Sunday, June 23rd 2013

Board 1 North Deals None Vul	♠ 8 2 ♥ 9 2 ♦ K J 9 8 5 3 2 ♣ 6 2
♠ A 7 5 ♥ K Q 10 7 ♦ 10 ♣ K J 10 5 3	N W E S	♠ K Q 10 9 4 3 ♥ A J ♦ A 7 ♣ Q 9 8
	♠ J 6 ♥ 8 6 5 4 3 ♦ Q 6 4 ♣ A 7 4

North may open 3D; I would prefer to have at least 5 hcp but I expect 3D was a popular choice.  East overcalls 3S. South does not have enough shape to try 5D and not enough defense for 4D, a bid that "invites" game from the enemy. West cue-bids 4D to show a game-forcing raise -- a 4S bid would suggest around 10-12 in value. East counts 5 losers, so slam should have some play -- the 4D bid suggests at least four cover cards. There isn't enough room for a good cue-bidding sequence; I'd try 4NT despite the lack of a club control. West replies one Ace or Key Card and East bids 6S. Every declarer took the obvious twelve tricks; only two of six bid it.

Board 2 East Deals N-S Vul	♠ J ♥ 10 ♦ 7 6 4 ♣ A K Q J 10 8 7 5
♠ K 7 4 ♥ K Q J 8 7 5 3 ♦ Q 10 ♣ 4	N W E S	♠ Q 10 9 8 6 3 2 ♥ 9 2 ♦ 9 5 3 ♣ 3
	♠ A 5 ♥ A 6 4 ♦ A K J 8 2 ♣ 9 6 2

I still prefer some high card strength even at this vulnerability, but I'm sure some Easts preempted 3S. Do not compromise with 2S -- that suggests a stronger hand in terms of high cards, not weaker. Assuming East passes, South opens 1NT. West may preempt 3H or bid only 2H (or the equivalent, playing Capp or DONT) since he has a full opening. Opposite a passed hand, 3H looks right. North has eight tricks and partner's 15-17 may cover five losers; once again 4NT looks like despite the flaw of an uncontrolled suit. South replies with 3 Aces and North continues with 5NT (confirming all four Aces.) South shows one King; North can now count 12 tricks. Should he try for a grand? I wouldn't; 6NT should score well. Thirteen tricks  requires guessing to drop the Queen of diamonds rather than finesse; not a good bet.

At least one E/W pair reached 5S doubled. Perhaps 3S-3NT-4S to start, but again Blackwood should get N/S to 6NT.

Board 15 South Deals N-S Vul	♠ A Q 6 ♥ Q J 6 ♦ A K ♣ K Q J 6 5
♠ 10 9 8 7 4 2 ♥ 10 3 ♦ J 7 3 2 ♣ 7	N W E S	♠ 5 3 ♥ 9 8 4 2 ♦ Q 9 8 5 ♣ A 10 3
	♠ K J ♥ A K 7 5 ♦ 10 6 4 ♣ 9 8 4 2

North opens 2C in third seat; South may reply 3NT to show a balanced 10-12, but I would reserve that for hands with 4333 shape. 2D waiting or semi-positive is normal; "Steps" bidders can show 10+ via 2NT. North rebids 2NT to show a balanced 22-24, or 22+ if South's bid promised some values. South bids 3C (Stayman) followed by 6NT when no fit is found. For steps bidders, North should simply raise 2NT to 3NT, showing his balanced shape; responder with 10+ hcp will not pass. 4C should be Stayman at this point -- more useful than Gerber; but if you aren't sure a simple jump tp 6NT is fine -- you can count 33+ hcp. Half the field reached 6NT.

Sunday, June 9th 2013

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Board 3 South Deals E-W Vul	♠ J 8 5 4 3 ♥ K 6 ♦ Q 9 4 3 ♣ K J
♠ — ♥ J 7 5 4 ♦ A J 7 2 ♣ A Q 7 5 2	N W E S	♠ 2 ♥ A Q 10 9 8 3 ♦ 10 8 6 ♣ 10 6 3
	♠ A K Q 10 9 7 6 ♥ 2 ♦ K 5 ♣ 9 8 4

South is too strong for any preempt; 4S would be correct without the King of diamonds. As is, the hand has too much slam potential to jam the bidding in first  (or second) seat. South opens 1S, West doubles for takeout. North has a choice of raises: straight to 4S, or a Jordan 2NT (showing 4 trumps along with the values for a redouble, 10+ hcp.) The scattered honors, mostly in the short suits, suggests more defense than usual for a five-trump raise; I’d vote for 2NT if that is in the arsenal. For those not playing Jordan 4S looks best – the side four-card suit adds a bit to the offensive potential. Some players routinely jump to game with five card support but I am not a fan of that bid on balanced hands – too often partner will also be balanced and the extra trumps count for little.

Over 2NT or 4S, East must decide whether he plans to defend 4S or bid on to 5H. Don’t wait to decide, that will give the enemy too much room to exchange information. With an expected ten-card fit each way (assuming partner has the typical doubleton spade and four hearts for his double), the Law of Total Tricks suggests that both 4H and 4S may make. If so, it will pay to bid 5H unless it will be doubled and down two (too expensive at this vulnerability.) East’s hand has a very high offense-to-defense ratio: one likely defensive trick and five likely offensive winners. Bidding a confident 5H has another chance to win – they may overbid to 5S when they should be doubling 5H. If you choose to bid only 4H, you should sell out to 4S (whether or not partner doubles.) Bidding 4H and then 5H gives the enemy a fielder’s choice of doubling you or bidding on. An immediate 5H forces them to take the last guess, not you.

South, likewise, has a high offense, low defense hand; bidding 5S if East bids 5H looks right, assuming partner showed a 4+ card raise by way of 2NT or 4S. This illustrates why such bids should promise more than just the minimum three-card support – the extra trumps increase the likelihood of aggressive enemy bidding (since they will be short), increase your offensive potential, and lower your defensive prospects. Good responding hands with only three trumps can afford to start with a redouble; you won’t mind defending at a high level with such a hand.

West, with his void, may be tempted to try 6H, but why assume the enemy has guessed correctly or that a vulnerable 6H will pay off? West has two and a half defensive tricks – not enough to double or bid slam, but too much to risk a sacrifice. As the enemy were surely headed for game, be content with partner’s having pushed them one level higher. At a team game, bidding 6H on the possibility that both that contract and 5S might make would be reasonable insurance. North, having given a fair description of his hand with 2NT or 4S, should not take further action.

As it happens, there are 22 “total trumps” (12 spades for N/S and ten hearts for E/W) but only 21 “total tricks” (E/W can make 5H, N/S only 4S.) This is a little surprising given the fairly pure trump holding for each side, but the Law is less accurate at high levels.

Board 4 West Deals Both Vul	♠ 10 4 3 ♥ A 10 4 ♦ Q 10 7 2 ♣ Q 10 5
♠ K 6 2 ♥ J 9 7 6 3 ♦ K J 6 5 ♣ 8	N W E S	♠ A Q J 9 8 7 5 ♥ Q 8 2 ♦ 8 3 ♣ 6
	♠ — ♥ K 5 ♦ A 9 4 ♣ A K J 9 7 4 3 2

After two passes, East opens 3S, vulnerable. The hand rates to take about six tricks and it pays to overbid about three tricks at equal vulnerabilty. This risks -800 but sometimes in that case the enemy were headed for slam.

Over the preempt, South considers his options. With about ten tricks, there may well be a slam; the Ace of hearts, King of diamonds and a bit of luck in trumps would be enough. But partner’s share of the 25 hcp outside South’s hand would be 8.33, and asking for such a “perfect 7” seems overly optimistic. On the other hand South must certainly bid to at least 5C; it would be very pessimistic to assume that contract won’t make. Double, followed by 5C, seems about right, but there is a significant risk partner might convert the double to penalties, unaware of a ten to twelve card club fit. An immediate 5C may be the practical bid. This suggests a strong, unbalanced hand as there is “no such thing as a preempt over a preempt.”

West considers what he can add to partner’s expected six winners. Many players mark “Sound – Vul” in the opening preempts box, suggesting seven winners when vulnerable (the old Rule of Two and Three), but would they really pass or bid only 2S or rate East’s hand as seven winners? I always check the “Light” box. West’s King of spades is worth a trick, and there may be a club ruff. The King-Jack of diamonds are as likely to produce tricks on defense as offense. West cannot expect 5S t o make, so the diamond honors should not encourage him to bid – a sacrifice may turn out to be a phantom. Nine offensive tricks against perhaps two on defense (if partner has the Ace of spades and neither opponent is void) looks right for 5S; but if there is a spade void, you may chase them into a slam you can’t beat. All in all, it rarely pays to bid to the five level with only three card support.

North knows partner will welcome the Queen of trumps, three-card support, and the side Ace; is that enough for slam? Partner’s leap, rather than doubling first, suggests long clubs and short spades; also, he does not rate to have four hearts. That suggests the Queen of diamonds may also prove useful. Six clubs will be right if partner has ten tricks or nine and can use the Queen of diamonds. Pass would be best if you cannot be sure partner would double first on any hand containing two small spades.

On the auction P-P-3S-5C; P-6C, I don’t think East or West should bid again. Both South and North faced guesses; why assume they have guessed corectly? Give South a small spade or both the Ace and Queen of diamonds or a third heart and six clubs would fail. When you’ve given the opponents a problem, do not be over-eager to asume they’ve solved it correctly.

Board 18 East Deals N-S Vul	♠ A K 9 3 ♥ — ♦ A 9 7 4 3 2 ♣ A K 2
♠ 10 6 ♥ A K Q 6 5 4 3 ♦ J 5 ♣ J 9	N W E S	♠ J 8 5 2 ♥ 7 2 ♦ K Q 10 8 ♣ 8 6 3
	♠ Q 7 4 ♥ J 10 9 8 ♦ 6 ♣ Q 10 7 5 4

After two passes, West must decide how many hearts to open. Not vulnerable vs. vulnerable, the modern style would be to overbid by four tricks; so the choice is between one heart and four hearts. The hand has almost pure offense – not even a queen outside of trumps – so I’d vote for 4H. However, some partners have never heard of preempts beyond the three level; 3H might be best in that case, to avoid the inevitable “I bid slam since I thought you had ten tricks in your own hand!” Ordinarily I’d be inclined to open 1H with 11 hcp, a long suit and two quick tricks; I would take that approach in first or second seat with a side Queen rather than those two Jacks.

Whatever the level and regardless of agreements, North doubles West’s heart bid. East has nothing to say; South replies two clubs, or passes 3H or 4H doubled with his sure trump trick and glum offensive prospects. +300 or +500 will be a disappointment, but North should not chide partner for failing to visualize slam, or himself for not guessing what to bid. Sometimes preempts work.

If the auction starts P-P-1H-dbl; P-2C, West will rebid his hearts. How high? Many players will leap to 3H a this point; but partner may well read that as a strong bid (eight tricks or so.) I’ve never seen this discussed by experts; perhaps the strong hand would double or redouble first. It is probably safest simply to rebid 2H and discuss it with partner later. Always keep in mind that you cannot erase the information given by your previous bidding; opening 1H is a clear statement that you do not have a preemptive hand, so don’t expect partner to guess that 3H or 4H do not promise extra high cards.

North feels there ought to be at least game somewhere; but the club support is short, the diamonds are anemic and partner did not bid spades or notrump. Best is to double 2H (or 3H or 4H) again for “more takeout”, showing uncertainty about the proper strain. South repeats clubs (or passes 3H or 4H doubled.)  Now North is prepared to go to 5C. If you trust partner not to panic, bid 4H as a splinter raise on the way, but I doubt South will be inspired to bid slam.

Against five (or six) clubs, West leads a high heart (Ace or King per agreement, not the Queen!) and South takes stock before ruffing. There appear to be five clubs, a heart ruff, three spades and the Ace of diamonds. Ruffing twice will cost a trump trick, unless the Jack falls doubleton. A 3-3 diamond split will set up three extra tricks, but that requires even splits in both diamonds and trumps, something like a 22% chance. A 3-3 spade split is another possibility for an 11^th trick. What about a 4-2 diamond split? Ruff the heart, Ace of diamonds, ruff a diamond, trump to dummy, ruff a diamond. You can overuff East, of course; if West overruffs, perhaps you will be able to ruff the heart return without promoting two trump tricks for the defense. That appears to be the case on today’s layout: West overuffs the third round of diamonds, you ruff the second heart in dummy (East throws a spade), ruff the fourth diamond, cash the Queen of trumps, and cross back with a high spade. East can claim his trump at some point but will have nothing but spades left.

To make six clubs, I think you must ruff the third diamond with the Queen, cross back with another trump (picking up West’s Jack), ruff the fourth diamond with your last trump, cash the Queen of spades (dropping West’s ten), cross back with a high spade, and play more diamonds. East can ruff with the last trump but must then lead a spade into dummy’s K9; or he must discard, promoting dummy’s fourth spade. A very low odds slam unless I’ve missed a better line.

Board 24 West Deals None Vul	♠ 9 6 4 3 ♥ 10 9 6 4 2 ♦ 5 4 ♣ 9 3
♠ Q 8 2 ♥ A 8 3 ♦ K J 10 2 ♣ A 10 2	N W E S	♠ A K J 7 ♥ J ♦ A Q 9 6 ♣ K Q J 8
	♠ 10 5 ♥ K Q 7 5 ♦ 8 7 3 ♣ 7 6 5 4

As East is busy employing all his fingers and toes to count his hand, West surprises him with a 1D opening. East plans to bid out his shape, showing spades, clubs, and diamonds; throw in a jump and you’ve got a game-force short in hearts. A plausible aucton: 1D-1S; 1NT-3C; 3S-4D; 4H-4NT; [edit] 5C (0 or 3 key cards)-5NT (we’ve got ‘em all); 7D. If you allow strong jump shifts on good 4-card suits (as I recommend) the auction could begin 1D-2S; 2NT-3C for much the same result, but East's slam interest will be more pronounced. West has no extra Kings but surely, on this bidding, he has everything East could want, since his 1NT rebid limited his hand to 14 hcp. Note how important it is not to bid 5NT missing an Ace or Key card or trump Queen – the bid invites grand slam. East may convert to 7NT but any grand slam would've scored a top. Most players are properly cautious about risking a small slam for a grand -- half the field missed slam altogether.