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Board 15: West opens 1H -- move the stiff King to one of the long suits and I'd vote for 2C. North passes at this vulnerability. East is too strong for a single raise, and lacks the fourth trump expected for a jump raise, so he should respond 1S and plan to jump in hearts later. West forces to game with a jump shift (3D.) And now what does East do? "Fast arrival" devotees may argue that 4H would be weaker than 3H, but the standard view I think is that 3H may indicate mere preference (a doubleton) while 4H prtomises genuine support and therefore a hand too strong for a simple raise. West uses 4NT just to make sure partner has at least one key card, hoping it isn't the Ace of clubs. I've seen players leap to 6H on this sort of hand because "you can't Blackwood with a void", but it seems tto me partner is unlikely to have the King of hearts or the Ace of spades if his reply to 4NT shows 0 key cards. Here he shows 1 and West takes a shot at slam.
It is often best to lead an Ace against a suit slam (especially at matchpoints, where saving the overtrick may be important) but here it's fatal: club ruff, cash the King of spades, Ace of diamonds, ruff a diamond -- over-rufffed by South's King, heart return but declarer can still ruff a diamond and pitch his remaining three diamonds on the Ace of spades and the two top clubs.
With the auction as given, North should try to protect his diamond winners -- declarer's second suit -- and lead a trump, leaving declarer a trick short. 6H down one ties for a bottom, no surprise when a key suit breaks 5-1. Unlucky.
Board 24: North opens 3C in second seat, catching partner with a monster. Picturing little more than KQxxxx in trumps and out for a non-vulnerable preempt, South can still figure the heart suit can be established and slam looks excellent. May as well try 3H (100% forcing!) in case partner can support; North bids 3S as a probe toward 3NT. Unfortunately this muddies the waters for Key Card bidders, what would be the agreed suit if South now jumps to 4NT? Probably hearts; some partnerships assume simple Blackwood when no suit has been clearly agreed. North shows zero Aces or Key Cards and South settles for 6C.
East leads a spade, hoping not to give away anything. Declarer wins in hand and proceeds to establish the hearts: Ace of hearts, heart ruff (no 5-1 break here!), finesse in trumps or not? With ten trumps missing the King, the finesse offers better as well as some addded safety -- when East follows, if the suit is 3-0 the finesse will succeed, while if it fails trumps are 2-1 one way or the other. Finessing does not appear to interfere with declarer's plan to establish hearts, so North runs a high club to West. A diamond is led to dummy, a heart is ruffed high, a trump to the Ace pulls the last of those, ruff another heart, ruff a diamond, spade to dummy's Ace and pitch a spade on the now established Queen of hearts. Six making six scores a top. My partner and I made what turned out to be a "striped-tail-ape" double -- we doubled five when declarer can make six! But of course they weren't headed for six. Note to self -- watch out for those underbidders! At our table North/South bid Pass-1H; 2C-2H and I doubled to "compete for the part-score." North rebid his clubs, South leaped to 5C which East, not unreasonably, doubled. Oops.
Board 25: North opens either 1D (textbook) or 1NT (slightly off-beat.) Over either bid South should be thinking slam, but the topless suit may discourage an immediate jump shift. So, 1D-1H; 2C-2S, fourth suit artificial, forcing to game. (North skipped over spades so there's no chance of a fit there.) Now 2NT-3H; and North can take charge with 4NT, Roman Key Card for hearts. South replies one (5D, or 5C playing "1430".) That leaves one key card missing, and "1430" pairs may want to bid 5D to make sure the Queen is not also missing -- DANGER! Diamonds was North's original suit; might partner think 5D is to play? Better to skip the Queen ask and just gamble 6H. Two pairs reached 6NT but on the given auction I don't think North can assume 12 tricks at notrump -- South may need to establish the diamond suit by ruffing, for example.
West would dearly love to punt the lead; since that's not allowed a low spade may have the best chance to avoid blowing a trick. Leading the Queen of clubs hoping to catch King in dummy and Ace with partner strikes me as swinging for the fences on a slider low and away -- North bid clubs, and leading them is much more likely to lose a trick than gain.
South counts 13 tricks, but loses a heart if West glances at dummy before blindly covering the Queen. A rare hand where 6 of 9 pairs bid slam despite only 31 high card points.
Board 31: After South passes, West may open 3S with QJ98765 and out, or pass. I'm not a fan of extremely weak preempts, especially second seat where partner is just as likely to have a strong hand as LHO. North opens 2NT, and if South "does the math", 11+20 or 21 does not add up to slam. I'd probably just raise to 3NT with the 3433 shape, but 4H was the popular contract, whether due to Stayman or in response to North's double of 3S. Twelve tricks can be made when East has trouble guarding both minors.
Board 32: 1S-2C; 2D-3NT looks like a normal auction for E/W, and while West can add two or three points for the excellent spades 16+13 to 15 does not equal slam, and the club misfit argues for passing 3NT. The solid suit looks like a good source of tricks for partner, no need to insist on spades as trumps.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sunday. August 7th 2011
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Board 18: East opens 1C; South may preempt 3C if partner will take that as long clubs (I think that's the most common understanding over a minor. Over a major suit, the jump cue would be asking partner to bid 3NT with a stopper.) West bids 3S (forcing, a new suit by responder who has not yet passed.) East raises to game. West takes stock: one or two spade losers, a heart, two or three diamonds. About 5 losers and partner opened the bidding; but anything in clubs will be wasted. Try visualizing: KQx Axxx Kx xxxx is possible, but you need diamonds to break no worse than 4-2 and even then it may be hard to set them up by ruffing. Better would be Kxxx Axx KQx xxxx, now both diamonds and spades come in and in fact 7S is likely to make. With a possible 13 tricks opposite 12 hcp, gambling on 6S seems reasonable. West can use 4NT to make sure partner has at least one Ace or key card. It's not ideal with the void, but slam would be terrible if partner has no key card, and that's the basic goal of 4NT -- stay out of hopeless slams. East shows 2 Key cards plus the Queen (5S) using RKCB or 1 ace using plain Blackwood, and West should bid 6S. (Absent the preempt, West might stop at 5S using plain Blackwood, guessing East has the Ace of clubs.)
West pulls trumps, cashes the Ace of diamonds and concedes a diamond, and then ruffs two more diamonds to establish the 5th as a winner. Along the way West may as well ruff clubs in hand, in case the Ace drops or a squeeze develops.
Our auction, with no preempt, was 1C-1S; 2S-4NT; 5S-6S. The raise from 1 to 2 gave me confidence partner had 4 trumps or a good 3 card holding. I would've stopped at 5S if partner had shown zero or one key card; I don't know of a good way to portray the void or ask about key cards excluding partner's first suit.
Board 26: South opens 1NT; West may overcall 2C, natural or DONT (showing clubs and another suit.) Some may pass but those two tens would inspire me to bid despite being vulnerable. North counts 3.5 heart losers, a diamond and a club; partner's 15-17 can easily provide 5 cover cards so slam or grand slam looks plausible. Point counters can count 14 + 2 for the long suits for at least 16, and three aces are a plus. For slam purposes the heart suit is very anemic; I'd treat it as a four-bagger, bidding Stayman (2C if West passed, or 3C, cue-bidding West's suit.) South shows hearts, let's assume 3H over 3C. North can bid 4NT as RKCB, or use a gadget to show a fit -- bidding the other major after Stayman is one expert tretment, so 3S to confirm a heart fit and show slam interest. (It should stirke partner as weird that you would bid Stayman and then volunteer the unbid major, so this gadget has some protection against memory failure.)
South lacks a spade control -- the 3S bid has nothing to do with spades -- but lovely trumps, so a 4C cue-bid is recommended. I think of this as "borrowing" one of those high trumps to treat the club like an Ace. North now checks key cards (4NT), South replies 5H (2 without the Queen) and North settles for 6H as there may be a trump loser. That was the popular contract; one pair scored a matchpoint top with 6NT, but as North only has 14 hcp that seems riskier than 6H. Everyone took 13 tricks when both red suits came in with no losers.
Board 18: East opens 1C; South may preempt 3C if partner will take that as long clubs (I think that's the most common understanding over a minor. Over a major suit, the jump cue would be asking partner to bid 3NT with a stopper.) West bids 3S (forcing, a new suit by responder who has not yet passed.) East raises to game. West takes stock: one or two spade losers, a heart, two or three diamonds. About 5 losers and partner opened the bidding; but anything in clubs will be wasted. Try visualizing: KQx Axxx Kx xxxx is possible, but you need diamonds to break no worse than 4-2 and even then it may be hard to set them up by ruffing. Better would be Kxxx Axx KQx xxxx, now both diamonds and spades come in and in fact 7S is likely to make. With a possible 13 tricks opposite 12 hcp, gambling on 6S seems reasonable. West can use 4NT to make sure partner has at least one Ace or key card. It's not ideal with the void, but slam would be terrible if partner has no key card, and that's the basic goal of 4NT -- stay out of hopeless slams. East shows 2 Key cards plus the Queen (5S) using RKCB or 1 ace using plain Blackwood, and West should bid 6S. (Absent the preempt, West might stop at 5S using plain Blackwood, guessing East has the Ace of clubs.)
West pulls trumps, cashes the Ace of diamonds and concedes a diamond, and then ruffs two more diamonds to establish the 5th as a winner. Along the way West may as well ruff clubs in hand, in case the Ace drops or a squeeze develops.
Our auction, with no preempt, was 1C-1S; 2S-4NT; 5S-6S. The raise from 1 to 2 gave me confidence partner had 4 trumps or a good 3 card holding. I would've stopped at 5S if partner had shown zero or one key card; I don't know of a good way to portray the void or ask about key cards excluding partner's first suit.
Board 26: South opens 1NT; West may overcall 2C, natural or DONT (showing clubs and another suit.) Some may pass but those two tens would inspire me to bid despite being vulnerable. North counts 3.5 heart losers, a diamond and a club; partner's 15-17 can easily provide 5 cover cards so slam or grand slam looks plausible. Point counters can count 14 + 2 for the long suits for at least 16, and three aces are a plus. For slam purposes the heart suit is very anemic; I'd treat it as a four-bagger, bidding Stayman (2C if West passed, or 3C, cue-bidding West's suit.) South shows hearts, let's assume 3H over 3C. North can bid 4NT as RKCB, or use a gadget to show a fit -- bidding the other major after Stayman is one expert tretment, so 3S to confirm a heart fit and show slam interest. (It should stirke partner as weird that you would bid Stayman and then volunteer the unbid major, so this gadget has some protection against memory failure.)
South lacks a spade control -- the 3S bid has nothing to do with spades -- but lovely trumps, so a 4C cue-bid is recommended. I think of this as "borrowing" one of those high trumps to treat the club like an Ace. North now checks key cards (4NT), South replies 5H (2 without the Queen) and North settles for 6H as there may be a trump loser. That was the popular contract; one pair scored a matchpoint top with 6NT, but as North only has 14 hcp that seems riskier than 6H. Everyone took 13 tricks when both red suits came in with no losers.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Friday, August 5th 2011
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Board 13: North opens 1C. East, vulnerable with only a King, may nevertheless trot out a Michaels cue-bid on his 6-6 shape. Assuming a pass, South counts 4 losers (a spade, a diamond and two clubs) and can expect to make slam or grand slam unless two key cards are missing. Clubs are probably the best trump suit, planning to pitch any spade losers North has on the long diamonds, but as it is possible North has only 3 clubs South needs more information before setting trumps. Playing strong jump shifts, South starts with 2D, planning to support clubs next. Most American experts require a five-card suit for a jump shift, so North would certainly raise with Axx support; I prefer fewer restrictions, so South might have only KQxx for his jump; North's natural rebid would be 2NT but lacking a spade stopper he may prefer to raise. Another common restriction is no side suit, which would allow opener to cue-bid 2H, certainly a more economical bid than 3D. Again, I don't make that restriction, so I would probably rebid 2NT to describe the shape and strength. South now shows his club supprt with 3C, and North continues with 3D or 3H. South at any rate should drive the bidding to 6C or 6D.
Playing weak jump shifts, South must begin with a nebulous 1D response. This is supposed to "save bidding room" but does so at the expense of keeping North clueless about South's slam ambitions. North may rebid 1NT (my choice) or rebid the clubs or raise diamonds or even try 1H to avoid bidding notrump without a spade stopper. (My attitude is that I don't worry much about stopping a suit no one bothered to overcall.) Over 1NT, South can force with 2S; this need not be a real suit since North skipped over it. Such a reverse by responder is best played as forcing to game. North now shows delayed diamond support (3D.) South may consider 4C, but that bid could easily be taken as showing a control rather than support; simplest is probably 4NT followed by 6C or 6D. If partner would understand 4H over 3D as showing a void (some would play it as Exclusion Key Card Blackwood) that's another option. I think the potential for a bidding mishap is quite high if South never makes a clarifying jump, which exposes the fallacy that not jumping immediately saves bidding room. 6C, 6D and 6NT all make easily.
Board 25: My partner and I had this auction: 1S-2H; 3C-3H; 4H-4NT; 5C (1 or 4 key cards)-5D (do you have the Queen of trumps?). At this point North doubled, perhaps to suggest a sacrifice. Playing next step = no, second step = yes, it is unclear what the best ageement shold be over the double. East bid 6H, which certainly implied the Queen, and failing a diamond lead I was able to make 6. The key bid in our auction was East's 3C, implying extra values; with a minimum, East should rebid something at the 2 level, using 2S as a catch-all for minimum hands unsuitable for 2NT. Most E/W pairs languished in 4H, likely because no bid by East sugests extra values -- this is my chief objection to "Two Over One Game Force" with no study of the follow-up bidding.
Board 13: North opens 1C. East, vulnerable with only a King, may nevertheless trot out a Michaels cue-bid on his 6-6 shape. Assuming a pass, South counts 4 losers (a spade, a diamond and two clubs) and can expect to make slam or grand slam unless two key cards are missing. Clubs are probably the best trump suit, planning to pitch any spade losers North has on the long diamonds, but as it is possible North has only 3 clubs South needs more information before setting trumps. Playing strong jump shifts, South starts with 2D, planning to support clubs next. Most American experts require a five-card suit for a jump shift, so North would certainly raise with Axx support; I prefer fewer restrictions, so South might have only KQxx for his jump; North's natural rebid would be 2NT but lacking a spade stopper he may prefer to raise. Another common restriction is no side suit, which would allow opener to cue-bid 2H, certainly a more economical bid than 3D. Again, I don't make that restriction, so I would probably rebid 2NT to describe the shape and strength. South now shows his club supprt with 3C, and North continues with 3D or 3H. South at any rate should drive the bidding to 6C or 6D.
Playing weak jump shifts, South must begin with a nebulous 1D response. This is supposed to "save bidding room" but does so at the expense of keeping North clueless about South's slam ambitions. North may rebid 1NT (my choice) or rebid the clubs or raise diamonds or even try 1H to avoid bidding notrump without a spade stopper. (My attitude is that I don't worry much about stopping a suit no one bothered to overcall.) Over 1NT, South can force with 2S; this need not be a real suit since North skipped over it. Such a reverse by responder is best played as forcing to game. North now shows delayed diamond support (3D.) South may consider 4C, but that bid could easily be taken as showing a control rather than support; simplest is probably 4NT followed by 6C or 6D. If partner would understand 4H over 3D as showing a void (some would play it as Exclusion Key Card Blackwood) that's another option. I think the potential for a bidding mishap is quite high if South never makes a clarifying jump, which exposes the fallacy that not jumping immediately saves bidding room. 6C, 6D and 6NT all make easily.
Board 25: My partner and I had this auction: 1S-2H; 3C-3H; 4H-4NT; 5C (1 or 4 key cards)-5D (do you have the Queen of trumps?). At this point North doubled, perhaps to suggest a sacrifice. Playing next step = no, second step = yes, it is unclear what the best ageement shold be over the double. East bid 6H, which certainly implied the Queen, and failing a diamond lead I was able to make 6. The key bid in our auction was East's 3C, implying extra values; with a minimum, East should rebid something at the 2 level, using 2S as a catch-all for minimum hands unsuitable for 2NT. Most E/W pairs languished in 4H, likely because no bid by East sugests extra values -- this is my chief objection to "Two Over One Game Force" with no study of the follow-up bidding.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, August 4th 2011
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Forcing Minor Raise -- Board 6: South opens 1D and North has a prime 14 count with six card support. North can count two points for the long suit with a known fit and perhaps one or two more for his doubletons, as South may be able to pitch a loser or two. Call it 17 in value, enough to invite slam but not enough to insist on it opposite a minimum. Oddly, many players lack a method of establishing partner's minor suit as trumps and then exploring for slam. Most of the time you'll have another suit to bid, so such hands are rare, but missing a good slam or going down in a bad one would be quite frustrating.
Let's confirm North's slam interest with visualization: can we construct a balacned 12 point hand that would make slam a virtual laydown? Try KQxx xx Kxxx Axx opposite North's Ax Axx AQ109xx xx -- 11 top tricks, ruff a heart for 12 (after conceding a heart), and pitch a club on the Queen of spades to avoid a loser there. If North drives to slam, South may have a less suitable 12 count and the cotract may have no play. But if North can invite slam and South accepts, there are many more hands that will make 12 tricks. So inviting slam is justified. However, if the combined values don't add up to 6D, North would like to play 3NT or at least 4NT unless the clubs are wide open. That adds to the complication -- if North can establish a game force with a diamond fit, any 4NT bid is sure to be interpreted as Blackwood or a Key Card asking bid. And yet it is nearly impossible to suggest slam in a minor below 3NT -- all the bidding tools are aimed at the all-important 3NT game.
As a practical matter, North should probably settle for 3NT at matchpoints -- with only 14 hcp, the field won't be in slam and 3NT should score reasonably well. At teams, it would be better to try for slam and stop, if necessary, at 5D.
Now let's look at bidding tools. Some pairs may still play 1D-3D as an old-fashioned forcing raise, and I'd recommend that for far more partnerships -- simple, and reasonably effective. On today's hand South would probe for 3NT with 3S; K10xx may not be a double-stopper opposite a singleton, but then again 5D might fail on the duplicated values in that case. North lacks a club stopper and may as well cue-bid 4H on the way to 5D. South has a prime 14 count, control of the unmentioned suit (clubs) and is delighted to hear about the heart control, so I would expect 4NT (Blackwood), 5S (3 Aces), 6D, pass. South should bid the slam over 5H (two Aces) as well, and can pass a 5D reply. The only drawback to this method would be landing at 5D rather than 3NT at matchpoints.
More popular is 1D-3D as a "limit raise", inviting game but not forcing. Unfortunately, many pairs combine this with 1D-2NT not forcing, leaving North with absolutely no sensible way to bid this hand! Many would guess to bid 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB), and compound the crime by stopping at 5D if partner shows no Ace with the excuse "I was worried about clubs, partner." The purpose of Blackwood is to stay out of slam missing two Aces. (Completely unethical, of course, is the common habitof thinking a long time after, rather than before, using Blackwood, inviting partner to proceed to slam if he likes his hand. But pairs who bid this way make enough mistakes I try not to leat it bother me.)
Better would be to combine "limit raises" with a forcing 2NT and splinter raises: a double jump in a new suit shows game values, good trump support, and a singleton or void in the suit jumped. Many play splinters over a major but they are also useful over minors. "Game values" should be at least 13 high card points (enough for 3NT if opener has a stopper-and-a-half opposite the shortage), and trump support should be 5 or 6 cards with no side four-card major.
On today's hand Norrth has no singleton and so cannot splinter, but a forcing 2NT at least keeps the bidding open. Since 2NT generally denies a four-card major, South's rebid over 2NT can be similar to Jacoby 2NT over a major (Warning! -- non-standard method here.) South bids a new suit to show a singleton, which will guide North to choosing between 3NT and 5 or 6 diamonds. With a balanced 12-14 such as today's hand, South simply raises 2NT to 3NT. With a balanced 18, South can invite slam by raising to 4NT (quantitative, not Blackwood; 4C would be Gerber.) Finally, with no singleton but 5 or 6 diamonds and extra values, South can rebid 3D over 2NT.
After 1D-2NT-3NT, North must decide between a matchpoint pass or trying for slam. 4NT, quantititive, is a possibility (no suit has been agreed and it is a raise of notrump, so it shouldn't be Blackwood) but 4D confirms the fit, is a clear slam try (it would be senseless for North to suggest 3NT and then run from it in fear) and seems a good description of North's hand. South, having limited his values with 3NT, should love his hand and can proceed with Blackwood or RKCB or can cue-bid spades or clubs and the slam should be reached. Again, the drawback with this approach is that once North bids 4D, it is impossible to land back at 3NT or even, in most partnerships, 4NT. A look at the results shows 3NT scored 6 of 8 matchpoints (75%), 6D a full top, and 5D making 6 earned a mere 25%. So the reward for bidding slam was only 25% of the matchpoints while stopping a 5D cost 50% and 6D failing would likely have cost a 75% score. I think passing 3NT is the practical matchpoint bid.
For those not prepared to play splinters, a reasonable alternative is to use the jump shift in the other minor as a forcing raise: 1C-2D and 1D-3C. Actually, I'm such as fan of strong two-level jump shifts that I'd prefer to keep 1C-2D for that purpose, but 1C-3D would be fine, so "3 other minor = forcing raise." It is normal to show notrump stoppers after such a raise; South can bid 3S (suggesting a problem in hearts) or perhaps 3D (asking North for major suit stoppers, so implying a stopper in clubs.) North is essentially faced with the same 3NT-or-diamonds dilemma as above, and 3NT is the practical bid.
Finally we come to the popular "Inverted Minor" raise, which most 2/1 Game Force partnerships use. 1D-3D is 6-9 with 5 card support (just enough for 3NT if opener has a balanced 18 count) and 1D-2D shows 10+ with 4+ diamonds (and no major and no great length in clubs.) It is common to play opener's rebids of 2NT and 3D as minimum, not forcing; with extra values opener begins bidding stoppers (any new suit) or jumps to 3NT (keeping in mind responder may have a singleton somewhere.)
Today's South (looking at a good 14) can bid 2S or 3C over the raise; planning ahead 3C may be the better call since North likely cannot stop the clubs and may be stuck for a second bid on a good hand like today's. "Extra values and stuff in clubs" should delight North, who can proceed with 4NT followed by 5NT (all the Aces or all five key cards + the Queen.) But 5NT will prove disastrous if South is expected to show how many Kings he has, as his 6H or 6S reply will land the partnership too high at 6NT or 7D.
Better to get South to do the asking: 1D-2D; 3C-3H; 3NT-4S (an obvious slam try); 4NT-5S (3 aces) or 5C (0 or 3 key cards) or 5D (0 or 3 playing "1430"). The 4S cue-bid rules out 0 key cards and South can bid 5H to ask about the Queen. There are two popular methods of replying to the Queen-asking bid: first step = no, second = yes; or, agreed suit = no, other bids = yes, and any suit bid also shows the King of that suit. (I actually play cheaper of agreed suit or 5NT as the negative.) North shows the Queen but no side King and South signs off at 6D.
Well, that's a lot of discussion for one hand but it certainly would be nice to reach this good slam while avoiding a poor one on a day when South's cards are less suitable. "Inverted mnors" appears to be the winner, but 3NT scored 75% and for many partnerships the added complexity of Inverted Minors may not be worthwhile.
Side note: playing forcing jumps, how can responder make a "limit raise" ? Most of the time by bidding a new suit, then 3 of the minor, and for this purpose a good 3 card holding in the other minor is acceptable. For those rare birds such as today's hand with no rational side suit to bid, just force to game with 12 and make a simple raise with 11 -- opener likely has only 12 or 13 hcp and you won't have enough for game; even opposite14 game is only about 55%-60% and stopping short is no great bridge crime.
Forcing Minor Raise -- Board 6: South opens 1D and North has a prime 14 count with six card support. North can count two points for the long suit with a known fit and perhaps one or two more for his doubletons, as South may be able to pitch a loser or two. Call it 17 in value, enough to invite slam but not enough to insist on it opposite a minimum. Oddly, many players lack a method of establishing partner's minor suit as trumps and then exploring for slam. Most of the time you'll have another suit to bid, so such hands are rare, but missing a good slam or going down in a bad one would be quite frustrating.
Let's confirm North's slam interest with visualization: can we construct a balacned 12 point hand that would make slam a virtual laydown? Try KQxx xx Kxxx Axx opposite North's Ax Axx AQ109xx xx -- 11 top tricks, ruff a heart for 12 (after conceding a heart), and pitch a club on the Queen of spades to avoid a loser there. If North drives to slam, South may have a less suitable 12 count and the cotract may have no play. But if North can invite slam and South accepts, there are many more hands that will make 12 tricks. So inviting slam is justified. However, if the combined values don't add up to 6D, North would like to play 3NT or at least 4NT unless the clubs are wide open. That adds to the complication -- if North can establish a game force with a diamond fit, any 4NT bid is sure to be interpreted as Blackwood or a Key Card asking bid. And yet it is nearly impossible to suggest slam in a minor below 3NT -- all the bidding tools are aimed at the all-important 3NT game.
As a practical matter, North should probably settle for 3NT at matchpoints -- with only 14 hcp, the field won't be in slam and 3NT should score reasonably well. At teams, it would be better to try for slam and stop, if necessary, at 5D.
Now let's look at bidding tools. Some pairs may still play 1D-3D as an old-fashioned forcing raise, and I'd recommend that for far more partnerships -- simple, and reasonably effective. On today's hand South would probe for 3NT with 3S; K10xx may not be a double-stopper opposite a singleton, but then again 5D might fail on the duplicated values in that case. North lacks a club stopper and may as well cue-bid 4H on the way to 5D. South has a prime 14 count, control of the unmentioned suit (clubs) and is delighted to hear about the heart control, so I would expect 4NT (Blackwood), 5S (3 Aces), 6D, pass. South should bid the slam over 5H (two Aces) as well, and can pass a 5D reply. The only drawback to this method would be landing at 5D rather than 3NT at matchpoints.
More popular is 1D-3D as a "limit raise", inviting game but not forcing. Unfortunately, many pairs combine this with 1D-2NT not forcing, leaving North with absolutely no sensible way to bid this hand! Many would guess to bid 4NT (Blackwood or RKCB), and compound the crime by stopping at 5D if partner shows no Ace with the excuse "I was worried about clubs, partner." The purpose of Blackwood is to stay out of slam missing two Aces. (Completely unethical, of course, is the common habitof thinking a long time after, rather than before, using Blackwood, inviting partner to proceed to slam if he likes his hand. But pairs who bid this way make enough mistakes I try not to leat it bother me.)
Better would be to combine "limit raises" with a forcing 2NT and splinter raises: a double jump in a new suit shows game values, good trump support, and a singleton or void in the suit jumped. Many play splinters over a major but they are also useful over minors. "Game values" should be at least 13 high card points (enough for 3NT if opener has a stopper-and-a-half opposite the shortage), and trump support should be 5 or 6 cards with no side four-card major.
On today's hand Norrth has no singleton and so cannot splinter, but a forcing 2NT at least keeps the bidding open. Since 2NT generally denies a four-card major, South's rebid over 2NT can be similar to Jacoby 2NT over a major (Warning! -- non-standard method here.) South bids a new suit to show a singleton, which will guide North to choosing between 3NT and 5 or 6 diamonds. With a balanced 12-14 such as today's hand, South simply raises 2NT to 3NT. With a balanced 18, South can invite slam by raising to 4NT (quantitative, not Blackwood; 4C would be Gerber.) Finally, with no singleton but 5 or 6 diamonds and extra values, South can rebid 3D over 2NT.
After 1D-2NT-3NT, North must decide between a matchpoint pass or trying for slam. 4NT, quantititive, is a possibility (no suit has been agreed and it is a raise of notrump, so it shouldn't be Blackwood) but 4D confirms the fit, is a clear slam try (it would be senseless for North to suggest 3NT and then run from it in fear) and seems a good description of North's hand. South, having limited his values with 3NT, should love his hand and can proceed with Blackwood or RKCB or can cue-bid spades or clubs and the slam should be reached. Again, the drawback with this approach is that once North bids 4D, it is impossible to land back at 3NT or even, in most partnerships, 4NT. A look at the results shows 3NT scored 6 of 8 matchpoints (75%), 6D a full top, and 5D making 6 earned a mere 25%. So the reward for bidding slam was only 25% of the matchpoints while stopping a 5D cost 50% and 6D failing would likely have cost a 75% score. I think passing 3NT is the practical matchpoint bid.
For those not prepared to play splinters, a reasonable alternative is to use the jump shift in the other minor as a forcing raise: 1C-2D and 1D-3C. Actually, I'm such as fan of strong two-level jump shifts that I'd prefer to keep 1C-2D for that purpose, but 1C-3D would be fine, so "3 other minor = forcing raise." It is normal to show notrump stoppers after such a raise; South can bid 3S (suggesting a problem in hearts) or perhaps 3D (asking North for major suit stoppers, so implying a stopper in clubs.) North is essentially faced with the same 3NT-or-diamonds dilemma as above, and 3NT is the practical bid.
Finally we come to the popular "Inverted Minor" raise, which most 2/1 Game Force partnerships use. 1D-3D is 6-9 with 5 card support (just enough for 3NT if opener has a balanced 18 count) and 1D-2D shows 10+ with 4+ diamonds (and no major and no great length in clubs.) It is common to play opener's rebids of 2NT and 3D as minimum, not forcing; with extra values opener begins bidding stoppers (any new suit) or jumps to 3NT (keeping in mind responder may have a singleton somewhere.)
Today's South (looking at a good 14) can bid 2S or 3C over the raise; planning ahead 3C may be the better call since North likely cannot stop the clubs and may be stuck for a second bid on a good hand like today's. "Extra values and stuff in clubs" should delight North, who can proceed with 4NT followed by 5NT (all the Aces or all five key cards + the Queen.) But 5NT will prove disastrous if South is expected to show how many Kings he has, as his 6H or 6S reply will land the partnership too high at 6NT or 7D.
Better to get South to do the asking: 1D-2D; 3C-3H; 3NT-4S (an obvious slam try); 4NT-5S (3 aces) or 5C (0 or 3 key cards) or 5D (0 or 3 playing "1430"). The 4S cue-bid rules out 0 key cards and South can bid 5H to ask about the Queen. There are two popular methods of replying to the Queen-asking bid: first step = no, second = yes; or, agreed suit = no, other bids = yes, and any suit bid also shows the King of that suit. (I actually play cheaper of agreed suit or 5NT as the negative.) North shows the Queen but no side King and South signs off at 6D.
Well, that's a lot of discussion for one hand but it certainly would be nice to reach this good slam while avoiding a poor one on a day when South's cards are less suitable. "Inverted mnors" appears to be the winner, but 3NT scored 75% and for many partnerships the added complexity of Inverted Minors may not be worthwhile.
Side note: playing forcing jumps, how can responder make a "limit raise" ? Most of the time by bidding a new suit, then 3 of the minor, and for this purpose a good 3 card holding in the other minor is acceptable. For those rare birds such as today's hand with no rational side suit to bid, just force to game with 12 and make a simple raise with 11 -- opener likely has only 12 or 13 hcp and you won't have enough for game; even opposite14 game is only about 55%-60% and stopping short is no great bridge crime.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 31st 2011
Right-click here for hands. I've never seen so many big hands!
Board 2: South opens 1NT (15-17), West may overcall 2D -- only 7 hcp but a good suit and favorable vulnerability -- might interfere with their Stayman or transfeer auction. Many players like "stolen bid" doubles (dbl here = hearts, 2H = spades) but experts universally reject those -- double is more useful for penalty or takeout or "cards". Instead, North can cue-bid 3D as Stayman (forcing to game); East doubles for a lead (showing the Ace or King in partner's suit), and South bids 3S. North is light on points and has no Aces, but with both opps showing values in diamonds maybe opener doesn't have a lot there. North counts 5 losers (AK in spades and clubs, A of hearts); any 4 of those cards would total only 14 or 15 hcp, so a slam try is warranted. 4D suggests the shortage and South, with 4 key cards, should id the salm, perhaps after a keycard auction. With trumps splitting 2-2, declarer has 5 long spades, 4 hearts, a club and two more trumps in hand for an easy 12 tricks; he can try the club finesse or pitch a club and try to ruff out the King, but 12 is the limit today.
Board 5: North could justify an opening 1S bid, but with only 10 hcp and no Aces, a preempt looks best. With 8 solid spades I'd open 4S despite the unfavorable vulnerability. East doubles and West may as well try to beat 4S as bid somethign at the five level. 4S should be down 2 tricks but only one E/W pair managed that. 6C makes but I can't see a reasoanble way to bid it.
With his wealth of high cards, East should probably lead his Ace of trumps, getting a look at dummmy and protecting his assets against a fluke ruff in dummy. The defense should collect the obvious 5 tricks for +500. When declarer leads the King of hearts, East should grab the Ace and lead a club -- if you've cashed the AK of diamonds, there aren't enough side cards left in preemptor's hand to worry you might be leading into the AQ.
Board 6: East has 22 hcp, but 4315 is an awkward shape if you start with a strong 2C. east shold either open 1C, planning to jump shift later in spades, or open 2C, planning to rebid in notrump (treating the stiff Ace as equivalent to a doubleton.) I'd open 1C, and that might well end the auction. North may balance (1D or perhaps a double) but with less than 9 hcp, I usually pass a standard 1 bid out since opener is generally loaded, if not quite this strong! Over 1D East may be temepted to jump to 2S, but partner's pass should give pause -- you only need a trick for game, but partner may well be broke. I'd double 1D, planning to bid 1S over partner's likely 1H. South may raise to 2D but not if he's seen partner bid this way before. West bids 2C, East should bid 2S as planned. West may as well bid 2NT -- partner is showing a monster and West does have diamonds stopped. East raises to 3NT. North leads a diamond and West can hope to make the hand by knocking out the Ace of clubs and finessing in spades -- no luck today, but not a bad shot.
If East opens 2C, West makes a negative or waiting bid, East rebids 2NT and West raises to game. South's best lead is also a diamond, however, and the result should be the same. With no Stayman from West, South may guess to lead a heart, instead, sllowing East to make. I'd say the hearts are too poor to try that.
Board 9: Unless South opens light, West opens 1S in 4th seat, East responds 1NT, and West either invites with 2NT (this suggests 17-18 hcp) or just blasts 3NT. East should accept the invitation, so the result here is the same. South has no attractive lead and declarer is apt to make 11 tricks on anything other than a club lead.
Board 10: Vulnerable, should East pass or open 3C? Well, they're vulnerable as well and 3127 shape tends to play better than 2227 and those club spots look good -- by this time it's obvious you were thinking, might as well bid (which leaves everyone guessing what your problem was) as pass (which makes it obvious you almost had a bid.) Over 3C, I'm sure many Souths bid only 3H but you need so little from partner I think 4H is better. 3H does leave more room to bid show the diamonds but you are unlikely to be able to desribe this hand accurately.
West has relatively poor 5332 shape, but apparently E/W have 12 clubs! The "Law of Total Tricks" would suggest bidding 6C, but that may just stampede them into 6H and you know one of them is void in clubs. 5C is the practical bid, and if they guess to bid slam, let it go -- they'll guess wrong another time.
North must do something -- 5H or double? Well, double is usually the expert choice in those bidding contests, retaining the flexibiity to blame partner for whatver happens next :). Anyway, that's my choice. South pulls this to 5D with his 1660 shape. Back to North -- 5H or 6H? Two big cards and fits for both of partner's suits, but it is not clear North has more than the usual 7 hcp partner counts on over a preempt. 5H making 6 looks normal.
Board 11: South should pass his ratty 11 count -- be sure to deduct a point for no aces and/or the stiff Queen before you decide this is a Rule of 20 bid or Goren 13 count. West has 20 hcp and a good 5 card spade suit; 2NT is the usual bid these days. You won't miss game opening 1S but it will often wrong-side the notrump. However, partner is likely to have 3 card support so it is not clear to me 2NT is best -- it sure crowds the auction. North considers preempting 3H on his 6-4 shape, but the "empty" suit should convince him to pass. East has just enough to respond 1NT and West raises to game. If West opens 2NT, East raises to game. South has no good lead -- no point in leading spades when West is known to have 5 -- and perhaps tries a low club, won in dummy (West.) With hearts wide open and no play for 9 tricks, East should cross to his hand with a diamond, finesse the club, and cash out for down two. If North is on lead the defense takes 6 fast heart tricks and declarer is apt to have trouble deciding what to keep.
Board 15: After a pass, West looks at a prime 21 count, excellent 5152 shape, and good spot cards in diamonds. Two-suited hands can be awkward to handle if you open 2C -- you can't stop below game since every new suit by opener is forcing. My choice was 1S, but when partner raised I leaped to 4NT (RKCB) and bid slam over the 5D reply (1 or 4 key cards.) Maybe too ambitious -- the trump King is worth only half a trick and nothing else is useful. However, the opening lead was the Queen of diamonds and later I guessed to play the leader for QJ rather than Q singleton.
If West opens 2C, East could bid 2NT if that shows a natural, balanced 8-10 count. West bids 3S and East raises to game, content with having shown values and a fit. 4NT leads to 6S as before. Playing step responses, East bids 2S (7-9 hcp) and steals the hand! Playing 2H as a bust, East responds 2D (4+ hcp, waiting, or at least one Ace or King, depending on style) and then raises West's 2S to 3S. All roads lead to slam, and the bad luck of finding responder with such poor cards is balanced by the lucky QJ drop, though a reasonable declarer might play South for QJ and try to finesse twice.
Board 23: South opens a clear-cut 2C (22 hcp and an obvious notrump rebid) and North bids 2D, waiting, 2NT (steps, 10-12), 2NT natural (8-10), or 3NT (10-12, playing 2H as a bust and 2NT as a heart positive.) 6NT is likely on the combined 32 count, but 2C-3NT- pass or 2C-2NT-3NT-4NT pass would be reasonable auctions -- it usually takes 33 hcp to have good play for 6NT.
West has a tough lead -- neither cashing nor undeerleading the Ace of spades is attactive against 6NT. I'd lead a club hoping not to blow a trick, which appears to work. South drives out the Ace of spades, setting up 2 tricks and "rectifying the count" as if for a squeeze, although no squeeze is possible with only one threat suit (diamonds). West exits safely with a club or spade and South cashes his clubs, spades, and finally hearts. East must keep at least three diamonds to beat the slam.
Board 28: West opens 2C with 21 hcp and a good 6 card suit. East replies 2D (waiting, or waiting 4+) or 2H (steps, 4-6) and West should rebid 2NT, aiming for the more likely notrump game rather than 5C or 6C. East transfers to hearts (3D Jacoby or 4D Texas) and bids (or passes) game. North has little expectation of ruffing a club, but prefers the singleton lead to underleading any of his high cards into the big hand. Declarer wins in East and leads the Jack of hearts, South takes his Ace perforce and returns a club, but the defense collects only one more trick whether North ruffs or discards. A spade lead, as it happens, would've held declarer to 10 tricks.
Board 2: South opens 1NT (15-17), West may overcall 2D -- only 7 hcp but a good suit and favorable vulnerability -- might interfere with their Stayman or transfeer auction. Many players like "stolen bid" doubles (dbl here = hearts, 2H = spades) but experts universally reject those -- double is more useful for penalty or takeout or "cards". Instead, North can cue-bid 3D as Stayman (forcing to game); East doubles for a lead (showing the Ace or King in partner's suit), and South bids 3S. North is light on points and has no Aces, but with both opps showing values in diamonds maybe opener doesn't have a lot there. North counts 5 losers (AK in spades and clubs, A of hearts); any 4 of those cards would total only 14 or 15 hcp, so a slam try is warranted. 4D suggests the shortage and South, with 4 key cards, should id the salm, perhaps after a keycard auction. With trumps splitting 2-2, declarer has 5 long spades, 4 hearts, a club and two more trumps in hand for an easy 12 tricks; he can try the club finesse or pitch a club and try to ruff out the King, but 12 is the limit today.
Board 5: North could justify an opening 1S bid, but with only 10 hcp and no Aces, a preempt looks best. With 8 solid spades I'd open 4S despite the unfavorable vulnerability. East doubles and West may as well try to beat 4S as bid somethign at the five level. 4S should be down 2 tricks but only one E/W pair managed that. 6C makes but I can't see a reasoanble way to bid it.
With his wealth of high cards, East should probably lead his Ace of trumps, getting a look at dummmy and protecting his assets against a fluke ruff in dummy. The defense should collect the obvious 5 tricks for +500. When declarer leads the King of hearts, East should grab the Ace and lead a club -- if you've cashed the AK of diamonds, there aren't enough side cards left in preemptor's hand to worry you might be leading into the AQ.
Board 6: East has 22 hcp, but 4315 is an awkward shape if you start with a strong 2C. east shold either open 1C, planning to jump shift later in spades, or open 2C, planning to rebid in notrump (treating the stiff Ace as equivalent to a doubleton.) I'd open 1C, and that might well end the auction. North may balance (1D or perhaps a double) but with less than 9 hcp, I usually pass a standard 1 bid out since opener is generally loaded, if not quite this strong! Over 1D East may be temepted to jump to 2S, but partner's pass should give pause -- you only need a trick for game, but partner may well be broke. I'd double 1D, planning to bid 1S over partner's likely 1H. South may raise to 2D but not if he's seen partner bid this way before. West bids 2C, East should bid 2S as planned. West may as well bid 2NT -- partner is showing a monster and West does have diamonds stopped. East raises to 3NT. North leads a diamond and West can hope to make the hand by knocking out the Ace of clubs and finessing in spades -- no luck today, but not a bad shot.
If East opens 2C, West makes a negative or waiting bid, East rebids 2NT and West raises to game. South's best lead is also a diamond, however, and the result should be the same. With no Stayman from West, South may guess to lead a heart, instead, sllowing East to make. I'd say the hearts are too poor to try that.
Board 9: Unless South opens light, West opens 1S in 4th seat, East responds 1NT, and West either invites with 2NT (this suggests 17-18 hcp) or just blasts 3NT. East should accept the invitation, so the result here is the same. South has no attractive lead and declarer is apt to make 11 tricks on anything other than a club lead.
Board 10: Vulnerable, should East pass or open 3C? Well, they're vulnerable as well and 3127 shape tends to play better than 2227 and those club spots look good -- by this time it's obvious you were thinking, might as well bid (which leaves everyone guessing what your problem was) as pass (which makes it obvious you almost had a bid.) Over 3C, I'm sure many Souths bid only 3H but you need so little from partner I think 4H is better. 3H does leave more room to bid show the diamonds but you are unlikely to be able to desribe this hand accurately.
West has relatively poor 5332 shape, but apparently E/W have 12 clubs! The "Law of Total Tricks" would suggest bidding 6C, but that may just stampede them into 6H and you know one of them is void in clubs. 5C is the practical bid, and if they guess to bid slam, let it go -- they'll guess wrong another time.
North must do something -- 5H or double? Well, double is usually the expert choice in those bidding contests, retaining the flexibiity to blame partner for whatver happens next :). Anyway, that's my choice. South pulls this to 5D with his 1660 shape. Back to North -- 5H or 6H? Two big cards and fits for both of partner's suits, but it is not clear North has more than the usual 7 hcp partner counts on over a preempt. 5H making 6 looks normal.
Board 11: South should pass his ratty 11 count -- be sure to deduct a point for no aces and/or the stiff Queen before you decide this is a Rule of 20 bid or Goren 13 count. West has 20 hcp and a good 5 card spade suit; 2NT is the usual bid these days. You won't miss game opening 1S but it will often wrong-side the notrump. However, partner is likely to have 3 card support so it is not clear to me 2NT is best -- it sure crowds the auction. North considers preempting 3H on his 6-4 shape, but the "empty" suit should convince him to pass. East has just enough to respond 1NT and West raises to game. If West opens 2NT, East raises to game. South has no good lead -- no point in leading spades when West is known to have 5 -- and perhaps tries a low club, won in dummy (West.) With hearts wide open and no play for 9 tricks, East should cross to his hand with a diamond, finesse the club, and cash out for down two. If North is on lead the defense takes 6 fast heart tricks and declarer is apt to have trouble deciding what to keep.
Board 15: After a pass, West looks at a prime 21 count, excellent 5152 shape, and good spot cards in diamonds. Two-suited hands can be awkward to handle if you open 2C -- you can't stop below game since every new suit by opener is forcing. My choice was 1S, but when partner raised I leaped to 4NT (RKCB) and bid slam over the 5D reply (1 or 4 key cards.) Maybe too ambitious -- the trump King is worth only half a trick and nothing else is useful. However, the opening lead was the Queen of diamonds and later I guessed to play the leader for QJ rather than Q singleton.
If West opens 2C, East could bid 2NT if that shows a natural, balanced 8-10 count. West bids 3S and East raises to game, content with having shown values and a fit. 4NT leads to 6S as before. Playing step responses, East bids 2S (7-9 hcp) and steals the hand! Playing 2H as a bust, East responds 2D (4+ hcp, waiting, or at least one Ace or King, depending on style) and then raises West's 2S to 3S. All roads lead to slam, and the bad luck of finding responder with such poor cards is balanced by the lucky QJ drop, though a reasonable declarer might play South for QJ and try to finesse twice.
Board 23: South opens a clear-cut 2C (22 hcp and an obvious notrump rebid) and North bids 2D, waiting, 2NT (steps, 10-12), 2NT natural (8-10), or 3NT (10-12, playing 2H as a bust and 2NT as a heart positive.) 6NT is likely on the combined 32 count, but 2C-3NT- pass or 2C-2NT-3NT-4NT pass would be reasonable auctions -- it usually takes 33 hcp to have good play for 6NT.
West has a tough lead -- neither cashing nor undeerleading the Ace of spades is attactive against 6NT. I'd lead a club hoping not to blow a trick, which appears to work. South drives out the Ace of spades, setting up 2 tricks and "rectifying the count" as if for a squeeze, although no squeeze is possible with only one threat suit (diamonds). West exits safely with a club or spade and South cashes his clubs, spades, and finally hearts. East must keep at least three diamonds to beat the slam.
Board 28: West opens 2C with 21 hcp and a good 6 card suit. East replies 2D (waiting, or waiting 4+) or 2H (steps, 4-6) and West should rebid 2NT, aiming for the more likely notrump game rather than 5C or 6C. East transfers to hearts (3D Jacoby or 4D Texas) and bids (or passes) game. North has little expectation of ruffing a club, but prefers the singleton lead to underleading any of his high cards into the big hand. Declarer wins in East and leads the Jack of hearts, South takes his Ace perforce and returns a club, but the defense collects only one more trick whether North ruffs or discards. A spade lead, as it happens, would've held declarer to 10 tricks.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Friday, July 29th 2011
Right-click here for hands.
No Play -- Board 8: West opens 1D and North likely bids some number of hearts. At our table it was 2H, a reasonable compromise given the crummy suit, but 1H (to allow partner room to bid spades) or 3H (good shape) are also plausible. Over any bid, East doubles (negative, showing spades) and East prefers to rebid notrump with his double stop rather than repeat the moth-eaten diamonds. With 13 hcp opposite an opening bid plus help in hearts, 3NT by East is apt to end the auction, and any North/South pair who bid to 4H deserve their poor score.
A heart lead leaves West no play -- too many points in hearts, no way to shut out North who obviously has a side entry or two given the lack of high cards in his suit. West can minimize the damage by leading a diamond toward dummy, or finessing South for the Jack -- I made the mistake of leading the Queen from hand, blocking the suit.
Can E/W stay out of game? A cautious auction might stop at 2NT (East suspecting the duplication in hearts) and -50 would score above average, but really this is just one of those hands.
28 Highs -- Board 9: South triple counts, yep, 28 hcp, but awkward shape for a 2C opening. Some might open 1C but with this much strength game is likely opposite zero, and you cna't count on the enemy keeping the bidding open for you. North replies 2D (negative or waiting) or a step or "bust" response. I think North should treat this hand as 3 points -- scattered junk, no Ace or King, so I'd recommend a 2D 0-3 step or a 2H bust reply. North can always raise to game despite showing weakness.
After 2D waiting, South might pretend his hand is balanced but that seems overly risky, so the normal rebid is 3C. It's vital to have an agreed "second negative" here, and the most snesible is "cheapest 3 of suit = bust hand". The club bid improves North's Jack, and with a five card major, 3S might be OK, but North still has zero controls and perhaps a 3D second negative is best. South continues with 3H and North can reasonably bid 3NT, suggesting perhaps 3 points and help (not necessarily full stoppers) in spades and diamonds. South can "do the math" and rule out 6NT, so it's either pass or 6C, hoping partner has help or the suit splits 3-3. If North makes a more positive move, such as 3S over 3C, South will surely drive to slam, but all roads are fraught with peril -- any of 4D, 4H or 4NT could be taken as agreeing spades, and while 4C is forcing, it seeems to overstate the suit quality.
An alternate plan is for South to threat the chunky heart suit as 5, rebidding 2H over 2D. North should ignore his spades and raise directly to 4H, a bid that shows a fit and a trick but no first or second round control. This allows South to skip Blackwood, but while South may suspect 6C is a better spot, there's no obvious way to offer partner a choice, and in any case North will prefer the suit where he has greater length. 6H makes on a lucky 3-3 split, but note that Jxx or xxxx support would make 6H a good contract, and 6H could also make if trumps were 4-2 but the Jack drops doubleton.
6NT by South is apt to make since West is unlikely to lead or underlead his Ace, but I'd hate to count on that!. 6C looks like a good contract, requiring trumps no worse than 4-2. If the hearts don't come in, South may be able to ruff out a spade honor or cash his winners and benefit from a defensive error. I don't think South has a genuine squeeze but the defense is not always perfect.
No Play -- Board 8: West opens 1D and North likely bids some number of hearts. At our table it was 2H, a reasonable compromise given the crummy suit, but 1H (to allow partner room to bid spades) or 3H (good shape) are also plausible. Over any bid, East doubles (negative, showing spades) and East prefers to rebid notrump with his double stop rather than repeat the moth-eaten diamonds. With 13 hcp opposite an opening bid plus help in hearts, 3NT by East is apt to end the auction, and any North/South pair who bid to 4H deserve their poor score.
A heart lead leaves West no play -- too many points in hearts, no way to shut out North who obviously has a side entry or two given the lack of high cards in his suit. West can minimize the damage by leading a diamond toward dummy, or finessing South for the Jack -- I made the mistake of leading the Queen from hand, blocking the suit.
Can E/W stay out of game? A cautious auction might stop at 2NT (East suspecting the duplication in hearts) and -50 would score above average, but really this is just one of those hands.
28 Highs -- Board 9: South triple counts, yep, 28 hcp, but awkward shape for a 2C opening. Some might open 1C but with this much strength game is likely opposite zero, and you cna't count on the enemy keeping the bidding open for you. North replies 2D (negative or waiting) or a step or "bust" response. I think North should treat this hand as 3 points -- scattered junk, no Ace or King, so I'd recommend a 2D 0-3 step or a 2H bust reply. North can always raise to game despite showing weakness.
After 2D waiting, South might pretend his hand is balanced but that seems overly risky, so the normal rebid is 3C. It's vital to have an agreed "second negative" here, and the most snesible is "cheapest 3 of suit = bust hand". The club bid improves North's Jack, and with a five card major, 3S might be OK, but North still has zero controls and perhaps a 3D second negative is best. South continues with 3H and North can reasonably bid 3NT, suggesting perhaps 3 points and help (not necessarily full stoppers) in spades and diamonds. South can "do the math" and rule out 6NT, so it's either pass or 6C, hoping partner has help or the suit splits 3-3. If North makes a more positive move, such as 3S over 3C, South will surely drive to slam, but all roads are fraught with peril -- any of 4D, 4H or 4NT could be taken as agreeing spades, and while 4C is forcing, it seeems to overstate the suit quality.
An alternate plan is for South to threat the chunky heart suit as 5, rebidding 2H over 2D. North should ignore his spades and raise directly to 4H, a bid that shows a fit and a trick but no first or second round control. This allows South to skip Blackwood, but while South may suspect 6C is a better spot, there's no obvious way to offer partner a choice, and in any case North will prefer the suit where he has greater length. 6H makes on a lucky 3-3 split, but note that Jxx or xxxx support would make 6H a good contract, and 6H could also make if trumps were 4-2 but the Jack drops doubleton.
6NT by South is apt to make since West is unlikely to lead or underlead his Ace, but I'd hate to count on that!. 6C looks like a good contract, requiring trumps no worse than 4-2. If the hearts don't come in, South may be able to ruff out a spade honor or cash his winners and benefit from a defensive error. I don't think South has a genuine squeeze but the defense is not always perfect.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday July 27th 2011
Right-click here for hands.
Urgent Defense -- Board 3: West opens 1D (better than 1C with no major suit stoppers, you might want to rebid clubs later); North leaps to 3H. East, with a balanced 10 count, should double (negative for spades) rather than pass. West sees no hope of game and reasons that if 4C or 4D can make, 3H is probably beatable -- West makes a "hari-trigger" matchpoint penalty pass. East leads the Jack of diamonds, covered by dummy's Ace. The defense can figure declarer has 6 or 7 hearts, and so 6 or 7 cards outside of trumps; the Ace of diamonds and KQ of sapdes cover at elast 2, so that leaves possibly 4 side suit winners for the defense, plus a trump. Declarer's could finesse in trumps but decides to set up a disacrd first by leding to his Jack of spades. West can signal count, following low with an odd number, but East should win and try to cash winners now -- dummy's KQ of spades are an immediate threat. Suppose East tries a low club, West winning the King. Should West try another club or a diamond? I guessed wrong but in retrospect partner seems more likely to have 4 clubs than 5 diamonds, and partner can more easily read you for the Ace of clubs than both high diamonds. Two more diamond tricks plus the King of hearts is just enough for +100, the best E/W can manage over 3H.
Getting to Slam -- Board 10: East opens 1NT (15-17) and West has a difficult hand to value, 2704 shape and 8 high cards points. Visualizing, West could hope for AQxx KQx xxxx Ax, a "perfect minimum" which suggests West should invite but not insist on slam. Partner is unlikely to go to slam on that hand, but the non-minimum hands he accepts an invitation on may include those cards or others equally useful. How to invite? One technique is to transfer (2D) and then "self-splinter" (4D.) This sequence suggests six or more trumps, a singelton or void in diamonds, and enough for slam if partner does not have too many wasted values opposite the short suit.
North might double the transfer to show his diamonds, but that bid is better reserved for a suit headed by two of the top three honors or perhaps AJ10, since the primary purpose is to direct a lead. North might also bid 3D if he thinks the overall shape compensates for the vulnerability and jumky QJ values.
Over 3D, East should accept the transfer despite being at the three level. This decision is akin to "super-accepting" (jumping to 3H over a pass) -- East should have an excellent hand with 4 good trumps since partner has not promised any strength with the transfer, merely 5 hearts. If North passes, East's hand is questionable for 3H: great trumps, 17 hcp and a doubleton, but the black suit high cards may not be pulling full weight.
Regardless, West bids 4D, or over 3H, perhaps 5D suggesting the void. Over 4D, East lacks a spade control and may retreat to 4H if he has already shown a good hand, but should cue-bid 5C if all he did was bid 2H after the transfer -- a partner who is looking for slam will surely be pleased with the KQ of trumps and two side Aces! West may repeat the diamond cue-bid with 5D but in any case has enough for 6H as long as opener showed some sign of life along the way. The slam would be safer played by West (protecting the King of spades), but it doesn't matter today as South has the spade Ace. Seven trumps, three minor suit winners and two ruffs make for an easy 12 tricks.
I'm enjoying Marty Bergen's articles about slam bidding. The key to good slam bidding is proper evaluation -- do we have enough for 12 tricks? If the answer is "yes", use cue-bidding or 4NT to make sure you don't have 2 quick or trump losers. If the answer is "maybe", try to suggest slam WITHOUT getting above the game level -- such as West's 4D bid on today's hand (jump or not.) Never chase a slam that requires partner to have the best hand possible, and certainly not if you cannot construct a hand that would produce 12 tricks. The technique of inviting slam if you can visualize 12 tricks opposite a "perfect minimum" strikes a balance between being too aggressive and too cautious. If you need partner to have a perfect maximum, give up and settle for game. If you can count 12 tricks opposite a hand at least a Queen below what partner has promised, go ahead and drive to slam or check on controls.
Urgent Defense -- Board 3: West opens 1D (better than 1C with no major suit stoppers, you might want to rebid clubs later); North leaps to 3H. East, with a balanced 10 count, should double (negative for spades) rather than pass. West sees no hope of game and reasons that if 4C or 4D can make, 3H is probably beatable -- West makes a "hari-trigger" matchpoint penalty pass. East leads the Jack of diamonds, covered by dummy's Ace. The defense can figure declarer has 6 or 7 hearts, and so 6 or 7 cards outside of trumps; the Ace of diamonds and KQ of sapdes cover at elast 2, so that leaves possibly 4 side suit winners for the defense, plus a trump. Declarer's could finesse in trumps but decides to set up a disacrd first by leding to his Jack of spades. West can signal count, following low with an odd number, but East should win and try to cash winners now -- dummy's KQ of spades are an immediate threat. Suppose East tries a low club, West winning the King. Should West try another club or a diamond? I guessed wrong but in retrospect partner seems more likely to have 4 clubs than 5 diamonds, and partner can more easily read you for the Ace of clubs than both high diamonds. Two more diamond tricks plus the King of hearts is just enough for +100, the best E/W can manage over 3H.
Getting to Slam -- Board 10: East opens 1NT (15-17) and West has a difficult hand to value, 2704 shape and 8 high cards points. Visualizing, West could hope for AQxx KQx xxxx Ax, a "perfect minimum" which suggests West should invite but not insist on slam. Partner is unlikely to go to slam on that hand, but the non-minimum hands he accepts an invitation on may include those cards or others equally useful. How to invite? One technique is to transfer (2D) and then "self-splinter" (4D.) This sequence suggests six or more trumps, a singelton or void in diamonds, and enough for slam if partner does not have too many wasted values opposite the short suit.
North might double the transfer to show his diamonds, but that bid is better reserved for a suit headed by two of the top three honors or perhaps AJ10, since the primary purpose is to direct a lead. North might also bid 3D if he thinks the overall shape compensates for the vulnerability and jumky QJ values.
Over 3D, East should accept the transfer despite being at the three level. This decision is akin to "super-accepting" (jumping to 3H over a pass) -- East should have an excellent hand with 4 good trumps since partner has not promised any strength with the transfer, merely 5 hearts. If North passes, East's hand is questionable for 3H: great trumps, 17 hcp and a doubleton, but the black suit high cards may not be pulling full weight.
Regardless, West bids 4D, or over 3H, perhaps 5D suggesting the void. Over 4D, East lacks a spade control and may retreat to 4H if he has already shown a good hand, but should cue-bid 5C if all he did was bid 2H after the transfer -- a partner who is looking for slam will surely be pleased with the KQ of trumps and two side Aces! West may repeat the diamond cue-bid with 5D but in any case has enough for 6H as long as opener showed some sign of life along the way. The slam would be safer played by West (protecting the King of spades), but it doesn't matter today as South has the spade Ace. Seven trumps, three minor suit winners and two ruffs make for an easy 12 tricks.
I'm enjoying Marty Bergen's articles about slam bidding. The key to good slam bidding is proper evaluation -- do we have enough for 12 tricks? If the answer is "yes", use cue-bidding or 4NT to make sure you don't have 2 quick or trump losers. If the answer is "maybe", try to suggest slam WITHOUT getting above the game level -- such as West's 4D bid on today's hand (jump or not.) Never chase a slam that requires partner to have the best hand possible, and certainly not if you cannot construct a hand that would produce 12 tricks. The technique of inviting slam if you can visualize 12 tricks opposite a "perfect minimum" strikes a balance between being too aggressive and too cautious. If you need partner to have a perfect maximum, give up and settle for game. If you can count 12 tricks opposite a hand at least a Queen below what partner has promised, go ahead and drive to slam or check on controls.
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