News-sheet No. 217

 

Club News Sheet – No. 217    www.pattayabridge.com        31st Dec 2006

 

       
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Mon 25th      1st N-S     Lars & Gunnar                 60%       2nd    Lars & Gunnar               55%

                    1st E-W    Albert & Dennis               66%       2nd    Gun & Lennart               57%

Wed 27th      1st N-S     Dave & Eileen                  56%       2nd    Kennert & Per-Ake        54%

                    1st E-W    Gun & Lennart                 57%       2nd    Ivy & Paul                      54%      

Fri 29th         1st N-S     Lars & Gunnar                 63%       2nd    Dave & Per-Ake            59%

                    1st E-W    Gun & Lennart                 63%       2nd    Btt & Jufe                       55%

 

Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

 

♠ K2                ♠ KQ108         (a)  What do you open with Hand B?

♥ KJ                ♥ A                  (b) Suppose you choose 2♣, the what do you bid over partner’s

♦ A10843        ♦ AQ82                 2♦  response?

♣ AK96           ♣ AK109

 

Hand C           Hand D           What do you open with Hand C?

 

♠ AJ1098543   ♠ A1095          (a)  What do you open with Hand D?

♥ K3                ♥ AJ109          (b)  Suppose you choose 1NT. Partner bids 2♣ Stayman and

♦ A                  ♦ J3                        RHO doubles. What do you bid now?

♣ 73                ♣ AJ2

                       

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

 

♠ J873             ♠ 9

♥ Q73              ♥ KJ72            With Hand F partner opens 2♣ and you respond 2♦. Partner then

♦ 8764             ♦ J1064            bids 3♣, what do you bid?

♣ 76                ♣ J432

 

We are moving!

The lazy/incompetent Mercure management/staff are incapable of coping with more than 9 tables. They have been cramming us into a small corner of the fly infested dining room when the rest of the room is always totally empty. And, to boot, they decided to charge us double the agreed rent while we are playing under these cramped conditions.

We have had to give in to their extortionate demands while we were looking for a new venue – we were given no notice of the unilateral 100% hike in the rent. Anyway, we have now found what appears to be a very suitable venue.

From Wednesday 3rd Jan onwards we will be playing at the Tropicana hotel. This is ideally situated between central road and the Dolphin roundabout, with access from either the beach road or the No 2 road.

We have negotiated a deal which includes free snacks and tea/coffee. Other refreshments such as soft drinks and beer will be sold at 10% off the usual price. The playing fee will be 150 bht for members and 200 bht for guests. Let’s hope we have a happy new year there! If it does not work out we can move again, but anything is better than the current situation at the Mercure.
Club Membership

Membership fees for 2007 are now due. Membership is 1000 bht for a year or 150 bht for a month. Being a member entitles you to play on any day for 150 bht as opposed to the 200 bht paid by visitors.

 

The Bridge Club Championship Results

 

Here are the winners of the 2006 championships. We’ll have a trophy presentation when we move to our new venue, I most certainly do not want to give the Mercure any free (favourable) publicity.

 

2006 Winners:                Gold Cup 1st        Dave Cutler

                                      Gold Cup 2nd        Bob Pelletier

                                      Gold Cup 3rd        Bob Short

                                      Silver Plate           Lewis Berg

                                      Bronze Medal       Clive Bell

 

1    Dave Cutler              1867.9                             Eight people qualified for contention

2    Bob Pelletier             1797.2                             (30 results above 53%) in the Gold Cup.

3    Bob Short                1784.3                             The top 10 for the Silver Plate (best 10)

4    Phil Lovell                1779.2                             and Bronze medal (best 5) are as below.

5    Michael Guin            1763.2                             The names in brackets indicate that

6    Kenneth Johansson   1754.4                             the individual cannot win that competition

7    Alan Purdy               1751.2                             as he has already won a higher ranking award.

8    Bill Noe                    1747.5

 

Silver Plate                                                       Bronze Medal

 

-     (Dave Cutler)           663.4                         -     (Dave Cutler)         338.7

1    Lewis Berg               644.5                         -     (Lewis Berg)          337.8

-     (Bob Pelletier)          641.1                         1    Clive Bell                334.3

-     (Bob Short)              640.3                         -     (Bob Short)            330.5

2    Clive Bell                  637.8                         -     (Bob Pelletier)        329.2

3    Phil Lovell                633.8                         2    Phil Lovell              328.5

4    Alan Purdy               628.6                         3    Ruth Ibler               327.2

5    Hans Bijvoet             624.2                         4    Jim Wallington        327.1

6    Derek & Gerard       623.7                         5    Alan Purdy             325.8

7    Jan v Koss               618.4                         6    Hans Bijvoet           325.1

 

It’s rarely correct to raise partner’s minor past 3NT          Board 11 from Christmas Day  

 

 

Dealer:             ♠ AJ6532                                       Table A

South               ♥ 10964                                         West(B)     North         East(F)     South

Love all            ♦ K53                                            -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ -                                                 2♣   (1)      pass           2♦            pass

3♣   (2)      pass           4♣   (3)    pass

♠ KQ108              N             ♠ 9                           5♣   (4)      all pass

♥ A                    W    E          ♥ KJ72                   

♦ AQ82                 S              ♦ J1064                   Table B

♣ AK109                               ♣ J432                     West(B)     North         East          South

                        ♠ 74                                               -                 -                 -               pass

♥ Q853                                          2♣             pass           2♦            pass

♦ 97                                              2NT   (1)    pass           3♣           pass

♣ Q8765                                       3♠              pass           3NT         all pass

 

Table A:     (1) What did you open with this West hand B(a) in this week’s quiz? This really is a very powerful hand and I agree with the 2♣ opening.

(2)   But what did you rebid with the West hand B(b)? 2♠ would be very poor with just a 4 card suit. I think that 3♣ or 2NT are both reasonable.

(3)   What did you bid with this East hand F in this week’s quiz? Raising partner’s minor past the level of 3NT is a very poor bid. I would bid 3♦ as I want partner to be declarer in a possible 4♥ but I would not argue with 3♥. 3NT is then easily reached (3♠ from West and 3NT from East).

Table B:     (1)  This West chose to rebid 2NT and then 3NT was easily bid after Stayman failed to find a fit.

 

And what happened? 5♣ went one down for a poor score. 3NT +2 was the top and two pairs made 3NT exactly

The bottom lines: -

-         Don’t raise partner’s 3♣/♦ to 4♣/♦ unless slam is a real possibility.

-         It is acceptable to open 2NT (or 2♣ - 2♦ - 2NT) with a singleton ace or king.

-         4441 type shape hands are notoriously difficult to bid in most bidding systems.

 

3NT or 4♥/♠ with a 5-3 fit? – part 1                    Board 5 from Christmas Day 

 

With 3 good trumps it’s usually best to go for the 5-3 ♥/♠ fit.

 

Dealer:             ♠ J982                                           Table A

North               ♥ K4                                              West          North         East          South

N-S vul            ♦ KQ102                                       1NT           pass           2♦    (1)    pass

                        ♣ 962                                            2♥              pass           3NT (2)    pass

pass (3)      pass          

♠ A73                   N             ♠ KQ54                  

♥ AQJ               W    E          ♥ 108762                 ‘Expert’ Table

♦ AJ985                 S              ♦ 64                        West          North         East          South

♣ 73                                      ♣ A8                        1NT           pass           2♣   (1)    pass

                        ♠ 106                                             2♦              pass           3♦    (2)    pass

♥ 953                                             3♠      (3)    pass           4♦    (4)    pass

♦ 73                                              4♥              all pass              

♣ KQJ1054                                  

 

Table A:     (1) It’s up to your partner ship agreement how you bid game going hands which are 5-4 in the majors opposite a 1NT opener. I always use Stayman but this East decided to transfer.

(2)   But this is a lazy bid as there may be a 4-4 ♠ fit.

(3)   Two players out of six elected to play in 3NT rather than 4♥. With a weak doubleton and good ♥’s it’s virtually always better to play in the 5-3 ♥ fit.

‘Expert’      (1)  Our experts use Stayman when 4-5 or 5-4 in the majors, reserving the

 Table               transfer sequence 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ - 2♠ for hands that are 5-5 in the majors.

(2)   And it’s again up to partnership understanding how you continue after a 2♦ response. Traditionally you bid 3 of the 5-card major – forcing. A supposed improvement on this is the Smolen convention whereby you bid 3 of the 4-card major so that opener is always declarer. But undoubtedly the best treatment is to play Quest transfers. 3♦ here shows 5♥’s, 4♠’s and invitational or better values. This East hand has game values and East would bid game next go if West attempted to sign off in 3♥.

(3)   With excellent ♥’s and the key ♠A West accepts the game invitation and cue bids the ♠A just in case East is looking for slam.

(4)   East has no slam ambitions and so re-transfers to get opener as declarer in 4♥.

 

And what happened? 3NT goes down on a ♣ lead but it actually made (exactly and +2) the two times it was bid. 4♥ should make but two players managed to go one down.

The bottom lines: -

-         I prefer to use Stayman when 5-4 in the majors and to reserve the sequence

1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ - 2♠ for all 5-5 major suited hands, invitational or game forcing.

-     Quest transfers are a vast improvement on Smolen as they cater for invitational and game/slam hands and the bidding is lower if slam needs investigating.

-     This is all covered in the No Trump bidding book. Borrow it if you wish, I always bring a copy along to the club.

 

3NT or 4♥/♠ with a 5-3 fit? – part 2                    Board 14 from Christmas Day 

 

Another deal where the 5-3 ♠ fit is preferable to 3NT.

 

Dealer:             ♠ Q7643                                        Table A

East                  ♥ A85                                            West          North         East          South

Love all            ♦ Q                                                -                 -                 pass         1NT (1) 

                        ♣ KQ107                                      pass                   2♥              pass         2♠             

pass           3♣   (2)      pass         3NT (3)

♠ 109                    N             ♠ J52                       all pass

♥ J10976           W    E          ♥ Q4                       

♦ 1087                   S              ♦ A96542               ‘Expert’ Table

♣ 852                                    ♣ A6                        West          North         East          South

                        ♠ AK8                                           -                 -                 pass         1♣   (1)

♥ K32                                            pass           1♠              pass         1NT (4)

♦ KJ3                                            pass           2♣   (5)      pass         3♠    (6) 

♣ J943                                           pass           4♠              all pass

 

Table A:     (1) I would knock off a point for the totally flat shape and open 1♣.

(2)   Showing a 2nd suit, game forcing.

(3)   I don’t like this at all. Partner has shown 9 or 10 cards in the black suits and with these great ♠’s 4♠ must be better than 3NT

‘Expert’      (1)  Our experts knock off a point for the 4333 type shape of course.

 Table         (4)  And so this rebid shows 12-14 which is what the hand is worth.

(5)   Our experts play Checkback Stayman after a 1NT rebid. I believe that this is superior to the more common alternative of New Minor Forcing (NMF). 2♣ here shows invitational or better values and asks for clarification in the major suits.

(6)   There are various schemes for the replies to Checkback Stayman. This simple variation shows 3 ♠’s and a maximum.

 

And what happened? 3NT at Table A made just 10 tricks whereas 11 tricks are easy with ♠’s as trumps.

The bottom lines: -

-     With three good trumps it’s usually best to go for the 5-3 major suit fit.

-     After a 1NT rebid you can play Checkback Stayman (or NMF if you prefer) to establish a possible 5-3 major suit fit.

 

1NT with two Kx’s?                                             Board 6 from Christmas Day 

 

North got clobbered here when he made a two-level overcall with A10xxx.

 

Dealer:             ♠ K2                                             

East                  ♥ KJ                                              West          North(A)    East          South

E-W vul           ♦ A10843                                      1♠              2♦    (1)      dbl   (2)    pass

                        ♣ AK96                                         pass (3)      pass (4)     

 

♠ Q6543               N             ♠ A10                (1)  What did you bid with this North hand A in

♥ A93                W    E          ♥ Q1052                  in this week’s quiz? It’s 17 points so you

♦ KQJ52                S              ♦ 97                        have to say something. I much prefer 1NT -

♣ -                                         ♣ Q7542                 you have two Kx’s which may need protecting

                        ♠ J987                                           and I would like a much better suit than A10xxx

♥ 8764                                           for a two-level overcall.

♦ 6                                           (2)  Negative.                     

♣ J1083                                   (3)  Converting it to penalties.

                                                (4)  North cannot sensibly do anything now.      

 

And what happened? 2♦ doubled went minus two for a clear top to E-W. The bottom lines: -

-     With 15-18, a stop, and a relatively balanced hand; a 1NT overcall is usually best.

-     The 1NT overcall would have worked well here. It is unlikely to be doubled and I note that one North made 8 tricks. If 1NT were to be doubled then South may well rescue with 2♣ and that makes.

 

Too good for 4♠                                                    Board 24 from Wednesday 27th  

 

Three E-W pairs missed a comfortable slam on this deal: -

 

Dealer:             ♠ Q6                                              West(C)       North       East          South

West                ♥ QJ1082                                      4♠    (1)      pass           pass (2)    pass

Love all            ♦ J974                                           

                        ♣ 52                                        (1)  What did you open with this West hand C in

in this week’s quiz? With 8 cards in a major

♠ AJ1098543        N             ♠ K7                        it’s nice to open at the 4-level but this hand

♥ K3                  W    E          ♥ A5                        really is too strong for 4♠. It’s not good

♦ A                        S              ♦ Q8532                 enough for 2♣ and 1♠ may make it too easy

♣ 73                                      ♣ AQJ4                   for the opponents to compete. Playing strong

                        ♠ 2                                                 twos (or Benjamin) then 2♠ (or 2♣ - 2♦ - 2♠)

♥ 9764                                           is possible but whatever system is being played

♦ K106                                          the best bid is undoubtedly 4♦ - Namyats.

♣ K10986                               (2)  This hand is not good enough to look for slam opposite a normal 4♠ opener.

 

And what happened? Four pairs bid the 6♠ slam. The bottom lines: -

-     Play Namyats. A 4♦ opening here would show a good 4♠ opening (rather than a completely pre-emptive one). Playing Namyats, a 4♦ opening is about 8-8½ playing tricks and a direct 4♠ opening is simply pre-emptive.

 

When your Stayman 2♣ gets doubled                 Board 7 from Christmas Day 

 

A double of Stayman gave N-S an opportunity to find an excellent contract on this deal

 

Dealer:             ♠ A1095                                        Table A

South               ♥ AJ109                                        West          North(D)    East          South(E)

Both vul            ♦ J3                                                -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ AJ2                                            pass           1NT (1)      pass         2♣   (2)

dbl   (3)      2♥    (4)      all pass

♠ Q4                     N             ♠ K62                     

♥ K64                W    E          ♥ 852                       ‘Expert’ Table

♦ K109                  S              ♦ AQ52                  West          North(D)    East          South(E)

♣ K10854                             ♣ Q93                     -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♠ J873                                           pass           1NT (1)      pass         2♣   (2)

♥ Q73                                            dbl   (3)      pass (4)      pass         2♥    (5)

♦ 8764                                          pass           2♠    (6)      all pass            

♣ 76                                             

 

Table A:     (1) What did you open with this North hand D(a) in this week’s quiz? I totally agree with this North’s choice of 1NT – those 10-9 combinations in 4-card suits are easily worth a point.

(2)   What did you open with this South hand E in this week’s quiz? This is a fairly standard Garbage Stayman situation – bid 2♣ and pass whatever partner responds.

(3)   A double of Stayman shows ♣’s and asks for a ♣ lead.

(4)   What did you bid with this North hand D(b) in this week’s quiz? With no agreement here I guess that North has to bid 2♥?

‘Expert’      (4)  But our experts do have an agreement of course, it is defined below and this

 Table               pass shows equal length in the majors.

(5)   And our experts have another trick up their sleeved here - 2♥ is a transfer to get the 1NT opener as declarer.

(6)   North completes the transfer.

 

And what happened? As it happened 2♥ played fairly well (better than 1NT) and made +1 and +2 the two times it was bid. These were the only +ve scores for N-S (nobody found the superior 2♠) with three pairs going down in 1NT. The bottom lines: -

-     When Stayman 2♣ is doubled that gives opener two extra bids (pass and redouble) and these really should be put to good use by experienced partnerships. One scheme is: -

 

pass     =    equal length in the majors – 3-3, 4-4 or possibly 2-2 without good ♣’s

rdbl      =    good ♣’s and denying a 4-card major, offering 2♣ redoubled as a final contract if responder has good clubs, and showing good ♣ stops in the more likely scenario that he does not.

2♦        =    no 4-card major (and thus 2-3 or 3-2 in the majors without good ♣’s). So this bid actually implies length/strength in ♦’s.

2♥/♠    =    a 4 (or 5 card suit) but not 4-4 in the majors.

 

After 1NT  pass  2♣  dbl  pass pass     then responder knows that opener is equal length in the majors and he should bid 2♦/♥ to transfer into the best fit.

 

This is one treatment; another is to play pass as no 4-card major and 2♦ as 4-4 in the majors.

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    1NT. With a ♠ stopper I prefer this to 2♦ with such a poor ♦ suit.

Hand B:    (a)  2♣. This hand really is too powerful for a 1♣ opening.

(b)  Either 3♣ or 2NT, whichever you consider the best of the evils. 4441 type hands are always difficult in a natural system. If you bid 2♠ then you are very likely to find yourself in 4♠ with a 4-3 or 4-2 fit and needing to take a ♦ ruff in the 4 trump hand. 3♣ is probably the best bid if you know that partner will bid a 4 card suit and not support with 4♣.

Hand C:    4♦; Namyats, showing a good 4♠ (8-8½ playing tricks) opener. If you do not play Namyats then you have to find the least bad alternative. Playing strong twos it’s 2♠; playing Benjamin it’s 2♣ - 2♦ - 2♠ and playing none of these you have to open 1♠ as it’s nowhere near good enough for a traditional strong 2♣.

Hand D:    (a)  1NT. These two 10,9 combinations in 4-card suits easily make the hand worth a strong NoTrump.

(b)  2♥, I guess. But I have described a couple of schemes on the previous page where you can show equal length in the majors in this situation.

Hand E:    2♣, Garbage Stayman. On a good day you will find a 4-4 fit and even a 4-3 fit may play better then 1NT.

Hand F:     3♦ or 3♥. 4♣ is terrible as it goes past 3NT. 3NT would be poor as there may be a

4-4 ♥ fit. There is no need to rush about as the sequence is game forcing and either 3♦ or 3♥ now will find a possible 4-4 ♥ fit and enable you to play in 3NT if that is the best spot.