Club News Sheet – No. 235    www.pattayabridge.com        6th May 2007

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 086 6089887

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

       
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Mon 30th    1st Bengt & Janne                    73%           2nd    Albert & Dennis                       65%

Wed 2nd     1st  Sonja & Roar                     60%           2nd    Dave & Jan                              56%

Fri  4th        1st Bengt & Janne                    61%           2nd    Bob & Ivy                                60%  

                                                                 

Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

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

 

♠ A104            ♠ A9876          With Hand B LHO opens 1♦ and RHO bids 2♦,

♥ K54              ♥ K43              (a)  What do you do?     

♦ Q43              ♦ A82              (b)  Suppose you pass, LHO passes and partner doubles, what

♣ QJ53            ♣ 1064                  do you bid now?

 

Hand C           Hand D           With Hand C partner opens 1♠, what do you respond?

 

♠ 92                 ♠ 5432             With Hand D RHO opens 1♦. (a) What do you do?   

♥ AK6             ♥ Q92              (b)  Suppose you pass, LHO bids 2♦ and this is passed

♦ AJ104           ♦ A5                      round to you, what do you do now?

♣ 10852          ♣ A965

 

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

 

♠ 2                   ♠ AK63                                  

♥ A1053          ♥ 43                 With Hand F partner opens 1♥, (a) what do you bid? 

♦ K543            ♦ Q73              (b) Suppose you bid 1♠ and partner bids 1NT, what now? 

♣ QJ43            ♣ J975

 

Hand G           Hand H           With Hand G partner opens 1♣ and you bid 1♠. Partner raises

to 2♠, what do you bid?

♠ Q432            ♠ AJ74

♥ 93                 ♥ AK2             With Hand H RHO opens 1♣, (a) What do you bid.

♦ AQ9             ♦ KQ109.        (b) Suppose you double and partner bids 2♥, what do you

♣ Q763           ♣ A8                      bid now?         

 

Hand J            Hand K           With Hand J you open 1♣, LHO overcalls a weak 2♠ and partner

                                                doubles (negative). What do you bid.

♠ 4                   ♠ AJ94

♥ Q975            ♥ J982             With Hand K partner opens 3♣ and RHO doubles, what

♦ K                  ♦ A972            do you do?

♣ AQJ8652     ♣ 10

                       

                                                     

   


Bidding Sequences Quiz            All of these sequences occurred this week

 

L      2♥      pass   4♥      dbl         What is dbl – take-out or penalty?

M    2♠      pass   4♠      dbl         What is dbl – take-out or penalty?

N     1♥      pass   2NT   pass       How many points is 2NT?

P      1♠      pass   2NT   pass       2NT is the same point range as above, but what shape? Specifically, how many ♠’s and how many ♥’s?

Q     1♥      pass   1♠      pass       How many points is 2NT?

1NT   pass   2NT

R     1♣     dbl     pass   1♥          (a) How many points is 2NT?

pass   2NT                           (b) Could the doubler/2NT bidder have 4 ♠’s?

S      1♦      pass   2♦      2♠          What is double – take-out or penalty?

dbl

T      2NT   pass   4♣     pass       4♣ is Gerber and 4♠ is two aces, what is 4NT?

4♠      pass   4NT

 

An extra chance                                                   Board 16 from Friday 4th

 

North missed the chance of an extra overtrick on this deal: -

   

Dealer:             ♠ A104                                          West          North         East          South

West                ♥ AJ105                                        pass           1NT           pass         2♣

E-W vul           ♦ A10                                            pass           2♥              pass         4♥

                        ♣ K972                                         all pass

 

♠ KQ65                N             ♠ J92                 There’s nothing to the bidding, with everyone in 4♥.

♥ 632                 W    E          ♥ Q8                  But how do you play the hand on a ♣ lead?

♦ Q742                  S              ♦ KJ9863           Declarer played the ♣10 from dummy and won

♣ J5                                       ♣ 84                  the ♣J with the ♣K. Being scared of a ♣ singleton

                        ♠ 873                                       with East it is certainly best to play a ♥ to the ♥K

♥ K974                                    and then finesse West for the ♥Q. So North led the

♦ 5                                           ♥5 to the ♥K and took the finesse that lost.

                        ♣ AQ1063                               Could declarer have done better (not double dummy)?

Answer next page.

 

An extra chance - answer                             

 

North should not lead the ♥5 at trick two but the ♥J, you can afford it and you never know- East may cover. East said that she would indeed have covered the ♥J if it had been led. If the ♥J is not covered then declarer should carry on with his original plan of going up with the ♥A and finessing West for the ♥Q – that is unless he noted a marked pause/uneasiness when East played low to the ♥J!

 

A negative double promises the unbid major     Board 28 from Friday 4th

 

Everybody missed slam on this deal, which would have made +1 had the ♣K been onside.

     

Dealer:             ♠ 4                                                 West          North(J)     East          South

West                ♥ Q975                                          pass           1♣             2♠    (1)    dbl   (2)

N-S vul            ♦ K                                                pass   (3)    3♣   (4)      pass         3♥    (5)

                        ♣ AQJ8652                                   pass           4♥    (6)      pass         pass (7)

pass

♠ J102                  N             ♠ KQ9875         .

♥ J4                   W    E          ♥ 103                      

♦ J109632              S              ♦ Q75               

♣ 72                                      ♣ K3                

                        ♠ A63                                     

♥ AK862                                

♦ A84                                     

♣ 109

 

(1)  A weak jump overcall, fine opposite a passed partner.

(2)  A negative double. I would bid a forcing 3♥, but this pair play negative free bids and so in their system 3♥ would not be forcing.

(3)  I would raise to 3♠, but then I always raise partner’s pre-empt with 3 card support.

(4)  What did you bid with this North hand J in this week’s quiz? Actually, I think it’s quite close, but not with 3♣ as an option! I would bid either 3♥ or 4♥. Partner has promised 4 ♥’s and at least values to compete to the three level. This 3♣ bid denies 4 ♥’s.

(5)  Showing 5 ♥’s and forcing in their system (playing negative free bids).

(6)  Feeble.

(7)  Obviously South cannot press on as North has shown 3 ♥’s at most (could be 2 ♥’s).

 

And what happened? 4♥ made +2 and nobody bid slam. The bottom lines: -

-         When partner negative doubles then he is showing 4 cards in the unbid major.

-         Do not deny a 4-4 major suit fit even if you have a minor as good as AQJxxxx.

-         I am not that familiar with negative free bids. I do not like them and do not play them myself.

-         This deal, actually, is a perfect example of how they can go wrong. If I was West I would have bid 3♠ at (3) and 4♥ from North at (4) would probably have ended the auction. But if not playing negative free bids then South would bid a forcing 3♥ at (2) - promising game values and 5 ♥’s - and slam should easily be reached whether West interferes or not.

-     That’s one disadvantage of negative free bids – if you get interference it’s difficult as you have not shown your suit or strength (in fact the double is pretty nebulous).

-     In fact, if playing negative free bids, the sequence 1♣ 2♠ dbl  does not actually guarantee 4 ♥’s; that’s just another reason why I don’t play negative free bids.

 

The double fit                                                           Board 23 from Monday 30th

 

A double fit means tricks galore and you can bid way above the level of the “Law” when you have a double fit. On this deal N-S can make 10 tricks in ♠’s or 11 tricks in ♦’s and E-W can make 11 tricks in ♥’s or 12 tricks in ♣’s – but most E-W’s let N-S play comfortably in 4♠.

   

Dealer:             ♠ KQ107                                       Table A

South               ♥ K                                                West          North         East          South

Both vul            ♦ KQ97                                         -                 -                 -               pass (1)

                        ♣ Q832                                         2♥    (2)      dbl             4♥    (3)    4♠

pass (4)      pass           pass (5)

♠ 52                      N             ♠ 4                          

♥ A1076532      W    E          ♥ QJ94                    Table B

♦ 3                         S              ♦ A5                       West          North         East          South(B)

♣ J64                                     ♣ AK10975             -                 -                 -               2♠    (1)

                        ♠ AJ9863                                       pass (6)      4♠    (7)      pass (8)    pass

♥ 8                                                 pass

♦ J108642                                     

                        ♣ -                                          

 

Table A:     (1)  I prefer South’s opening at Table B.

(2)   Because he was vulnerable and had poor trumps West decided to open just 2♥ instead of 3♥.

(3)   Obeying the Law.

(4)   West wishes that he had opened 3♥ now that partner has supported, but it’s too late now as partner is the captain and West is obliged to pass.

(5)   And it’s difficult for East; he assumes that partner has just 6 ♥’s and so the opponents may lose 1♥, 1♦ and 2 ♣’s. Had West opened 3♥ then East would push on (with 5♣ for the lead).

Table B:     (1)  This South chose the pre-emptive 2♠ opening, looks good to me.

(6)   And West cannot bid as any bid over a weak opening shows strength.

(7)   With these excellent ♠’s it’s well worth 4♠.

(8)   East could bid here, but is double for take-out? What was your answer to sequence M? You could play this as the infamous ‘optional double’ and in that case it would work extremely well when partner bids ♥’s; but it would not be so nice if partner bid 5♦! A simple 5♣ is the alternative.

 

And what happened? 4♠ was bid twice and made +1 on both occasions. One pair were pushed into 5♠ and made that doubled and one West played in 5♥ making for the E-W top.

So at all of the tables where N-S played in ♠’s by South they all made 11 tricks. I believe that West led the ♦3 at every table but East did not give his partner a ruff. With the ♦KQ on view it’s very likely that the ♦3 is singleton (and a certainty if South carelessly follows suit with the ♦2). I assume that all of the East’s wanted to cash a ♣ trick before giving their partner a ruff and that seems fairly reasonable to me as East has no reason to believe that South has a ♣ void. Unlucky. The bottom lines: -

-     Bid with shapely hands?

Balancing                                                              Board 3 from Monday 30th

 

N-S missed a comfortable ♠ partscore here at Tables A and B – whose fault?

   

Dealer:             ♠ 5432                                           Table A

South               ♥ Q92                                            West          North(D)    East          South(B)

Both vul            ♦ A5                                              -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ A965                                          1♦              pass (1)      2♦    (2)    pass (3)

pass           pass (4)

♠ QJ                     N             ♠ K10                     

♥ AJ105            W    E          ♥ 876                       Table B

♦ K987                  S              ♦ J643                     West          North(D)    East          South(B)

♣ J83                                     ♣ KQ104                -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♠ A9876                                        1♦              pass (1)      1NT (2)    pass (3) 

♥ K43                                            pass           pass (4)

♦ A82                                           

                        ♣ 1064                                    ‘Expert’ Table

West          North(D)    East                South(B)

-                 -                 -                     pass

1♦              pass (1)      1NT/2♦  (2)    pass (3)

pass           dbl   (4)      pass               2♠    (5)

all pass

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this North hand D(a) in this week’s quiz? It’s reasonable shape for a double but not quite strong enough, and with miserable majors pass is clearly best.

(2)   This pair play a short ♣, so the 1♦ opening promised 4+ ♦’s and then 2♦ is preferable to 1NT, playing in the 4-4 or better fit is bound to be superior to 1NT.

(3)   What did you bid with this South hand B(a) in this week’s quiz? In the direct seat a 1♠ overcall would be fine, but this is the sandwich seat and 2♠ is far too dangerous; pass is best as LHO may well have a strong hand and double by him (sequence S) would be for penalties. But there’s no problem; if LHO is weak and passes then partner will presumably balance.

(4)   What did you bid with this North hand D(b) in this week’s quiz? The hand was not good enough for a double at (1) but should certainly double now.

Table B:     -     Much the same as table A.

‘Expert’      (2)  It should not make any difference to N-S if East bids 1NT or 2♦.

 Table:        (4)  Our experts understand balancing and North has a clear double 2nd time round.

                        To some this may seem strange – that you don’t double at the one level but do later double at the two level. The point is that this time round both opponents are limited and you know that partner has values.

(5)  What did you bid with this South hand B(b) in this week’s quiz? You should not get carried away - 2♠ is quite sufficient, partner is balancing and bidding your hand for you in the safe seat.     

 

And what happened? 2♦ made for the top; 1NT went one down for a poor score; one N-S pair bid to 3♠ and made for a clear top; and the deal was passed out once.

The bottom lines: -

-     Be wary of overcalling in the sandwich seat.

-     Understand balancing.

A case for MUD                                                  Board 16 from Friday 4th

 

Not everybody likes MUD leads, I certainly do and it could have worked a treat on this deal: -

   

Dealer:             ♠ KQJ5                                         West          North         East          South

North               ♥ Q732                                          pass           1NT           pass         2NT

E-W vul           ♦ A62                                            pass           3NT           all pass

                        ♣ KQ                                           

There’s nothing to the bidding, with everyone in

♠ 107                    N             ♠ 9862               3NT except that one South did pass 1NT.

♥ 98                   W    E          ♥ AK64                  

♦ 973                     S              ♦ K10                East is on lead and led a ♠. That’s good news for  

♣ AJ8742                              ♣ 963                declarer and I would have won with the ♠A,

                        ♠ A43                                      taken the losing ♦ finesse and emerge happily

♥ J105                                     with 9 tricks before the defence find their ♣’s.

♦ QJ854                                   At the table where I was kibitzing North won the

                        ♣ 105                                      ♣ lead and played on ♥’s. West won but failed to

find the killing ♣ switch.

 

Let’s suppose that East realizes that ♣’s is the only chance of defeating 3NT, which ♣ should he lead? If he leads the ♣9 (top of nothing) then West obviously ducks (covers the ♣10 with the ♣J). But when East regains the lead and leads the ♣6 or ♣3 West does not know whether to duck again or not.

The solution is that East should lead the ♣6 first, followed by the ♣9 (MUD – Middle – Up – Down). This low-high signal informs West that East has 3 ♣’s and he knows to rise with the ♣A at the 2nd turn to set the contract by a number of tricks (E-W should make 8 tricks).

And what happened?

Nobody found a ♣ switch from East and 3NT made or made +1 and 1NT made +3.

 

 

 

A Word about Gerber

 

In some situations 4♣ is used to ask for aces, this is usually when NoTrumps is likely to be the final strain, my recommendations as to when to use 4♣ and when to use 4NT are in a page in the conventions folder and on the website (conventions >section 3 > Blackwood or Gerber). Anyway, if 4♣ has been used as the ace ask then a subsequent 4NT is to play; 5♣ is asking for kings. I note that somebody thought that 4NT was asking for kings, it is not – it’s to play.

 

 

 

 

Too strong for a 1NT overcall                             Board 4 from Friday 4th

 

N-S missed a comfortable 3NT on this board

   

Dealer:             ♠ AJ74                                     West       North(H)     East          South

West                ♥ AK2                                     1♣          dbl    (1)      pass         1♥

Both vul            ♦ KQ109                                 pass        2NT  (2)      pass         pass (3)   

                        ♣ A8                                        pass

♠ K82                   N             ♠ 1095              

♥ J10                 W    E          ♥ 7653         (1)  What did you bid with this North hand H(a) in

♦ AJ62                   S              ♦ 875                 this week’s quiz? Assuming that you play the

♣ K1076                               ♣ J52                 Unusual NoTrump you have to double first and

                        ♠ Q63                                      then bid No Trumps when you have a hand that

♥ Q984                                    is too strong for a 1NT overcall (15-18).

♦ 43                                   (2)  What did you bid with this North hand H(b) in

                        ♣ Q943                                   this week’s quiz? This is spot on, showing 21-22.

(3)  But South was of the opinion that it showed 18-19.

The bottom lines: -

The generally accepted scheme for showing a strong NoTrump hand in this sequence is: -

1♣   1NT                                     =    15-18

1♣   dbl   pass 1♥    pass 1NT     =    19-20

1♣   dbl   pass 1♥    pass 2NT     =    21-22

1♣   dbl   pass 1♥    pass 3NT     =    23+

 

 

 

The 2NT response – part 1                                 Board 8 from Friday 4th

 

Dealer:             ♠ 3                                                 West          North         East(C)      South

West                ♥ J10754                                       1♠              pass           2NT   (1)    pass

Love all            ♦ Q52                                            3♠    (2)      pass           3NT   (3)    pass    

                        ♣ AJ93                                          4♠    (4)      all pass

 

♠ AQ8765            N             ♠ 92                   (1)  What did you bid with this East hand C in this week's quiz,

♥ 8                     W    E          ♥ AK6                     and what was your answer to sequence P?

♦ K986                  S              ♦ AJ104                  This 2NT response is OK (but max), generally exactly 2344 shape

♣ K4                                     ♣ 10852                  and 11-12 points. With two 10's I would bid 3NT (13-15).

                        ♠ KJ104                                  (2)  With nice shape and a presumed 2 ♠’s opposite     

♥ Q932                                          and a 4-4 ♦ fit, West could try 4♠.

♦ 73                                         (3)  With his super-max East bid game.

                        ♣ Q76                                     (4)  And with this shape West corrected to 4♠.

 

And what happened? 4♠ is the best contract but was reached only at this table; others played in inferior 2NT or 3NT contracts.

 

 

The 2NT response – part 2                                 Board 21 from Friday 4th

 

Dealer:             ♠ AJ94                                           Table A

North               ♥ J982                                           West          North(K)    East            South

N-S vul            ♦ A972                                          -                 pass           pass           3♣   (1)

                        ♣ 10                                              dbl   (2)      3NT (3)      dbl     (4)    all pass

 

♠ AQ8765            N             ♠ 2                          Table B

♥ 8                     W    E          ♥ A1053                  West          North         East(E)       South

♦ K986                  S              ♦ K543                   -                 pass           pass           pass (1)

♣ K4                                     ♣ QJ43                    1♠              pass           2NT   (5)    pass

                        ♠ 107                                             4♠    (6)      all pass

♥ 74                                              

♦ 86                                               ‘Expert’ Table

                        ♣ A987652                                    West          North         East(E)       South

-                 pass           pass           pass (1)

1♠              pass           1NT   (7)    pass

.                                                                       2♠              all pass

 

Table A:     (1)  Very wild at this vulnerability.

(2)  I would bid 3♠, but double turned out very well…

(3)   … because of this crazy bid. Pass is obvious.

(4)   East knows very well that 3NT is not making with a passed hand opposite a pre-empt.

Table B:     (1)  Everybody else sensibly passed.

(5)  What did you bid with this East hand E in this week’s quiz? 2NT is a poor choice for two reasons: - (a) It denies 4 ♥’s, and (b) This hand is not good enough for a two level response in my opinion. If you really want to bid at the two level, then bid 2♣, not 2NT.

(6)  West expects a better hand with 2344 shape opposite and quite reasonably bids 4♠.

‘Expert’      (7)  This is the best answer to question E, with a singleton in partner’s suit and no

 Table:              intermediates this hand is not worth a two-level response.   

 

And what happened? 3NT doubled went for a well deserved 1400. One E-W pair stopped nicely in 2♠ making +1 and the other two E-W’s both overbid to 4♠ -1.

The bottom lines: -

-         The 2NT response denies a 4 card major.

-         It is 11-12 points or a very good 10

-         Downgrade a hand with a singleton in partner’s suit

-         Opposite a 1♠ opening, the 2NT response is usually exactly 2344 shape.

 

The 2NT response – part 3                                          Board 20 from Monday 30th

 

Every E-W overbid on this deal: -                           Table A

West          North         East(F)     South

Dealer:             ♠ 109                                             1♥              pass           2NT (1)    pass

West                ♥ AJ82                                          3NT   (2)    all pass

Both vul            ♦ J954                                           

                        ♣ A83                                            Table B

West          North         East(F)     South

♠ 74                      N             ♠ AK63                   1♥              pass           1♠    (1)    pass

♥ KQ765           W    E          ♥ 43                         1NT           pass           2NT (3)    pass

♦ K106                  S              ♦ Q73                     3NT  (4)     all pass

♣ KQ2                                  ♣ J975                    

                        ♠ QJ852                                        ‘Expert’ Table

♥ 109                                             West          North         East(F)     South

♦ A82                                            1♥              pass           1♠    (1)    pass

                        ♣ 1064                                          1NT   (2)    pass           pass (3)    pass

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this East hand F(a) in this week’s quiz? 2NT here is 11-12 points but it is totally incorrect as the bid denies a 4-card major. East apparently bid it to ‘show his points’. If you think that this hand is worth 2NT then you should bid as Table B. Never deny a 4 card major – especially one as good as AKxx.

(2)  A borderline raise, pass is the alternative.

Table B:     (1)  This East correctly bid 1♠.

(3)   What did you bid with this East hand F(b) in this week’s quiz? Now this sequence is much better than Table A, but is this East hand worth 2NT? 2NT is the same here as at (1) and is 11-12; but with a doubleton in partner’s suit this is a poor 10 and should pass.

‘Experts’    (3)  Our expert stops comfortably in 1NT. Pass is the correct answer to question F(b).                   

And what happened? Three pairs overbid to 3NT and went two down (twice) or one down. The fourth pair stopped in 2NT and went one down. The bottom lines: -

-     2NT by responder in either sequence N or Q is 11 to 12 points, or a very good 10.

-     Downgrade a hand with xx in partner’s suit.

-     Do not bid 2NT with a poor 10.

 

Dave’s Column   Here is this week’s Dave input involving the best play for the contract.

 

North               South                     You reach a reasonable 6♣ by North on the this deal, with

♠ 9                   ♠ A104                  no opposition bidding, and East leads the ♥10.

♥ AQ               ♥ K54                    You win with the ♥Q, play the ♠A and ruff a ♠, cash the ♥A

♦ A987            ♦ Q43                    and draw trumps ending in south, East having the doubleton.

♣ AK10742     ♣ QJ53                  Now you discard a ♦ on the ♥K and ruff a ♠.

 

North               South                     Neither opponent has thrown a ♦. That leaves these N-S 

♠ -                   ♠ -                         cards remaining with the lead with North; how do you  

♥ -                   ♥ -                         play the ♦ suit now?

♦ A98              ♦ Q43                     

♣ A10              ♣ J5

                             


Dave’s Column answer              Board 1 from Wednesday 2nd

Dealer:             ♠ 9                                                Table A

North               ♥ AQ                                             West          North         East          South(A)

Love all            ♦ A987                                          -                 1♣             pass         2NT (1)

♣ AK10742                                   pass           3♦    (2)      pass         3NT (3)

pass           6♣             all pass

♠ Q86532             N             ♠ KJ7               

♥ J76                 W    E          ♥ 109832                 ‘Expert’ Table

♦ K52                    S              ♦ J106                     West          North         East          South(A)

♣ 9                                        ♣ 86                        -                 1♣             pass         2♣   (1)

                        ♠ A104                                          pass           3♠    (4)      pass         4♠    (5) 

♥ K54                                           pass           6♣   (6)      all pass

♦ Q43                                     

♣ QJ53

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? 2NT promises 11-12 points and no 4 card major and is spot on. It’s up to partnership understanding whether you respond 2NT or 1♦ to 1♣ when 3343 shape and 11-12 points.

(2)   A reverse and forcing.

(3)   Presumably showing both majors stopped, 4♣ is the alternative.

‘Expert’      (1)  Our experts play inverted minors and this is an alternative to 2NT although many

 Table:              partnerships demand 5 ♣’s for the bid, especially if 1♣ may be short.

(4)   After an inverted raise one normally bids stoppers up the line, but North is looking for slam and so splinters.

(5)   South’s ♠ holding is ideal and so he cue bids.

(6)   And North hopes that South has a suitable ♦ holding.

 

North               South               Anyway, North ends up in 6♣. How do you play ♦ suit having

♠ -                   ♠ -                   stripped the hand? The lead is with North.

♥ -                   ♥ -                   Hint:   Do you need the ♦K onside or is there another possibility?

♦ A98              ♦ Q43              Tip:    When there is a critical holding which is in the closed

♣ A10              ♣ J5                           hand (North), do not assume perfect defence.

 

This hand was misanalysed in IPBM and the correct line is to lead the ♦9 and to run it if East plays low. If, however, East plays the ♦10 or ♦J, you should duck in dummy and then play low on the enforced ♦ return. It might seem that this will also lose when East has say ♦Jx(x) or ♦10x(x), but West will not know that he should insert the ♦J or ♦10 with these holdings. If North’s ♦’s were ♦K109, the ♦J would be fatal, and if North hand ♦K98, then a no-play slam would be let through. Playing low to the ♦Q is against the odds, as West is likely to have longer ♦’s, because he had shorter ♣’s. The ♦9 is the better card to lead as it keeps open the possibility of both ♦K109 and K98 in the North hand.

     ______________________________________________________________________________

 

Terry’s comments: - Phew!! A bit too complex for me, I would have covered with the ♦Q and gone down gracefully. At the Pattaya bridge club (Table A) the declarer ended up in the South hand and led the ♦Q; he made his contract when West did not cover!

At the other 3 tables it was 6NT minus one (twice) and 3NT + 1.

Nicely bid                                                       Board 9 from Friday 4th

 

I was kibitzing this table where E-W bid quite nicely to game.

 

Dealer:             ♠ 10876                                   West        North       East            South

North               ♥ 863                                       -               pass         pass   (1)    1♣     (2)

E-W vul           ♦ K8                                        dbl           pass         2♠      (3)    pass

                        ♣ J1032                                   3♠  (4)      pass         4♠      (5)    all pass

 

♠ A43                   N             ♠ KQJ92     (1)  With two nice suits I would open this 11 count.

♥ KQ109           W    E          ♥ J7             (2)  South correctly opened this shapely 11 count.

♦ J1065                  S              ♦ A932        (3)  This is fine, showing about 9-11 points.        

♣ A5                                      ♣ 76            (4)  Invitational.

                        ♠ 5                                     (5)  Maximum.       

♥ A542                                         

♦ Q74                    And what happened? 4♠ is where you want to be. One E-W

                        ♣ KQ93                pair went down in 6♠ and the other two went down in 3NT.

 

 

Not so nicely bid                                            Board 20 from Friday 4th

 

This E-W pair did not do so well on this board.

 

Dealer:             ♠ J98                                       West        North       East(G)      South

West                ♥ 1052                                     1♣           pass         1♠              pass

Both vul            ♦ J863                                      2♠            pass         3♠      (1)    pass

                        ♣ 1094                                    4♠  (2)      all pass

 

♠ A765                 N             ♠ Q432        (1)  What did you bid with this East hand G in this

♥ QJ87              W    E          ♥ 93                   week’s quiz? With poor trumps and three queens

♦ 105                     S              ♦ AQ9               (bad cards) I would pass.  

♣ AJ5                                    ♣ Q763       (2)  This is clearly an overbid, West should certainly

                        ♠ K10                                      pass with his minimum.       

♥ AK64                                        

♦ K742                  And what happened? 4♠ went two down. At two tables E-W

♣ K82                   stopped in 3♠ (so presumably both East’s chose 3♠ at (1) and West passed at (2). 3♠ made exactly on both occasions.

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column                                       Board 16 from Wednesday 25th

 

This is another hand that Dave put in on Wednesday.

West                East                        You reach a reasonable 6NT by West on the this deal, with

♠ A72              ♠ K54                    no opposition bidding, and North leads the ♠Q.

♥ A5                ♥ J32                     How do you make 12 tricks?

♦ KJ5               ♦ AQ7                  

♣ K10854       ♣ AQJ7                                              

 

Dave’s 2nd Column answer                    Board 16 from Wednesday 25th

 

Dealer:             ♠ QJ1093                                      West            North       East          South

West                ♥ KQ7                                           1NT             pass         4♣   (1)    pass

E-W vul           ♦ 1064                                           4♠    (2)        pass         6NT         pass

♣ 32

(1)  Gerber       (2)  Two aces

♠ A72                   N             ♠ K54               

♥ A5                  W    E          ♥ J32                 You arrive in a reasonable 6NT and receive the

♦ KJ5                     S              ♦ AQ7               ♠Q lead, how do you play?

♣ K10854                             ♣ AQJ7             You have 11 top tricks and the 12th will have   

                        ♠ 86                                         to come from a squeeze.

♥ 109864                                 Apparently, according to Dave’s book, the best           

♦ 9832                                     line is to win the opening lead with the ♠A in hand

♣ 96                                        and run the ♦’s and then the ♣’s. That leaves this

position, with the lead with West.

                        ♠ J10                                       When the ♣10 is led North is squeezed and has to

                        ♥ KQ7                                     throw the ♥7, dummy pitches the ♠5. West then leads

                        ♦ -                                            the ♥A and the ♥5 which North wins and dummy’s

♣ -                                           ♠K and ♥J take the last two tricks.

 

♠ 72                      N             ♠ K5                  Terry’s Comment

♥ A5                  W    E          ♥ J32                 This may or may not be the best line, I am no

♦ -                          S              ♦ -                      expert but if South had a ♥ honour and the 

♣ 10                                      ♣-                      remaining ♦ then the contract would go down.

                        ♠ 8                                                

♥ 986                                       And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club?

♦ 9                                           One pair stopped in 3NT + 2. Two pairs went

♣ -                                           down in 6NT and one pair made 6NT. How did

this declarer make it? Not being able to see all of the cards he simply followed the rule of rectifying the count. He won the first ♠ with the ♠K and immediately led a ♥ which he let South win with the ♥10. The ♠ return was won with the

♠A and he ran the ♣’s, discarding

                        ♠ J                                           the ♠5 from dummy. The ♦’s were then run and

                        ♥ KQ                                       this was the three card ending.

                        ♦                                              West led the ♦J and North was in trouble.

♣ -                                           Without excellent partnership signaling methods

North does not know the ♥/♠ position. North

♠ 7                        N             ♠ -                     assumed from declarer’s play of a ♥ at trick 2

♥ A                    W    E          ♥ J3                   that West had another ♥ and so he discarded his

♦ J                          S              ♦ Q                    ♠J. West’s ♥A and ♠7 took the last two tricks.

♣                                           ♣ -                    

                        ♠ -                                           The bottom lines: -   

♥ 98                                   -     Never give up. If you don’t know what you are

♦ 9                                           doing, like this declarer, then rectify the count

♣ -                                           early (lose a trick) and just play the hand out!

-         When there is a critical holding which is in the closed hand, do not assume perfect defense.

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    2NT, 11-12 points and no 4 card major. If you play Inverted minors then 2♣ is possible but many partnerships require 5 ♣’s for that bid. Note that in strict SAYC the 2NT response is 13-15 and so this hand is unbiddable.

Hand B:    (a)  Pass, 2♠ is far too dangerous in the Sandwich seat.

(b)  2♠, partner failed to double 1st time and is simply balancing now, i.e. he’s bidding your hand for you in the safe seat. To bid 3♠ now would be ‘hanging partner’.

Hand C:    2NT or 3NT. This hand is the correct shape for a 2NT response but is top of the range. If you feel it’s a bit too good (as I do) then bid 3NT

Hand D:    (a)  Pass, it’s not quite good enough for a double, especially with such poor majors.

                  (b)  Double, it’s different now in the balancing seat. Both opponents are limited and partner has values that he was unable to bid in the dangerous sandwich seat. So double now to ‘protect’ him.

Hand E:    1NT. This hand is not worth a two level response. If you disagree and want to bid at the two level, then bid 2♣ as 2NT would deny a 4 card ♥ suit and also imply 2 ♠’s.

Hand F:     (a)  1♠, never deny a 4 card major. 1NT or 2NT are both poor bids.

(b)   Pass. A raise to 2NT should be 11-12 (or a very good 10), This is a very poor 10 (the small doubleton in partner’s suit is very bad).

Hand G:    Pass. These trumps are very poor and the rest of the hand is not that great – it’s not good enough for an invitational bid of 2NT or 3♠.

Hand H:    (a)  Double, it’s far too good for a 1NT overcall …

                  (b)  … so jump to 2NT having doubled to show a balanced 21-22 points. 1♠ or 2♠ show a strong hand but are wrong because they promise a 5+ card suit.

Hand J:     3♥ or 4♥. I think it’s close. The one bid that I would not make is 3♣ - partner’s negative double promises 4 ♥’s and values to compete to at least 3♥, so support him.

Hand K:    Pass, obviously, as quickly as ethically allowed. This is only in the quiz as one player found 3NT and went for 1400 on a partscore deal.

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answers 

 

L      2♥      pass   4♥      dbl                                   The dbl is take-out, promising 4 ♠’s, but of course partner may choose to pass with a suitable hand for defending.

M    2♠      pass   4♠      dbl         This one is up to partnership understanding. It’s probably best to play it as values, i.e. ‘optional’ with 4NT as take-out.

N     1♥      pass   2NT   pass       2NT is 11-12.

P      1♠      pass   2NT   pass       2NT is usually 2344 shape exactly; so 2 ♠’s and 3 ♥’s.

Q     1♥      pass   1♠      pass       2NT is 11-12

1NT   pass   2NT

R     1♣     dbl     pass   1♥          (a) A jump to 2NT having doubled is about 21-22.

pass   2NT                           (b) And it could well contain a 4 card ♠ suit.

S      1♦      pass   2♦      2♠          This double is penalties.

dbl

T      2NT   pass   4♣     pass       4NT, having used Gerber, is always to play.

4♠      pass   4NT