| Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul |
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West has 8 solid and 9 or 10 likely tricks along with excellent controls, so a 2C opening is plausible; on the other hand with only 14 hcp and such a shapely hand 1S is unlikely to be passed out. For slam almost all that matters is what partner has in diamonds. Opening 2C may lead partner to overbid based on heart and club values; I would expect a hand like x Kxxx xxx AKxxxx to head for slam after 2C. The auction opposite that hand might proceed 2C-3C; 3S-3NT and opener has to choose between bidding diamonds or insisting on spades.
Over West's 1S North counts eight winners; a jump to 3S asks partner to bid 3NT with any sort of spade stopper. What about diamonds? No one has bid them; partner may have length or a stopper or they may not lead the suit. It's worth the gamble to score a game. East may double to show support; I'm not a fan of that treatment but I'm not really sure what the best use of double in this sequence might be. Assuming East passes South, lacking the requested stopper, bids 4C. Partner has not asked for a suit and South can be fairly sure North has long, solid clubs. Whatever the sequnce up to this point (North may simply bid clubs, East may double, South may bid a red suit) West undoubtedly rebids 4S. North has too many losers to risk 5C and so 4S should end the bidding. If North or South does compete to 5C, E/W should double but I doubt if I would in either position; West, especially, appears to have a high offense/low defense hand unsuitable for defending. Most declarers managed 11 tricks but that looks difficult without the Ace of hearts lead.
| Board 13 North Deals Both Vul |
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North has a fine weak two opening, but few pairs have that bid available in clubs. Not vulnerable I would certainly open 3C; with both vulnerable I'd open 3C anyway, based on the sturdy suit. This is technically unsound but I think worth the risk at matchpoints.
South counts on North for six playing tricks at equal vulnerability; the AK of spades and AQ of clubs should add four, and there are several chances for another, so it looks reasonable to head for game. Standard methods treat a new suit by responder as forcing, so South can bid 3H on the way. I'm sure some West bid diamonds but with only six or seven playing tricks the risk vs. reward looks poor -- they've already bid their suits and bidding simply gives them the option to double if their cards fit poorly. Whether West bids or passes North raises to 4H. This should end the bidding and South should finish +650 -- there's no obvious reason to guess the hearts correctly.
| Board 21 North Deals N-S Vul |
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North has a borderline "Goren 13" or "Rule of 20" opening; I would pass based on the doubtful Jx in clubs and and an awkward rebid -- if partner responds 1S, 1NT is probably best but partner may overbid expecting 12 to 14 hcp.
South can open in either clubs or spades. If the opponents keep quiet 1C followed by bidding spades twice will suggest the 5-6 shape; but all too often West will leap in a red suit and East may be able to raise. Today's hand, however, will have no qualms about bidding spades at the four level if necessary so I would open 1C, aiming for the most likely slam. If the suits were reversed I would open 2C but that opening crowds the bidding too much when you have a two-suiter where the longer suit is a minor.
North responds 1D or 1H and South forces to game with a 2S jump rebid. North continues with 2NT (no need to guess 3NT at this point) allowing South to rebid the spades. North has extra values but his strength is opposite partner's shortness. 3NT looks best and South has no reason to argue, having shown his shape and strength. North should finish with eleven or twelve tricks depending on a spade guess.
| Board 27 South Deals None Vul |
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South has a fine suit to open 2D or even 3D; the only drawback is the possibility of missing a spade fit. That could be costly, but I think the odds favor diamonds being the best place to play; I would opt for 2D. Basically I hate to pass such a good suit. What should West bid? With most of my partners I would try 3D, asking partner to bid 3NT with a stopper. (We specify Michaels applies only at the two or four level.) Lacking that agreement, West can try 3C (hoping partner can bid 3NT) or 5C. There's not much point to 4C; if partner has no help then N/S probably have game. Over 3C North competes with 3D and East bids 3NT, making ten tricks on a diamond lead and twelve if South tries a spade instead.
If South passes, West opens 1C. Even if the suit were a major I would open at the one level, planning to leap to game next; this hand has plenty of tricks but lacks the controls expected of a 2C opening. North bids 2C, Michaels, and East doubles to show a fair defensive hand, about 10+ hcp, generally balanced. You can think of the 2C bid as being for takeout and the double as equivalent to a redouble. South bids some number of spadess; does 2C promise at least 5-5? Not vulnerable over a minor it is common to allow 5-4 since partner can get out at the two level. Despite East's double I would leap to 3S with South's hand, expecting to set up diamond tricks.
Given more bidding room West might bid hearts to show his stopper there, hoping partner can stop spades. It is a common agreement that when the opponents have bid or shown two suits bidding one of them shows a stopper there. Another possibility would be to jump in spades, suggesting shortness. Or West can simply gamble 6C, perhaps using 4NT to confirm partner has at least one Ace. I decided to blast 6C; North led his Ace but switched when I dropped the King. South could plausibly have had Qxx in hearts so this falsecard may work. Given the bidding and dummy, however, no shift looks better than continuing with the ten of hearts.
| Board 30 East Deals None Vul |
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East opens 1S, much to West's surprise. West might bid a Jacoby 2NT or, playing splinters, 4D. That shows an opening bid with four (or more!) trumps and a singleton or void in diamonds; this allows East to plan on ruffing two diamonds in dummy. East's minimum 13 improves dramatically. Figuring partner for at least 11 hcp outside of diamonds, however, gives only 20 out of 30 hcp, so there could be two losers. The extra trumps should make the five level fairly safe, however, and it's hard to construct a hand for partner that does not include two key cards. East bids 4NT and proceeds to slam over the two ace or three key card reply. Alternatively, East might control bid 4H, but West will be reluctant to proceed with three possible club losers. Four of nine pairs bid this excellent slam.
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