Thursday, January 3rd 2013

Happy New Year! Right-click here for hands.

Board 3: West opens 1S and North overcalls 2D. East should raise spades immediately, and with only three trumps a simple 2S is enough for now. South and West pass, North re-opens with 3C. Now East competes with 3H, suggesting something like his 3-6 pattern. (With four spades and a long side suit he would've jumped to 3S or 4S earlier.) South comes alive with 4C. Despite 10 losers and only 6 hcp, partner rates to be able to cover all or all but one minor suit losers and one or two in the majors. West raises the hearts and North bids 5C, expecting it to be a make or a profitable sacrifice. East, however, can visualize practically this exact layout and bid 5H for a top, or double 6 of a minor for a good score.

Board 16: After three passes, South opens 2C; North replies 2D (negative, waiting, or waiting/game force) or 2H (steps, 4-6 hcp.) Over a negative or ambiguous 2D, South must leap to 3NT to insure game. That shows 26 or a good 24, so North can figure 32+ hcp. The spades are too anemic to mention in a slam auction; I'd raise to 4NT as a quantitative invitation. South accepts, bidding 6NT.

If North's bid shows some values, South can rebid a simple 2NT, and North transfers to show spades. South would like to show his terrific support and extra values -- how about 4S? 3S would be normal even with a doubleton and 22 hcp, so I think the "super-accept" sounds like a slam invitation. (With an even stronger hand South would simply accept the transfer and then continue beyond North's game bid.) North cue--bids 5C and South eagerly bid 6S.  With a big fit and all the Aces and Key cards, 6S will often outscore 6NT via an overtrick.

West leads the ten of clubs, hoping for the Jack or King in partner's hand, and declarer quickly pulls trumps and crosses to dummy for the winning heart finesse. At 6NT, declarer will need an additional finesse (in hearts or diamonds) to make all the tricks. Four pairs missed slam so 6S making seven scores well and requires far less luck than thirteen tricks in notrump.

Board 18: East opens 2C. West, holding 13 hcp, will certainly drive to at least a small slam, but his suit lacks a top control. Responding in clubs will make it impossible to convince partner you are missing both the Ace and the King. I'd bid 2D as long as that isn't strictly negative. (Steps bidders, of course, respond an almost unheard-of 3C.) Over 2D East jumps to 3S to set the trump suit and request cue-bidding. West duly shows the Ace of diamonds and East proceeds with 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB.) West shows two Aces and East bids the obvious 6S. This turns out to be average: four pairs failed to bid slam and four bid a greedy 6NT, taking all the tricks when South fails to cash the Ace of clubs. Not sure what I would lead as South, especially if West bid clubs, but cashing an Ace is often best at matchpoints to stop the overtrick. On today's hand North signals with the ten and the defense collects the first two tricks.

Board 22: West opens 1C, North overcalls 1H and East doubles to show exactly four spades. South strains to raise in a competitive auction -- his four hcp in partner's suit are gold and he should be able to provide a black-suit ruff. West counts 5.5 club winners and 2.5 in the majors; if they lead a heart and partner can provide a fast trick or two (either black King or the Ace of diamonds) 3NT rates to have good chances. I would ignore the diamond singleton and blast 3NT. West holds up to the third round of hearts but can't keep North off lead for down one. Surprisingly, five clubs makes when the suit splits and the diamond finesse works -- not good odds at all.

Board 24: East opens 1H in third seat; should West respond 1NT or 2D ? Probably 2D as a passed hand, though I tend to be cautious with a singleton in partner's suit. (I would definitely choose 1NT as an unpassed hand.) East figures there's enough for game in notrump or diamonds; 3C shows his strength and invites partner to bid 3NT with spades stopped. Disaster -- West passes! Folks, a new suit by opener at the three level has ALWAYS shown a strong hand in Standard American and almost any other system. With a minimum hand, opener must rebid 2NT or anything up to and including two of his suit. That's why a sequence like 1H-2D-2H can't promise a six-card suit -- opener is forced to bid but may not be strong enugh to bid naturally if that would require a "High Reverse" bid such as 3C here.

OK, assuming West read the chapter on opener's rebids, he raises 3C to 4C. Although five of a minor is not a preferred contract, East decides slam is too dicey opposite a passed hand and 5C ends the bidding.

South leads the Jack of spades, North wins the King and notes declarer dropping the Queen. If legitimate, East's shape appears to be 1534, 1525, or 1624 -- but declarer might be false-carding from Qx. The diamonds look to behave well so it's vital for the defense to either cash winners or break up a cross-ruff. Partner does not rate to have an entry to lead a second trump, so I think I would try and cash a second spade. East ruffs and plays the Ace and King of trumps. When North shows out, declarer must establish the diamonds before finishing trumps -- if there's a diamond loser you'll need a trump to stop the spades. Ace of diamonds, diamond to the King sets up the suit; now the top two hearts, pitching a spade, and run the ten of clubs. South ducks and declarer must revert to diamonds, allowing South to ruff and holding declarer to eleven tricks. Well, a far-sighted declarer might've unblocked the ten of clubs at some point.

Three pairs stole game in notrump despite no spade stopper. Perhaps pass-1H; 1NT-2NT; 3NT. More and more I'm bcoming convinced that when you're on lead with AKxx in a suit, it may be best to cash the King and read partner's signal. This isn't standard and maybe it's wrong, but leading low from such a suit will, at best, break even if you can set up the fourth card in the suit. Let me know if you try this tactic and it either works or backfires.