Friday, November 22nd 2013

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

 South opens 1D. West overcalls either 1S or 2C (bidding his better suit first, planning to bid the weak spades later.) Over either bid North should cue-bid West’s suit (2S or 3C.) This is the usual procedure when you have good support for partner in a competitive auction; all direct raises suggest less than 11 hcp. Cue-bidding rather than leaping in diamonds leaves room for partner to bid notrump if he has West’s suit stopped; it also stakes a claim to the hand, inviting partner to double for penalties if E/W compete to a high level.

 If West overcalled in spades and North cue-bid 2S, East should double for a spade lead, promising the Ace or King in partner’s suit. Since the cue-bid makes it likely South will be declarer, partner is apt to be on lead. The double should be automatic regardless of anything else in East’s hand; it is highly unlikely North can make 8 tricks with partner’s overcalled suit as trumps, bolstered by East’s King. “Cue-bid = limit raise or better” is near universal these days, so this agreement about the double of such a bid will have frequent application; failure to double warns partner you do not have the Ace or King of his suit. If West overcalled in clubs, East has nothing to say.

In any case South bids notrump and North passes 3NT or raises 2NT to game. 3NT will generally have better chances than 5D when you do not have a singleton and do have a stopper in the enemy suit.

West probably leads a club unless, perhaps, he overcalled spades and East doubled 2S as discussed; but neither lead proves effective. South collects at least five diamonds, two tricks in whatever suit West leads and one in each of the other two. On a low club led South may guess his way to 11 tricks.

 

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

 

North, too strong for 1NT, opens 1D and jumps to 2NT over South’s 1H response. This is the standard method to show a balanced 18-19 count. South should simply jump to 4H despite his poor suit; the long hearts will be valuable as trumps. West, deflected from a diamond lead by North’s opening bid, tries the 10 of clubs. South wins and leads a low heart toward the Jack; this might save a trick if West has KQx(x). East wins and persists in clubs; dummy presents little threat of ruffs or discards, so there is no reason to risk breaking a new suit. A trump to the Ace picks up the stragglers. Declarer eventually loses two spades, barring a defensive mistake (such as East failing to “keep length with dummy” in diamonds.)

Against 3NT, East leads the ten of spades (top of an interior sequence headed by an honor.) This traps South’s Jack and the defense should collect three spades and a heart. +600 will score poorly compared to +620. It is difficult at matchpoints to have enough information to know when not to play an 8+ card major suit fit; with less than around 29 hcp, the odds generally favor playing in the suit even when, as here, dummy has no ruffing value and the trump suit is lousy.

 

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

 East opens 1C. West has just enough for a British-style strong 2D jump (basically, a Goren 17 count); Americans will almost universally respond 1D or 1S. East rebids his clubs and West jumps to 3NT, wondering if he’s underbid the hand. He wouldn’t have that worry after 1C-2D; 3C-3NT, but most Americans would expect a longer, stronger suit and/or better hand for that sequence.

North leads his fourth-best heart and West has visions of two heart winners, four diamonds, five clubs and a spade or two, but the defense will likely collect a club and a heart. West must plan his communications and discards carefully. Winning the seven of hearts in hand, declarer can try the King and Ace of clubs. If both followed to the second club he could concede the third round and use diamonds for transportation, sacrificing one trick if needed to return to hand. That would insure a spade, two hearts, three diamonds and five clubs for +460. When North actually shows out on the second club, declarer ducks to South, who returns a heart. North wins and clears the suit; declarer wins that in dummy and concedes another club. To avoid squeezing yourself, it’s probably best not to play the Ace of clubs until you’re ready to run the suit. South is out of hearts and likely exits with a diamond; declarer wins in dummy, cashes the Ace of spades and then the remaining clubs, pitching spades unless South parts with the King. South is squeezed on the last club and declarer claims +460 despite the bad break

 

 

 

 

 

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

How strong should a preempt be in fourth seat? Opinions vary, but it is clear that you must expect a plus score; weak hands should simply pass the board out. I favor 9-12 hcp with a good 6-card suit for a 4^th seat two bid. You can expect each side to have 18-22 points so it is reasonable to expect to win 5 of 10 “high card” tricks along with your three long trumps. Opening at the two level makes it difficult for the opponents to find their own fit and puts partner in a good position to compete or defend if they do.

Here East has a fair seven card suit and a prime 12 count. The same logic suggests an expectation of nine tricks, but it’s not hard to visualize game: Ax AQx xxxx xxx, for example. I’d say the hand is too good for 2S, so the choice is among 1S, 3S and 4S. I’d vote for 1S; throw in the Jack of spades and I might try four.

Over 1S South may double; this is probably the modern style but I think I’d like an extra Queen or so. West has an easy redouble if South does double, and then E/W may reach game – East may simply rebid 4S or may jump to 3S and West may raise. Assuming South passes, West’s best response is 1NT. If you decide a passed hand can’t have a Jacoby 2NT, fine, but that’s no excuse for hanging partner with a 2NT jump when he may have opened just for a part-score. (Personally I use 2NT by a passed hand to show a limit raise with five-card support or AKQx.) East rebids 2S, West raises to three, and East bids game. Declarer wins the heart lead and should try clubs immediately; if South has the Ace this will provide a pitch for the losing diamond. When trumps are played East must guess after South drops the 8; this isn’t a “restricted choice” situation (South could not gain by playing the Jack from J8) so the odds slightly favor the drop.

 

Board 17 North Deals None Vul	♠ K 9 7 6 ♥ A ♦ K Q J 8 7 ♣ A 10 6
♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ K 8 6 ♦ 9 6 4 3 2 ♣ 5	N W E S	♠ J 10 ♥ J 10 9 3 2 ♦ 5 ♣ K 8 4 3 2
	♠ A 8 2 ♥ Q 7 5 4 ♦ A 10 ♣ Q J 9 7

North opens 1D, South responds 1H, and North rebids a quiet 1S – 17 hcp isn’t enough for a jump shift at this point. Responder must allow opener to have up to 19 points for a simple new suit bid and should strive to give partner a third chance to bid.  Here, of course, South jumps to game, unless you play 2NT as game forcing at this point. (That’s a good method, coupled with 4^th suit forcing one round, but few play that way these days.) In any case, with only 30 hcp and no fit, the combined hands do not add up to a likely slam.

If North overbids with a 2S jump rebid, South checks on Aces or key cards and drives to 6NT. West has a tough lead – partner doesn’t rate to have much, so underleading an honor seems likely to blow a trick. On the “safe” diamond lead, however, declarer drives out the King of clubs. Winning, say, a heart return, South takes he Ace of spades, cashes five diamonds (pitching a spade and two hearts from hand), and then three more clubs. West (that would be me!) is squeezed in the majors, unable to keep Qx in spades and the King of hearts. Nicely played! A heart or spade can defeat the slam, but neither is likely on the bidding.

 

 

 

Board 19 South Deals E-W Vul	♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ 9 5 3 ♦ 7 4 3 ♣ 10 6 2
♠ 9 7 6 2 ♥ 6 4 ♦ A 8 5 ♣ K 9 7 5	N W E S	♠ K ♥ A K Q 8 7 ♦ K Q J 10 6 ♣ Q 3
	♠ A J 10 8 ♥ J 10 2 ♦ 9 2 ♣ A J 8 4

 

 

 

An aggressive South might open based on “good intermediates” but I’d rate this hand as worth only about 11.5 hcp. East opens 1H in fourth seat; South, not vulnerable, may as well overcall his chunky spades. West doubles, negative, hoping partner can bid clubs but prepared to take a preference back to hearts over a diamond bid. East leaps to 3D; this is game-invitational rather than forcing over the negative double. West returns to hearts as planned. East raises to game; the hearts are strong enough to prefer the 5-2 major fit, so there is little point in rebidding the diamonds.

 

With no overcall West responds 1S; East, counting full values for his King in that suit, has enough for a game-forcing 3D and the auction proceeds the same way.

South has a choice of unappetizing leads, but a trump does not rate to hurt. Declarer wins, pulls trumps, cashes diamonds and concedes a club; South had better cash his Ace of spades while he’s in.