Saturday Afternoon, July 27th 2013 (NLM Tournament)

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

West opens 1C; you might look askance at the unguarded spade jack but I recommend opening any hand with 12 hcp including an Ace or three Kings. East has a nice hand but no slam interest until a fit can be found, 1H is the normal response. West should rebid either 1NT or 2S depending on the partnership attitude toward 3-card raises of responder's major; the club suit is too ratty to rebid if any reasonable alternative exists. Over 1NT East may simply raise to 3NT; or he may trot out New Minor Forcing (2D) to check on a heart fit. West bids 2H to show delayed support; the 5-3 fit is not enough to chase slam and East simply raises to game.

If West raises instead East is more optimistic -- there may be a nine-card fit. East bids 2S as a game try; he will try to show slam ambitions later. West has help in spades but a minimum and uncertainty about a fit -- partner could be 4-4 in the majors. West bids 2NT to suggest only three trumps and minimum values. Again, 4H looks right for East. No pair reached slam.

South has no attractive lead. Placing 24 or more hcp with the enemy, partner rates to have six to nine. When I do not expect partner to have at least 8 hcp I try to make a safe lead; a trump may be as good as anything, as the auction has not pointed to any great discard threat from dummy. Unfortunately this saves declarer a guess, but that might have been true in any suit. Declarer counts three or four spades, five trumps, two or three diamonds and perhaps a club; there is also the chance of setting up the fifth club in dummy. A reasonable line would be to pull trumps, ending in dummy, and run the Jack of spades. North covers and now declarer leads up to the King of clubs; that sets up twelve tricks. As it happens the same line scores +480 at hearts or +490 at notrump, but most declarers settled for eleven tricks.

Board 27 South Deals None Vul	♠ 5 3 ♥ A K Q 8 5 ♦ Q 10 7 4 ♣ A 8
♠ K J 6 ♥ 10 3 2 ♦ 5 3 ♣ J 7 6 5 3	N W E S	♠ Q 9 8 4 2 ♥ 9 6 4 ♦ J 8 ♣ K 10 9
	♠ A 10 7 ♥ J 7 ♦ A K 9 6 2 ♣ Q 4 2

South opens 1D and North responds 1H or possibly a strong 2H. North should certainly be thinking slam in either hearts or diamonds; in most styles a fit must exist since opener will either have 4 diamonds or three or four hearts. South rebids in notrump, suggesting a balanced 12-14 (too weak to open 1NT.) After 1D-1H; 1NT North has some difficulty portraying his strength: most play a jump to 3D as invitational (about 11-12) rather than forcing; 3NT would be to play; and the hand isn't strong enough to risk a natural 4NT slam invitation. 3NT will be the practical choice in most partnerships. If "New Minor Forcing" is marked on the convention card, North can bid 2C, forcing and artificial; this shows at least 11 hcp and 5 hearts and asks opener to show 3 card support if he has it. Here South rebids 2D, showing his extra length and denying heart support. The good fit is enough for an optimistic North to push to slam, such as 4NT (Blackwood), 5H (two Aces), 6D. Key-card bidders will get a "0 or 3" reply; could this be 0? Yes, opener could have KQx Jx KJxxx QJx, for example. Playing normal RKCB. the response would be 5C and responder can sign off at 5D. Opener should realize that, having limited his hand to the 12-14 range, partner cannot have been expecting four key cards; so it is proper in this case for opener to continue to 6D. "1430" bidders have more of a guess; the space-eating 5D reply forces responder to hope for the best. Don't let anyone tell you "1430" is always better; it tends to be better when the responding hand is relatively weak.

If North started with a strong 2H, South rebids 2NT and now North can simply rebid 3D, showing hearts, diamonds and slam interest. South is eager to cooperate with his wealth of key cards; a 3S cue-bid looks right. Now North can jump to 4NT with no worries about two fast spade losers, and, if playing Roman Key Card, no doubt that partner's "0 or 3" reply means 3. Two level strong jumps often simplify the auction.

At 6D declarer wins any lead, pulls trumps in two rounds and runs the hearts, dumping three black cards. Twelve fast tricks are also available at hearts and notrump, but playing slam in the obvious nine-card fit ties for a top as only two pairs reached slam.

Friday, July 26th 2013

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

 

West has a powerful hand, but not really enough to open 2C when the long suit is a minor. Game is unlikely if partner passes 1D. North may overcall 2C; 8 hcp is a bit light for a two level overcall but 2C over 1D has some preemptive value. East doubles, negative, promising four cards in at least one major and, generally, the ability to handle things if partner bids the other. East has plenty enough strength to simply bid 2H but that would show five-card length; use the negative double when you lack either the length or the strength for a two-level suit bid. South has a great fit for clubs and little defense; with 10 or 11 trumps and a singleton, South should bash 5C not vulnerable. 3C would suggest less shape and some high cards; 4C should also contain some defense, otherwise you may be pushing the enemy into a game you can’t beat. With two unbid major suits, 4C might keep them from finding their fit, but I’d rather maximize the pressure. You can expect partner to take four to six clubs, two ruffs in one hand or the other, and a side trick or two; down 3 doubled may be overly expensive, but often they’ll bid or fail to double or partner’s hand may have additional shape.

 Back to West: with about nine tricks, three key cards in either red suit and a void in clubs, West needs relatively little for slam. If they’ve jammed the bidding at 5C I’d simply try 6D. East, with far more than partner can expect, can raise to 7D.

 At our table N/S were silent; over partner’s 1H West has an excellent hand for a void-showing 5C jump – but partner explained the bid as “natural, at least 5-5 in the minors, 22+ points.” No way – a jump to  3C would be strong, natural, and game-forcing. But 5C could be a 6-6 hand, so I’ll admit 5C risked an accident. I remembered discussing void-jumps but they are rare. Any pair that plays splinters should recognize 4C as a splinter, but if East proceeds with 4NT it may be hard to show a void rather than a singleton. Another possibility would be 4D showing, basically, a hand worth a jump to 3D but also having 4-card heart support. Opener does not need 4D to show a hand with just diamonds. Finally, opener can simply bid 4NT; this isn’t ideal with a void but opener has enough controls for slam even if partner has the wrong Ace.

 Let’s assume 4NT, key card for hearts; East replies 5S, two keys plus the Queen. Now 7H is a standout, since the Queen of diamonds can be ruffed out if partner has only one or two and should drop if he has three. West should nevertheless confirm all the key cards by bidding 5NT; East, knowing the Queen of diamonds is a big card, can bid 6NT (“no Kings, but something extra”) and West chooses either 7H or 7NT. Bidding at least 6NT scored well; one pair is listed as making 7S but I suspect they actually played 7H.

 

Board 14 East Deals None Vul	♠ 9 6 3 2 ♥ J 9 8 ♦ K 10 8 5 ♣ 4 2
♠ Q J 8 5 4 ♥ A 4 2 ♦ 3 2 ♣ A 10 5	N W E S	♠ A K ♥ K Q 7 6 3 ♦ A Q 6 ♣ K J 6
	♠ 10 7 ♥ 10 5 ♦ J 9 7 4 ♣ Q 9 8 7 3

Board 14: East opens 2C; West should make a positive response in spades. Even if you normally expect two of the top three honors for a positive bid, East’s 11 hcp and two side Aces should be plenty enough for slam. The Jack of spades protects against landing in slam with something like Kxx opposite Qxxxx. “Steps” bidders surprise partner with a rare 2NT (10-12) reply while everyone else should bid a natural, slam-positive 2S. I’m sure several Easts bid a murky 2D, waiting or semi-positive.

 Over 2S East simply bids 2NT, almost always better than 3 of a suit on balanced and semi-balanced hands. Now West counts 33+ hcp and must drive the hand to slam. 6NT is straightforward enough; 5NT “pick a slam” is fine if you’ve discussed it. 5NT over notrump is ALWAYS forcing, since 4NT would be invitational. East passes 6NT, of course; over 5NT, 6H is a possibility but I’d prefer a stronger suit. Even if East does show the hearts I don’t think anyone has a clear 7 bid; 6NT ought to be the popular choice. With both majors behaving 13 tricks are easy. Again, 6NT scored well.

Board 20 West Deals Both Vul	♠ Q 4 ♥ Q 7 5 4 2 ♦ J 7 2 ♣ 10 9 4
♠ J 9 8 7 ♥ A J 9 ♦ K Q 8 ♣ A K Q	N W E S	♠ A K 5 3 ♥ 8 6 ♦ A 10 6 4 ♣ 8 6 2
	♠ 10 6 2 ♥ K 10 3 ♦ 9 5 3 ♣ J 7 5 3

 

 

Board 20: West opens 2NT (20-21) and East bids 3C, Stayman; if a fit exists there may be 12 tricks. West replies 3S and now East ponders slam. Visualizing, opener might have QJxx Axx KQJ AKx and the losing club disappears on a diamond. Or opener might have xxxx KQ KQJx AKQ and you can’t avoid two losers. A key-card auction makes sense; but if 4NT implicitly agrees spades as trumps, what does responder do when he wants to invite slam after opener bids the wrong major?

 A popular gadget over a 1NT Stayman auction is “three other major slam try” and the corollary over 2NT is “four other major slam try.” If you think about it, there is no reason for responder to bid 4H over 3S here without a spade fit. So experts use 4H as a spade raise with slam interest; 4NT, by contrast, denies a fit. This gadget tends to be “self-alerting” since partner should be puzzled why you would bid 4H here. On today’s hand opener does not have anything unusual in terms of slam controls: two key cards, poor trumps, a couple of side Kings. Over the gadget 4H, then, West simply bids 4S. East might give up but I think 4NT is worth the risk, followed by 6S over partner’s 2 Ace or Key-card reply. The same applies if E/W play 2NT-3C; 3S-4NT as Blackwood or key card.

What if you use Puppet Stayman? No problem, West bids 3D “one or both majors”; East bids 3H = spades; West bids 3S to show the fit, and now East can cue-bid 4D or proceed with 4NT. However, I feel Puppet Stayman makes it hard for responder on certain hands such as 5-4 either way in the majors, and gives the enemy the chance to double two artificial bids for a lead.

Against 6S North leads the 10 of clubs, not wanting to break a suit with a high card. The lead hardly matters; declarer cannot escape a heart loser and there is no finesse available in trumps. Perhaps East was too optimistic; but the A-K of trumps drops the Queen and all is well. As it happens 6NT also makes on the lucky fall of the diamond Jack. Five pairs bid slam, two failing.

 

 

 

Board 26 East Deals Both Vul	♠ A 5 4 2 ♥ 10 9 3 2 ♦ A J 8 ♣ K 2
♠ 10 9 6 ♥ 6 5 4 ♦ Q 9 7 6 ♣ J 9 7	N W E S	♠ Q J 8 ♥ A Q 7 ♦ 4 3 2 ♣ 8 6 5 3
	♠ K 7 3 ♥ K J 8 ♦ K 10 5 ♣ A Q 10 4

Board 26: North opens 1D and South has a classic 3NT response: 16-17 hcp, some 4333 shape, and not too many slam controls. That ends the bidding in a hurry. Most club players, however, bid 3NT to show 13-15; this often traps opener with an unbalanced hand, and leaves responder no good way to bid today’s hand. I’m sure many simply bid 3NT anyway; 2/1 Game Forcers probably bid 1D-2C; 2NT-3NT. Everything works for declarer; surprisingly,  +690 scored well. You don't always have to bid to the max to score well at matchpoints. On a diamond lead, declarer wins cheaply in hand, crosses to the King of clubs, and leads the ten of hearts while he still has everything under control. 3-3 splits in both hearts and clubs results in 12 tricks.

Wednesday, July 25th 2013

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

East's best opening is 1NT (15-17) despite the weakness in both majors. It describes the shape and strength and may actually be the best place to play. West's hand rates to produce 8 to 10 tricks, and partner's 15, at 3 points a trick, suggests 5, so West should aim for a grand slam unless a key card is missing. With a combined 33-35 hcp, 7H looks better than 7NT unless you can count 13 very probable tricks. What tools does West have available? Gerber is one possibility, followed by 7H when East replies 4S (two Aces); if partner replies with only one Ace, there is a slight chance you could be missing both top diamonds, but I wouldn't avoid slam without proof positive that's the case. The biggest risk with Gerber is that it comes up so rarely and partner may mistakenly bid hearts with two Aces, confusing the responses with Blackwood. A direct 4NT should be invitational, not Blackwood; certainly, you should not have two ways to ask the same question. I generally define Gerber with the acronym JONTO: Jump Over Notrump Only, meaning 4C is Gerber when parntner's last bid was 1NT or 2NT, regardless of previous bids; 4NT is quantitative when 4C would be Gerber.

A more scientific approach uses a "self-splinter." West transfers to hearts and then jumps to show a singleton (4C on today's hand), implying six trumps and slam interest. Don't try this without prior discussion! East signs off at 4H thanks to his wasted values opposite the stiff club; trade the King of clubs for the King of spades and he would cue-bid 4D or simply bid 4NT. Over 4H, West makes another try with 4S. This alerts East that his diamond controls are crucial, and West has enough for slam despite the wastage in clubs. East bids 4NT and West replies 5C (0 or 3 key cards.) West's strong bidding rules out zero so East continues with 5D to ask about the Queen of trumps. West replies positively, either 5S (first step = no, second step = yes) or 5NT (agreed suit = no, other suits = yes + specific King, 5NT = yes, no side Kings.) Over 5S East bids 5NT to confirm all five key cards plus the trump Queen. West can be certain East does not have Kings in both spades and diamonds; with those plus the two Aces he would not have shown disinterest over the splinter. 6C (no side Kings) followed by 6NT looks like the practical approach. On the "Specific Kings" auction, East should continue with 6D to confirm all the key cards plus the Queen of trumps, but again West should settle for 6NT rather than bid a grand slam that appears to require a finesse.

Two pairs bid the risky 7NT, one making; seven bid 6H; three stopped at 4H or 4NT and one suffered a bidding accident to land in 5C. So 6NT would score one less than a top, and 7NT appears to require a defensive error to make. On a squeeze, North must keep the King of spades while South guards both diamonds and clubs; East will have to discard before South.

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

South opens 1NT. North counts about 6.5 winners; 5.5 from a 15-17 opening is certainly possible, but seems optimistic -- even adding three points for the long suit with known support the combined total falls short of the 33 or 34 needed for slam. Visualizing, South might have Axxx Ax Axx Kxxx, with a heart ruff providing the twelfth trick. So if there is a slam, it is much more likely in clubs, but few pairs have the tools to locate a specific doubleton. I think 3NT is the practical bid for North. Two pairs bid slam, one making, while two pairs stopped at 3C. There is really no reason for North to mention his clubs; save that for hands with a singleton or stronger slam interest, and make sure partner knows whatever sequence you follow is forcing! Forcing methods include a direct jump (if you haven't agreed otherwise); Stayman followed by three of a new suit; or transfer-then-bid-a-singleton for those playing some sort of minor suit transfer. Transfer-then-3NT suggests slam with no singleton, but this hand seems a bit light for that.

Suppose you reach 6C anyway, perhaps 1NT-2S (transfer); 3C-3NT (slam interest)-6C or such. Perhaps West leads a spade. Dummy wins, and declarer risks cashing another spade, then finesses in hearts. Even if this lost declarer is protected against a diamond return and can try the club finesse, finish pulling trumps, and dump a diamond on the Ace of spades. One of two finesses makes for a good slam; 6NT requires considerably more luck.

Sunday, July 7th 2013

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

South deducts a point for no Ace, but still falls in the usual 15-17 range and opens 1NT. North may simply bid 6NT, based on a combined minimum of 32 hcp, a good five-card suit, and three Aces. However, a suit slam will usually have better chances than notrump when a fit exists and there are fewer than 34 hcp between the two hands. Many players will thoughtlessly start with a transfer without planning ahead; in general, there is no good way to investigate slam on a one-suited, balanced hand if you start with a transfer. With a second suit you can bid that at the three level, forcing, though that does not necessarily imply slam ambitions. With a singleton you may have the agreement that transfer-then-jump-shift shows a singleton (known as a "self-splinter"; don't try this without prior discussion!)

The simplest approach with such hands is a jump to 3 of the suit. (Many players redefine 3H and 3S as two-suited hands, but those can be shown by simply transferring and bidding the other suit -- not forcing at the two level, forcing at the three level.) Over the jump, opener bids 3NT lacking support, cue-bids his cheapest Ace or King, or raises to game with a poor hand in terms of slam controls. That describes South's hand. A complete auction: 1NT-3H; 4H-4NT; 5D (one Ace or keycard)-6H. As it happens, there are 12 fast tricks and 6NT is the best spot, but either slam scores well.

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

East opens 1D and faces a common problem in standard bidding: what to do with a good hand but only three card support for responder's major. While it is acceptable to make a single raise of what could be a four or five card suit with only three trumps, a jump raise should promise four. After 1D-1H, East must simply jump to 3D; if partner can continue, you may be able to find a heart fit. West, unfortunately, must pass his weak, misfitting hand. East will probably lose two spades, a diamond and a club, but should be able to set up a club to pitch either a heart or spade. Double-dummy analysis shows E/W making 11 tricks with hearts as trumps, but two of three declarers failed, and in any case that depends on hearts splitting 3-3 and guessing the Queen correctly. 3NT has no play on a spade lead or club lead and spade shift.

Monday evening, July 1st 2013

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Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul	♠ 9 3 2 ♥ Q 8 ♦ J 10 5 ♣ K 9 4 3 2
♠ A 7 4 ♥ K 10 7 6 5 2 ♦ 6 3 2 ♣ A	N W E S	♠ 10 ♥ A J 9 ♦ A K Q 9 4 ♣ Q 8 6 5
	♠ K Q J 8 6 5 ♥ 4 3 ♦ 8 7 ♣ J 10 7

West opens 1H (Goren, Rule of 20 or whatever; even subtracting a point for the stiff Ace this hand is a clear opener.) East responds 2D; it is normal to temporize before raising to game with only three trumps -- direct raises beyond the two level, such as Jacoby 2NT, are best played as promising four-card support, which helps in evaluating slam prospects. South might overcall 2S for a lead, but this could prove expensive. No matter how you play most low-level doubles, a double of an overcall after a 2/1 response (standard or game forcing) should be for blood. West rebids his hearts, or passes over 2S, limiting his hand. It is best, however, to play that the 2/1 bid promises a rebid even if not game-forcing. A raise to 3D should show a better hand; if you make a habit of raising partner's minor on such minimums, what do you bid with an extra King or Ace? That's why 2H is played by most experts as a "mark-time" bid, neither promising extra heart length nor denying support for partner; this allows other rebids to be more descriptive.

Back around to East, 2/1 game force bidders have an easy 3H rebid, suggesting more than mere game values. In this month's ACBL Bulletin Karen Walker suggests that while jumps by opener should promise extra values, responder can apply fast arrival with a known fit. I think the implication is especially strong if South overcalled and West passed; fast arrival certainly applies once a player has limited his hand. Most players over-use fast arrival, leaping in front of a partner who has not finished describing his hand. This was one of Frank Stewart's key criticisms of 2/1 Game Force in a recent Bulletin debate.

If West is confident East is showing some slam interest, he can cooperate with a 3S cue-bid; East continues with 4D, suggesting lack of a club control. West proceeds with 4NT. Key-carders reply 5H, two key cards without the Queen of trumps, and West signs off at 6H. Blackwooders get a 5H two-Ace reply, and should continue with 5NT in case partner has grand slam ambitions. With some doubt about trump solidity, East merely replies one King and West stops at 6H.

If the partnership is playing 2/1 game force without clear agreements, West is uncertain about 3H and simply raises himself to game. East counts 4.5 obvious cover cards plus diamond length and a likely spade ruff; an opening bid typically contains no more than seven losers and East can expect to provide six winners. It's possible, of course, to be off two fast club tricks, but no one has bid clubs and they might lead something else. East drives to slam by way of 4NT.

For Standard bidders, East may simply resort to 4NT, or can bid out his shape with 3C followed by 4H, suggesting the singleton spade (three suits including a jump = shortage in the fourth suit) and slam interest. With three key cards, West should proceed to slam.

Four of six pairs reached slam and 13 tricks are easy when the trump Queen drops and the diamonds split 3-2.

Board 14 East Deals None Vul	♠ 7 6 ♥ A 10 8 7 ♦ A K 9 4 ♣ Q 9 5
♠ 10 9 8 5 4 3 ♥ Q 9 ♦ 10 3 ♣ 8 6 3	N W E S	♠ A K Q 2 ♥ 4 2 ♦ 7 5 ♣ J 10 7 4 2
	♠ J ♥ K J 6 5 3 ♦ Q J 8 6 2 ♣ A K

South opens 1H and North shows a forcing raise, probably with Jacoby 2NT. South rebids 3S to show his singleton. This still leaves North with six losers or perhaps four cover cards, not enough to drive to slam; I recommend that 3NT over partner's singleton rebid show some wastage in that suit. 4H,instead, suggests no wastage but limited values. South counts five losers, enough for slam opposite partner's game force. It would've been nice to confirm partner has a diamond control but I think 4NT is the practical bid at this point. North replies 5H; if that's key-card, it denies the Queen of trumps. Missing a key card and the trump Queen, South should pass. Blackwooders must hope partner has the Queen or it can be dropped or finessed and should risk 6H. With no clues from the bidding, South plays for the drop and the slam makes.

At our table West butted in with an extremely light 2S jump. North cue-bid 3S to show his game-raise, and South drove to slam despite missing one key-card and the Queen. He assumed from the jump the Queen was likely to be with East (since West has fewer cards outside of spades.) That's a good bet but no luck on today's layout. Note how the jump did not really interfere with the N/S bidding -- when you're that weak, the enemy can usually brush aside such tactics. The "success" came solely from misleading declarer about the trump situation. Perhaps West thought of that.