Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 356

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My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880 6^th Sept 2009

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

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My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 31^st 1^st Bob S & Bill P 60% 2^nd Hans V & Paul S 57%

Wed 2^nd 1^st Janne & Hans V 64% 2^nd Guttorm & Ivy 63%

Fri 4^th 1^st Dave & Paul S 61% 2^nd Jean-Charles & Georges 53%

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Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hand A partner opens 1♣, you bid 1♦ and partner bids 1♠,

what do you bid?

♠ K53 ♠ Q109632

♥ KJ ♥ 764 With Hand B partner opens 1NT, (a) what do you bid?

♦ A9876 ♦ J108 (b) Suppose you transfer with 2♥, LHO bids 3♣, partner bids

♣ 96 ♣ 10 3♠ and RHO bids 4♣, what do you do?

Systems on – systems off? Board 20 from Monday 31^st

Dealer: ♠ K1083 Table A

West ♥ A763 West North East South

Both vul ♦ KQ8 1NT dbl 2♦ (1) pass

♣ A9 2♥ all pass

♠ A52 N ♠ J7 Table B

♥ K5 W E ♥ 109842 West North East South

♦ AJ10542 S ♦ 9 1NT dbl 2♥ (1) pass

♣ KJ ♣ Q10853 2♠ pass 3♣ (2) pass

♠ Q964 4♠ (3) dbl all pass

♥ QJ

♦ 763

♣ 7642

Table A: (1) This pair play systems on after a double.

Table B: (1) This pair had no agreement and so East assumed that 2♥ was natural.

(2) Perhaps East should have passed, but it’s a bottom whatever now.

(3) West assumed that the 3♣ bid was a game try.

And what happened? 4♠(W)*-4, 3♠(S)-2, 2♦-1, 2♥+1. 2♥-1 and 2♥-2.

The bottom lines.

- It is up to you if you play systems on or off after partner’s 1NT is overcalled/doubled.

- I personally prefer systems off unless something else is specifically agreed.

- Common sensible agreements are:

a) After 1NT – dbl, then ignore the double and all systems are on. This is a reasonable treatment I suppose but has the major flaw that you cannot run to 2♣ or 2♦.

b) After 1NT – 2♣, then dbl is Stayman and systems are on.

c) After 1NT – a higher overcall, then systems are off and play Lebensohl if you are familiar with it.

Multi purpose transfers Board 26 from Friday 4^th

In my book on “No Trump Bidding, Stayman and Transfers” I mention my disdain for a transfer bid that can mean more than one thing – on page 117 I give details of two such treatments (Walsh relays and Compressed transfers) where the sequence 1NT - pass - 2♦ may or may not show a 5+ ♥ suit. On the page I give a number of reasons why these treatments are unsound. Apparently the Swedish system of responses to 1NT also has this ambiguity in this same sequence and this hand from Friday simply demonstrates one of my many objections to the treatment.

Dealer: ♠ - Table A

East ♥ Q82 West(B) North East South

Both vul ♦ Q632 - - 1NT pass

♣ AK9543 2♦ (1) 3♣ pass (2) all pass

♠ Q109632 N ♠ KJ87 Table B

♥ 764 W E ♥ AK West(B) North East South

♦ J108 S ♦ A9754 - - 1NT pass

♣ 10 ♣ Q7 2♥ (1) 3♣ 3♠ (3) 4♣

♠ A54 4♠ (4) all pass

♥ J10953

♦ K

♣ J862

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this West hand B(a) in this weeks quiz? I don’t like this convoluted Swedish bid with multiple meanings and recommend a simple transfer as at table B.

(2) East has a very nice hand, but can do nothing as he has no idea what partner has except that he probably has 13 cards. Boy, would it be nice to know that partner had 5-6 ♠’s!

Table B: (1) This pair play straightforward transfers and this is the obvious answer to question B(a).

(3) Knowing that partner has 5+ ♠’s East has an easy super-accept.

(4) What did you bid with this West hand B(b) in this weeks quiz? In this competitive auction West obeys the Law – he knows that East has 4 ♠’s to super-accept thus E-W have 10 ♠’s between them and so bids to that level.

And what happened? 3♣ made +1, 4♠ made exactly. For some reason at the other two tables E-W failed to obey the Law and needlessly competed to 5♠ when 5♣ is not making and 5♠* goes -1 or -2 depending upon the defence. There is a famous bridge quote - “the 5-level belongs to the opposition” - and this hand is no exception. The bottom lines.

- Obey the Law. – Note that this is a perfect example, both sides have 10 trumps and both can (probably) make 10 tricks – so don’t go above the Law when the opponents already have.

- A transfer is a transfer – and not some nebulous bid that leaves partner in the dark when the opponents interfere. Read page 117 of my book, maybe I’ll translate it into Swedish?

Play Quiz

You are in 3NT with loads of entries, how do you play ♦J53 opposite ♦A9876 for four tricks? Answer next page.

Play of the suit Answer Board 12 from Friday 4^th

Dealer: ♠ Q764 West North East South(A)

West ♥ AQ - 1♣ (1) pass 1♦

N-S vul ♦ J53 pass 1♠ pass 2NT (2)

♣ AJ84 pass 3NT all pass

♠ AJ1082 N ♠ 9 (1) promising 4+ ♣’s in their system.

♥ 10953 W E ♥ 8642 (2) What did you bid with this South hand A

♦ 10 S ♦ KQ42 in this week’s quiz? The ♥’s may be a

♣ 532 ♣ KQ107 problem but there really is no option but

♠ K53 the obvious 2NT, showing 11-12 points

♥ KJ and balanced (and a ♥ stop).

♦ A9876

♣ 96

And what happened? Nobody made it and part of the answer to making it (as Deep Finesse says you can) is the play of the ♦ suit. I witnessed one player playing the ♦3 from dummy to the ♦9 in hand and thus losing to the singleton ♦10, so making just 3 ♦’s and going one down. He later commented that leading the ♦J would have worked, but is this the correct play?

As requested, I put it in the suit play calculator on the website and it has two significant lines:

[A] To make 4 tricks – 13%

[B] To make 3 tricks – 95%

As it happens, the initial best play for both lines is the same – play the ♦9 from hand and let it run. In this actual layout the ♦10 appears from West and then there are 4 easy ♦ tricks.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT-1 twice, 2NT-1 and 2♠(W)*-2.

Current club championship standings

	Gold Cup = Best 30	Silver Plate = Best 10	Bronze Medal = Best 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	1896.6 Janne Roos 1881.5 Hans Vikman 1845.4 Paul Quodomine 1790.6 Sally Watson 1719.3 Bob Short	674.5 Janne Roos 673.4 Hans Vikman 649.3 Paul Quodomine 633.8 Sally Watson 619.9 Jeremy Watson 619.2 Ivy Schlageter 618.8 Bob Short 615.1 Lars Broman 611.3 Gerard Hardy 611.3 Derek Tyms	350.7 Hans Vikman 350.6 Janne Roos 333.3 Paul Quodomine 325.3 Ivy Schlageter 324.5 Sally Watson 321.7 Bob Short 321.7 Jeremy Watson 321.0 Per Andersson 316.9 Terje Lie 316.1 Lars Broman

Not much movement this week, except Ivy consolidating her 1^st position in the bronze.

Double with a 5-card major? Board 2 from Monday 31^st

Dealer: ♠ Q92 West North East South

East ♥ A105 - - pass 1♥

N-S vul ♦ Q986 dbl (1) 2♥ 2♠ (2) 3♥

♣ Q72 3♠ (3) pass pass 4♥

all pass

♠ 108543 N ♠ AJ76

♥ K W E ♥ J983 (1) I don’t like this double for two reasons:

♦ 1073 S ♦ J42 a) It is not strong enough.

♣ A954 ♣ 86 b) It has a 5-card major.

♠ K If you want to bid with this hand then bid 1♠.

♥ Q7642 (2) A free bid, showing 6-9 points and 4+ ♠’s

♦ AK5 (3) Obeying the Law.

♣ KJ103

And what happened? West has successfully pushed N-S in a non-making game. Obviously he leads a ♠, but which one?

He led the ♠4 (4^th best). Dummy played low and East naturally thought that partner had led low from an honour and had ♠Kxxx and declarer ♠xx. He played the ♠J and the contract made.

So what went wrong? My take is: -

a) Don’t double when you have a 5-card major (unless very strong).

b) 4^th best leads generally apply only to No trump contracts, and this deal is a good example of why. Against a NT contract it will probably be OK to let South make a singleton ♠K, but in a suit contract it was a disaster.

c) Against a suit contract I play that a low card lead promises an honour, regardless of whether the leader has 3, 4 or 5 in the suit.

d) With this actual West ♠ holding, lead the ♠10 or the ♠8 against a suit contract to deny an honour.

And what happened at other tables? 4♥= 3 times, 2♥+2, 3♥= and 3NT-2

Dave’s Column Here is Dave’s first defensive problem

♠ 74 N West North East South

♥ AJ92 W E - 4♠ pass pass

♦ KQ108 S dbl pass 5♥ 5♠

♣ KJ10 all pass

♠ A109

♥ 85 You are West, defending 5♠ and partner leads the ♥K.

♦ AJ943 You encourage and win the second trick with the ♥A.

♣ 762 What do you lead at trick three?

Dave’s Column answer Board 5 from Wednesday 2^nd

Dealer: ♠ KQJ86532 Book bidding

North ♥ 107 West North East South

N-S vul ♦ 6 - 4♠ pass pass

♣ A9 dbl pass 5♥ 5♠

all pass

♠ 74 N ♠ -

♥ AJ92 W E ♥ KQ643

♦ KQ108 S ♦ 752 You are West, defending 5♠. Partner leads the ♥K.

♣ KJ10 ♣ Q8543 You encourage and win the second trick with the

♠ A109 ♥A. What do you lead at trick three?

♥ 85

♦ AJ943

♣ 762

At the table West shifted to the ♣J at trick three. But declarer won with his ♣A, played a ♦ to dummy’s ♦A, ruffed a ♦, returned to dummy with a trump, ruffed another ♦, went back to dummy with a ♠ and trumped another ♦. Finally declarer led a ♠ to dummy’s ♠A and cashed the established ♦J, discarding his ♣9.

That was nicely played for +650 and left West momentarily wondering if they should have saved in 6♥. A few moments later he realized that they should have defeated 5♠. At trick three West should have shifted to a trump, removing a vital entry from the dummy.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 5♠*=, 4♠+1, 4♠= twice, 2♠+2 and 6♠-2.

Dave’s 2^nd Column Here is Dave’s 2^nd input on defence.

Dealer: ♠ 763

East ♥ 6 West North East South

E-W vul ♦ AQ98532 - - 4♥ all pass

♣ J3

♠ KQ2 N You are North, defending 4♥. Partner leads the ♦J and

♥ J54 W E dummy plays low. How do you hope to make four tricks?

♦ K763 S What is your defensive plan?

♣ 862

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 6 from Wednesday 2^nd

Dealer: ♠ 763 Book bidding

East ♥ 6 West North East South

E-W vul ♦ AQ98532 - - 4♥ all pass

♣ J3

♠ KQ2 N ♠ J10

♥ J54 W E ♥ AKQ10872

♦ K763 S ♦ 10

♣ 862 ♣ KQ9

♠ A9854

♥ 93 You are East. Partner leads the ♦J and declarer plays

♦ J low from dummy. How do you hope to make 4 tricks?

♣ A10754 What is your defensive plan?

When this hand was first played, North was one of the best woman players of all time – Rixi Marcus. She hoped her side would take one ♠, one ♦ and two ♣’s. But just in case East had opened with a very strong hand Rixi overtook with the ♦Q and shifted to the ♣3.

This was the only winning defence. South took East’s ♣K with the ♣A and returned a low ♣, North’s ♣J driving out declarer’s ♣Q. East could draw trumps but when he played a ♠ South rose with the ♠A and cashed the ♣10.

Note that had Rixi led the ♣J instead of the ♣3 South cannot return the suit from his ♣107 into East’s ♣Q9.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 4NT(W)-5, 5♥-2, 5♥-1, 4♠*-1, 5♦*-2 and 5♠*-3.

The bottom lines: -

- Lead low from Hx when you won’t be regaining the lead to push the suit through for a second time and partner will be returning the suit.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 2NT. The ♥’s may be a problem but with a balanced 11-12 and a guaranteed ♥ stop if there is a ♥ lead there really is no other sensible bid.

Hand B: (a) 2♥, a transfer to ♠’s in most sensible systems.

(b) 4♠ - obey the Law, partner has 4 ♠’s and 4♣ may (did) make. 4♠ also makes against non-perfect defence.