Club News Sheet – No. 219 www.pattayabridge.com 14^th Jan 2007

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Mon 8^th 1^st N-S Paul Savenkral & Ursula 57% 2^nd Phil & Tomas 57%

1^st E-W Bjorn & Knud 60% 2^nd Paul Biscoe & Ivy 56%

Wed 10^th 1^st N-S Paul Scully & Ursula 57% 2^nd Dave & Eileen 54%

1^st E-W Sakari & Terry 59% 2^nd John & Kenneth 56%

Fri 12^th 1^st N-S Sakari & Seppo 65% 2^nd Jan Roos & Per-Ake 55%

1^st E-W Lars & Gunnar 66% 2^nd Ivy & Mieke 61%

Bidding Quiz Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hand A partner opens 1♠ and RHO overcalls 2♣, what do

you bid?

♠ A8643 ♠ A1086

♥ 87 ♥ KQJ5 With Hand B partner opens 1♥ and RHO overcalls 1♠,

♦ K10954 ♦ Q543 (a) what do you bid? (b) would your bid be different if

♣ 3 ♣ 6 you play precision and partner’s opening is limited to 15 HCP’s?

Hand C Hand D With Hand C RHO opens 1♦, what do you bid?

♠ Q54 ♠ AK542 With Hand D LHO opens 1♣ (maybe short) and RHO bids 1♥.

♥ KJ9 ♥ 10 (a) What do you do?

♦ J654 ♦ KJ75 (b) Suppose you bid 1♠ and LHO bids 2♥ which is passed

♣ AK10 ♣ A98 round to you. What do you bid now?

Hand E Hand F (a) What do you open with Hand A? Suppose you choose

to open 2♥; LHO overcalls 3♦ and partner doubles.

♠ 102 ♠ J10762 (b) What does partner’s double mean? And (c) what do you bid?

♥ KJ10984 ♥ AJ2

♦ - ♦ A5 With Hand F partner opens 1♦, you bid 1♠ and partner raises to

♣ K9632 ♣ AQJ 2♠. What do you bid?

Hand G Hand H With Hand G you open 1♦ and partner bids 1♠. What do you bid?

♠ J1054 ♠ K

♥ - ♥ J973 With Hand H RHO opens 1♣, you pass, LHO bids 1♥ and

♦ AK953 ♦ Q8642 partner bids 1♠. RHO bids 2♥, you pass again and this goes

♣ AQ43 ♣ 1072 round to partner who doubles. What do you do?

Bidding Sequences Quiz

J 2♥ 3♦ dbl What is the dbl, take-out or penalty?

K 1♦ pass 2♣ pass What is 4NT?

4NT

L 1♣ pass 1NT 2♦ What is the dbl, take-out or penalty?

dbl

M 1♣ pass 1♥ 1♠ (a) What is the dbl, take-out or penalty?

2♥ pass pass dbl (b) What shape would you expect doubler to have?

Local Rules

The Pattaya bridge club is a friendly club with a lot of inexperienced players and the strict rules of bridge do not necessarily apply. The local rules are on the web and I always have a copy with me. I have had to make two recent additions to the local rules: -

- Bidding boxes: We only have right-handed bidding boxes, but a player may place his/her box on either the right side or the left side. I myself am right handed but I always hold my cards in my right hand and use the left to pull out the bidding cards. I personally place my box on my right but there is absolutely no problem if you prefer to place it on your left and so next to LHO’s bidding box. The tables at the Tropicana are certainly big enough to accommodate this!

- Reviewing the cards played to the last trick: The strict rules of bridge do not allow you to see the last trick once everybody has turned their card over. This can cause problems (uncertainty as to where the lead is etc.) and with the large number of inexperienced players at our friendly club we do relax this rule so that anybody may ask to see the cards for the last trick before any card is played to the next one.

The raise to 4♥/♠ - part 1 Board 25 from Monday 8^th

Dealer: ♠ KQJ52 Table A

North ♥ KJ96 West North East South(A)

E-W vul ♦ Q - 1♠ 2♣ 2♠ (1)

♣ K65 all pass

♠ 97 N ♠ 10 Table B

♥ Q105 W E ♥ A432 West North East South(A)

♦ AJ873 S ♦ 62 - 1♠ 2♣ 4♠ (1)

♣ 1072 ♣ AQJ984 all pass

♠ A8643

♥ 87

♦ K10954

♣ 3

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? 2♠ really is a bit feeble with 5 trumps.

Table B: (1) With 5 trumps and a singleton this is time for the pre-emptive raise to 4♠. This

direct raise is weak; showing 5 trumps.

And what happened? One pair stopped in 2♠. On pair somehow managed to stop in 3♠. One pair over-bid to 5♠ and most of the field were in the sensible 4♠ making exactly. I note that the two pairs in partsores both made 11 tricks, so they would have got a clear top had they known about ‘The Law’

The bottom lines:

- The direct raise to four of partner’s 1♥/♠ opening (with or without an overcall) is weak.

- Generally speaking, with five trumps and a weak hand (5-10 points) raise partner to 4♥/♠.

The raise to 4♥/♠ - part 2 Board 26 from Monday 8^th

The very next board. Having seen partner raise 1♠ to 4♠ very successfully on the last board with just seven points; North at table A made the same bid (in ♥’s) with a really great twelve points! An easy slam was deservedly missed.

Dealer: ♠ A1086 Table A

East ♥ KQJ5 West North(B) East South

Both vul ♦ Q543 - - pass 1♥

♣ 6 1♠ 4♥ (1) pass pass (2)

pass

♠ KQJ943 N ♠ 752

♥ - W E ♥ 642 ‘Expert’ Table

♦ 97 S ♦ A1082 West North(B) East South

♣ K10842 ♣ Q75 - - pass 1♥

♠ - 1♠ 4♣ (1) pass 6♥ (3)

♥ A109873 all pass

♦ KJ6

♣ AJ93

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this North hand B in this week’s quiz? 4♥ is a very poor bid because, as we have just seen, it is pre-emptive with long ♥’s.

(2) Obviously South does not envisage slam.

‘Expert’ (1) This is a great hand in support of ♥’s and slam could easily be there if partner

Table does not have wasted values (king/queen) in ♣’s. The best bid is 4♣ - a splinter showing 4 card ♥ support, ♣ shortage and sound game values.

(3) South has options here but he has the ideal ♣ holding and simplest is just to bid the slam. Cue bidding will not really help as you do not need the ♦A to make 6♥ and 5♠ Exclusion Blackwood commits the partnership to slam anyway.

And what happened? Everybody(!) stopped in 4♥. One West bid on (presumably with 5♣) and got doubled in 5♠ for 800 away and an unlucky bottom.

The bottom lines:

- The direct raise to four of partner’s 1♥/♠ opening (with or without an overcall) is weak.

- With a sound raise (about 12+ points and four trumps) and shortage then splinter.

- With a sound raise (about 12+ points and four trumps) and no shortage then bid a new suit first if you do not play Jacoby 2NT.

Don’t double with flat hands Board 27 from Monday 8^th

Dealer: ♠ Q54 Table A

South ♥ KJ9 West North(C) East South

Love all ♦ J654 - - - pass

♣ AK10 1♦ dbl (1) 2♦ (2) 2♥ (3)

3♦ (4) pass pass 3♠ (5)

♠ A83 N ♠ 1072 pass 4♥ (6) all pass

♥ A106 W E ♥ 72

♦ A1072 S ♦ KQ3 ‘Expert’ Table

♣ Q52 ♣ J8764 West North(C) East South

♠ KJ96 - - - pass

♥ Q8543 1♦ pass (1) 1NT pass

♦ 98 pass pass (7)

♣ 93

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this North hand C in this week’s quiz? It’s nowhere near good enough for 1NT and with 4 ♦’s is totally unsuitable for a double.

(2) 1NT or pass are alternatives.

(3) Expecting partner to have one or both majors, South makes a free bid.

(4) I don’t know why West decided to bid here, but it worked out well.

(5) Since partner appeared not to have ♥’s South tried ♠’s.

(6) But N-S are now too high whether North corrects or passes.

Table B: (1) With a totally flat horrible 14 count hand C should pass.

Table (7) And with a flat hand it’s probably best to pass here although double would be acceptable now.

And what happened? 4♥ went minus one for a poor score. E-W can not make 1NT and if North decided to double at (7) then 2♥+1 would have earned N-S a joint top.

The bottom lines:

- A take-out double is playable in the other three suits (or very strong).

- Do not double “to show an opening hand”.

- Do not double with a balanced hand unless it’s too strong for 1NT (so 19+).

A play problem

You are in 6NT with plenty of entries in all of the other suits. How do you play the following suit for max one loser? It’s pairs so no losers would be even better if it does not risk going down unnecessarily. Answer next page.

♦ Q109 opposite ♦A87654

A play problem – answer Board 17 from Wednesday 10^th

Dealer: ♠ QJ975 West North East South

South ♥ 54 - - - pass

Love all ♦ 3 1♦ pass 1♥ pass

♣ 109543 6NT (1) all pass

♠ A3 N ♠ K102 (1) Not ultra sophisticated, but this was a first

♥ K2 W E ♥ AJ97 time partnership.

♦ A87654 S ♦ Q109

♣ AK7 ♣ QJ2 Anyway, this is not about the bidding but the play.

♠ 864 North led the ♠7. It would not be my choice but

♥ Q109 the opening lead is pretty much irrelevant.

♦ KJ2 Dummy’s ♠10 won the trick. How did you play

♣ 86 the ♦’s in the quiz on the previous page?

I think it’s best to play South for one of the missing honours and lead the ♦Q with the intention of running it and later entering dummy and running the ♦10 if the 1^st finesse loses to the ♦K. As it happens this line picks up the whole suit and there are 14 tricks off the top.

And what happened? Just three pairs were in 6NT. One played as above to make 13 tricks, one made 12 tricks and the third managed to go two down! Presumably by starting with the ♦A? My suggested line only fails if North has KJ, KJx or KJxx and is about 80%. It also has the advantage of no losers should South hold KJ, KJx or KJxx. The other reasonable line is to run the ♦10. This gets one less trick should North hold J or Jx but gains if North has the ♦K stiff. I can’t be bothered to work out which is actually best but leading the ♦A is certainly inferior to either of the other lines.

It’s take-out Board 12 from Monday 8^th

Dealer: ♠ K

West ♥ J973 West North(H) East South(D)

N-S vul ♦ Q8642 1♣ (1) pass 1♥ 1♠ (2)

♣ 1072 2♥ pass pass dbl (3)

pass pass (4) pass

♠ Q1098 N ♠ 763

♥ AKQ5 W E ♥ 8642

♦ 3 S ♦ A109

♣ Q643 ♣ KJ5

♠ AK542

♥ 10

♦ KJ75

♣ A98

(1) Alerted as could be short (2 cards).

(2) What did you bid with this South hand D(a) in this week’s quiz? With a 5 card major it’s much better to overcall rather than double.

(3) What did you bid with this South hand D(b) in this week’s quiz? Double is perfect here; it shows 5 ♠’s, 4 ♦’s and perhaps tolerance for ♣’s.

(4) But North decided to pass! What did you bid with this North hand H in this week’s quiz? Partner’s double is 100% take-out, if you were not sure a glance at your own ♥ holding will confirm this. To convert to penalties is a very poor decision with just 4 miserable trumps and a known 5-4 ♦ fit.

And what happened? 2♥ doubled made exactly for a complete top to E-W. Nobody played in 3♦ which would have scored a top but three E-W pairs were pushed into 3♥ which goes one down. After the event East asked me if South should have bid 3♦ at (3) rather than double. Obviously that would have prevented the disaster but it is a poor alternative for three reasons: -

1. It implies 5 ♦’s (as dbl promises 4 ♦’s).

2. If partner prefers ♠’s then you are up at the three level.

3. It rules out a possible 3♣ contract should opener be short and partner have ♣’s.

The bottom lines:

- When the opponents have bid and supported a suit at the two level then double is for take-out

- Do not pass partner’s take-out double with just Jxxx in trumps, especially when the opponents have bid and supported the suit.

- Do not pass partner’s take-out double when you have a known 5-4 fit.

Don’t bid again having pre-empted Board 9 from Monday 8^th

When you pre-empt you have said it all. Partner is the captain and you should not bid again unless invited. To pull partner’s penalty double is mutiny.

Dealer: ♠ 102

North ♥ KJ10984 West North(E) East South

E-W vul ♦ - - 2♦ (1) pass 2♥ (2)

♣ K9632 pass pass (3) 3♦ (4) dbl (5)

pass 3♥ (6) pass 3NT (6)

♠ 754 N ♠ AQ8 all pass

♥ Q753 W E ♥ A

♦ QJ S ♦ 9765432

♣ QJ84 ♣ 105

♠ KJ963

♥ 62

♦ AK108

♣ A7

(1) What did you bid with this North hand E(a) in this week’s quiz? I would open 3♥ because of the great intermediates and good 2^nd suit, but I guess that most will choose 2♥ (or a multi). This N-S pair play the Multi Two diamonds, in this case showing a weak two in ♥’s.

(2) This is close. South thought about making an effort (with 2NT) but decided against it as he had such poor ♥’s.

(3) Confirming a weak two in ♥’s.

(4) East quite reasonably did not want the opponents to play peacefully in 2♥. He knows that somebody has points and top ♦’s and hoped that his partner had his fair share of them.

(5) Unfortunately for East, South has the ♦’s and the points and knew exactly what to do

– a penalty double. A glorious top for N-S at favourable vulnerability.

(6) What did you bid with this North hand E(c) in this week’s quiz? There is no reason to pull the double. If you think that 3♥ is reasonable then you should have opened 3♥.

(7) The 800 is now out of the window but South’s hand has improved with RHO bidding ♦’s. With hopefully 4 ♦ tricks on the expected ♦ lead South decided to bid the NoTrump game.

And what happened? West led the ♦Q which declarer won. He led a ♥ to the ♥8 which East won perforce. East led a low ♦ and South had a think. 3 ♦ tricks were enough, so no need to be greedy and lose to a now singleton ♦9 had West led from ♦Q9 and so South played the ♦10. East won with her now singleton ♦J and led a ♠ which E won with the ♠A. East then put South to a guess again by returning a ♠. South did not know that the ♥’s split badly and so won with the ♠K and finessed the ♥’s again but he had to lose a ♥ trick. South thus managed to go down, losing 2 ♠’s, 2 ♥’s and 1 ♦, in a contract that makes +2 easily if you see all of the hands!

Anyway, most N-S’s were in 4♥ for +420 or 450 but these result for N-S here were nowhere near as good as the 800 on offer for 3♦ doubled going three down.

The bottom lines:

- Do not bid again having pre-empted – partner is the captain.

- Do not remove partner’s take-out double if you opened with a pre-empt.

4NT over partner’s 2NT is quantitative Board 3 from Monday 8^th

Dealer: ♠ 52 Table A

South ♥ A West North East South

E-W vul ♦ AKJ109643 - - - pass

♣ AQ pass 1♣ (1) pass 2♣ (2)

pass 2♦ pass 2NT

♠ 986 N ♠ KJ743 pass 4NT (3) pass 6NT (4)

♥ KQJ105 W E ♥ 9732 all pass

♦ 75 S ♦ 82

♣ J93 ♣ 72 Table B

♠ AQ10 West North East South

♥ 864 - - - pass

♦ Q pass 1♦ (1) pass 2♣

♣ K108654 pass 4NT (5) pass 5♥ (6)

pass 5NT (7) pass 6♣ (8)

pass 6♦ all pass

Table A: (1) This pair play Precision ♣. So 1♣ is 16+ points and any shape

(2) 8+ points and a 5+ card ♣ suit – game forcing playing Precision.

(3) North meant 4NT here as Blackwood.

(4) But South took it a quantitative and so bid 6NT as he is way above minimum.

Table B: (1) This hand is good enough for a 2♣ opening in some people’s style.

(5) Here 4NT is RKCB for ♣’s (sequence K). It is obviously very important for North to have the ♣K included in the responses even though he has no intention of playing in ♣’s.

(6) Two key cards without the ♣Q.

(7) Kings?

(8) None.

And what happened? Most tables bid to the sensible 6♦ making +1. N-S at table A lucked out for a total top when 6NT made +1.

The bottom lines:

- It’s up to partnership understanding when 4♣ is Gerber and when 4NT is the ace (keycard) ask.

- I would play 4♣ at (3) as Gerber even if the 1♣ opening was natural/better minor.

- It’s all up on the web, with the rather long but apt title: - “Quantitative, Normal Blackwood, RKCB, Gerber, Splinter or what?” – and it’s in the conventions folder.

Open 1 ♣/♦ and raise partner’s 1♥/♠ to 4♥/♠ Board 5 from Monday 8^th

The sequence 1♦ - 1♠ - 4♠ shows 4 card ♠ support and 19 points with no shortage.

Dealer: ♠ 86 Table A

North ♥ AQ82 West North(G) East South

N-S vul ♦ J74 - pass pass pass

♣ KJ52 1♦ pass 1♠ pass

4♠ (1) pass 4NT (2) pass

♠ J1054 N ♠ AQ92 5♥ (3) pass 6♠ (4) all pass

♥ - W E ♥ K63

♦ AK953 S ♦ Q1086 ‘Expert’ Table

♣ AQ43 ♣ 87 West North(G) East South

♠ K73 - pass pass pass

♥ J109754 1♦ pass 1♠ pass

♦ 2 3♥ (1) pass 4♠ (5) all pass

♣ 1096

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this North hand G in this week’s quiz? This jump to 4♠ shows 19 points with no shortage and is clearly incorrect. See ‘Expert’ table for my esteemed opinion.

(2) With a decent hand East quite reasonably went looking for slam.

(3) Two keycards without the ♠Q. Presumably this pair have not agreed what I wrote last week about showing a void.

(4) And as I have regularly said, one keycard missing is no reason to back down.

‘Expert’ (1) So what’s the real answer to question G? This West hand does not really have

Table the values to insist upon game but if partner has a reasonable hand with no wasted values in ♥’s then slam could well be there. I think it’s worth a try and agree with our expert’s decision to splinter. A simple invitational 3♠ is the rather meek alternative.

(5) Fast arrival. This East hand is close to co-operating for slam but partner’s splinter indicates that the ♥K is not pulling its weight.

And what happened? Two pairs bid the hopeless slam. Most were in 4♠ making +1.

The bottom lines:

- The sequences 1♣/♦ - 1♥/♠ - 4♥/♠ show 19 points and no shortage.

- With shortage, splinter.

- The splinter is game forcing but needs less in the way of high cards, especially with a void.

- Splinters are great. They describe the hand perfectly and partner knows if his values are in the right places. Change East’s ♥K to the ♣K and the 6♠ slam is a great contract.

The game try as a slam try Board 8 from Monday 10^th

Dealer: ♠ AK9 Table A

North ♥ K1065 West North East South(F)

N-S vul ♦ Q932 - 1♦ pass 1♠

♣ 83 pass (1) 2♠ (2) pass 4NT (3)

pass 5♥ (4) pass 6♠ (5)

♠ 3 N ♠ Q854 all pass

♥ 3 W E ♥ Q9874

♦ J764 S ♦ K108 ‘Expert’ Table

♣ K1076542 ♣ 9 West North East South(F)

♠ J10762 - 1♦ pass 1♠

♥ AJ2 pass (1) 2♠ (2) pass 2NT (3)

♦ A5 pass 3♠ (5) pass 4♠ (6)

♣ AQJ all pass

Table A: (1) At this vulnerability a weak 3♣ is a sound option.

(2) With excellent ♠’s and a very weak doubleton I prefer this too the alternative of 1NT.

(3) What did you bid with this South hand F in this week’s quiz? It’s a combined 29+ points with a fit, so marginal as to whether to seriously look for slam or to invite. RKCB is obviously reasonable and may work on a good day, our experts took the more cautious route.

(4) Two key cards without the ♠Q.

(5) Perhaps South should chicken out with the ♠Q missing; that’s ½ a loser.

‘Expert’ (3) Our expert South did not like the distribution of his high cards and decided just

Table to invite slam. 2NT here is a general game try (but in reality it is a slam try).

(5) North cannot pass. 3♠ here shows a minimum and any other bid would be accepting the ‘game’ try.

(6) Having established that North is minimum for his raise, South gives up on looking for slam.

And what happened? Things could not be worse. The ♣AQJ is virtually wasted opposite two small, the ♣K and ♦K are both wrong and the trumps split 4-1 with the ♠Q not falling. At table A 4♠ went one down and it went two down at another table. 4♠ made exactly twice and two pairs did well playing in 3NT +1 or +2.

The bottom line:

- You can use a game try as a slam try (but obviously not 3 of the major as that may be passed).

- Having agreed a major at the 2-level, then 2NT is a general game try (maybe a slam try).
Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 4♠. The Law. The direct raise to the four level is pre-emptive, generally with 5 trumps and about 3-9 points.

Hand B: (a) 4♣. A splinter agreeing ♥’s with opening values (i.e. a sound raise to 4♥) and showing ♣ shortage. 4♥ is a very lazy bid as this hand may easily make slam opposite a moderate opener without wasted ♣ values. This ♠ holding is great as it indicated that partner is very likely to be short in ♠’s.

(b) No. You should still bid the 4♣ splinter. This is the problem with many precision players – they are points pundits and do not appreciate the power of a fit and shape. A super shapely 12 opposite a well fitting 14 or 15 can easily make slam.

Hand C: Pass. Do not double with flat hands. A take-out double should be short in the suit bid and playable in the other three suits unless very strong (19+).

Hand D: (a) 1♠. When you have a 5 card major it is usually better to bid it rather than double.

(b) Dbl, absolutely for take-out. Now you have shown the hand exactly. This promises 4 ♦’s in addition to the 5 ♠’s already shown and shows 5143 or 5044 shape. 3♦ is a poor alternative as it indicates 5 ♦’s and rules out 2♠ and 3♣ as possible resting places.

Hand E: (a) 3♥. With these great ♥ intermediates and 5-card 2^nd suit I prefer 3♥ to 2♥.

(b) Penalties. Negative doubles do not apply over pre-empts.

(c) Pass. If you think that removing partner’s double is a reasonable alternative then you should have opened 3♥. Never bid again having pre-empted, and most definitely never remove partner’s penalty double.

Hand F: 2NT. Apparently a game try but in reality a slam try. 17 points opposite an opener with a fit is often enough for slam but with these weak ♠’s and points in the short suits it may be best to invite partner instead of launching straight into RKCB. If partner shows a minimum (with 3♠) you can then give up on slam and simply bid 4♠. If you chose 4NT (RKCB with the intention of bidding 6♠ if partner has one of the two missing key cards) then I would not say that that is wrong but perhaps a bit pushy.

Hand G: 3♥. A splinter agreeing ♠’s and showing game values with ♥ shortage. The hand is a little light point-wise but slam may well be there if partner has no wasted values in ♥’s. 4♠ is totally wrong as it shows 19 points with no shortage. The rather feeble invitational 3♠ is the only sensible alternative to a splinter.

Hand H: 3♦. Partner’s double is 100% take-out, showing probably exactly 5 ♠’s, 1 ♥, 4 ♦’s and 3 ♣’s (so 5413 or else 5404). You cannot pass and convert to penalties with these poor ♥’s, especially when you know there is a 5-4 ♦ fit.

Bidding Sequences Quiz Answers

J 2♥ 3♦ dbl A dbl is always penalty opposite a pre-empt.

K 1♦ pass 2♣ pass 4NT is RKCB for ♣’s.

4NT

L 1♣ pass 1NT 2♦ The dbl is penalty, it cannot be for take-out as the 1NT bidder

dbl has denied both majors.

M 1♣ pass 1♥ 1♠ (a) The dbl is take-out; opponents have bid and agreed their suit

2♥ pass pass dbl (b) Doubler is 5143, possibly 5044.