Right-click here for hands.
Board 6: East opens 1D or 1C. The argument for 1D is that, if needed, you can rebid 2C without reversing. Often this won't be a problem; you expect partner to respond 1H and you will rebid 1S. But if partner responds 1NT, you won't be comfortable passing with that stiff heart; or perhaps South overcalls 1S and partner responds with a negative double or a forcing 2H bid. Robbed of your 1S rebid, you'll be happy to have opened 1D and be able to rebid in clubs.
Some Souths with very low standards for overclls may, in fact, bid 1S, but I suspect most passed -- neither the suit nor the hand offers any compelling reason to bid. West has an obvious strong jump shift (2H.) Opener tends to make the same rebid over a jump shift as over a simple response, merely one level higher, but should avoid bidding poor suits in a slam hunt. (Many authorities declare that jump shifter cannot have a second suit, but I do not subscribe to that theory for 2 level jumps.) 3C is better than 2S, showing where your values are. West rebids his powerful suit and East, trusting the suit is self-sufficient, shows a minimum by way of 4H. If responder doesn't like his suit that much, he should not jump and rebid it.
West continues with 4NT and East replies 5H, showing two Aces (Blackwood) or one Ace plus the King of hearts (RKCB). Blackwood bidders continue with 5NT, confirming all the Aces, and sign off in 6H over opener's negative 6C. RKCB bidder know one key card is missing; 7D is still possible, but would require a singleton heart and sufficient trumps to ruff out the King; a 4-4 fit would be too risky, requiring good luck in both suits to make 7. Best is to settle for 6H. The heart finesses is on but can't be repeated, so South scores one trick.
For those not playing strong jump shifts, West responds 1H, East rebids 1S, and now West must manufacture a forcing bid. 4NT is possible if that's simple Blackwood; many RKCB partnerships would interpret 4NT as asking about key cards for spades. In such a case West must bid 2C, Fourth Suit Artificial, then rebid his hearts -- that should be game-forcing, but will partner see it that way? The principle is that a direct 3H would've been invitational; you don't need two different ways to invite, so 2C followed by 3H is forcing. Over 2C, East shows his club values with 2NT or 3C, and West continues with 3H. Now East is apt to try 3NT, and if West bids 4NT, that sounds like a quantitative slam try, not Blackwood. What a mess! Strong jumps don't solve every slam problem, but they help by making it 100% clear the partnership is committed to at least game and by focusing attention on features useful for slam.
Board 13: North opens a sound if minimum 1H (Goren 13-count, or Rule of 20, this is a nice hand.) In olden times North would not have a rebid over 2C or 2D, but in the modern style most treat 2H as a "default" bid, not promising extra length, and the 2/1 bidder promises sufficient values for 2NT or the three level. South responds 1S and North startles him by rasing his 7 card suit! Suddenly South has visions of slam -- but the opening bid was opposite his void, and North limited his hand with the simple raise. Let's try visualizing -- South has A10xxxxx -- AQ10x 10x; slam would be cold opposite, say,
Kxxx xxxxx Kx Ax, and there's even room for some wasted values in hearts. Blackwood, however, won't tell you if partner has the clubs under control or any help in diamonds. I suggest a 3D "game try"; if opener retreats to 3S, settle for the safe 4S level. If, instead, opener bids game, South can focus attention on clubs with 5S. Five of an agreed suit can have several meanings, such as asking about suit quality, but when there is exactly one unbid suit (or the opponents have overcalled in a suit) the standard interpretation is "do you have the last suit controlled?" North, of course, would pass 5S, but here, of course, the bidding should stop at four.
West leads the Queen of clubs and East signals encouragement, then overtakes the second trick to switch to a diamond. Declarer can finesse for an overtrick, or see if the fifth heart will set up, with a possible squeeze as plan B. Ace of diamonds, trump to dummy, ruff a low heart, trump to dummy, ruff another heart, trump to dummy, cash the top hearts and pitch away three diamonds. But with 8 hearts out, the suit will split 4-4 only about 32% of the time, and the lack of an late entry to dummy rules out a squeeze, so the diamond finesse at 50% looks like a better line unless you are convinced East's switch reduces the odds he has the King.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 15th 2011
Right-click here for hands. I see I haven't posted in a while -- any body still reading this? I know you can "subscribe" to be notified when there's a new post.
Board 17: East opens 1C with a balanced 19-count. South may toss in a Michaels' cue-bid (2C, showing both majors and typically 6-10 or 16+ hcp), or overcall or pass according to style; looks like a reasonable Michaels bid to me. What's the best defense to this popular gadget? With no special agreement, the double of an artificial bid suggests length and strength in the suit; another approach is to treat this similar to bidding over a takeout double, with double of the cue-bid corresponding to a redouble over a double, showing 10+ hcp and typically a balanced hand. This "stakes a claim" to the hand and invites opener to double any bid by North where he has length. What West actually has is an unbalanced, excellent 9 count, with 5-5 shape of his own and two Aces. Another popular treatment is "Unusual over Unusual", where in response to the oppenent's two-suited bid, you use the cue-bids in their two suits to show values in the other two suits, lower = lower and higher = higher. So a 2H bid over their 2C shows a good hand with clubs, 2S shows a good hand with diamonds, and 2D or 3C would simply be competitive. One problem is that the non-vulnerable Michaels bid at this level might be based on 5-4 shape, so it's premature to completely rule out playing in one of the majors -- it's worth asking about their agreements. If 5-4 is a possibility, you may prefer to treat 2H and 2S as natural, forcing bids; or you could agree double-then-bid a major shows such hands.
Let's assume you've agreed double = strength, possibly with length in one of their suits, and Unusual over Unusual applies. West has only 9 hcp, not enough to invite 3NT opposite a balanced minimum, but excellent playing strength: 5C could be on opposite, say, xx Axxx Kx KQxx, or 6C opposite
Ax xxx KQx KQxxx. However, if East has only 3 clubs (or worse, 2, for those playing "could be short") 3C may be the limit. All in all I think I'd bid an agressive 2H cue-bid. For pairs who have not agreed Unusual over Unusual a simple 3C looks best.
North knows he has a fit in at least one major, but may not know which if South could be 5-4. North should certainly bid spades if West passes, but otherwise should stay quiet with his weak, shapeless hand. After a cue-bid or 3C, East has an obvious 3NT call -- no reason to fret over diamonds, a suit no one has mentioned. Slam seems unlikely with East's fairly balanced hand and most of his strength in South's majors.
At 3NT, East wins quickly in hearts or holds up two rounds in spades. East suspects North will have 3 clubs, but it's safe and reasonable to finesse first in diamonds. When South shows up with the K10, it's reasonable to play North for the Queen. (At a team game you might cash the AK to protect against South having 5422 shape including Qx of clubs.)
Only one pair reached the excellent club slam; East wins the first spade, cashes two top hearts to pitch his spade loser, plays two top trumps and finesses in diamonds for six; or plays North for the club Queen (based on Soth's bidding) and makes seven.
Board 21: North has 11 tricks in hand, with zero quick losers! Really, the best bridge hand I've ever seen in person. Over his 2C, South responds 2D (negative), 2D (waiting), 2D (semi-positive, where 2H would show a bust hand; this needs to be alerted) or 2H (steps, 4-6 hcp, aslo alertable.) As long as North can trust partner to honor a forcing bid, it makes sense to bid clubs so partner will know the King is a critical card. No need to do anything dramatic, 3C is 100% forcing. Remember this hand next time you're tempted to pass as responder in this sort of sequence! South bids 3S (suggesting some values) and North persists with 4C, still forcing! (It would be pointless to reserve this bid as a sign-off.) Here things get a bit murky -- would 4H suggest North's actual 5-5, or wuld it be a cue-bid in support of clubs? Experts have been known to play 2-1 "fits" on this sort of auction! When the bidding starts at the one level, I don't think new suits should be introduced at the four level; but when the bidding starts at higher levels or when enemy bids crowd the auction, I think it's sound to play "if it could be natural, it is." So South bids 4H and North either bids 6NT directly or possibly goes thorugh 4NT-5NT (the latter SHOWING all four Aces.) For Key Card bidders, what suit, if any, would 4NT ask about? Some play "none, no suit agreed", others play "last natural suit"; opener's rebid clubs probably makes more sense than either of those in this case, but it's hard to come up with a simple, foolproof rule to allow that. I suggest that when we haven't agreed on a suit, a JUMP to 4NT asks about, in order of priority (1) jump-shifter's own suit, or (2) the last naturally bid suit. When 4NT is not a jump, it asks about (1) the only suit we've bid, or (2) bidder's own suit.
If you can't be sure what partner's reply to 4NT would mean, I think 6C is the practical bid, or a somewhat risky 6NT. On heart lead vs. 6NT, cash the four diamonds (pitching hearts) and the five spades (pitching clubs) and watch the enemy discards. When West never pitches a club, is he being cagey or is he trying to protect the King? East may give the show away by pitching his "useless" clubs, or both defenders may throw away all their hearts. Otherwise declarer must decide to risk the finesse for a possible make or -200 or cash out for -100.
Board 17: East opens 1C with a balanced 19-count. South may toss in a Michaels' cue-bid (2C, showing both majors and typically 6-10 or 16+ hcp), or overcall or pass according to style; looks like a reasonable Michaels bid to me. What's the best defense to this popular gadget? With no special agreement, the double of an artificial bid suggests length and strength in the suit; another approach is to treat this similar to bidding over a takeout double, with double of the cue-bid corresponding to a redouble over a double, showing 10+ hcp and typically a balanced hand. This "stakes a claim" to the hand and invites opener to double any bid by North where he has length. What West actually has is an unbalanced, excellent 9 count, with 5-5 shape of his own and two Aces. Another popular treatment is "Unusual over Unusual", where in response to the oppenent's two-suited bid, you use the cue-bids in their two suits to show values in the other two suits, lower = lower and higher = higher. So a 2H bid over their 2C shows a good hand with clubs, 2S shows a good hand with diamonds, and 2D or 3C would simply be competitive. One problem is that the non-vulnerable Michaels bid at this level might be based on 5-4 shape, so it's premature to completely rule out playing in one of the majors -- it's worth asking about their agreements. If 5-4 is a possibility, you may prefer to treat 2H and 2S as natural, forcing bids; or you could agree double-then-bid a major shows such hands.
Let's assume you've agreed double = strength, possibly with length in one of their suits, and Unusual over Unusual applies. West has only 9 hcp, not enough to invite 3NT opposite a balanced minimum, but excellent playing strength: 5C could be on opposite, say, xx Axxx Kx KQxx, or 6C opposite
Ax xxx KQx KQxxx. However, if East has only 3 clubs (or worse, 2, for those playing "could be short") 3C may be the limit. All in all I think I'd bid an agressive 2H cue-bid. For pairs who have not agreed Unusual over Unusual a simple 3C looks best.
North knows he has a fit in at least one major, but may not know which if South could be 5-4. North should certainly bid spades if West passes, but otherwise should stay quiet with his weak, shapeless hand. After a cue-bid or 3C, East has an obvious 3NT call -- no reason to fret over diamonds, a suit no one has mentioned. Slam seems unlikely with East's fairly balanced hand and most of his strength in South's majors.
At 3NT, East wins quickly in hearts or holds up two rounds in spades. East suspects North will have 3 clubs, but it's safe and reasonable to finesse first in diamonds. When South shows up with the K10, it's reasonable to play North for the Queen. (At a team game you might cash the AK to protect against South having 5422 shape including Qx of clubs.)
Only one pair reached the excellent club slam; East wins the first spade, cashes two top hearts to pitch his spade loser, plays two top trumps and finesses in diamonds for six; or plays North for the club Queen (based on Soth's bidding) and makes seven.
Board 21: North has 11 tricks in hand, with zero quick losers! Really, the best bridge hand I've ever seen in person. Over his 2C, South responds 2D (negative), 2D (waiting), 2D (semi-positive, where 2H would show a bust hand; this needs to be alerted) or 2H (steps, 4-6 hcp, aslo alertable.) As long as North can trust partner to honor a forcing bid, it makes sense to bid clubs so partner will know the King is a critical card. No need to do anything dramatic, 3C is 100% forcing. Remember this hand next time you're tempted to pass as responder in this sort of sequence! South bids 3S (suggesting some values) and North persists with 4C, still forcing! (It would be pointless to reserve this bid as a sign-off.) Here things get a bit murky -- would 4H suggest North's actual 5-5, or wuld it be a cue-bid in support of clubs? Experts have been known to play 2-1 "fits" on this sort of auction! When the bidding starts at the one level, I don't think new suits should be introduced at the four level; but when the bidding starts at higher levels or when enemy bids crowd the auction, I think it's sound to play "if it could be natural, it is." So South bids 4H and North either bids 6NT directly or possibly goes thorugh 4NT-5NT (the latter SHOWING all four Aces.) For Key Card bidders, what suit, if any, would 4NT ask about? Some play "none, no suit agreed", others play "last natural suit"; opener's rebid clubs probably makes more sense than either of those in this case, but it's hard to come up with a simple, foolproof rule to allow that. I suggest that when we haven't agreed on a suit, a JUMP to 4NT asks about, in order of priority (1) jump-shifter's own suit, or (2) the last naturally bid suit. When 4NT is not a jump, it asks about (1) the only suit we've bid, or (2) bidder's own suit.
If you can't be sure what partner's reply to 4NT would mean, I think 6C is the practical bid, or a somewhat risky 6NT. On heart lead vs. 6NT, cash the four diamonds (pitching hearts) and the five spades (pitching clubs) and watch the enemy discards. When West never pitches a club, is he being cagey or is he trying to protect the King? East may give the show away by pitching his "useless" clubs, or both defenders may throw away all their hearts. Otherwise declarer must decide to risk the finesse for a possible make or -200 or cash out for -100.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 27th 2011
Right-click here for hands.
Board 12: West opens 1S and North overcalls 2C (or doubles.) East has four-card support, a void, and an excellent source of tricks in hearts. This is a difficult hand to value properly using point-count methods -- add 5 for the void, but how useful is the Queen of clubs? The December ACBL Bulletin has an article about losing trick count (LTC) but I consider the methods presented there to be too crude for serious use. What I generally use is George Rosenkranz's Loser-Cover Card method. An opening bid will typically have 7 losers and/or provide about 4 cover cards. Here, East can count 2 spade losers, one heart if North has either the King or Queen, no diamond losers and up to 3 clubs (A-K-ruff if partner has 3 small.) It's reasonable to hope partner has AQxxx xx xxx Axx, in which case North cannot attack clubs and the heart suit can be developed in time to pitch clubs from West's hand and then ruff them. Of course, AQxxx xx AJx xxx would put even 4S in jeopardy. East wants to support spades, leave room for slam exploration, but not take the bidding past 4S without a club cue-bid from West.
East is too strong for a direct leap to 4S; 4D as a splinter gives a fair picture. Should splinters apply in competition? I believe so, but you must have a clear rule. Normally a splinter is a "double-jump", such as 1S-4D. 2D shows diamonds, 3D is a weak or strong jump shift according to style, 4D is an odd-sounding bid not very useful in any natural sense, and modern American bidders overwhelming favor it as a singleton-showing raise, typically 11-14 hcp or somewhat less with a void.
My rule is that over competition, a bid is a splinter if (1) it would've been a splinter if the opponent had passed, and (2) it's still a jump. 1S-(2C or dbl)-4D qualifies. Be sure to discuss this with partner before trotting such a bid out at the table -- most gadget bids are OFF over competition, don't assume partner will read 4D correctly here.
Assuming 4D is clearly a splinter, West is delighted -- East should be able to ruff two diamonds, and West has an extra trump. Ideal would be a cue-bidding sequnce to make sure there aren't two fast heart losers, but 5C carries the bidding past 4NT, so I think 4NT Blackwood or RKCB is the practical bid. East replies with 1 Ace or 2 Key cards and West bids the excellent slam. North leads a high diamond, ruffed in dummy; declarer plays two rounds of trumps (ending in hand) and finesses a heart. South wins and switches to clubs, but declarer grabs the Ace, finesses again in hearts, and pitches his remaining losers on the long hearts.
Board 18: East opens 1S and West examines his "mixed bag": 9 hcp and a singleton, but no Ace and the singleton is a King. Looks like a maximum 2S raise to me, under the sound rule that you shouldn't count both high cards and short-suit values in the same suit. With the raise, East counts zero spade losers, one heart, and 2 to 4 diamonds. Contrary to the Bulletin article, it is possible to lose four tricks in one suit, and Qxxx is frequently worse than two losers. Even so, counting diamonds as 3 losers leaves only 4, and a simple raise will usually cover 2 or 3 losers. A reasonable dummy might be xxx Kxx KJx xxxx. Anything partner has in clubs, however, will be wasted. A "self-splinter" to 4C will help partner decide which cards he has are useful. Again, don't try this without discussion; just because you've agreed 1S-4C to be a splinter doesn't mean partner will understand 1S-2S-4C to be a splinter. The logic, however, is that 3C would be more or less natural and forcing; if you wanted to portray a two-suiter, you could bid 3C and then 4C. So a direct 4C is not needed to show clubs and the splinter agreement is sensible.
West loves his hand after the splinter: now the singleton King is likely to be worth a full five or six points, combining with diamond values in East's hand. West can count a likely 4 cover cards, (the two Kings, the Queen, and a diamond ruff), more than expected for a simple raise. West could bid 4NT, but I think it's generally unnecessary to risk the five level with zero Key cards. Instead, West cue-bids 4D. And here's why 4NT by West is unnecessary -- if partner has 4 key cards (or 3 plus a void as here), he should proceed to slam given any encouragement. East can simply bid 6S over 4D; 4NT doesn't really help, since the Ace of clubs is the least useful high card West could have, and grand slam is not reasonable after the simple raise. (It's cetainly possible West has AKJxx in diamonds, but 4NT won't tell you that.)
South surely leads from his QJ109xx in hearts, although it happens today that a trump lead kills the slam, since East must ruff two diamonds.
Board 12: West opens 1S and North overcalls 2C (or doubles.) East has four-card support, a void, and an excellent source of tricks in hearts. This is a difficult hand to value properly using point-count methods -- add 5 for the void, but how useful is the Queen of clubs? The December ACBL Bulletin has an article about losing trick count (LTC) but I consider the methods presented there to be too crude for serious use. What I generally use is George Rosenkranz's Loser-Cover Card method. An opening bid will typically have 7 losers and/or provide about 4 cover cards. Here, East can count 2 spade losers, one heart if North has either the King or Queen, no diamond losers and up to 3 clubs (A-K-ruff if partner has 3 small.) It's reasonable to hope partner has AQxxx xx xxx Axx, in which case North cannot attack clubs and the heart suit can be developed in time to pitch clubs from West's hand and then ruff them. Of course, AQxxx xx AJx xxx would put even 4S in jeopardy. East wants to support spades, leave room for slam exploration, but not take the bidding past 4S without a club cue-bid from West.
East is too strong for a direct leap to 4S; 4D as a splinter gives a fair picture. Should splinters apply in competition? I believe so, but you must have a clear rule. Normally a splinter is a "double-jump", such as 1S-4D. 2D shows diamonds, 3D is a weak or strong jump shift according to style, 4D is an odd-sounding bid not very useful in any natural sense, and modern American bidders overwhelming favor it as a singleton-showing raise, typically 11-14 hcp or somewhat less with a void.
My rule is that over competition, a bid is a splinter if (1) it would've been a splinter if the opponent had passed, and (2) it's still a jump. 1S-(2C or dbl)-4D qualifies. Be sure to discuss this with partner before trotting such a bid out at the table -- most gadget bids are OFF over competition, don't assume partner will read 4D correctly here.
Assuming 4D is clearly a splinter, West is delighted -- East should be able to ruff two diamonds, and West has an extra trump. Ideal would be a cue-bidding sequnce to make sure there aren't two fast heart losers, but 5C carries the bidding past 4NT, so I think 4NT Blackwood or RKCB is the practical bid. East replies with 1 Ace or 2 Key cards and West bids the excellent slam. North leads a high diamond, ruffed in dummy; declarer plays two rounds of trumps (ending in hand) and finesses a heart. South wins and switches to clubs, but declarer grabs the Ace, finesses again in hearts, and pitches his remaining losers on the long hearts.
Board 18: East opens 1S and West examines his "mixed bag": 9 hcp and a singleton, but no Ace and the singleton is a King. Looks like a maximum 2S raise to me, under the sound rule that you shouldn't count both high cards and short-suit values in the same suit. With the raise, East counts zero spade losers, one heart, and 2 to 4 diamonds. Contrary to the Bulletin article, it is possible to lose four tricks in one suit, and Qxxx is frequently worse than two losers. Even so, counting diamonds as 3 losers leaves only 4, and a simple raise will usually cover 2 or 3 losers. A reasonable dummy might be xxx Kxx KJx xxxx. Anything partner has in clubs, however, will be wasted. A "self-splinter" to 4C will help partner decide which cards he has are useful. Again, don't try this without discussion; just because you've agreed 1S-4C to be a splinter doesn't mean partner will understand 1S-2S-4C to be a splinter. The logic, however, is that 3C would be more or less natural and forcing; if you wanted to portray a two-suiter, you could bid 3C and then 4C. So a direct 4C is not needed to show clubs and the splinter agreement is sensible.
West loves his hand after the splinter: now the singleton King is likely to be worth a full five or six points, combining with diamond values in East's hand. West can count a likely 4 cover cards, (the two Kings, the Queen, and a diamond ruff), more than expected for a simple raise. West could bid 4NT, but I think it's generally unnecessary to risk the five level with zero Key cards. Instead, West cue-bids 4D. And here's why 4NT by West is unnecessary -- if partner has 4 key cards (or 3 plus a void as here), he should proceed to slam given any encouragement. East can simply bid 6S over 4D; 4NT doesn't really help, since the Ace of clubs is the least useful high card West could have, and grand slam is not reasonable after the simple raise. (It's cetainly possible West has AKJxx in diamonds, but 4NT won't tell you that.)
South surely leads from his QJ109xx in hearts, although it happens today that a trump lead kills the slam, since East must ruff two diamonds.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Friday, November 18th 2011
Team games today and Sunday, so no hand records.
Sitting South, vulnerable against not, you pick up 9x Jxxxxx Qxxx J on board 2 in a 7 board Swiss Team match. East opens 1C, alerted and described as artifical and forcing, 16+ (Precision). You pass and West bids 2C, alrted and described as a transfer to diamonds, with game-forcing values (8+.) Partner bids 3C, which East doubles. Must be Michaels! With a huge heart fit, 4H might make or go down less than the value of their game -- but the bidding proceeds pass, pass, double, pass, pass, 4S by partner, a bid which would make no sense if partner had both majors. When the smoke clears, partner is down 5 doubled for a massive 1400 point penalty. His hand? xxxxx x Kx AQ109x .
A common mistake after learning a new gadget, such as Michaels' cue-bid, is to misapply it to inappropriate auctions. Michaels is a direct (not balancing!) cue-bid of a suit your right-hand opponent has bid naturally. It would make little sense to want to play in hearts, for example, if RHO opens 1H, showing 5 hearts and an opening hand. Eli Culbertson defined such a bid as showing a massive hand with first-round control of the enemy suit; but such hands occur rarely and experts began looking for alternative uses. The modern Michaels bid shows a 5-5 hand with the unbid major and a minor, or both majors (sometimes 5-4) over a minor suit.
Now go back to the auction -- what suit have the opponents shown? Only diamonds -- and if partner had bid 2D, would you think he wanted to play there? Of course not, and that bid could reasonably be used to show both majors, though it might be safer to simply bid 2S and discuss the "Michaels" possibility later. The essential point is that it is more important that partner have a way to show clubs, and there is no reason why 3C should not do so. (Double would also suggest clubs if you have not agreed on some other meaning, but 3C takes up more bidding room.) Of course 3C was a poor bid and, in fact, -800 would hardly have been less disastrous. But perhaps West would've bid over that double.
Along the same lines I don't know how many times I've seen confusion over the "Unusual Notrump." Just today West opened 1S, North overcalled 2H, and East bid 2NT, thinking that bid showed the minors. Nonsense! In competition, ALL notrump bids are natural except in specifically agreed sequences. After an opponent opens a suit, a direct jump to 2NT could be perfectly natural, but fascination with the Unusual Notrump lead experts to reason that they could show a strong balanced hand by double, then 2NT, so it was decided that 2NT would show the minors (or two lower unbid suits.) I think it would've been better to reserve the Unusual meaning for passed-hand 2NT bids, where an offer to play 2NT clearly makes no sense.
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Trying to keep your equilibrium after that -1400 disaster, you pick up a promising hand on board 4:
Ax AK109 AQJxx xx . Partner deals and opens 1S. You respond 2D, and partner rebids 3C, a "high reverse" promising at least 15 hcp or so. (New suits at the three level crowd the bidding and must be clearly defined in strength; with a more limited hand opener would simply rebid 2S as a "default" bid.)
Looks like slam! You bid 4NT (simple Blackwood) and partner shwos one Ace. Over 5NT, partner shows three Kings. Wow! You can count 11 tricks (assuming no opponent has 5 diamonds) but let's see -- one ace and three Kings is only 13 hcp, so partner should have another card or two for that 3C bid. 6NT would be safe, but with no first or second round loser and various long suits, you decide to gamble 7NT.
The opening lead is the Queen of hearts, and dummy appears with KQxxx xx Kx AKxx. Perhaps the spades will split 3-3, or maybe West lead from QJ doubleton:
KQxxx
xx
Kx
AKxx
Ax
AK109
AQJxx
xx
If neither spades nor hearts provides an "instant" trick 13, you can always resort to a squeeze. Let's check the conditions:
(1) You've got enough winners for all but one trick. Check -- 12 winners, need 13.
(2) You have threats in two or more suits. Check -- spades, hearts and clubs all have extra non-winners.
(3) One opponent has to guard at least two suits -- seems likely, the two of them must guard three suits.
(4) You have a long card to squeeze with -- diamonds, of course.
(5) You have an entry in a suit with a threat in the hand opposite the squeeze card -- clubs should work.
One more item will help -- try to keep threats in each hand, then you can squeeze either defender. If all threats are in the same hand, say North, you can only squeeeze one defender (West.)
Win the heart lead. Play AKQ of spades, pitching the Ten of hearts from South. Let's say West shows out on the third spade. Cash one high club, the King of diamonds, the second high heart, and then three more diamonds, pitching a club and a spade from North. Watch the discards only for the QJ of hearts, and whether East pitches a spade. If East keeps his spades and you do not see the QJ of hearts played or discarded, play the last diamond and pitch the last spade from dummy. If the nine of hearts still isn't good, cross to the high club and play the last club. It either wins or it doesn't.
The three card ending:
x
--
--
Ax
-- J
?? ?
-- --
?? ??
--
9
x
x
East may be able to keep a spade and two clubs, and pitch after dummy on the last diamond, or guard spades and hearts, but if only West can guard hearts and clubs or if East must guard all three suits the squeeze works -- or a defender may make a mistake.
Sitting South, vulnerable against not, you pick up 9x Jxxxxx Qxxx J on board 2 in a 7 board Swiss Team match. East opens 1C, alerted and described as artifical and forcing, 16+ (Precision). You pass and West bids 2C, alrted and described as a transfer to diamonds, with game-forcing values (8+.) Partner bids 3C, which East doubles. Must be Michaels! With a huge heart fit, 4H might make or go down less than the value of their game -- but the bidding proceeds pass, pass, double, pass, pass, 4S by partner, a bid which would make no sense if partner had both majors. When the smoke clears, partner is down 5 doubled for a massive 1400 point penalty. His hand? xxxxx x Kx AQ109x .
A common mistake after learning a new gadget, such as Michaels' cue-bid, is to misapply it to inappropriate auctions. Michaels is a direct (not balancing!) cue-bid of a suit your right-hand opponent has bid naturally. It would make little sense to want to play in hearts, for example, if RHO opens 1H, showing 5 hearts and an opening hand. Eli Culbertson defined such a bid as showing a massive hand with first-round control of the enemy suit; but such hands occur rarely and experts began looking for alternative uses. The modern Michaels bid shows a 5-5 hand with the unbid major and a minor, or both majors (sometimes 5-4) over a minor suit.
Now go back to the auction -- what suit have the opponents shown? Only diamonds -- and if partner had bid 2D, would you think he wanted to play there? Of course not, and that bid could reasonably be used to show both majors, though it might be safer to simply bid 2S and discuss the "Michaels" possibility later. The essential point is that it is more important that partner have a way to show clubs, and there is no reason why 3C should not do so. (Double would also suggest clubs if you have not agreed on some other meaning, but 3C takes up more bidding room.) Of course 3C was a poor bid and, in fact, -800 would hardly have been less disastrous. But perhaps West would've bid over that double.
Along the same lines I don't know how many times I've seen confusion over the "Unusual Notrump." Just today West opened 1S, North overcalled 2H, and East bid 2NT, thinking that bid showed the minors. Nonsense! In competition, ALL notrump bids are natural except in specifically agreed sequences. After an opponent opens a suit, a direct jump to 2NT could be perfectly natural, but fascination with the Unusual Notrump lead experts to reason that they could show a strong balanced hand by double, then 2NT, so it was decided that 2NT would show the minors (or two lower unbid suits.) I think it would've been better to reserve the Unusual meaning for passed-hand 2NT bids, where an offer to play 2NT clearly makes no sense.
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Trying to keep your equilibrium after that -1400 disaster, you pick up a promising hand on board 4:
Ax AK109 AQJxx xx . Partner deals and opens 1S. You respond 2D, and partner rebids 3C, a "high reverse" promising at least 15 hcp or so. (New suits at the three level crowd the bidding and must be clearly defined in strength; with a more limited hand opener would simply rebid 2S as a "default" bid.)
Looks like slam! You bid 4NT (simple Blackwood) and partner shwos one Ace. Over 5NT, partner shows three Kings. Wow! You can count 11 tricks (assuming no opponent has 5 diamonds) but let's see -- one ace and three Kings is only 13 hcp, so partner should have another card or two for that 3C bid. 6NT would be safe, but with no first or second round loser and various long suits, you decide to gamble 7NT.
The opening lead is the Queen of hearts, and dummy appears with KQxxx xx Kx AKxx. Perhaps the spades will split 3-3, or maybe West lead from QJ doubleton:
KQxxx
xx
Kx
AKxx
Ax
AK109
AQJxx
xx
If neither spades nor hearts provides an "instant" trick 13, you can always resort to a squeeze. Let's check the conditions:
(1) You've got enough winners for all but one trick. Check -- 12 winners, need 13.
(2) You have threats in two or more suits. Check -- spades, hearts and clubs all have extra non-winners.
(3) One opponent has to guard at least two suits -- seems likely, the two of them must guard three suits.
(4) You have a long card to squeeze with -- diamonds, of course.
(5) You have an entry in a suit with a threat in the hand opposite the squeeze card -- clubs should work.
One more item will help -- try to keep threats in each hand, then you can squeeze either defender. If all threats are in the same hand, say North, you can only squeeeze one defender (West.)
Win the heart lead. Play AKQ of spades, pitching the Ten of hearts from South. Let's say West shows out on the third spade. Cash one high club, the King of diamonds, the second high heart, and then three more diamonds, pitching a club and a spade from North. Watch the discards only for the QJ of hearts, and whether East pitches a spade. If East keeps his spades and you do not see the QJ of hearts played or discarded, play the last diamond and pitch the last spade from dummy. If the nine of hearts still isn't good, cross to the high club and play the last club. It either wins or it doesn't.
The three card ending:
x
--
--
Ax
-- J
?? ?
-- --
?? ??
--
9
x
x
East may be able to keep a spade and two clubs, and pitch after dummy on the last diamond, or guard spades and hearts, but if only West can guard hearts and clubs or if East must guard all three suits the squeeze works -- or a defender may make a mistake.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, November 13th 2011
Right-click here for hands.
Board 10: East opens 1C and West has an obvious strong jump to 2S. East raises to 3S and West can either show club support (4C) or cue-bid his diamond control (4D), hoping in either case East has control of hearts. Since West has solid spades and only Qxxx in clubs 4D looks best. East continues with 4NT; if this RKCB West replies 5C (0 or 3 key cards.) Missing one key card, slam will be poor if the Queen of trumps is also missing, so East bids 5D to ask about the Queen. West replies with 5S (second step = yes) or 5NT (yes, but no side King) and East ends the bidding at 6S.
For those playing weak jump responses "not in competition" (be sure to alert) West must begin with 1S, which East raises. Blackwood is not recommended with two small losers in a side suit, but West absolutely must not make a bid partner might pass. Experts would bid 3C, an apparent game invitation but forcing by agreement; but in a casual partnership there's too much risk East may pass. Four clubs would be natural and an obvious slam try; otherwise West might try 3D, which at first appears to be a game try but transforms into an "advance cue-bid" when West continues over East's sign-off or game bid. As a practical matter, 4NT may be the practical bid, hoping East has a heart control or the enemy guesses to lead the wrong suit. At a team game I'd recommend 4C.
North should lead the King of diamonds and slam has no play; on any other lead a heart can be established to pitch the diamond loser. Note that 6C makes easily: win the lead, pull trumps, and pitch a diamond on the long spade. This is a common theme in bridge columns and textbooks, where the 4-4 fit produces an extra trick, but note well the conditions: two solid suits, a side suit with the Ace and a loser which can be pitched on the 5-4 or 5-3 suit. There is rarely any advantage in playing a part-score in a 4-4 rather than 5-4 fit. Here, East's clubs were quite strong but West's support seemed marginal, and the matchpoint scoring suggest playing in the major.
Board 21: West opens 1NT (15-17) after three passes, East checks for a spade fit via Stayman 2C and bids 3NT over West's 2H reply. North's hearts are strong enough to lead despite the known length in West's hand. West counts a minimum of two winners in each suit, with extra chances in spades (3-3 fit or the Ace popping up in front of dummy) and diamonds (3-2 split or stiff Ace with North.) Since West must lose the lead twice, it is correct to hold up at trick one: the hearts will be dangerous only if North has at least 5, so holding up once insures South will not be able to continue the suit later. Winning the second heart, West leads toward the spades first; South wins and switches to clubs. Now West leads toward dummy's diamond honors; North wins sooner or later but neither hearts nor clubs can be established in time for the defense. As it happens an opening club lead would doom 3NT but that would be a shot in the dark. (Yours truly neglected to hold up in hearts -- oops!)
Board 25: East opens 1H. Though strong enough for a jump shift, it's sound practice not to have a side suit for any three-level strong jump, and West can easily develop his hand with a 2D response followed by spades. For those who don't play 2/1 forcing to game, it's a sound principle that when responder makes a 2/1 bid and later bids a major suit he could've bid at the one level, he has game-forcing values. It's also a sound principle to bid your longest suit first with good hands; bidding spades first on this sort of hand will miss many a good slam.
Over 2D, East should not rebid 3C -- a new suit at the three level, known as a "high reverse", should promise extra values (about 15+ hcp) and be forcing to game. Responder cannot bid sensibly if he must guess whether 3C is a shapely 11 count or a powerful 18. Likewise, 3D must be defined in range, and if it does not show extras, how would opener show a good hand with diamond support? Mel Colchamiro talks about "default" rebids in November's Bridge Bulletin; with a minimum, opener must bid something below 2 of his suit (no such bid available after 1H-2D) or have an agreement that 2H or 2NT is the default rebid. I've always played 2H as the default, not promising any extra length. This allows all other rebids to be clear-cut.
So I recommend 1H-2D; 2H-2S; 2NT-? West's 2S rebid establishes a game force, and West thinks slam is likely, but 6NT might be a stretch opposite East's presumed 11-14. West therefore continues with 3D, and East should raise -- if all West wanted were game, he could've raised to 3NT. Now West bids 4NT with confidence; East reveals one ace or key card; which slam? It may be possible to establish East's hearts with one or two ruffs (picture AKxxx, which would be consistent with the bidding), so I'd pick 6D. As it happens diamonds split badly and barring a double-dummy first-round finesse, 6D has no play.
Several pairs landed at 6NT which has excellent chances: the diamonds may come in or the Queen of hearts may be finessable. No luck today.
Board 10: East opens 1C and West has an obvious strong jump to 2S. East raises to 3S and West can either show club support (4C) or cue-bid his diamond control (4D), hoping in either case East has control of hearts. Since West has solid spades and only Qxxx in clubs 4D looks best. East continues with 4NT; if this RKCB West replies 5C (0 or 3 key cards.) Missing one key card, slam will be poor if the Queen of trumps is also missing, so East bids 5D to ask about the Queen. West replies with 5S (second step = yes) or 5NT (yes, but no side King) and East ends the bidding at 6S.
For those playing weak jump responses "not in competition" (be sure to alert) West must begin with 1S, which East raises. Blackwood is not recommended with two small losers in a side suit, but West absolutely must not make a bid partner might pass. Experts would bid 3C, an apparent game invitation but forcing by agreement; but in a casual partnership there's too much risk East may pass. Four clubs would be natural and an obvious slam try; otherwise West might try 3D, which at first appears to be a game try but transforms into an "advance cue-bid" when West continues over East's sign-off or game bid. As a practical matter, 4NT may be the practical bid, hoping East has a heart control or the enemy guesses to lead the wrong suit. At a team game I'd recommend 4C.
North should lead the King of diamonds and slam has no play; on any other lead a heart can be established to pitch the diamond loser. Note that 6C makes easily: win the lead, pull trumps, and pitch a diamond on the long spade. This is a common theme in bridge columns and textbooks, where the 4-4 fit produces an extra trick, but note well the conditions: two solid suits, a side suit with the Ace and a loser which can be pitched on the 5-4 or 5-3 suit. There is rarely any advantage in playing a part-score in a 4-4 rather than 5-4 fit. Here, East's clubs were quite strong but West's support seemed marginal, and the matchpoint scoring suggest playing in the major.
Board 21: West opens 1NT (15-17) after three passes, East checks for a spade fit via Stayman 2C and bids 3NT over West's 2H reply. North's hearts are strong enough to lead despite the known length in West's hand. West counts a minimum of two winners in each suit, with extra chances in spades (3-3 fit or the Ace popping up in front of dummy) and diamonds (3-2 split or stiff Ace with North.) Since West must lose the lead twice, it is correct to hold up at trick one: the hearts will be dangerous only if North has at least 5, so holding up once insures South will not be able to continue the suit later. Winning the second heart, West leads toward the spades first; South wins and switches to clubs. Now West leads toward dummy's diamond honors; North wins sooner or later but neither hearts nor clubs can be established in time for the defense. As it happens an opening club lead would doom 3NT but that would be a shot in the dark. (Yours truly neglected to hold up in hearts -- oops!)
Board 25: East opens 1H. Though strong enough for a jump shift, it's sound practice not to have a side suit for any three-level strong jump, and West can easily develop his hand with a 2D response followed by spades. For those who don't play 2/1 forcing to game, it's a sound principle that when responder makes a 2/1 bid and later bids a major suit he could've bid at the one level, he has game-forcing values. It's also a sound principle to bid your longest suit first with good hands; bidding spades first on this sort of hand will miss many a good slam.
Over 2D, East should not rebid 3C -- a new suit at the three level, known as a "high reverse", should promise extra values (about 15+ hcp) and be forcing to game. Responder cannot bid sensibly if he must guess whether 3C is a shapely 11 count or a powerful 18. Likewise, 3D must be defined in range, and if it does not show extras, how would opener show a good hand with diamond support? Mel Colchamiro talks about "default" rebids in November's Bridge Bulletin; with a minimum, opener must bid something below 2 of his suit (no such bid available after 1H-2D) or have an agreement that 2H or 2NT is the default rebid. I've always played 2H as the default, not promising any extra length. This allows all other rebids to be clear-cut.
So I recommend 1H-2D; 2H-2S; 2NT-? West's 2S rebid establishes a game force, and West thinks slam is likely, but 6NT might be a stretch opposite East's presumed 11-14. West therefore continues with 3D, and East should raise -- if all West wanted were game, he could've raised to 3NT. Now West bids 4NT with confidence; East reveals one ace or key card; which slam? It may be possible to establish East's hearts with one or two ruffs (picture AKxxx, which would be consistent with the bidding), so I'd pick 6D. As it happens diamonds split badly and barring a double-dummy first-round finesse, 6D has no play.
Several pairs landed at 6NT which has excellent chances: the diamonds may come in or the Queen of hearts may be finessable. No luck today.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday, November 6th 2011
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Board 4: North opens 1NT (15-17). East might interfere with more concentrated values, but his actual hand looks good for passing and leading a diamond against notrump. South transfers to spades; West glacnes at the vulnerability before passing. North accepts the transfer and East prudently passes again. After South passes, West can risk 3C -- partner is marked with some values and West is short in spades. North has a flat minimum, but all but one his points are outside clubs and he has excellent AQxx support for spades. 3S could work out badly if partner is broke but seems a reasonable risk at matchpoints. This should end the bidding -- E/W succeeded in pushing N/S to the undesirable three level, no reason to risk -200 or worse with another call.
East should think twice before leading clubs -- West declined the chance to overcall 3C, so all East can expect is length, not great strength in the suit. Expecting his red suit honors to be well-placed over the strong hand, East starts with a low trump. This "pickles" West's King but no lead was clearly safe. Declarer could, of course, have reached dummy with the Ace of clubs to take the finesse himself. Instead, declarer captures West's King, crosses to the Jack of spades, and finesses in diamonds. East wins and must break a new suit or gamble partner has the 10 of diamonds -- is it time for clubs? I'd guess West does not have the Ace and King, and declarer appears to have shown the AQ of spades and AQ of diamonds -- he simply can't have the AQ of hearts, also. A low heart allows the defense to collect three fast winners. Fortunately for declarer, East must still guess which minor suit to lead, and hoping for two club honors seems safer than hoping West has the 10 of diamonds. Declarer captures East's Queen and returns another club to set up a discard for the third diamond. North may regret minus 100 for 3S but a kind partner will point out that West could make 3C if he sets up diamonds before tackling trumps.
Board 8: West passes and North may pass or open 2H according to taste. I prefer a slightly better suit in first or second seat with minimum hands, but A109xxx isn't terrible and I suspect 2H (not vulnerable) was the popular choice. East's hand looks like a favorite to make 4S, but partner might have a singleton or void in hearts and slam might be on opposite, say, xxxx x KQxx xxxx. I hate making a takeout double with a singleton in a side suit, let alone a void, but East can reasonably expect to bid spades over any level of club bid by partner and there is no obvious alternative way to portray a strong hand. South bids 3C to direct the lead, and West competes with 3D despite only 5 hcp. Afer this free bid, East should be able to jump to 3S and trust partner not to pass, but I think I'd bid 4S and discuss it later. This should end the auction.
South leads a high club and East should plan the hand before reflexively ruffing -- he has several hearts to dispose of. One can be pitched on a diamond and he can lead through North for another; competent defenders won't allow a ruff with dummy's lone trump. But if South leads a trump it's into East's AKJ -- why not pitch a heart at trick one? South will help declarer with a spade or heart switch, and can't hurt him with any lead. South persists with a second club, East ruffs and simply plays AK and a low trump. It's often a good idea to leave the master trump out, but here declarer wants to cash three diamonds without interruption and then lead up to the King of hearts for 10 tricks.
Perhaps East should ruff at trick one -- if North grabs his Ace of hearts later, South's Queen can be squished and declarer makes 5. I don't see a reasonable line that allows East to finesse in trumps.
Board 4: North opens 1NT (15-17). East might interfere with more concentrated values, but his actual hand looks good for passing and leading a diamond against notrump. South transfers to spades; West glacnes at the vulnerability before passing. North accepts the transfer and East prudently passes again. After South passes, West can risk 3C -- partner is marked with some values and West is short in spades. North has a flat minimum, but all but one his points are outside clubs and he has excellent AQxx support for spades. 3S could work out badly if partner is broke but seems a reasonable risk at matchpoints. This should end the bidding -- E/W succeeded in pushing N/S to the undesirable three level, no reason to risk -200 or worse with another call.
East should think twice before leading clubs -- West declined the chance to overcall 3C, so all East can expect is length, not great strength in the suit. Expecting his red suit honors to be well-placed over the strong hand, East starts with a low trump. This "pickles" West's King but no lead was clearly safe. Declarer could, of course, have reached dummy with the Ace of clubs to take the finesse himself. Instead, declarer captures West's King, crosses to the Jack of spades, and finesses in diamonds. East wins and must break a new suit or gamble partner has the 10 of diamonds -- is it time for clubs? I'd guess West does not have the Ace and King, and declarer appears to have shown the AQ of spades and AQ of diamonds -- he simply can't have the AQ of hearts, also. A low heart allows the defense to collect three fast winners. Fortunately for declarer, East must still guess which minor suit to lead, and hoping for two club honors seems safer than hoping West has the 10 of diamonds. Declarer captures East's Queen and returns another club to set up a discard for the third diamond. North may regret minus 100 for 3S but a kind partner will point out that West could make 3C if he sets up diamonds before tackling trumps.
Board 8: West passes and North may pass or open 2H according to taste. I prefer a slightly better suit in first or second seat with minimum hands, but A109xxx isn't terrible and I suspect 2H (not vulnerable) was the popular choice. East's hand looks like a favorite to make 4S, but partner might have a singleton or void in hearts and slam might be on opposite, say, xxxx x KQxx xxxx. I hate making a takeout double with a singleton in a side suit, let alone a void, but East can reasonably expect to bid spades over any level of club bid by partner and there is no obvious alternative way to portray a strong hand. South bids 3C to direct the lead, and West competes with 3D despite only 5 hcp. Afer this free bid, East should be able to jump to 3S and trust partner not to pass, but I think I'd bid 4S and discuss it later. This should end the auction.
South leads a high club and East should plan the hand before reflexively ruffing -- he has several hearts to dispose of. One can be pitched on a diamond and he can lead through North for another; competent defenders won't allow a ruff with dummy's lone trump. But if South leads a trump it's into East's AKJ -- why not pitch a heart at trick one? South will help declarer with a spade or heart switch, and can't hurt him with any lead. South persists with a second club, East ruffs and simply plays AK and a low trump. It's often a good idea to leave the master trump out, but here declarer wants to cash three diamonds without interruption and then lead up to the King of hearts for 10 tricks.
Perhaps East should ruff at trick one -- if North grabs his Ace of hearts later, South's Queen can be squished and declarer makes 5. I don't see a reasonable line that allows East to finesse in trumps.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friday, November 4th 2011
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Board 3: East opens 1S, South overcalls 2H, West passes in tempo, and East should re-open with a double -- it isn't winnig bridge to pass such an overcall with a small doubleton in the enemy suit. West passes again, converting the double to penalties. North should simply pass, trusting the AK of clubs will prove useful; with a suit like KQJxxx(s), it might be reasonable to try clubs, since North's hand would not be useful to partner. Against 2H doubled, the defense cashes three spades (West pitching a club) and East should switch to the nine of trumps, leading through declarer. Declarer may as well cover with the ten; West wins the Jack and switches to a low diamond (partner must have something outside spades for his opening bid.) Declarer capture East's King, takes two clubs, and should lead toward the J9 of diamonds. West wins and exits with a low trump, but South can cash the last diamond and lead the Queen of trumps to end-play West, finishing down one doubled for a good score.
Actually, North ought to open 3C -- when you have a good "weak two" in a suit you don't play weak twos (clubs, and for some pairs diamonds) it's a good idea to open a 3 bid not vulnerable (or even vulnerable, if the suit is very sound.) Should East overcall 3S? Ron Klinger suggests 8 hcp for a 1 level overcall, and 2 additional hcp per level, so East has sufficient strength to overcall at the three level; he also suggests a "suit quality test": add the number of trumps and turmp honors, the result should be at least equal to the level of your overcall. East has 5 trumps headed by 3 honors, one short of the 9 suit quality points recommended. What's more, you should have a better hand when vulnerable. However, he has extra strength and AKQ is a suit that screams "bid me", so a 3S overcall would probably be the popular choice and not egregiously wrong. The Queen in North's suit. however, suggests defending rather than declaring, and as it happens 3S has no play. E/W should collect 3 spades, a diamond and a trump for +50.
Board 10: South opens 1C and North responds 2H (strong) or 1H (if 2H would be weak.) South raises either bid and North might begin cue-bidding, but really may as well proceed with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB. South reveals one Ace or two key cards missing the Queen of trumps, and North settles for 6H. With no particular clue, North may play to drop the Queen, or try the old stand-by of leading the Jack from dummy (hoping East will cover), overtaking and finessing West. Good defenders should avouid giving the show away; East certainly should not cover from Qxx since partner cannot have enough trumps to promote the ten even in the unlikely event he has it; likewise, East should play low from Qx, and try not to smirk when declarer loses the return finesse. It's important as defender to anticipate when you should or should not cover an honor and be able to play either way in tempo. As a diamond loser cannot be avoided, declarers who misguess trumps will go down one.
The best slam is actually 6 clubs, and at a team game, North should offer clubs as an alternative. A possible auction might be 1C-2H; 3H-4NT; 5H-6C; pass, but only if the partnership agrees that game and slam bids in previously bid suits are meant as choice of contract, not cue-bids. 6C making will be a fine score at IMPs; at matchpoints, it earns an average, while 6H shoots for top or bottom. With clubs as trumps, a diamond can be pitched on the 5th heart.
Board 11: West opens 1C, North overcalls 1D, East bids 1S and South should raise diamonds preemptively. With neither vulnerable a straight jump to 5D is reasonable on the expected 5-5 fit and excellent prospects of ruffing out South's heart losers -- 5-5 shape improves greatly with each additional trump in partner's hand. The puts West to a guess, but Marty Bergen counels optimism with a void and West bids 6D, forcing 6S suggesting the void in case partner wants to bid 7. The stiff, onside King of trumps makes it easy to score 13 tricks: 5 spades, 4 hearts 2 clubs, and either 2 diamond ruffs or one ruff and setting up the fifth club.
Board 27: South opens 1NT (15-17) and North can "do the math", leaping straight to 6NT on the combined 33-35 hcp. Might there be a grand slam? North can count 5 losers and it's certainly possible for South to cover all 5 with 15 hcp; let's try visualizing. South might have Axx AKx Kxx Kxxx, but that's a tip-top maximum. Unlikley, perhaps, but a Gerber sequence would uncover it. Otherwise, I think 13 tricks would require two solid suits, so Gerber is probably the simplest approach. South comes up one King short and so 6NT is the proper landing place. However, the spade suit provides a full four tricks.
Board 3: East opens 1S, South overcalls 2H, West passes in tempo, and East should re-open with a double -- it isn't winnig bridge to pass such an overcall with a small doubleton in the enemy suit. West passes again, converting the double to penalties. North should simply pass, trusting the AK of clubs will prove useful; with a suit like KQJxxx(s), it might be reasonable to try clubs, since North's hand would not be useful to partner. Against 2H doubled, the defense cashes three spades (West pitching a club) and East should switch to the nine of trumps, leading through declarer. Declarer may as well cover with the ten; West wins the Jack and switches to a low diamond (partner must have something outside spades for his opening bid.) Declarer capture East's King, takes two clubs, and should lead toward the J9 of diamonds. West wins and exits with a low trump, but South can cash the last diamond and lead the Queen of trumps to end-play West, finishing down one doubled for a good score.
Actually, North ought to open 3C -- when you have a good "weak two" in a suit you don't play weak twos (clubs, and for some pairs diamonds) it's a good idea to open a 3 bid not vulnerable (or even vulnerable, if the suit is very sound.) Should East overcall 3S? Ron Klinger suggests 8 hcp for a 1 level overcall, and 2 additional hcp per level, so East has sufficient strength to overcall at the three level; he also suggests a "suit quality test": add the number of trumps and turmp honors, the result should be at least equal to the level of your overcall. East has 5 trumps headed by 3 honors, one short of the 9 suit quality points recommended. What's more, you should have a better hand when vulnerable. However, he has extra strength and AKQ is a suit that screams "bid me", so a 3S overcall would probably be the popular choice and not egregiously wrong. The Queen in North's suit. however, suggests defending rather than declaring, and as it happens 3S has no play. E/W should collect 3 spades, a diamond and a trump for +50.
Board 10: South opens 1C and North responds 2H (strong) or 1H (if 2H would be weak.) South raises either bid and North might begin cue-bidding, but really may as well proceed with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB. South reveals one Ace or two key cards missing the Queen of trumps, and North settles for 6H. With no particular clue, North may play to drop the Queen, or try the old stand-by of leading the Jack from dummy (hoping East will cover), overtaking and finessing West. Good defenders should avouid giving the show away; East certainly should not cover from Qxx since partner cannot have enough trumps to promote the ten even in the unlikely event he has it; likewise, East should play low from Qx, and try not to smirk when declarer loses the return finesse. It's important as defender to anticipate when you should or should not cover an honor and be able to play either way in tempo. As a diamond loser cannot be avoided, declarers who misguess trumps will go down one.
The best slam is actually 6 clubs, and at a team game, North should offer clubs as an alternative. A possible auction might be 1C-2H; 3H-4NT; 5H-6C; pass, but only if the partnership agrees that game and slam bids in previously bid suits are meant as choice of contract, not cue-bids. 6C making will be a fine score at IMPs; at matchpoints, it earns an average, while 6H shoots for top or bottom. With clubs as trumps, a diamond can be pitched on the 5th heart.
Board 11: West opens 1C, North overcalls 1D, East bids 1S and South should raise diamonds preemptively. With neither vulnerable a straight jump to 5D is reasonable on the expected 5-5 fit and excellent prospects of ruffing out South's heart losers -- 5-5 shape improves greatly with each additional trump in partner's hand. The puts West to a guess, but Marty Bergen counels optimism with a void and West bids 6D, forcing 6S suggesting the void in case partner wants to bid 7. The stiff, onside King of trumps makes it easy to score 13 tricks: 5 spades, 4 hearts 2 clubs, and either 2 diamond ruffs or one ruff and setting up the fifth club.
Board 27: South opens 1NT (15-17) and North can "do the math", leaping straight to 6NT on the combined 33-35 hcp. Might there be a grand slam? North can count 5 losers and it's certainly possible for South to cover all 5 with 15 hcp; let's try visualizing. South might have Axx AKx Kxx Kxxx, but that's a tip-top maximum. Unlikley, perhaps, but a Gerber sequence would uncover it. Otherwise, I think 13 tricks would require two solid suits, so Gerber is probably the simplest approach. South comes up one King short and so 6NT is the proper landing place. However, the spade suit provides a full four tricks.
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