Club News Sheet – No. 201    www.pattayabridge.com        9th Sept2006

 

Mon 4th    1st N-S   Bob Short & Dave                 60%       2nd    Bill & Gene                        55%

                1st E-W  John & Kenneth                     55%       2nd    Henrik & Per-Ake              52%

Wed 6th    1st  Per-Ake & Tomas                          64%       2nd    Jan Evan & Henrik             59%

Fri    8th    1st  Richard Mulins & Gene                   58%       2nd    Dave & Per-Ake                57%

        

 

 

 

 

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Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

 

♠ 62                 ♠ 9653

♥ 9                   ♥ QJ964          With Hand B RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

♦ 1076             ♦ Q

♣ KJ98743      ♣ KQ3

 

Hand C           Hand D           With Hand C RHO opens 3♠, what do you bid?

                                                                             

♠ AJ                 ♠ 105              

♥ AK107         ♥ 762               With Hand D partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

♦ Q10972        ♦ AJ107           Don’t look up the answer until you answer the next two: -

♣ J8                 ♣ K853

 

Hand E            Hand F            With Hand E partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

 

♠ K5                ♠ 10

♥ A62              ♥ 76                 With Hand F partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

♦ J753              ♦ AJ1075

♣ 7532            ♣ K10532

 

Bidding Sequences Quiz

 

G     1♦      pass 1♠      pass     Is 3♠ forcing if you play (a) 5-card majors or (b) 4-card majors?

1NT   pass 3♠                  Is 3♠ forcing if you play (c) a strong NT or (d) a weak NT?

H     2♠      dbl   redbl              What is the redouble?  Does it show ♠’s?

 

Don’t double with length in the suit opened       Board 18 from Monday 4th   

 

 

Dealer:             ♠ QJ2                                            Table A

East                  ♥ A107                                          West          North         East          South(B)

N-S vul            ♦ A1032                                        -                 -                 1♠            dbl   (1)

                        ♣ J64                                             pass           2NT (2)      pass         3♥    (3)

pass           4♥    (4)      all pass

♠ 8                        N             ♠ AK1074              

♥ K85                W    E          ♥ 32                         ‘Expert’ Table

♦ 9864                   S              ♦ KJ75                     West          North         East          South(B)

♣ A10752                              ♣ 98                        -                 -                 1♠            2♥    (1)

                        ♠ 9653                                           pass           2♠    (5)      pass         3♥    (6)

♥ QJ964                                        pass           pass (7)      pass

                        ♦ Q                                               

                        ♣ KQ3           

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this South hand B in this week’s quiz? There are two reasonable options – pass and 2♥. Double is a really terrible bid with a 5-card major and not short in the suit opened.

(2)  11-12 points + a ♠ stop.

(3)  And here’s the problem. Bidding again when partner has denied 4 ♥’s shows a very big hand – one too strong to simply overcall.

(4)  North did not trust South’s bidding and so did not look for slam!

‘Expert’      (1)  With a 5 card ♥ suit and length in ♠’s 2♥ is the only sensible bid apart from a

 Table               pass.

(5)  An unassuming cue bid, showing a sound raise to 3♥ or better.

(6)   With a borderline two-level overcall South signs off in 3♥.

(7)  And without “or better” North passes.

 

And what happened? Results were all over the place. 4♥ went one down for a complete bottom and 3♥ making would have been a complete top.

The bottom lines: -

-         Do not double holding a 5-card major.

-         Do not double with length in the suit opened.

-         A take-out double is playable in the other 3 suits

-         Do not double “to show an opening hand” – a two level overcall promises that!

-         Double and bid a new suit shows a hand too strong to simply overcall (so about 17+). This South hand is somewhat light.

-         Play the Unassuming cue bid to show a sound raise opposite an overcall.

 

.

If 3NT is an option … part 1                               Board 2 from Monday 4th  

 

 Virtually everybody had problems with this deal: -

 

Dealer:             ♠ 62                                               Table A

East                  ♥ 9                                                 West          North(A)    East          South

N-S vul            ♦ 1076                                           -                 -                 pass         1NT (1)

                        ♣ KJ98743                                    pass           3NT (2)      pass         all pass

 

♠ KJ3                   N             ♠ Q10874                ‘Expert’ Table

♥ AQ72             W    E          ♥ K863                    West          North(A)    East          South

♦ A983                  S              ♦ Q54                      -                 -                 pass         1NT (1)

♣ 102                                    ♣ 6                          pass           2♠    (3)      pass         2NT (4)

                        ♠ A95                                            pass           3NT (5)      all pass

♥ J1054                                        

                        ♦ KJ2                                            

                        ♣ AQ5            

 

Table A:     (1)  A marginal strong NT. You all know me by now, I would knock off a point for the totally flat 4333 type shape; but the ♥10 is a good card (it should have been extremely important as it turned out) and a 1NT opening is not too bad a choice.

(2)  What did you bid with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? Playing simple methods the hand really is too strong for a weak transfer into ♣’s. Without a sophisticated method (4-way transfers) North (me) simply punted 3NT.

‘Expert’      (1)  Let’s assume that our expert South also opens 1NT (change the ♦K to the ♦A).

 Table         (2)  Our experts have read (indeed wrote) “The definitive guide to (strong) No Trump Bidding, Stayman and Transfers” and it’s easy. In order for 3NT to stand a decent chance of making South needs ♣Axx or ♣Qxx. So North transfers specifically to ♣’s with 2♠ (2NT is a transfer to ♦’s).

(3)   With Hxx South super-accepts in case North has a good long suit.

(4)   With a miserable hand North would simply retreat into 3♣ but this hand is well worth a shot at game, especially if South had a sound 1NT opener.

 

And what happened? Results were all over the place again. At my table my inexperienced partner failed to realise that ♥J10xx was a stop and lost 4 ♥’s and the ♦A for one down.

The bottom lines: -

-         Experienced pairs should play 4-way transfers.

-         They are described on the web and fully defined in the No Trump Bidding Book.

-         As declarer in NoTrump, J10xx is always a stop unless RHO has an entry outside the suit. When the suit is led RHO wins but you simply put the jack up on the 2nd round.

-         A ♠ switch at trick three would actually defeat 3NT with this deal but it’s unlikely that the defence would have found that.

 

If 3NT is an option … part 2                               Board 10 from Monday 4th  

 

Dealer:             ♠ 10                                               Table A

East                  ♥ Q32                                            West(C)     North         East          South

Both vul            ♦ J54                                              -                 -                 pass         3♠

                        ♣ KQ6432                                    dbl   (1)      pass           4♣   (2)    pass

pass (3)      pass (4)     

♠ AJ                      N             ♠ 986                      

♥ AK107           W    E          ♥ 84                         ‘Expert’ Table

♦ Q10972              S              ♦ A863                    West(C)     North         East          South

♣ J8                                       ♣ A975                    -                 -                 pass         3♠

                        ♠ KQ75432                                   3NT (1)      all pass

♥ J965                                          

                        ♦ K                                               

                        ♣ 10               

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this West hand C in this week’s quiz? Obviously double (take-out) will work out well if partner has 4 ♥’s, but if he does not then you will go past 3NT. On balance I prefer our expert’s bid.

(2)   And here we have the problem. Without 4 ♥’s East simply bids his cheapest 4 card suit.

(3)   West could bid 4♦ here, hopefully to show a red two-suiter.

(4)   Obviously North is very happy and certainly does not double (5♦ is making).

‘Expert’      (1)  Our expert West goes along with the Bob Hamman philosophy – if 3NT is a

 Table               reasonable option, then bid it.

 

And what happened? 4♣ went two down for a near top to N-S.

The bottom lines: -

-         If 3NT is a reasonable option, then bid it.

-         It is dangerous to double with a weak suit – partner is ‘bound’ to bid it.

-         With 15+ points and a stop, consider bidding NoTrump.

If 3NT is an option … part 3                               Board 5 from Friday 8th  

 

Dealer:             ♠ 10                                               Table A

North               ♥ 76                                               West          North(F)    East          South

N-S vul            ♦ AJ1075                                       -                 pass           pass         1NT

                        ♣ K10532                                     pass           2NT (1)      pass         pass (2)

pass    

♠ 9654                  N             ♠ AJ873                  

♥ A543              W    E          ♥ J92                       ‘Expert’ Table

♦ KQ93                 S              ♦ 64                         West          North(F)    East          South

♣ Q                                       ♣ 976                      -                 pass           pass         1NT

                        ♠ KQ2                                           pass           3NT (1)      all pass

♥ KQ108                                      

                        ♦ 82                                              

                        ♣ AJ84           

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this North hand F in this week’s quiz? 5-card suits are great, especially if they contain honours and a ten, Two such suits are absolutely fabulous. This hand is easily worth 3NT.

(2)   With a bare minimum opener obviously passes.

 ‘Expert’     (1)  Our experts know all about hand evaluation, points in long suits, tens etc. It’s

  Table              all up on the web in the hand evaluation section.

 

And what happened? 2NT made a comfortable 10 tricks at two tables and 1NT made +2 at a 3rd. If your answer to question F was 2NT, then read up on hand evaluation.

 

Hand D           Hand E            Hand F                  With all of these hands partner opens 1NT.

If you think that they are all “8 points” and

♠ 105               ♠ K5                ♠ 10                       should all respond 2NT then please read up

♥ 762               ♥ A62              ♥ 76                       on hand evaluation. There is a booklet on the

♦ AJ107           ♦ J753              ♦ AJ1075               web and I also have a couple of books in the

♣ K853           ♣ 7532             ♣ K10532       . . . library.

 

Hand D is an average 8 points and should indeed respond 2NT.

Hand E is a very poor 8 points, it has poor intermediates and the points are in the short suits. I would pass partner’s 1NT as quickly as ethically allowed.

Hand F is the complete opposite. It has two 5-card suits and the honours are in the long suits; and with two additional tens in the long suits this hand is easily worth 3NT.

 

The bottom lines: -

-         Upgrade a hand with points in the long suits

-         Upgrade a hand with 5-card suit(s)

-         Upgrade a hand with two tens in 4+card suits.

-         Do not worry about having one (or two) very weak suits when partner has opened a strong 1NT. What is important is having one (or two) very good suits yourself.

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:     3NT, if you do not have a better treatment in your armory. A weak transfer (2♠) to 3♣ may well miss 3NT. If you play 3♣ as a try for 3NT (as in SAYC) then that’s the bid. But easily the best solution is to play 4-way transfers; 2♠ shows a long ♣ suit and if opener has ♣Axx or ♣Qxx he will super accept and you then bid 3NT. If opener does not super accept then you simply sign off in 3♣.

Hand B:      2♥ or pass. Do not double with a 5 card major and especially not with length in the suit bid. If you double and then bid ♥’s that shows a very strong hand (17+).

Hand C:     3NT. You have a ♠ stop and this is probably better than double. Double (take-out) will work if partner has 4 ♥’s but if he does not then you have gone past 3NT.

Hand D:     2NT. An average 8 points.

Hand E:      Pass. A miserable “8 points”.

Hand F:      3NT. An enormous “8 points”.

 

 

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answer

 

G     1♦      pass   1♠    pass     3♠ is forcing if you play a weak NT as the 1NT rebid is 15-16.

1NT   pass   3♠                If you play a strong NT then the bid is invitational and not forcing. The ‘solution’ is to play NMF or Checkback Stayman when you have an invitational or better hand with a 5 card major. Whether you play 4 or 5 card majors is irrelevant, I threw this red herring in as somebody incorrectly thought it was significant.

H     2♠      dbl   redbl              The redouble here is much the same as at the two level. It shows a mis-fit for partner (so none or one ♠) and a big hand (at least 25+) with a desire to double (for penalties) anything that the opponents bid. It most definitely is not a hand holding ♠’s; with a weakfish hand with 3 ♠’s then raise directly to 3♠ and with a decent hand raise directly to 4♠.