NT, but once it becomes impossible to stop in notrump you may as well head for slam -- 5D will not score well when 3NT was a plausible contract. A complete RKCB auction might be 1S-2C; 2D-2H; 2NT-3D; 3H-3NT; 4C-4NT; 5S-6D; all pass.

South leads a heart or a spade, hoping to get North in to return a club for a ruff.  But North has no entry; declarer leads a trump to the King and back to the Queen (smothering North's Jack.) South wins this and exits with his last trump. Either major suit lead gave declarer his twelfth trick; otherwise, a heart finesse or ruffing spade finesse works. 6D making outscores all but one of the two pairs that reached the riskier 6NT.

Board 21: After North passes, East looks at Q1098xx AQx xx xx, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable. Some pairs require 2 of the top 3 honors for a weak two, so this would be an automtic pass (at least in first or second seat.) Other open virtually any 6 card suit with 6-10 or 5-10 hcp, and this would be an automatic 2S. Myself, I like to have a good suit or a fair suit and a good hand. This seems to qualify -- 8 hcp including 1.5 quick tricks, and good intermediates in the spades. The vulnerability is "green" of course, and it's always nice to bid spades. I'd make the same bid at any vulnerability.

West holds AK -- AQ10xxx AJxxx . Partner likely has QJxxxx in spades, which is important since you may need to ruff a heart with one of those top honors. Give partner a fitting King in either minor and chances look good to set up a long card or two. For example, QJ10xxx xxx xx Kx looks like 12 tricks if one of two diamond finesses work, or the Queen of clubs drops. West bids 2NT to get more information. Playing "features", he hopes to hear 3C or 3D; on today's hand East rebids a disappointing 3H. Well, that may protect against a trump promotion, but 4S looks prudent.

Two pairs reached 6S. South expects partner to be broke and punts with a trump lead, rather than guessing which King to underlead. East can cash the AK of trumps but has no convenient entry back to hand. The goal is to lose no more than one minor suit card; clubs look safer in terms of ruffing a card back to your hand, but that requires a 3-3 split to set up a trick. Unfortunately Ace and low diamond allows the defense to attack your club entry back to dummy; leading the Queen of diamonds gives up the one unavoidable trick while preserving both Aces as entries back to dummy. South wins and attacks clubs, but declarer grabs the Ace, ruffs a club high, pulls South's last trump, and finally finesses the ten of diamonds. Well played!

On a heart leads, East wins the Queen and may as well finesse a diamond immediately. When this holds East cashes the two top trumps and the Ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond high, pulls trumps and returns to dummy with the Ace of clubs to cash diamond winners.