Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 342

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880                31st May 2009

It is best to use my home number to contact me unless I am at the bridge club.

My e-mail is terry@pattayabridge.com or pattayabridge@yahoo.com

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon25th               1st  Janne & Paul Q              67%           2nd    Jeremy & Sally              60%

Wed 27th              1st  Bob P & Nick                61%           2nd    Ivy & Richard M           58%

Fri  29th                1st  Gene Moats                   70%           2nd    Paul Quodomine            58%

       
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Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A it’s favourable vulnerability. You open 1 and

7                   84                LHO overcalls a weak 2. This is passed to you, what do you do

AQJ97          AKJ64

K73              A6               With Hand B it’s again favourable vulnerability. RHO opens 1:

AQJ8           AJ42            (a) What do you bid?    Suppose you choose to pass, then LHO

bids 2 and RHO bids 2, (b) What do you do now?

                       

Hand C           Hand D           Do you open Hand C in first seat?

87                 Q1076543   

Q1085          94

KQ86           62                With Hand D partner opens 1, what do you do?

KQ4            J9                

 

     
Ron Klinger web site
     
 
     

 

Current Championship standings

 

 

 

Gold Cup = Best 30

Silver Plate = Best 10

Bronze Medal = Best 5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1818.0 Janne Roos

1788.5 Hans Vikman

1775.5 Paul Quodomine

649.2 Janne Roos

639.3 Hans Vikman

636.0 Paul Quodomine

631.5 Sally Watson

615.1 Lars Broman

613.8 Jeremy Watson

611.1 Bob Short

609.2 Jean Wissing

607.6 Per Andersson

600.1 Ivy Schlageter

 

334.8 Janne Roos

329.0 Hans Vikman

326.9 Paul Quodomine

324.5 Sally Watson

321.7 Bob Short

321.3 Jeremy Watson

321.0 Per Andersson

318.2 Ivy Schlageter

316.1 Lars Broman

315.8 Gene Moats

 

                             

Editorial

 

I apologize for the mess in last week’s news-sheet 341; the Dave column questions were copied from the previous news sheet and I forgot to change them. I also made a typing error in one of the bidding sequences. The errors are now corrected and the updated sheet is on the website.


Not a penalty double
                                           
Board 5 from Friday 29th  

 

Dealer:             KQ95                                         Table A

North               Q10973                                      West          North         East(B)     South

N-S vul            85                                               -                 1              1NT (1)    all pass

                        KQ

Table B

A763                  N               84                       West          North         East(B)     South

2                     W    E            AKJ64              -                 1              pass (1)    2    (2)

Q32                    S                A6                     pass           2    (3)      pass (4)    all pass

107653                                AJ42                 

                        J102                                          

85                                        

KJ10974                                   

98                                             

                                                                             

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this East hand B(a) in this week’s quiz? This 1NT overcall is certainly acceptable, the ’s are certainly stopped and it is within the 1NT overcall range.

Table B:     (1)  This East decided to pass and await developments. With length and strength in RHO’s suit, pass is often the best bid and I would not argue with it here.

(2)   Obviously South should pass and maybe bid the ’s later if necessary. A weak jump shift into 3 is also a possibility I suppose but I would like to have seven 's for the 3-level and I would pass.

(3)   This is OK unless you have the agreement that a reverse into 2 after a two-level response shows shape and not necessarily extra values.

(4)   What did you bid with this East hand B(b) in this week’s quiz? Double would be a poor bid as partner will undoubtedly take it as take-out for the black suits. Pass is clearly best now – take the money for a few vulnerable down tricks, and you never know, partner may make a balancing take-out double which you can pass.

 

And what happened1-2, 2-3, 1NT(E)=.

The bottom lines: -

-         With length and strength in RHO’s opened suit it may be best to pass if 1NT is unattractive.

-         At this vulnerability I think that the pass chosen at table B is fine but 1NT is obviously also very acceptable.

 

 

Dave’s Column           Here is Dave’s 1st input concerning the play of the hand.

 

      N               6542                         West          North         East          South        

  W    E            -                               -                 1NT           pass         2

      S                AKQ3                     pass           2              pass         4

                        KJ986                      all pass

KJ98           

A10542              You are East, on lead against 4 by North. You lead the A, K, Q. When

1065                   all follow you have to search for a way to score the setting trick.

Q         You know partner must be nearly bust, how should East continue?


Dave’s Column answer                      Board 13 from Wednesday 27th

     

Dealer:             AQ107                                        Book Auction

North               KQ7                                           West          North         East(A)    South

Both vul            J72                                             -                 1NT           pass         2

                        A107                                          pass           2              pass         4

all pass      

3                         N               6542                  

J9863             W    E            -                  

984                     S                AKQ3         East leads the A, K, Q. When all follow he has

5432                                    KJ986          to search for a way to score the setting trick.

            KJ98                                    How should East continue?

A10542                               

1065                                    

Q                                        

 

Obviously  East cannot count on help from West, who must be virtually bust on the bidding.

The K looks attractive, but North would then have made his game easily; ruffing two ’s in dummy using the trump suit for communication, and East would never get a ruff.

East’s best bet is a trump switch; declarer is then helpless. After winning the trump switch North cashed the A and ruffed a . Then he led another trump to his hand to ruff his last with dummy’s last trump. Stuck in dummy with no trump to lead, declarer had to lead a and East scored his ruff for one down.

An interesting deal, East having to switch to a trump himself in order to later get a ruff.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4-2, 4-1 twice, 3-1 and 2(s)-1.

 

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column       Here is Dave’s 2nd input about the play of the hand.

 

North               South                   You are South, declarer in 4. West leads the 2, you play

J1098           AKQ653          low from dummy and East’s J wins. The K comes back,

K1084          9                       plan the play.

72                 A65                                     

AQ3             742                                          

                                                     

                                                 

                       

                                                 

                                                 


Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 14 from Wednesday 27th 

     

Dealer:             72                                               Book Bidding

East                  AJ63                                          West          North         East            South

Love all            KQ104                                      -                 -                 1              pass  

                        K105                                         3              pass           4              all pass

 

J1098                 N             AKQ653       

K1084            W    E          9                     South leads the 2, you play low from dummy

72                      S              A65                and North wins with the J. He shifts to      

AQ3                                   742                the K. Plan the play    

                        4                                               

Q752                                        

J983                                     

J986

 

You could try the finesse, but if it loses you are down, losing a , a and two ’s. Is there anything better?

Yes! Just look at those wonderful spots. Win with the A at trick two, play a to dummy and play the K. North wins with his A and you ruff high and play another trump to dummy. And lead the 10. Instead of ruffing, discard a . South takes this trick with the Q and cashes the J and shifts to a . But you win with the A and discard the remaining on the established 8. You get the remainder on a cross-ruff.

Note that a straightforward dummy reversal is a trick short (4 ’s, 3 ruffs, 1 and 1 ).    

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4= twice and -1 three times.

 

Paul’s Column           

 

The individual on Friday presented some interesting hands in bidding, play, and defense. 

 

In bidding board 3 stood out for me, partner (R vs W) opens 1 in first seat and you hold AKQJ10, x, void, J1087xxx.  What is your response?  1 or 2?  I chose 1 and after a tortured auction in which I twice rebid in we arrived in a hopeless 3NT opposite xx, Q10xx, KQxx, KQx.  5 was easy.  Should partner’s (Hand C) be opened?  I think not, it lacks quick tricks or shape.  My recommendation would be P, P, 1, P, 1 or 1 depending on style, P, 1 (less than a jump shift), P, 2NT, P, 3 (5 and longer ), P, 4, P, 5. 

 

On board 8 partner opens 1NT (15-17) and you hold:

Qx

AQJ

KQ1073

Kxx

 

You are always going to slam with this, but decide to check for aces on the way with 4.  Partner replies 4 (0 or 4).  This is clearly impossible so you simply bid 6NT, which makes an overtrick when two finesses work.  The responses to Gerber, which I know Terry has detailed here in the past, are NOT the same as keycard where a suit has been agreed and the Q of trump as well as a fifth keycard are indicated.  They are 4=0 or 4, 4=1, 4=2, 4NT=3. 

 

On board 15 a defender held:

x

K953

KQJ8                       And after an opening 1 on his left found himself

AJ106                      defending 4 declared to his right.  The dummy was:

 

Qx                      On the second round of spades he discarded a small heart allowing declarer,

AJ10xx               holding Qx in hearts, to pick up the entire suit via a finesse. This should be

xx                       fairly easy, discard a and then a on the second and third rounds of ’s.

KQxx

 

With the next hand (Hand D) from board 16 this same person responded 1 to a 1 opening holding:

 

Q10xxxxx                 If you play weak jump responses to opening bids this is a fairly clear 2

xx                             response, if you do not it is an equally clear pass. 

xx

Jx.                Anyway, the opposing side declared in 4 from his left and the dummy put down:

 

Jx

Qxx

J109xx

Axx

 

His partner led the K which declarer won.  Declarer now led the K which his partner won and returned a low , declarer winning in hand with the king.  Declarer played K and J (partner ducking both) and without unblocking the diamonds reverted to a spade to the J and this defender’s Q, partner showing out.  How difficult is it to return partner’s suit destroying the entry to those diamonds?  This person returned a diamond to declarer’s Q and the hand was over.

 

On board 18 opener held, white vs red:

 

x                   A prime 17.  His 1 opening was overcalled 2, P, P, and he chose to bid 3! 

AQJxx          A penalty of 500 or 800 was thus missed by his failure to reopen with a double

Kxx              instead netting 430 for 3NT +1 by his partner. 

AQJx

 

Once again, Terry has stated many times over that if playing negative doubles you should strive to reopen with a double if short in the overcalled suit unless you your hand is weak and has unusual shape.

A small play error occurred on board 19, perhaps an oversight, but declarer holding a suit of Axxxx opposite Qx laid down the Ace and then led to the now bare Queen.  As the cards lay it didn’t matter but PLEASE, if the King was to his left he could score both the Q and A by leading low first!

Ah, I’m just cranky because I didn’t win!

Paul

 

Terry comment: But you scored 58% despite your partners!

 

                                        <end of Paul’s Column>


A re-opening double?                                           Board 18 from Friday 29th  

 

Dealer:             Q                                                Table A

East                  532                                             West          North         East(A)    South

N-S vul            A10842                                     -                 -                 1            2    (1)

                        7654                                          pass (2)      pass           3   (3)    pass

3NT (4)      all pass

A9852                N               7                        

10                   W    E            AQJ97               Table B

QJ65                  S                K73                   West          North         East(A)    South

K92                                     AQJ8                 -                 -                 1            2    (1)

                        KJ10643                                    pass (2)      pass           dbl   (3)    pass

K864                                          pass (5)      all pass

9                                               

103                                           

 

Table A:     (1)  A weak jump overcall.

(2)  At this vulnerability West obviously wants to go for the penalty. So, playing negative doubles, he passes and hopes that partner will re-open with a double.

(3) What did you bid with this East hand A in this week’s quiz? This East decided not to double with a singleton . I don’t like this 3 bid– it looks like an overbid to me; and pass is a bit feeble.

(4)   Somewhat disappointed that partner could not find the re-opening double, West bids the obvious 3NT.

Table B:     (3)  This East knows all about the ‘automatic’ re-opening double. Now there are exceptions when you should not double, and a singleton trump is not good, but with this strong trick-taking hand at this vulnerability I think that East should certainly double. After all, if partner has a stack that’s fine (you don’t mind defending) and if partner bids anything then that is also fine. So double is my answer to question A.

(5)  A happy camper.

 

And what happened? 3NT(W)+1 twice (430) and 2*(S)-2 (500). Deep Finesse says that 2* can go -3, but -2 was good enough for a clear top.

The bottom lines: -

-         Remember the ‘automatic’ re-opening double if you play negative doubles.

-         Be more inclined to go for a penalty when opponents are vulnerable and you are not.

 

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    dbl, ‘automatic’. This is not so obvious with a singleton trump but the vulnerability is right if partner has a penalty hand (quite likely) and you have a good hand for defence. I cannot see that there is really any alternative, 3 is an overbid and pass timid; so double and you don’t really mind what partner does. Paul also says dbl in his column.

Hand B:    (a)  1NT or pass. This one is close; 1NT is obviously fine but at this vulnerability it may be best to try the infamous ‘trap pass’.

(b)   pass. Take the vulnerable money, dbl would be take-out for the black suits.

Hand C:    Paul says pass. Terry says it’s 20 for the rule of 20, with points in the long suits, so 1 is acceptable (Paul and I do not always agree!).

Hand D:    Paul says 2 if you play weak jump shifts, else pass. I agree, 1 is asking for trouble.

       

 Ron Klinger web site