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Board 8: West opens 2NT, showing a balanced 20-21 hcp. East adds his 12, giving a total of 32-33;
this should be enough for slam if a fit can be uncovered, but is borderline to poor for 6NT.
Playing transfers, East can start with 3H, but how do you continue over partner's (forced) 3S?
Bidding methods matter here: If you play Texas Transfers (4D= hearts, 4H=spades) then it is normal
for responder to use Texas when he wants to stop at the four level OR set the suit and ask for Aces
or Key cards. In other words, with a six card major, use Texas if you rate your hand is clearly
worth 4 or 6, but not for hands in-between. How does that affect this hand? Since Texas-then-4NT is
some form of Blackwood, Jacoby-then-4NT is a quantitative slam try, not an Ace inquiry. That's what
I would bid on this hand, but if you hate to miss a slam on 32 hcp, transfer and then bid 5NT "pick
a slam." Not playing Texas, I'd use transfer-then 5NT if I had discussed it with partner, otherwise I'd just leap to 6NT to keep it simple. gerber is a possibility but it seems to be very error-prone -- everyone tends to bid hearts when they have two Aces, confusing the responses with Blackwood. Over either 4NT or 5NT West bids 6S. Three pairs reached this slam.
North has no good lead -- underleading a King vs. a slam is risky, but anything could be wrong. A
low club may at least avoid setting up a long trick for declarer. What luck! South has the
King-Jack poised over dummy's Queen, so the defense quickly establishes a winner. West must lose a
club and a heart. On any other lead West can afford to pull trumps, lose the heart finesse, and
pitch a club on the fourth heart. Oddly, the transfer backfired: 6S by East is impregnable. But
looking at the E/W hands, West will make slam far more often than not.
Competition Corner -- Board 11: South opens 1C and North raises to two. For those playing Inverted
Minors, North should leap to 3C, a bid which ought to show 6-9 hcp; but many players fail to
specify a lower limit for the jump bid -- a good reason not to play Inverted Minors in a casual or
inexperienced partnership. With no one but partner bidding, it's a fair bet that if you have a weak
hand, partner has a strong one -- so why preempt? The 6 hcp minimum along with 5+ clubs
allows opener to take a shot at 3NT with a balanced hand which was too strong to open 1NT.
Over the club raise, East bids hearts, hoping to double later to show the spades. After
1C-(pass)-2C-(2H), South should immediately bid 3C. A basic rule is that bids in competition are
assumed to be competitive, not game invitational; South should in fact rebid the clubs with almost
any hand containing four clubs, unless the distribution is completely flat (3334) or much of
South's strength is in hearts. What about West? With a known 9-card fit, it would usually be
correct to compete to the 3 level, but that assumes the high card points are split fairly evenly
(generally, at least 17 for each side.) West cannot be sure his side has that much strength and
with a potentially trickless hand I'd pass. North passes and East doubles as planned. South has no
reason to bid again -- it would be poor tactics to bid 4C only to chase the enemy into a game you
might not be able to beat. Always think twice before bidding over three of a major. West bids 3H
(or 3S, but it's doubtful spades will provide an extra trick, so play in the longer trump suit.) 3H
should end the bidding.
South has no sure lead, but it's reasonable to hope partner has the Ace or Queen for his raise, so
a low club looks best. North wins and, seeing little threatening in dummy, returns another club,
ruffed by declarer. East counts one club, one heart, and one or two spade losers; leading the King
of hearts looks right, hoping to set up the Jack as an entry to dummy for the spade finesse. South
wins perforce and tries the Jack of diamonds -- this looks fairly safe since dummy's second-highest
diamond is lower than South's seven. East wins, crosses to dummy with the Jack of trumps, and leads
the Jack of spades. If North had three spades it would be correct to duck the Jack, planning to
cover the last of equal honors; but with only a doubleton it's best to play the Queen immediately.
Either way declarer loses only one spade and finishes with 10 tricks for a very good score -- don't
feel like you should've been in game. Why does the recap show that E/W can only make 3H? South
could theoretically give North a ruff by leading spades at every opportunity.
Board 13: East has a clear 1D opening bid. Even if you discount the Jack of hearts, two five card
suits headed by 3 quick tricks has great potential. With 5-5 shape, be sure to open the higher
ranking suit, planning to rebid the lower suit twice if convenient. South passes -- 9 hcp, a crummy
suit and the poor 5332 shape is well below the mark for a 2 level overcall, especially vulnerable.
West starts thinking slam: a five loser hand with partner opening your second suit! An opening bid
will usually take care of four losers. The simple approach is a strong jump shift (2S) followed by
a diamond bid. East rebids 3C, West bids 3D as planned, and East should love his hand -- the spade
bid covers his weakest suit and the diamond support should help establish club winners. East may be
tempted to leap to 4NT, but Key card bidders should pause to consider -- what would you do over a
5H reply? Better to let partner do the asking. East can simply cue-bid 4C or try a 4H splinter
(showing the singleton, a bid that should be recognizable if the partnership uses splinters in a
variety of auctions.) 4D would keep the ball rolling but I see no reason not encourage partner with
either 4C or 4H. West happily bids 4NT (no response can embarass him), East replies 5H (two Aces or two Key cards missing the Queen.) The missing Queen makes grand slam a poor bet, and also rules out 6NT -- if the diamonds don't run a heart lead would be fatal. Six diamonds is the obvious choice
but in a strong field you might try 6S to grab extra matchpoints (+980 vs. +920.) Only two pairs
bid slam, one in the risky 6NT, so 6D would've scored very well. Declarer pulls trumps in two
rounds and pitches three clubs on the solid spades.
For those misguided souls who play weak jump shifts, or who never think to make a strong jump, West bids a murky 1S -- forcing, but unenlightening. East rebids 2C as planned, and now West must manufacture a forcing bid. In the old days a jump to 3D would be game-forcing, but in the modern style jumps in previously bid suits are merely invitational (unless partner has shown extra strength; 2C doesn't qualify.) West is forced to use the "poor crutch" of Fourth Suit Forcing (an artificial bid of 2H, best played as forcing to game) or to leap all the way to 4D. Either sequence can be disaster-prone -- 4D should be a slam try, but I've seen players pass such a bid! The fourth suit sequence fails to make West's slam ambitions clear, while the 4D leap wastes bidding room. As is often the case, the early jump saves room later.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, July 15th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Board 1: East opens 1D. An enterprising South should jump to 2H; only a five card suit, but 4 certain tricks and little defense argues for the preempt. I expect most overcalled 1H or passed. If West were a bit stronger I'd suggest a 2C response, planning to then bid and rebid the spades. Clubs is the better suit and the hand has good slam potential; but with only 11 hcp I'd start with 1S in case the hand is a misfit. North players with only a rudimentary grasp of the Law of Total tricks may think a 4H jump is indicated; this isn't always correct with minimal (5332) shape. What North must do is decide how high he wants to compete and bid it immediately -- 3H, 4H or 5H now, then shut up. Kit Woolsey says to bid to the point you aren't sure what the opponents should do, making them take the last guess. You have an Ace and possible defense in both spades and diamonds; partner's overcall may produce two tricks as well, and it isn't clear the enemy have a spade fit or game anywhere. 4H looks right to me.
East surely bids 4S -- the four-card support and singleton heart argue strongly for bidding rather than defending. If 4S is down 4H may be making. South likely passes. West has a far better hand than he's shown; 6 losers, and while opener may have stretched to bid 4S, he is likely to have something extra. You must be careful not ot punish partner for stretching to a game, especially over competition, but I thnk West is good enough to try for slam. The problem is two quick losers in hearts. West can bid 5S asking partner to bid slam if he controls the enemy suit; or he can try 4NT RKCB and trust that East has a singleton heart, which seems consistent with both his and the enemy bidding so far. East replies 5S (two key cards + the Queen of spades) and West takes the plunge to 6S. Every declarer took the obvious 12 tricks so bidding slam would've been a cold top.
Board 2: A wild hand. East starts by deciding how many clubs to open. Despite only 11 hcp, no Ace and a stiff Jack, the playing strength plus two quick tricks qualify this hand for 1C, but 3C is not clearly wrong. 4C would be misguided, blasting past a possible 3NT game. Over 1C, in the old days South would start with a cue-bid; now that Michaels has become near universal, South must double first and cue-bid the next round. If the enemy would keep quiet, this would gain a round of bidding room; but West preempts with 3C. (Side note: preemptive raises over a takeout double have been standard for 70+ years; there's no place on the card to mark anything else!)
North has only 7 hcp but nine cards in the majors and a club void -- he clearly must bid something. The choices include 3H, which may be too little, and 4C (forcing to game) which may be too much but at least insures partner picks the right suit. I think I'd try 3H and assume the bidding won't stop there.
East is startled by West's preemptive raise; with at least a 12 card fit, how high should he compete? It seems unlikely E/W can take more than one trick on defense against whichever major suit N/S land in; whether they can take all the tricks is unclear. Once again, East should bid as high as he dares now and then sell out. Seven clubs forces them to guess, but against timid slam bidders you might try 5C.
Seven clubs to South! Does Noth have 5 hearts? Does North have 3 or more spades? Can North cover five losers? Bidding either grand looks too dicey, so I think South must take the sure plus score with a double. If East had bid only 5C, South could try 5S and North should raise. Over 6C South may reasonably gamble 6H. Three pairs reached 6S, plus one E/W at 7C doubled which may have been bid after N/S reached slam.
Board 1: East opens 1D. An enterprising South should jump to 2H; only a five card suit, but 4 certain tricks and little defense argues for the preempt. I expect most overcalled 1H or passed. If West were a bit stronger I'd suggest a 2C response, planning to then bid and rebid the spades. Clubs is the better suit and the hand has good slam potential; but with only 11 hcp I'd start with 1S in case the hand is a misfit. North players with only a rudimentary grasp of the Law of Total tricks may think a 4H jump is indicated; this isn't always correct with minimal (5332) shape. What North must do is decide how high he wants to compete and bid it immediately -- 3H, 4H or 5H now, then shut up. Kit Woolsey says to bid to the point you aren't sure what the opponents should do, making them take the last guess. You have an Ace and possible defense in both spades and diamonds; partner's overcall may produce two tricks as well, and it isn't clear the enemy have a spade fit or game anywhere. 4H looks right to me.
East surely bids 4S -- the four-card support and singleton heart argue strongly for bidding rather than defending. If 4S is down 4H may be making. South likely passes. West has a far better hand than he's shown; 6 losers, and while opener may have stretched to bid 4S, he is likely to have something extra. You must be careful not ot punish partner for stretching to a game, especially over competition, but I thnk West is good enough to try for slam. The problem is two quick losers in hearts. West can bid 5S asking partner to bid slam if he controls the enemy suit; or he can try 4NT RKCB and trust that East has a singleton heart, which seems consistent with both his and the enemy bidding so far. East replies 5S (two key cards + the Queen of spades) and West takes the plunge to 6S. Every declarer took the obvious 12 tricks so bidding slam would've been a cold top.
Board 2: A wild hand. East starts by deciding how many clubs to open. Despite only 11 hcp, no Ace and a stiff Jack, the playing strength plus two quick tricks qualify this hand for 1C, but 3C is not clearly wrong. 4C would be misguided, blasting past a possible 3NT game. Over 1C, in the old days South would start with a cue-bid; now that Michaels has become near universal, South must double first and cue-bid the next round. If the enemy would keep quiet, this would gain a round of bidding room; but West preempts with 3C. (Side note: preemptive raises over a takeout double have been standard for 70+ years; there's no place on the card to mark anything else!)
North has only 7 hcp but nine cards in the majors and a club void -- he clearly must bid something. The choices include 3H, which may be too little, and 4C (forcing to game) which may be too much but at least insures partner picks the right suit. I think I'd try 3H and assume the bidding won't stop there.
East is startled by West's preemptive raise; with at least a 12 card fit, how high should he compete? It seems unlikely E/W can take more than one trick on defense against whichever major suit N/S land in; whether they can take all the tricks is unclear. Once again, East should bid as high as he dares now and then sell out. Seven clubs forces them to guess, but against timid slam bidders you might try 5C.
Seven clubs to South! Does Noth have 5 hearts? Does North have 3 or more spades? Can North cover five losers? Bidding either grand looks too dicey, so I think South must take the sure plus score with a double. If East had bid only 5C, South could try 5S and North should raise. Over 6C South may reasonably gamble 6H. Three pairs reached 6S, plus one E/W at 7C doubled which may have been bid after N/S reached slam.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday, July 13th 2012
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Board 1: North likely opens 3H. At this vulnerability, South can expect a broken 7 card suit, so 6 trump tricks and one trump loser seems likely. That leaves 6 side suit losers to dispose of; South's two AK's obviously cover four of those, and if partner has three cards in either minor the fifth club should dispose of another loser. That still leaves a trump and one or more spades. With AKJxxxx North might've opened 4H (I would), so slam looks ambitious and South should simply raise to 4H. Don't even think about notrump on such a hand -- you won't be able to use partner's long suit; it is often correct to raise even with a void, after allowing for an additional trump loser.
As it happens, it's a magic hand -- North's spade void controls that suit and his Qx in clubs allows for two diamond pitches as long as the suit breaks 3-3 or 4-2 (you can set up the last club with a ruff, although repeated diamond leads could leave you short of an entry.) All but two pairs recorded +480. Top score was for 3S doubled -- neither East nor West has a suitable hand to enter this auction (both are 5332, too many losers.)
Board 6: East opens 1S. With 14 hcp and 1444 shape, West simply responds 2C. There could be a slam if a 4-4 fit appears. East rebids 2D -- in the modern style, this new suit by opener after a 2/1 bid is 100% forcing; responder promises a rebid except possibly over 2S, 2NT or 3C according to style. (My recommendation is to play only 2NT as non-forcing.) When groping for the right contract, it's important to be able to bid without fear of being dropped suddenly. Responder should start with 1NT if he's too weak to continue over a 2D or 2H rebid.
After 1S-2C-2D, responder has to think. Slam is possible if opener's diamonds are fairly good, but there's still a bit of a misfit with the spades, and opeenr will need extra strength or perfect cards for 12 tricks. By point count responder can add two for his singleton for a total of 15, suggesting opener needs 18 for slam (16 + two doubletons, for example.) Visualizing, perhaps opener has Axxxx Qx AQxx Kx. That's a King better than a minimum, so any move that takes the bidding beyond 3NT cannot be justified. Those playing 2/1 game force can try a simple 3D raise, hoping to land at 3NT if opener doesn't head toward slam. For standard bidders, 3D might be passed, so the usual gadget is "fourth suit forcing", 2H simply to keep the ball rolling. This is best played as forcing to game. Having shown his 5-4 shape, opener bids a natural 2NT next, and responder can now bid 3D without fear of being passed. (That's why you want to play 4SF to game, not just one round.) Time for opener to consider: 4-4 diamond fit, at least 28 hcp plus some shape; still seems short of slam. Visualising, perhaps responder has Kx xxx AKxx Qxxxx, 12 easy tricks if diamonds split 3-2. When you can picture a minmum hand for partner that requires no more than ordinary luck for slam, it's worth inviting. East may try 3H at this point; however partner interprets that at the moment, any later move toward slam will make it clear that was a cue-bid. West has told most of his story and retreats to 3NT. East makes one more try, perhaps a 4C cue-bid (it can't be a suggestion to play clubs, given the previous bidding.) Now West can proceed with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB; but wait, his trumps are poor and perhaps so are partner's -- Kxxx opposite Qxxx makes for a lousy slam. West can stall with 4D, but I can't see a good way to stop at 4NT. Neither player has good enough trumps to justify using 4NT, but once it becomes impossible to stop in notrump you may as well head for slam -- 5D will not score well when 3NT was a plausible contract. A complete RKCB auction might be 1S-2C; 2D-2H; 2NT-3D; 3H-3NT; 4C-4NT; 5S-6D; all pass.
South leads a heart or a spade, hoping to get North in to return a club for a ruff. But North has no entry; declarer leads a trump to the King and back to the Queen (smothering North's Jack.) South wins this and exits with his last trump. Either major suit lead gave declarer his twelfth trick; otherwise, a heart finesse or ruffing spade finesse works. 6D making outscores all but one of the two pairs that reached the riskier 6NT.
Board 21: After North passes, East looks at Q1098xx AQx xx xx, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable. Some pairs require 2 of the top 3 honors for a weak two, so this would be an automtic pass (at least in first or second seat.) Other open virtually any 6 card suit with 6-10 or 5-10 hcp, and this would be an automatic 2S. Myself, I like to have a good suit or a fair suit and a good hand. This seems to qualify -- 8 hcp including 1.5 quick tricks, and good intermediates in the spades. The vulnerability is "green" of course, and it's always nice to bid spades. I'd make the same bid at any vulnerability.
West holds AK -- AQ10xxx AJxxx . Partner likely has QJxxxx in spades, which is important since you may need to ruff a heart with one of those top honors. Give partner a fitting King in either minor and chances look good to set up a long card or two. For example, QJ10xxx xxx xx Kx looks like 12 tricks if one of two diamond finesses work, or the Queen of clubs drops. West bids 2NT to get more information. Playing "features", he hopes to hear 3C or 3D; on today's hand East rebids a disappointing 3H. Well, that may protect against a trump promotion, but 4S looks prudent.
Two pairs reached 6S. South expects partner to be broke and punts with a trump lead, rather than guessing which King to underlead. East can cash the AK of trumps but has no convenient entry back to hand. The goal is to lose no more than one minor suit card; clubs look safer in terms of ruffing a card back to your hand, but that requires a 3-3 split to set up a trick. Unfortunately Ace and low diamond allows the defense to attack your club entry back to dummy; leading the Queen of diamonds gives up the one unavoidable trick while preserving both Aces as entries back to dummy. South wins and attacks clubs, but declarer grabs the Ace, ruffs a club high, pulls South's last trump, and finally finesses the ten of diamonds. Well played!
On a heart leads, East wins the Queen and may as well finesse a diamond immediately. When this holds East cashes the two top trumps and the Ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond high, pulls trumps and returns to dummy with the Ace of clubs to cash diamond winners.
Board 1: North likely opens 3H. At this vulnerability, South can expect a broken 7 card suit, so 6 trump tricks and one trump loser seems likely. That leaves 6 side suit losers to dispose of; South's two AK's obviously cover four of those, and if partner has three cards in either minor the fifth club should dispose of another loser. That still leaves a trump and one or more spades. With AKJxxxx North might've opened 4H (I would), so slam looks ambitious and South should simply raise to 4H. Don't even think about notrump on such a hand -- you won't be able to use partner's long suit; it is often correct to raise even with a void, after allowing for an additional trump loser.
As it happens, it's a magic hand -- North's spade void controls that suit and his Qx in clubs allows for two diamond pitches as long as the suit breaks 3-3 or 4-2 (you can set up the last club with a ruff, although repeated diamond leads could leave you short of an entry.) All but two pairs recorded +480. Top score was for 3S doubled -- neither East nor West has a suitable hand to enter this auction (both are 5332, too many losers.)
Board 6: East opens 1S. With 14 hcp and 1444 shape, West simply responds 2C. There could be a slam if a 4-4 fit appears. East rebids 2D -- in the modern style, this new suit by opener after a 2/1 bid is 100% forcing; responder promises a rebid except possibly over 2S, 2NT or 3C according to style. (My recommendation is to play only 2NT as non-forcing.) When groping for the right contract, it's important to be able to bid without fear of being dropped suddenly. Responder should start with 1NT if he's too weak to continue over a 2D or 2H rebid.
After 1S-2C-2D, responder has to think. Slam is possible if opener's diamonds are fairly good, but there's still a bit of a misfit with the spades, and opeenr will need extra strength or perfect cards for 12 tricks. By point count responder can add two for his singleton for a total of 15, suggesting opener needs 18 for slam (16 + two doubletons, for example.) Visualizing, perhaps opener has Axxxx Qx AQxx Kx. That's a King better than a minimum, so any move that takes the bidding beyond 3NT cannot be justified. Those playing 2/1 game force can try a simple 3D raise, hoping to land at 3NT if opener doesn't head toward slam. For standard bidders, 3D might be passed, so the usual gadget is "fourth suit forcing", 2H simply to keep the ball rolling. This is best played as forcing to game. Having shown his 5-4 shape, opener bids a natural 2NT next, and responder can now bid 3D without fear of being passed. (That's why you want to play 4SF to game, not just one round.) Time for opener to consider: 4-4 diamond fit, at least 28 hcp plus some shape; still seems short of slam. Visualising, perhaps responder has Kx xxx AKxx Qxxxx, 12 easy tricks if diamonds split 3-2. When you can picture a minmum hand for partner that requires no more than ordinary luck for slam, it's worth inviting. East may try 3H at this point; however partner interprets that at the moment, any later move toward slam will make it clear that was a cue-bid. West has told most of his story and retreats to 3NT. East makes one more try, perhaps a 4C cue-bid (it can't be a suggestion to play clubs, given the previous bidding.) Now West can proceed with 4NT, Blackwood or RKCB; but wait, his trumps are poor and perhaps so are partner's -- Kxxx opposite Qxxx makes for a lousy slam. West can stall with 4D, but I can't see a good way to stop at 4NT. Neither player has good enough trumps to justify using 4NT, but once it becomes impossible to stop in notrump you may as well head for slam -- 5D will not score well when 3NT was a plausible contract. A complete RKCB auction might be 1S-2C; 2D-2H; 2NT-3D; 3H-3NT; 4C-4NT; 5S-6D; all pass.
South leads a heart or a spade, hoping to get North in to return a club for a ruff. But North has no entry; declarer leads a trump to the King and back to the Queen (smothering North's Jack.) South wins this and exits with his last trump. Either major suit lead gave declarer his twelfth trick; otherwise, a heart finesse or ruffing spade finesse works. 6D making outscores all but one of the two pairs that reached the riskier 6NT.
Board 21: After North passes, East looks at Q1098xx AQx xx xx, not vulnerable vs. vulnerable. Some pairs require 2 of the top 3 honors for a weak two, so this would be an automtic pass (at least in first or second seat.) Other open virtually any 6 card suit with 6-10 or 5-10 hcp, and this would be an automatic 2S. Myself, I like to have a good suit or a fair suit and a good hand. This seems to qualify -- 8 hcp including 1.5 quick tricks, and good intermediates in the spades. The vulnerability is "green" of course, and it's always nice to bid spades. I'd make the same bid at any vulnerability.
West holds AK -- AQ10xxx AJxxx . Partner likely has QJxxxx in spades, which is important since you may need to ruff a heart with one of those top honors. Give partner a fitting King in either minor and chances look good to set up a long card or two. For example, QJ10xxx xxx xx Kx looks like 12 tricks if one of two diamond finesses work, or the Queen of clubs drops. West bids 2NT to get more information. Playing "features", he hopes to hear 3C or 3D; on today's hand East rebids a disappointing 3H. Well, that may protect against a trump promotion, but 4S looks prudent.
Two pairs reached 6S. South expects partner to be broke and punts with a trump lead, rather than guessing which King to underlead. East can cash the AK of trumps but has no convenient entry back to hand. The goal is to lose no more than one minor suit card; clubs look safer in terms of ruffing a card back to your hand, but that requires a 3-3 split to set up a trick. Unfortunately Ace and low diamond allows the defense to attack your club entry back to dummy; leading the Queen of diamonds gives up the one unavoidable trick while preserving both Aces as entries back to dummy. South wins and attacks clubs, but declarer grabs the Ace, ruffs a club high, pulls South's last trump, and finally finesses the ten of diamonds. Well played!
On a heart leads, East wins the Queen and may as well finesse a diamond immediately. When this holds East cashes the two top trumps and the Ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond high, pulls trumps and returns to dummy with the Ace of clubs to cash diamond winners.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Sunday, June 24th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Board 3: E/W vulnerable, South deals and the auction proceeds:
1D-(pass)-1H-(2S)
1NT-(2S)-?
As North you hold: -- QJ109842 A9 8652 . What's the best bid?
With no competition, you might settle for 2H or an invitational 3H over partner's 1NT rebid. But in a competitive auction, most bids are presumed to be competitive; Kit Woolsey says more matchpoints are won or lost in the battle for part-scores than anywhere else. So 3H would be merely competitive here, perhaps with a small spade and only six hearts. As game might make, it's best in competition for North just to bid it; South might have J9xx Kx KQxx Ax, for example. That might go down on a club lead, but should be an easy 10 tricks on the likely spade lead. Even if 4H won't fetch, it has an extra chance to win on this sort of bidding: East or West will often take a phantom sacrifice at 4S. Every now and then 4S will make, but with a side Ace opposite an opening bid, North should not worry too much about that (and should double 4S if they do bid it.) As it happens, 4H makes an overtrick while 2S doubled goes off two tricks on the King of diamonds lead.
Board 6: South opens 1S and the auction proceeds as follows:
1S-2C
2H-3S
Simple bidding would continue 4NT-5D; 6S. That's what I intended, but mistakenly passed partner's 5D(!) thinking "6S looks right." At 6S, West is apt to lead a diamond and South can quickly grab five spades, five clubs and two diamond tricks for a top board.
A more scientific auction would have South control cue-bid 4D; when North signs off at 4S or cue-bids either minor, South can guess there are two quick heart losers and stop at 4S or 5S. At a team game that would be good bidding; but at matchpoints, an alert West will try a heart lead and cost you a key overtrick.
Board 7: South deals and opens 1S; North, looking at KQJ9xx x AK10 KQx may as well blast into Blackwood. South replies 5H (two Aces or key-cards) and North signs off at 6S. Declarer claims immediately after pulling trumps, conceding the Ace of hearts. Although 6NT also makes, that depends too much on the location of the enemy heart honors.
Board 21: North opens 1D or 1C according to taste; while it's normal to open 1D with 4-4 in the minors to prepare for a non-reverse 2C rebid, on today's hand North plans to rebid notrump, and opening 1C may catch a diamond fit in an up-the-line style. Assuming 1D, South responds 2C. With game-going values, South should bid naturally (longest suit first) rather than automatically bidding the major. However, this requires good agreements about opener's rebids after 1D-2C, or the major suit fit may be lost. I recommend that opener rebid 2D on almost any hand with 5+ diamonds; 2H or 2S "up-the-line" on relatively balacned hands with one or both four-card majors; 3C with club support and extra values; and 2NT on a minimum with none of the above. Unfortunately, many textbooks and players insist reversing into 2H or 2S shows extra values. This is an obsolete relic of Old Standard American where a minimum 4-5 red suit hand could open 1H and where 2C might be only 8 hcp plus some shape. Yes, 2H and 2S force the bidding to a higher level, but in the modern style 2C promises enough strength for 2NT or 3 of some suit and therefore opener does not need any extra values for these bids. If you haven't discussed this with partner, it may be better to simply repond in the major and talk about it later.
North rebids 2NT on today's hand and South shows game-going values with 3H (this might not be a ral suit if North's 2NT denies a major as recomended above.) Under the asumption South would've simly raised to 3NT if that looked correct, North proceeds with 4C. South bids 4NT and proceeds to slam after the 1 Ace or 2 Key card reply. 12 tricks are made easily as long as trumps divide 2-1.
Why shouldn't North simply raise 2C to 3C? Well, if you bid that with today's minimum, what would you bid with xx Kx Axxxx AKxx ? Suit bids at the three level must be either clearly forcing or non-forcing, and if you play most of them non-forcing, you will have no way to describe stronger hands.
If South starts with 1H, a reasonable auction might begin 1D-1H; 1NT-? Hard to find the club slam, isn't it? I suppose 3C-4C might work, but wouldn't you bid that way with a strong 5-5 hand? Then North would rebid 3H rather than 4C with Qx Kxx Axxx Kxxx.
Board 25: North opens 1S, South responds 2H. By the way, that promises 5 hearts; with only four South should start with 2C or 2D. For example, with xxx AQxx QJx Axx, South bids 2C and supports spades next unless North bids hearts. With any other distribution South will have a four-card minor along with his four hearts.
After 1S-2H, North should rebid 2S. This would be correct even with only five spades -- once again, freely bidding a suit at the three level should promise extra values and be forcing to game. With only 12 and a void in partner's suit, North wants to slow the bidding down. South continues with 3D; this new suit by responder is not only forcing one more round but logically creates a game force since there may be no playable spot below 3NT. North considers 3NT but with KQxxxx -- Axxx Kxx either 4S or 5D looks more attractive, so North riases to 4D. South visualizes dumping a club or two on North's spades and decides slam is a reasonable gamble. 4NT produces a one-Ace or one-key-card reply. Playing straight Blackwood South may as well bid slam; it's rarely correct to stop at 5 of a minor when either 3NT or 6 could be better. Key-card bidders, however, will know that two Aces or one Ace and the King of trumps are missing and pass the 5D reply for a good board. Four spades is actually the best contract thanks to the lucky 3-3 suit split. Six diamonds would require West to have K10 doubleton of trumps.
Board 3: E/W vulnerable, South deals and the auction proceeds:
1D-(pass)-1H-(2S)
1NT-(2S)-?
As North you hold: -- QJ109842 A9 8652 . What's the best bid?
With no competition, you might settle for 2H or an invitational 3H over partner's 1NT rebid. But in a competitive auction, most bids are presumed to be competitive; Kit Woolsey says more matchpoints are won or lost in the battle for part-scores than anywhere else. So 3H would be merely competitive here, perhaps with a small spade and only six hearts. As game might make, it's best in competition for North just to bid it; South might have J9xx Kx KQxx Ax, for example. That might go down on a club lead, but should be an easy 10 tricks on the likely spade lead. Even if 4H won't fetch, it has an extra chance to win on this sort of bidding: East or West will often take a phantom sacrifice at 4S. Every now and then 4S will make, but with a side Ace opposite an opening bid, North should not worry too much about that (and should double 4S if they do bid it.) As it happens, 4H makes an overtrick while 2S doubled goes off two tricks on the King of diamonds lead.
Board 6: South opens 1S and the auction proceeds as follows:
1S-2C
2H-3S
Simple bidding would continue 4NT-5D; 6S. That's what I intended, but mistakenly passed partner's 5D(!) thinking "6S looks right." At 6S, West is apt to lead a diamond and South can quickly grab five spades, five clubs and two diamond tricks for a top board.
A more scientific auction would have South control cue-bid 4D; when North signs off at 4S or cue-bids either minor, South can guess there are two quick heart losers and stop at 4S or 5S. At a team game that would be good bidding; but at matchpoints, an alert West will try a heart lead and cost you a key overtrick.
Board 7: South deals and opens 1S; North, looking at KQJ9xx x AK10 KQx may as well blast into Blackwood. South replies 5H (two Aces or key-cards) and North signs off at 6S. Declarer claims immediately after pulling trumps, conceding the Ace of hearts. Although 6NT also makes, that depends too much on the location of the enemy heart honors.
Board 21: North opens 1D or 1C according to taste; while it's normal to open 1D with 4-4 in the minors to prepare for a non-reverse 2C rebid, on today's hand North plans to rebid notrump, and opening 1C may catch a diamond fit in an up-the-line style. Assuming 1D, South responds 2C. With game-going values, South should bid naturally (longest suit first) rather than automatically bidding the major. However, this requires good agreements about opener's rebids after 1D-2C, or the major suit fit may be lost. I recommend that opener rebid 2D on almost any hand with 5+ diamonds; 2H or 2S "up-the-line" on relatively balacned hands with one or both four-card majors; 3C with club support and extra values; and 2NT on a minimum with none of the above. Unfortunately, many textbooks and players insist reversing into 2H or 2S shows extra values. This is an obsolete relic of Old Standard American where a minimum 4-5 red suit hand could open 1H and where 2C might be only 8 hcp plus some shape. Yes, 2H and 2S force the bidding to a higher level, but in the modern style 2C promises enough strength for 2NT or 3 of some suit and therefore opener does not need any extra values for these bids. If you haven't discussed this with partner, it may be better to simply repond in the major and talk about it later.
North rebids 2NT on today's hand and South shows game-going values with 3H (this might not be a ral suit if North's 2NT denies a major as recomended above.) Under the asumption South would've simly raised to 3NT if that looked correct, North proceeds with 4C. South bids 4NT and proceeds to slam after the 1 Ace or 2 Key card reply. 12 tricks are made easily as long as trumps divide 2-1.
Why shouldn't North simply raise 2C to 3C? Well, if you bid that with today's minimum, what would you bid with xx Kx Axxxx AKxx ? Suit bids at the three level must be either clearly forcing or non-forcing, and if you play most of them non-forcing, you will have no way to describe stronger hands.
If South starts with 1H, a reasonable auction might begin 1D-1H; 1NT-? Hard to find the club slam, isn't it? I suppose 3C-4C might work, but wouldn't you bid that way with a strong 5-5 hand? Then North would rebid 3H rather than 4C with Qx Kxx Axxx Kxxx.
Board 25: North opens 1S, South responds 2H. By the way, that promises 5 hearts; with only four South should start with 2C or 2D. For example, with xxx AQxx QJx Axx, South bids 2C and supports spades next unless North bids hearts. With any other distribution South will have a four-card minor along with his four hearts.
After 1S-2H, North should rebid 2S. This would be correct even with only five spades -- once again, freely bidding a suit at the three level should promise extra values and be forcing to game. With only 12 and a void in partner's suit, North wants to slow the bidding down. South continues with 3D; this new suit by responder is not only forcing one more round but logically creates a game force since there may be no playable spot below 3NT. North considers 3NT but with KQxxxx -- Axxx Kxx either 4S or 5D looks more attractive, so North riases to 4D. South visualizes dumping a club or two on North's spades and decides slam is a reasonable gamble. 4NT produces a one-Ace or one-key-card reply. Playing straight Blackwood South may as well bid slam; it's rarely correct to stop at 5 of a minor when either 3NT or 6 could be better. Key-card bidders, however, will know that two Aces or one Ace and the King of trumps are missing and pass the 5D reply for a good board. Four spades is actually the best contract thanks to the lucky 3-3 suit split. Six diamonds would require West to have K10 doubleton of trumps.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday, June 15th 2012
Right-click here for hands.
Board 1: East opens 1D; South may throw in a 2D Michaels cue-bid (both majors.) A common agreement is to cue-bid with 6-10 or 16+ hcp, overcalling instead with 11-15. Mike Lawrence prefers to make the cue-bid with a wide range, but I would suggest 8+ for that style. West needs a forcing bid; a popular agreement is Unusual over Unusual, used against any two-suited overcall such as Michaels or Unusual Notrump. The idea is that bids in "their suits" (spades and hearts, in this case) are forward-going while bids in "our suits" (diamonds and clubs, the ones they haven't shown) are merely competitive. The lower cue-bid is tied to the lower of our suits, and higher to higher, so 2H here would show a good hand for clubs while 2S shows a strong diamond raise (game invitational or better.) Doubling their bid shows general strength and invites partner to cooperate in a penalty hunt. Short in both majors and with a likely 9+ card diamond fit, West bids 2S rather than double. North doubles this as a lead-director, promising the Ace or King. East bids 2NT, suggesting stoppers in both majors but minimum values. West raises to 3NT -- 16 hcp isn't enough to chase slam opposite a balanced minimum -- and that likely ends the bidding. Without North's double, South would likely lead hearts, his stronger suit, and declarer wraps up 10 easy tricks; a spade lead holds declarer to nine.
Back up to North -- not vulnerable, I would open 3C. You might take as few as four tricks if partner were broke, but in that case E/W can make a slam. East must pass with hs 12 hcp, and West must gamble 3NT. East has a better hand than partner expects (7 hcp is about normal) but East should realize West may have stretched for 3NT and pass rather than jeopardize game -- if West had 20+, it would be easy to double 3C first before bidding 3NT. On North's club lead, West can win in dummy and immediately lead a heart toward the Queen to set up an overtrick.
Board 9: A wild hand with many possible auctions. I would pass as either North or East; I'll open a good 6 card club suit with 3C, but 10-high doesn't qualify. 1H was probably a popular bid for East but if yo're going to open based on Rule of 20 or such, remember to have two quick tricks including an Ace. Once again the short-suit count points the way -- if you avoid counting more than 3 points for a stiff King or 2 for a doubleton Queen, you have only 12 Goren points, and then subtract one for no Ace. This hand has good shape but will disappoint partner on either offense or defense.
It looks like most Easts opened; a likely auction would be 1H-1S; 2S-3D (game try); now what? East's singelton King certainly qualifies as "help", but East's hand is still Aceless and with scattered values I'd retreat to 3S. makeable as the cards lie.
If both North and East pass, South opens 1H. Should West double or overcall? I'd pass -- a two level overcall, vulnerable, should have a suit like AQ10xxx or a stronger hand. North should pass again -- don't "rescue" partner with a weak hand void in his suit -- a 3H jump rebid is all too likely when partner is the only one bidding. East is glad it's South, not himself, playing this misft.
With partner passing out a suit at the one level, West expects some trump length, and it's often a good idea to lead out a high trump honor to clarify things for partner. However, this isn't quite the same as a penalty pass and the Ace is likely covering a trump honor. All leads look bad; I might gamble on the King of clubs, with the outside chance of scoring a ruff. South counts only three losers outside of trumps, but four trump losers are all too likely. South tries a low trump; West scores his nine and may try a spade through dummy's King. E/W finish with 6 trump tricks, 2 diamonds and a club for +100; most E/W pairs went down in a heart or spade contract.
Board 1: East opens 1D; South may throw in a 2D Michaels cue-bid (both majors.) A common agreement is to cue-bid with 6-10 or 16+ hcp, overcalling instead with 11-15. Mike Lawrence prefers to make the cue-bid with a wide range, but I would suggest 8+ for that style. West needs a forcing bid; a popular agreement is Unusual over Unusual, used against any two-suited overcall such as Michaels or Unusual Notrump. The idea is that bids in "their suits" (spades and hearts, in this case) are forward-going while bids in "our suits" (diamonds and clubs, the ones they haven't shown) are merely competitive. The lower cue-bid is tied to the lower of our suits, and higher to higher, so 2H here would show a good hand for clubs while 2S shows a strong diamond raise (game invitational or better.) Doubling their bid shows general strength and invites partner to cooperate in a penalty hunt. Short in both majors and with a likely 9+ card diamond fit, West bids 2S rather than double. North doubles this as a lead-director, promising the Ace or King. East bids 2NT, suggesting stoppers in both majors but minimum values. West raises to 3NT -- 16 hcp isn't enough to chase slam opposite a balanced minimum -- and that likely ends the bidding. Without North's double, South would likely lead hearts, his stronger suit, and declarer wraps up 10 easy tricks; a spade lead holds declarer to nine.
Back up to North -- not vulnerable, I would open 3C. You might take as few as four tricks if partner were broke, but in that case E/W can make a slam. East must pass with hs 12 hcp, and West must gamble 3NT. East has a better hand than partner expects (7 hcp is about normal) but East should realize West may have stretched for 3NT and pass rather than jeopardize game -- if West had 20+, it would be easy to double 3C first before bidding 3NT. On North's club lead, West can win in dummy and immediately lead a heart toward the Queen to set up an overtrick.
Board 9: A wild hand with many possible auctions. I would pass as either North or East; I'll open a good 6 card club suit with 3C, but 10-high doesn't qualify. 1H was probably a popular bid for East but if yo're going to open based on Rule of 20 or such, remember to have two quick tricks including an Ace. Once again the short-suit count points the way -- if you avoid counting more than 3 points for a stiff King or 2 for a doubleton Queen, you have only 12 Goren points, and then subtract one for no Ace. This hand has good shape but will disappoint partner on either offense or defense.
It looks like most Easts opened; a likely auction would be 1H-1S; 2S-3D (game try); now what? East's singelton King certainly qualifies as "help", but East's hand is still Aceless and with scattered values I'd retreat to 3S. makeable as the cards lie.
If both North and East pass, South opens 1H. Should West double or overcall? I'd pass -- a two level overcall, vulnerable, should have a suit like AQ10xxx or a stronger hand. North should pass again -- don't "rescue" partner with a weak hand void in his suit -- a 3H jump rebid is all too likely when partner is the only one bidding. East is glad it's South, not himself, playing this misft.
With partner passing out a suit at the one level, West expects some trump length, and it's often a good idea to lead out a high trump honor to clarify things for partner. However, this isn't quite the same as a penalty pass and the Ace is likely covering a trump honor. All leads look bad; I might gamble on the King of clubs, with the outside chance of scoring a ruff. South counts only three losers outside of trumps, but four trump losers are all too likely. South tries a low trump; West scores his nine and may try a spade through dummy's King. E/W finish with 6 trump tricks, 2 diamonds and a club for +100; most E/W pairs went down in a heart or spade contract.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Wednesday, June 6th 2012
Four slams bid and made against us -- and one not bid that didn't make! Right-click here for hands.
Board 2: After three likely passes, North looks at x AKJ AQxx AK10xx in 4th seat. 21 hcp, but is this a 2C opener? I wouldn't -- what are you going to bid over partner's response? I pefer to have a five card major, six card minor, or balanced hand when I open 2C, or 25 hcp. I'd open this one 1C -- what game are you missing if partner passes? South responds 1D or 1S according to style; let's assume an up-the-line 1D. West overcalls 1H and North begins to show his powerhouse with a 2H cue-bid or possibly a 3S splinter. Assuming the cue-bid, South has an easy rebid of 2S and North proceeds with 3D -- no need to leap anywhere, the cue-bid-then-raise sequence creates a game force. South's shape is suitable for notrump but with no heart stopper South likely bids 4D. North can continue with a 4H control cue, South bids 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB.) Assuming RKCB, North replies 5C (0 or 3 key cards, obviously not zero on this bidding) and South ends the bidding at 6D. West probably cashes his Ace, leaving South with 12 easy tricks; if West instead punts with, say, a club, Suth can manage a spade ruff before pulling all the trumps. 6NT by South can be made on the heart finesse. +1370 tied for a top.
Board 7: South opens 1C, North reponds 1D or perhaps a forcing raise such as an inverted 2C. 1D does not improve South's hand so he rebids a quiet 1H, a bid with almost as wide a range as the original opening. Contrary to rumor or "Five Weeks to Winning Bridge", a second bid by responder does NOT promise 10 points - American experts tried that system around the time Sheinwold's clasic was published, and abandoned it as unworkable, returning to the traditional scheme where only a jump or new suit at the two level or higher shows extra for responder. With 12 hcp and a balanced hand, responder aims for 3NT, but lacks a spade stopper. A jump to 3C looks right. South perks up and ponders slam. Basic Losing Trick Count rates South's hand as four losers; the promise of four card trump support relieves any worries about the fourth spade or heart. How many losers can North cover? The invitational jump (11-12 points) suggests about 3.5 in high cards, and North's bidding makes it obvious he must have shortage in at least one major. Looks like slam or even grand slam is plausible. Visualizing, South might place North with something like xx Kx Axxxx KQxx -- there is probably some wastage in diamonds else North might not have bid that suit, and nothing in spades is likely else North might've rebid in notrump. South may as well trot out 4NT; assuming RKCB, North replies 5S (two key cards + the Queen of trumps.) That confirms the diamond wastage; and North's limited invitational jump rules out enough power for 6NT or 7C, so South ends the bidding at 6C. Two high diamonds are a disappointment but both major suit finesses work and South rolls up all the tricks. Only one pair reached the excellent slam, so 1370 scored a cold top -- forget chasing 6NT.
Board 11: South opens 1H (or 1C, but with a minimum 5-6 opening the major is probably best) and West jams the bidding with a leap to 3S, reasonable when not vulnerable despite the ratty suit. North has more than enough for game, but not enough to risk any bid except 4H, especially with only three-card support. The singleton Ace of spades is not a big advantage -- a small singleton and four points elsewhere would be more useful. South has few losers -- three Aces and perhaps a club. Pefect for 4NT, if East doesn't gum up the works with a 5S raise on the assumed 10-11 card fit and good shape. (East may pass, however, afraid 5S will propel N/S into slam.) Five spades doubled is down at least 4 (+800) or 5 if North manages to give South a diamond ruff (+1100.)
Assuming East passes, South bids 4NT, North replies 5S (Blackwood) or 5C (RKCB, 0 or 3 key cards) and South confirms all the Aces or key cards by continuing with 5NT. North either shows no Kings or blasts to 7H hoping the spade singleton will provide trick 13. 3 pairs bid slam and one collected +800 against 5S doubled. Not much reason to risk the grand when nost pairs missed slam altogether.
Board 17: North opens 1NT (15-17) and South would like a way to bid clubs and then invite slam. A simple, old-fashioned 3C jump fits the bill; North bids 3NT to show all suits stopped; South raises to 4NT as an invitation. North ahs excellent cards but minimum values and 3334 shape -- pass proves to be the winning call. Really, South is probably a bit light for this sequence, so 1NT-3NT may be the best auction; at our table the bidding was 1NT-4NT-all pass. Six pairs overbid to 6NT, a contact that generally requires 33 hcp to have good chances -- 15 opposite 15 doesn't come close. And six clubs suffers from near-mirror shape; the big fit and excellent controls don't add up to 12 tricks.
Board 19: South opens 1H and North has a great hand for a strong jump shift (2S) planning to support hearts later. A possible auction would be 1H-2S; 3C-3H; 4H (South has a bare minimum.) North has two classic flaws for Blackwood: a void and a suit missing both top cards. But South's 3C makes it likely he has a control there (those playing Soloway jump shifts would be certain of that) and 4NT is probably better than torturing partner with 4S or whatever at this point. South shows one Ace or two key cards and North settles for 6H. Two pairs bid the grand, one making, one failing; 6H making seven was worth a decent 7.5 out of 12 matchpoints (62.5%.)
For those misguided souls who claim never to get hands good enough for a strong jump shift, North responds 1S. East considers a 3D preempt but wisely passes, vulnerable with a ratty suit. South rebids 2C and now how does North support hearts? He must stall with 2D, fourth suit artificial, a rather unappetizing choice on a void. South cannot bid notrump or show delayed (3-card) spade support and so rebids 2H for lack of anything better. North now bids 3H; this is why I prefer the fourth suit be forcing to game, otherwise North can never make a forcing raise with his excellent hand! South bids a discouraging 4H on his minimum and North proceeds much as above toward 6H.
Board 25: West opens 1NT (15-17) and East bids 2C (Stayman.) This is the correct approach with four cards in one major and 5+ in the other -- start with Stayman, not a transfer. Opener replies 2D and East now shows his hearts. 4H would end the bidding; should East try for slam? Six losers and, at 3 points per trick, you can hope for 5 cover cards from the 1NT bidder; visualizing, perhaps opener has something like Ax AQx KQxx xxxx. So East rebids 3H, forcing. This might be a 5-4 hand (Smolen bidders would use 3S to show hearts, 3H to show spades, a sort of delayed transfer.) West lacks support and retreats to 3NT; now 4H by East would reveal his slam ambitions, as he took an extra round to get there. Or East may try 4D, intended as a cue-bid, but West might read this as 4540 shape. West is minimum with minimum support and likely passes 4H.
On lead, South may "punt" with a diamond, figuring partner to be weak and hoping not to blow a trick rather than trying to find a killing lead. Declarer can dump one spade on a diamond but must either guess the Ace of spades doubleton or try to establish a club to dispose of another spade. Win the diamond in hand, club to the Ace, ruff a club, heart to the Ace (noting South's Queen.) Time to reconsider -- if that Queen is honest, North has four trumps, and ruffing another club as planned will leave declarer with no more trumps than North. Better pull the trumps and lead a spade to establish at least one winner there. If South pops up with his Ace that's the only trick for the defense; if South ducks, the Queen wins and declarer tries the "obligatory finesse", ducking another spade to South in hopes of catching the Ace doubleton. Success! Three declarers managed 12 tricks for 11 of 12 matchpoints.
Board 2: After three likely passes, North looks at x AKJ AQxx AK10xx in 4th seat. 21 hcp, but is this a 2C opener? I wouldn't -- what are you going to bid over partner's response? I pefer to have a five card major, six card minor, or balanced hand when I open 2C, or 25 hcp. I'd open this one 1C -- what game are you missing if partner passes? South responds 1D or 1S according to style; let's assume an up-the-line 1D. West overcalls 1H and North begins to show his powerhouse with a 2H cue-bid or possibly a 3S splinter. Assuming the cue-bid, South has an easy rebid of 2S and North proceeds with 3D -- no need to leap anywhere, the cue-bid-then-raise sequence creates a game force. South's shape is suitable for notrump but with no heart stopper South likely bids 4D. North can continue with a 4H control cue, South bids 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB.) Assuming RKCB, North replies 5C (0 or 3 key cards, obviously not zero on this bidding) and South ends the bidding at 6D. West probably cashes his Ace, leaving South with 12 easy tricks; if West instead punts with, say, a club, Suth can manage a spade ruff before pulling all the trumps. 6NT by South can be made on the heart finesse. +1370 tied for a top.
Board 7: South opens 1C, North reponds 1D or perhaps a forcing raise such as an inverted 2C. 1D does not improve South's hand so he rebids a quiet 1H, a bid with almost as wide a range as the original opening. Contrary to rumor or "Five Weeks to Winning Bridge", a second bid by responder does NOT promise 10 points - American experts tried that system around the time Sheinwold's clasic was published, and abandoned it as unworkable, returning to the traditional scheme where only a jump or new suit at the two level or higher shows extra for responder. With 12 hcp and a balanced hand, responder aims for 3NT, but lacks a spade stopper. A jump to 3C looks right. South perks up and ponders slam. Basic Losing Trick Count rates South's hand as four losers; the promise of four card trump support relieves any worries about the fourth spade or heart. How many losers can North cover? The invitational jump (11-12 points) suggests about 3.5 in high cards, and North's bidding makes it obvious he must have shortage in at least one major. Looks like slam or even grand slam is plausible. Visualizing, South might place North with something like xx Kx Axxxx KQxx -- there is probably some wastage in diamonds else North might not have bid that suit, and nothing in spades is likely else North might've rebid in notrump. South may as well trot out 4NT; assuming RKCB, North replies 5S (two key cards + the Queen of trumps.) That confirms the diamond wastage; and North's limited invitational jump rules out enough power for 6NT or 7C, so South ends the bidding at 6C. Two high diamonds are a disappointment but both major suit finesses work and South rolls up all the tricks. Only one pair reached the excellent slam, so 1370 scored a cold top -- forget chasing 6NT.
Board 11: South opens 1H (or 1C, but with a minimum 5-6 opening the major is probably best) and West jams the bidding with a leap to 3S, reasonable when not vulnerable despite the ratty suit. North has more than enough for game, but not enough to risk any bid except 4H, especially with only three-card support. The singleton Ace of spades is not a big advantage -- a small singleton and four points elsewhere would be more useful. South has few losers -- three Aces and perhaps a club. Pefect for 4NT, if East doesn't gum up the works with a 5S raise on the assumed 10-11 card fit and good shape. (East may pass, however, afraid 5S will propel N/S into slam.) Five spades doubled is down at least 4 (+800) or 5 if North manages to give South a diamond ruff (+1100.)
Assuming East passes, South bids 4NT, North replies 5S (Blackwood) or 5C (RKCB, 0 or 3 key cards) and South confirms all the Aces or key cards by continuing with 5NT. North either shows no Kings or blasts to 7H hoping the spade singleton will provide trick 13. 3 pairs bid slam and one collected +800 against 5S doubled. Not much reason to risk the grand when nost pairs missed slam altogether.
Board 17: North opens 1NT (15-17) and South would like a way to bid clubs and then invite slam. A simple, old-fashioned 3C jump fits the bill; North bids 3NT to show all suits stopped; South raises to 4NT as an invitation. North ahs excellent cards but minimum values and 3334 shape -- pass proves to be the winning call. Really, South is probably a bit light for this sequence, so 1NT-3NT may be the best auction; at our table the bidding was 1NT-4NT-all pass. Six pairs overbid to 6NT, a contact that generally requires 33 hcp to have good chances -- 15 opposite 15 doesn't come close. And six clubs suffers from near-mirror shape; the big fit and excellent controls don't add up to 12 tricks.
Board 19: South opens 1H and North has a great hand for a strong jump shift (2S) planning to support hearts later. A possible auction would be 1H-2S; 3C-3H; 4H (South has a bare minimum.) North has two classic flaws for Blackwood: a void and a suit missing both top cards. But South's 3C makes it likely he has a control there (those playing Soloway jump shifts would be certain of that) and 4NT is probably better than torturing partner with 4S or whatever at this point. South shows one Ace or two key cards and North settles for 6H. Two pairs bid the grand, one making, one failing; 6H making seven was worth a decent 7.5 out of 12 matchpoints (62.5%.)
For those misguided souls who claim never to get hands good enough for a strong jump shift, North responds 1S. East considers a 3D preempt but wisely passes, vulnerable with a ratty suit. South rebids 2C and now how does North support hearts? He must stall with 2D, fourth suit artificial, a rather unappetizing choice on a void. South cannot bid notrump or show delayed (3-card) spade support and so rebids 2H for lack of anything better. North now bids 3H; this is why I prefer the fourth suit be forcing to game, otherwise North can never make a forcing raise with his excellent hand! South bids a discouraging 4H on his minimum and North proceeds much as above toward 6H.
Board 25: West opens 1NT (15-17) and East bids 2C (Stayman.) This is the correct approach with four cards in one major and 5+ in the other -- start with Stayman, not a transfer. Opener replies 2D and East now shows his hearts. 4H would end the bidding; should East try for slam? Six losers and, at 3 points per trick, you can hope for 5 cover cards from the 1NT bidder; visualizing, perhaps opener has something like Ax AQx KQxx xxxx. So East rebids 3H, forcing. This might be a 5-4 hand (Smolen bidders would use 3S to show hearts, 3H to show spades, a sort of delayed transfer.) West lacks support and retreats to 3NT; now 4H by East would reveal his slam ambitions, as he took an extra round to get there. Or East may try 4D, intended as a cue-bid, but West might read this as 4540 shape. West is minimum with minimum support and likely passes 4H.
On lead, South may "punt" with a diamond, figuring partner to be weak and hoping not to blow a trick rather than trying to find a killing lead. Declarer can dump one spade on a diamond but must either guess the Ace of spades doubleton or try to establish a club to dispose of another spade. Win the diamond in hand, club to the Ace, ruff a club, heart to the Ace (noting South's Queen.) Time to reconsider -- if that Queen is honest, North has four trumps, and ruffing another club as planned will leave declarer with no more trumps than North. Better pull the trumps and lead a spade to establish at least one winner there. If South pops up with his Ace that's the only trick for the defense; if South ducks, the Queen wins and declarer tries the "obligatory finesse", ducking another spade to South in hopes of catching the Ace doubleton. Success! Three declarers managed 12 tricks for 11 of 12 matchpoints.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Guidelines for Overcalls
The convention card has a place to mark your expected strength for a one-level overcall, but little else; here are my guidelines for overcalls. Rules (1) and (3) (Strength and Suit Quality) are due to Ron Klinger.
Overcalls
After an opponent opens, bidding a suit is called an Overcall. Overcalls are made for any of several reasons:
(1) As the first move on a good hand where we may have game.
(2) As a lead-directing bid.
(3) To help us compete for a part-score.
(4) To jam the opponents bidding, jockeying them out of their best spot.
These goals overlap, and most are aided by bidding good suits and/or good hands.
Styles of overcalls vary a great deal; the following guidelines, however, will generally produce overcalls that most players would consider reasonable.
Expectations for (non-jump) overcalls:
(1) Strength – 8+ hcp at the 1 level, 10+ at the 3 level, 12+ at the 3 level, etc.
(2) Lead – 5 hcp in the suit (KQ or AJ minimum.)
(3) Suit Quality – length of suit plus honors = tricks level (7 at 1 level, 8 at 2, etc.)
(4) Not vulnerable – vulnerable overcalls should have extra strength or suit quality
(5) Five card suit. Over calling a four-card suit is a flaw at the one level, a major flaw at the two level, and unthinkable at any higher level.
Minor flaws, as with any bid, include unguarded honors, no Ace, and poor shape (5332.)
Side 5 card suits and voids would be bonus values, as would overcalls that take up maximum space (2C over 1D, 2D over 1H) and/or preempt a major.
A hand that meets all expectations with no flaws is a clear overcall:
(a) KQxxx Axxx xx xx is an obvious 1S bid over 1C, 1D, or 1H.
(b) xx Ax KQ10xx J10xx is an obvious 2D bid, not vulnerable, over 1H or 1S. Vulnerable, you should want a better suit (such as KQ109x or KQ10xxx) or a better hand (add a useful point or two.) You might bid 2D anyway over 1H for the preemptive value.
(c) AQxxxx xx AQx xx is an obvious 2S bid over a weak 2D or 2H opening.
Hands that fail one or more expectation may overcall with compensation elsewhere:
(d) QJxxx xx AKxx xx, bid 1S over any lower opening. Fails the Lead test but has extra strength.
(e) 9xxxx AQx AQxx x fails both the Lead and Suit Quality tests, but with a full opening bid the hand is likely to belong to our side, and odds favor partner having 3 card support. Partner is less likely to be on lead when we are this strong, and a spade lead may still be best against a notrump contract.
(f) AQ10x xx AQxx xxx – you would double 1H for takeout, but cannot double 1C or 1D for lack of heart support. This hand fails only the 5 card suit test, however, and the extra strength compensates.
Hands which fail the strength requirement but have a good suit often qualify for a weak jump overcall:
(g) AQJxxx xx xxx xx, you could overcall 1S on the basis that the good suit compensates for less than 8 hcp, but weak 2S is a better description and takes up more space. You should make this bid at any vulnerability; the hand has such a high offense to defense ration (ODR) that you will rarely suffer a poor result. Don’t “chicken out” with a 1S bid, for which partner would expect a likely 10 hcp vulnerable. A vulnerable weak jump overcall does NOT promise any extra strength than when non-vul, but does suggest a sound suit.
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