Club News Sheet – No. 198    www.pattayabridge.com        19th Aug 2006

 

 

 

 

 

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Mon 14th      1st    Bob Short & Jan                      59%       2nd    John & Kenneth                 56%

Wed 16th      1st    Bill & Mike                              60%       2nd    Paul Scully & Alan Hill        59%

Fri    18th              cancelled do to power cut.

                 

Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A RHO opens 2♥. What do you bid?

 

♠ AKQ1073    ♠ J                   With Hand B you open 1♣ and LHO doubles. Partner redoubles

♥ Q8                ♥ K5                and RHO bids 1♠. What do you bid?

♦ 10875           ♦ AK97

♣ Q                 ♣ Q108762

 

Hand C           Hand D           With Hand C LHO opens 1♠ and this is passed to you. What do you bid?

♠ 973               ♠ Q83           

♥ AK62           ♥ QJ2              With Hand D RHO opens 1♣, what do you bid?

♦ -                    ♦ J32

♣ AKJ1074     ♣ AK53

 

Bidding Sequences Quiz              All of these sequences occurred at the club this week.

 

E      1♣       dbl                             Dbl is take-out. But typically what shape? Does it promise an opening hand?

F      1♣       dbl       redbl              What is the redouble?

G     1♣       dbl       redbl  1♠       

pass                                       What is this pass by opener? Is it forcing?

H     1♣       pass     1♠      pass    

2NT     pass     3♦                  What is 3♦?

J      1♣       pass     1♠      pass    

2NT     pass     4♦                  What is 4♦?

Double and bid shows a big hand – part 1          Board 8 from Wednesday 16th  

 

 This North apparently doubles ‘to show an opening hand’. This philosophy went out in the stone age; you will get too high if you do this, especially at the two level. If you double and then bid a different suit over partner’s response, that shows a very big hand.

 

Dealer:             ♠ AKQ1073                                  Table A

West                ♥ Q8                                              West          North(A)    East          South

Love all            ♦ 10875                                         2♥    (1)      dbl   (2)      pass         3♣

                        ♣ Q                                               pass           3♠              pass         pass (3)

pass          

♠ 82                      N             ♠ J64                      

♥ A107643        W    E          ♥ 52                         Table B

♦ AQ2                   S              ♦ KJ94                     West          North(A)    East          South

♣ 85                                      ♣ A974                    2♥              2♠    (2)      all pass    

                        ♠ 95                                        

♥ KJ9                                           

                        ♦ 63                                              

                        ♣ KJ10632

 

Table A:     (1)  Perhaps a trifle strong for a weak 2♥, but quite acceptable.

(2)   What did you bid with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? Double is terrible! You are up at the two level and if you make a take-out double then partner will bid 3♣ 90% of the time and then a 3♠ bid by you is a gross overbid of the hand.

(3)   I would bid 3NT, but then I expect my partner to have something remotely resembling his bid.

Table B:     (2)  Obvious, and clearly the only sensible bid, promising about 11-17 points.

 

And what happened? Two North’s stopped in 2♠; two others bid 3♠ going one down for a fully deserved shared bottom.

The bottom lines: -

-         A one-level overcall is 7-17 points.

-         A two-level overcall is 11-17 points (and thus promises an opening hand).

-         You should only double and then bid if your hand is too strong to overcall, i.e.17+ pts.

-         Do Not double to ‘to show an opening hand’. A take-out double is short in the suit opened and playable in the other three suits unless very strong.

 

 

 

Double and bid shows a big hand – part 2          Board 13 from Wednesday 16th 

 

Do not double with a two-suited hand, but overcall.

 

Dealer:             ♠ AKQJ862                                  

North               ♥ 954                                             West(C)     North         East          South

Both vul            ♦ AQJ                                            -                 1♠              pass         pass

                        ♣ -                                                 dbl   (1)      2♠              3♦    (2)    pass

4♣   (3)      pass           pass         pass      

♠ 973                    N             ♠ 1054                    

♥ AK62             W    E          ♥ QJ7                     

♦ -                          S              ♦ K108754             

♣ AKJ1074                           ♣ 6                             

                        ♠ -                                          

♥ 1083                                          

                        ♦ 9632                                          

                        ♣ Q98532

 

(1)   What did you bid with this West hand C in this week’s quiz? It’s much the same as the previous page – if you double then partner will doubtless bid your short suit and you will get in a mess if the opponents push the bidding up. The best bid here is probably 3♣.

(2)   With a decent 6 card suit East made a free bid – very reasonable.

(3)   And West is in the predicted mess.

 

And what happened? 4♣ went three down for a clear bottom.

The bottom lines: -

-         You should only double and then bid if your hand is too strong to overcall, i.e.17+ pts.

-         Do Not double to with two-suited hands – simply overcall the longest suit.

Do not bid when partner redoubles                     Board 10 from Wednesday 16th 

 

When you open, LHO doubles and partner redoubles – look for the penalty.

 

Dealer:             ♠ A7652                                       

East                  ♥ A10973                                      West(D)     North         East          South(B)

Both vul            ♦ Q85                                            -                 -                 pass         1♣

                        ♣ -                                                 dbl   (1)      redbl (2)     1♠    (3)    2♣   (4)

2♠    (5)      dbl             all pass

♠ Q83                   N             ♠ K1094                 

♥ QJ2                W    E          ♥ 864                      

♦ J32                      S              ♦ 1064                    

♣ AK53                                 ♣ J94                          

                        ♠ J                                          

♥ K5                                             

                        ♦ AK97                                        

                        ♣ Q108762

 

(1)   What did you bid with this West hand D in this week’s quiz? Do not double with flat hands. A take-out double is just that – take-out and so playable in the other 3 suits; to double 1♣ with just 3 cards in all of the other 3 suits really is a poor bid.

(2)   9+ points and usually a mis-fit for partner. Looking for the penalty.

(3)   East could pass (I would) but he decided to bid his 4-card major; reasonable I suppose.

(4)   What did you bid with this South hand B in this week’s quiz. Pass is ‘automatic’ here. It is a forcing pass and if partner cannot double 1♠ for penalties then he will bid. What I think of this bid is unprintable; it would be a candidate for the worst bid of the year if it were not for …

(5)   … this incredible bid! South has let E-W off the hook (1100 penalty) but West decided to give it back with three hundred more by bidding yet again with this flat garbage. Since ♣’s is his best suit he should be very happy defending! Presumably West (and South) simply do not understand the basics of the re-double at (2).

 

And what happened? 1400 away on a partscore deal!

The bottom lines: -

-   Do not double with a flat 13 count.

-   Do not double and bid again with a flat 13 count.

-   If RHO has been kind enough to rescue you, shut up with a flat 13 count.

-   If RHO opens, you double and LHO redoubles then he usually has you by the short and curlies. If you subsequently make an unforced bid then expect to go for 1400!

 

Just 3 deals

 

There are just 3 deal in this week’s news sheet (because no bridge on Friday) and they all happen do be about the same thing: - do not double with unsuitable hands: -

 

-     A take-out double should be short in the suit bid.

-     Do not double to ‘to show an opening hand’

-     Double and bid again shows a big hand.

-     Double shows an opening hand, but that does not mean that you should double to show an opening hand.

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:     2♠. Showing a decent hand (about 11-17 points) and a decent ♠ suit. Perfect. Quite why anybody would choose to double and then bid ♠’s at the three-level after partner’s very likely 3♣ bid is totally beyond my comprehension.

Hand B:      Pass. Partner has shown 9+ points and usually a mis-fit with a desire to defend a doubled contract. So pass (forcing) and let partner have a bid.

Hand C:     2♣ or 3♣ (strong in the balancing seat). If you double then partner is bound to bid ♦’s and you may well get too high in a competitive auction.

Hand D:     Pass. Do not double ‘to show an opening hand’ and do not double with flat 13 counts.

 

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answers                      

 

E      1♣       dbl                             Dbl is take-out. It should be short in the suit bid unless very strong? It promises opening values but that does not mean that

you should double just because you have opening values. With an opening hand when RHO opens in front of you and you are not playable in the other 3 suits do not double; overcall a 5 card suit or pass are the sensible options.

F      1♣       dbl       redbl              The redouble shows 9+ points and generally a mis-fit looking for the penalty.

G     1♣       dbl       redbl  1♠        The pass by opener simply says that he does not have good

pass                                       enough ♠’s to double for penalties. It is 100% forcing.

H     1♣       pass     1♠      pass     After the strong (18-19) 2NT 3♦ is natural and forcing.

2NT     pass     3♦                 

J      1♣       pass     1♠      pass     As 3♦ would be natural and forcing I would play this

2NT     pass     4♦                  unnecessary jump to 4♦ as a splinter setting ♠’s as trumps and looking for slam. With a ‘pointed’ two-suiter responder should bid 3♦ followed by 4♦ if necessary.