Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 304

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880 7^th Sept 2008

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

My e-mail is terry@pattayabridge.com or pattayabridge@yahoo.com

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

	to news-sheet main page
	to Pattaya Bridge home page
	to bridge book reviews	to bridge conventions	to No Trump bidding
	to bridge CD's and computer games and software

Mon 1^st 1^st Gene & Paul Sc 59% 2^nd Hans V & Ivy 58%

Wed 3^rd 1^st Terry & Lewis 67% 2^nd Bengt & Bob S 60%

Fri 5^th 1^st Terry & Dave 63% 2^nd Bengt & Tomas 57%

Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hands A & B you are playing Benjamin twos and Namyats

♠ AKQ8543 ♠ - What do you open with Hand A, 3^rd seat love all?

♥ - ♥ AQJ873

♦ AJ52 ♦ KQ98 What do you open with Hand B, 3^rd seat love all?

♣ 102 ♣ AQ3

Hand C Hand D With Hand C it’s love all and RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

♠ - ♠ Q743

♥ AQ107632 ♥ A1085 With Hand D partner opens 1♠, what do you bid?

♦ Q84 ♦ 642

♣ KJ3 ♣ K7

Hand E Hand F With Hand E RHO opens 1♠ and you overcall 2♥ of course.

Partner raises to 3♥, what is 3♥ and what do you bid?

♠ Q974 ♠ 97

♥ AKQJ9 ♥ J8653 With Hand F it’s love all and partner opens 1♣ in 4^th seat

♦ J ♦ 10843 (a) Do you bid?

♣ K54 ♣ K5 (b) Suppose you bid 1♥ and partner reverses into 2♦, what now?

Hand G Hand H With Hand G RHO opens 2♠, what do you bid?

♠ AQ ♠ 108754 With Hand H partner opens 1♣.

♥ 42 ♥ 72 (a) do you bid?

♦ AK9652 ♦ K653 (b) Suppose you bid 1♠, LHO bids 2♥ and partner bids a

♣ J63 ♣ 109 game forcing 3♦, what do you do?

Bidding Sequence Quiz

J 1♠ 2♥ pass 3♥ Is 3♥ weak or invitational?

Pass a forcing bid? – part 1 Board 14 from Monday 1^st

Dealer: ♠ AQ2 West North East South(F)

East ♥ 7 - - pass pass

Love all ♦ AJ62 pass 1♣ pass 1♥ (1)

♣ AQ963 pass 2♦ (2) pass pass (3)

pass

♠ K1043 N ♠ J865

♥ A94 W E ♥ KQ102 (1) What did you bid with this South hand F(a)

♦ Q S ♦ K975 in this week’s quiz? 4 points is not normally

♣ 108742 ♣ J enough for a response but I hate to pass 1♣

♠ 97 with a doubleton, especially when playing

♥ J8653 a short ♣. I bid 1♥.

♦ 10843 (2) A forcing reverse.

♣ K5 (3) What did you bid with this South hand F(b)

in this week’s quiz? You can show a bad hand via Lebensohl, but then you’re up at the 3-level. I have no problem with this pass.

.

And what happened? 3 pairs stopped in 2♦ (+1, = and -1). The two other N-S’s both went three down in 3NT.

The bottom lines: -

- You have to be able to stop low when partner has reversed and you have a very weak hand. The ‘best’ way to do this is to play Lebensohl. I.e. when partner has reversed then you bid 2NT which asks partner to bid 3♣ which you pass or correct. Of course there’s the alternative of passing the reverse but this only works if you have support for partner’s 2^nd suit and may fail if partner has a very big hand and you miss game.

- It’s up to you if you play a reverse as 100% forcing. It’s generally played as forcing in the US but not in the UK. I like to play Lebensohl but few in the club play this over a reverse, so I have no problem passing with a hand that was not worth an initial response.

- If you think that you should not pass partner’s forcing bid then you have to have a method of showing a very weak hand (such as Lebensohl). I assume that the two players in 3NT had no such agreement.

Pass a forcing bid? – part 2 Board 21 from Friday 5^th

Dealer: ♠ KQ6 West North East South(H)

North ♥ 4 - 1♣ pass 1♠ (1)

N-S vul ♦ AQ109 2♥ 3♦ (2) pass pass (3)

♣ AKQ76 3♥ 3♠ (4) 4♥ 4♠ (5)

5♥ dbl all pass

♠ AJ32 N ♠ 9

♥ AQJ1063 W E ♥ K985 (1) What did you bid with this South hand H(a)

♦ - S ♦ J8742 in this week’s quiz? 3 points is not normally

♣ 542 ♣ J83 enough for a response. But I hate to pass 1♣

♠ 108754 with a doubleton, especially when playing

♥ 72 a short ♣. I bid 1♠.

♦ K653 (2) A game forcing reverse.

♣ 109 (3) What did you bid with this South hand H(b)

in this week’s quiz? Game seems remote and I see nothing wrong with passing.

(4) North still thinks that there’s a game.

(5) So South reluctantly bid game knowing that there is a ♠ and ♦ fit.

.

And what happened? 5♥*-1 twice, 4♠-1 and 4♥=.

The bottom lines: -

- In my opinion it is allowable to pass partner’s reverse if you did not have the values for your initial response; this is especially true if you play Benjamin twos. Some will argue with me, but I’m used to that and I can cope with them.

Raise of an overcall is weak Board 2 from Friday 5^th

Dealer: ♠ Q974 West North(E) East South

East ♥ AKQJ9 - - pass pass

N-S vul ♦ J 1♠ 2♥ pass (1) 3♥ (2)

♣ K54 pass 4♥ (3) all pass

♠ AK1062 N ♠ J83 (1) I would bid a (weak) 2♠ here.

♥ 74 W E ♥ 1082 (2) This is a weak bid, with a good raise to

♦ 64 S ♦ A972 3♥ South would bid 2♠ - an Unassuming

♣ AQ106 ♣ 932 Cue Bid.

♠ 5 (3) What did you bid with this North hand E in

♥ 653 this weeks quiz? You should pass as South’s

♦ KQ10853 bid is pre-emptive. North thought that South

♣ J87 was inviting.

.

And what happened? North made up for his sins by making the contract! At other tables the results were 4♠-4, 4♠-2 and 4♥-1. The bottom lines: -

- Direct raises of an overcall are pre-emptive and weak, with a sound raise cue bid the opponent’s suit – The Unassuming Cue bid.

- Note that if East had bid 2♠ then 3♥ by South would not necessarily be weak and would cause problems for N-S.

Bid you hand in one go Board 23 from Wednesday 3^rd

If you can bid your hand in one bid, then it’s usually best to do so.

Dealer: ♠ - Table A

South ♥ AQ107632 West(A) North(C) East South

Love all ♦ Q84 - - - pass

♣ KJ3 1♠ (1) 2♥ (2) 2♠ pass

4♠ 5♥ dbl pass

♠ AKQ8543 N ♠ J96 5♠ dbl (3) pass pass

♥ - W E ♥ J986 redbl all pass

♦ AJ52 S ♦ K103

♣ 102 ♣ Q74 Table B

♠ 1072 West(A) North(C) East South

♥ K4 - - - pass

♦ 976 1♠ (1) 4♥ (2) dbl (5) pass

♣ A9865 pass (6) pass

Table A: (1) What did you open with this West hand A in this week’s quiz? This hand is 9 playing tricks and so a Benjamin 2♣ seems appropriate. If not playing Benjamin then some will still open 2♣ (one trick short of game) but I would like a few more points for a traditional 2♣ opening. So how about 4♠? This has the great advantage of making it difficult for the opponents but it would normally be a much weaker hand. So what’s the solution? Actually a few guys in new York came up with it about 30 years ago – a Namyats 4♦ opening. This shows a good 4♠ opening (around 8½ playing tricks) and this hand – with the ♥ void, is ideal – tell partner about your great ♠’s and playing strength all in one go and make it difficult for the opponents to come in with their ♥’s.

(2) What did you bid with this North hand C in this week’s quiz? With this ♥ suit and ♠ void 2♥ looks a bit timid, I prefer the bid at table B

(3) I would never double with a ♥ void.

Table B: (1) This West again made it easy for the opponents by opening just 1♠.

(2) This North got question C right – bid the ♥’s to the maximum and make it awkward for East.

(4) North’s bid (and West’s opening) have completely fixed East. All he can do is double.

(5) Maybe West should pull it, but he would not be in this predicament had he opened a 4♦ Namyats initially.

And what happened? 4♠** made exactly for 1000 and the top to E-W, just beating the West who bid 6♠ and made it! 4♥ doubled went two down for a paltry 300 to E-W and a clear bottom.

The bottom lines: -

- If you can describe your hand in one go, do so.

- If you play Namyats, then remember to use it!

You need trumps for a penalty double Board 24 from Wednesday 3^rd

We saw last hand that North’s penalty double at (3) with a void was not a success, but holding K109x in trumps against a slam it’s a different story, isn’t it?

Dealer: ♠ K97532 Table A

West ♥ K1094 West North East(B) South

Love all ♦ 7 - - 1♥ (1) pass

♣ 84 1NT 2♠ 4♦ (2) dbl

4♥ all pass

♠ J108 N ♠ -

♥ 65 W E ♥ AQJ873 Table B

♦ A43 S ♦ KQ98 West North East(B) South

♣ KJ1097 ♣ AQ3 - - 2♣ (1) pass

♠ AQ64 3♣ (3) 3♠ 4♥ (4) 4♠

♥ 2 dbl pass 5♣ 5♠ (5)

♦ J10652 pass (6) pass 6♣ pass

♣ 652 6♥ (7) dbl all pass

Table A: (1) What did you open with this East hand B in this week’s quiz? This hand is very similar to Hand A in that it also is also about 9 playing tricks with a good major and a void in the other major. So a Namyats 4♣ then? I don’t think so – the reasons being that this major is only 6 cards and the overall point count (18) is much more. This 1♥ opening is fair enough if you don’t play Benjamin, with a traditional 2♣ a reasonable alternative.

(2) 3♦ is quite sufficient – I guess East did not want partner passing his forcing bid?

Table B: (1) This was my choice of opening bid for question B – a Benjamin two showing 8-9 playing tricks in an unspecified suit.

(3) Showing a good hand with ♣’s.

(4) With known values opposite and a ♣ fit, East can happily bid at the 4-level.

(5) Unwise, South has already bid his hand.

(6) Forcing

(7) West could pass, but 6♥ ‘scores more’.

And what happened? 6♥* made exactly for the E-W top, other results were 6♥=, 4♥+2 and 4♥+1 twice.

The bottom lines: -

- Looks like even K109x in trumps is not always good enough for a double.

Bid a 6-card minor or show a stopper? Board 25 from Friday 5^th

Dealer: ♠ KJ10932 Table A

North ♥ KQ West North East(G) South

E-W vul ♦ 873 - 2♠ 3♦ (1) pass (2)

♣ 98 pass pass

♠ 54 N ♠ AQ Table B

♥ J9875 W E ♥ 42 West North East(G) South

♦ QJ S ♦ AK9652 - 2♠ 2NT (1) pass

♣ A754 ♣ J63 3♦ (3) pass 3♥ pass

♠ 876 3NT all pass

♥ A1063

♦ 104

♣ KQ108

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this East hand G in this week’s quiz? Obviously this is quite sound but I prefer my partner’s bid at table B.

(2) I would bid 3♠, but then I virtually always raise my partner’s pre-empt when holding three trumps.

Table B: (1) This was Dave’s answer to question G, and I totally agree. These ♦’s are great but perhaps even more important is that lovely ♠AQ over the opener, and the ♦’s will be great in NoTrumps.

(3) West decided he was going to game and so showed his ♥’s.

And what happened? 3NT made for the E-W top. Other results were 3♦=, 4♦-1 and 4♠(N)-1.

The bottom lines: -

- If you have AQ over the opener and 15-17 points, think NoTrumps.

Opening 1NT with a singleton.

We have decided to change the club rules here. A 1NT opening is now allowed with a singleton provided that it is an ace or a king. Although I normally don’t give a hoot what the ACBL says, I believe that this is in line with current ACBL guidelines.

Upgrade a hand with 4-card support Board 5 from Wednesday 3^rd

Dealer: ♠ K8652 Table A

North ♥ 2 West North East South(D)

N-S vul ♦ AQ53 - 1♠ pass 2♠ (1)

♣ A85 pass pass (2) pass

♠ 10 N ♠ AJ9 Table B

♥ K7643 W E ♥ QJ9 West North East South(D)

♦ KJ10 S ♦ 987 - 1♠ pass 3♦ (3)

♣ Q632 ♣ J1094 pass 4♠ (4) all pass

♠ Q743

♥ A1085

♦ 642

♣ K7

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this South hand D in this week’s quiz? It’s pretty close but with 4 card support, decent top cards and not totally flat I would make an effort with 3♠.

(2) Obviously North passes.

Table B: (3) This N-S pair play Bergen Raises and 3♦ here shows a raise to 3♠ with 4-card support.

(4) Knowing that partner has 4 trumps is enough for North to bid game.

And what happened? The trumps did not behave, but the ♦’s did so 4♠ made. Everybody made 10 tricks but three bid as table A, just two bidding 4♠.

The bottom lines: -

- Upgrade a hand with 4 trumps.

- Bergen raises are accurate and fun, but best left to experienced pairs.

Dave’s Column Here is this week’s Dave input involving the play of the hand.

North South You are South, declarer in 4♥. West leads the ♠K,Q and a ♠

♠ J52 ♠ 963 ♠ to East’s ♠A. At trick four East leads the ♦K, plan the play.

♥ J109 ♥ AKQ75

♦ A942 ♦ 3

♣ Q87 ♣ AK32

Dave’s Column answer Board 11 from Wednesday 3^rd

Dealer: ♠ J52 West North East South

South ♥ J109 - - - 1♥

Love all ♦ A942 pass 2♥ pass 3♣

♣ Q87 pass 4♥ all pass

♠ KQ7 N ♠ A1084

♥ 642 W E ♥ 83

♦ 108765 S ♦ KQJ West leads the ♠K and continues with the ♠Q

♣ J9 ♣ 10654 and a ♠ to East’s ♠A. East shifts to the ♦K at

♠ 963 trick four. Plan the play.

♥ AKQ75

♦ 3

♣ AK32

Your only loser is the 4^th ♣. Given that you cannot discard it on a side suit winner from dummy there are still three other ways to avoid losing that card:

1. The suit breaks 3-3.

2. Draw two rounds of trumps and then play three rounds of ♣’s. If ♣’s are 4-2 and the player with the remaining trump(s) also has the 4^th ♣ you can ruff the 4^th ♣ in dummy.

3. Discard the losing ♣ on a trump!

In order to do (3) you must ruff three ♦’s in your own hand leaving dummy with one more trump than you.

Win the ♦A and ruff a ♦ high. Cross to the ♥9 and ruff a 2^nd ♦ high. Cross to dummy with the ♥10 and ruff the last ♦ high (your last trump). Enter dummy with the ♣Q and play the last trump. You have made your contract with 3 ♥’s, 3 ruffs, 1 ♦ and 3 ♣’s. A dummy reversal.

Did you spot how E-W can defeat the contract? A trump return at trick 4 removes a dummy entry prematurely.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 4♥=, 2NT=, 3♥= and 4♥-1 twice.

Dave’s 2^nd Column Here is Dave’s second input involving the play of the hand.

West East You are West, declarer in 1NT.

♠ K752 ♠ AJ8 North leads the ♣4 upon which South plays the ♣Q which you

♥ QJ4 ♥ 10732 duck. South continues with the ♣K which you again duck, North

♦ AK3 ♦ Q1084 playing the ♣3. South continues with a 3^rd ♣ which you win.

♣ A102 ♣ 96 What do you discard from dummy and what’s your plan?

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 12 from Wednesday 27^th

Dealer: ♠ 1043 West North East South

West ♥ A96 1NT all pass

N-S vul ♦ 62

♣ J8743 North leads the ♣4 upon which South plays the

♣Q which you duck. South continues with the

♠ K752 N ♠ AJ8 ♣K which you again duck, North playing the

♥ QJ4 W E ♥ 10732 ♣3. South continues with a 3^rd ♣ which you

♦ AK3 S ♦ Q1084 win perforce.

♣ A102 ♣ 96

♠ Q96 What do you discard from dummy and what is

♥ K85 your plan

♦ J975

♣ KQ5

Not only must you count your tricks in a no-trump contract, you must count theirs.

You have 6 sure tricks: 2 ♠’s, 3 ♦’s and a ♣ with the possibility of one extra trick in every suit except ♣’s.

But what do they have? They have two ♣’s already as well as two more ready to be taken. They also own the two top ♥’s for a total of 6 tricks.

The whole hand is a battle for the 7^th trick. Don’t give it to them by either finessing the ♠ or trying to drop the ♦J. Play the suit in which they have sure tricks - ♥’s.

Discard a ♥ from dummy and lead a ♥ honour. If North wins and cashes two ♣’s you can throw two ♠’s from your hand and two ♥’s from dummy.

Assuming a ♠ switch, win the ♠A and lead the ♥10 driving out the ♥K and establishing your ♥J as the 7^th trick.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 3NT-3, 1NT-1 twice, 1NT = twice.

The Club Championships

Here are the latest standings in the club competitions:

	Gold Cup = Best 30	Silver Plate = Best 10	Bronze Medal = Best 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	1829.0 Dave Cutler 1804.6 Sally Watson 1782.4 Ivy Schlageter 1771.5 Bob Pelletier 1707.4 Jan v Koss	661.8 Dave Cutler 661.1 Sally Watson 661.1 Jeremy Watson 658.3 Hans Vikman 642.7 Ivy Schlageter 642.0 Lars Gustafsson 634.3 Derek & Gerard 626.5 Bob Pelletier 625.7 Lewis Berg 619.5 Janne Roos …	342.3 Dave Cutler 341.9 Hans Vikman 341.1 Jeremy Watson 341.1 Sally Watson 336.9 Lars Gustafsson 335.3 Ivy Schlageter 328.5 Derek & Gerard 326.3 Tomas Wikman 325.2 Lewis Berg  320.5 Bob Pelletier ...

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 4♦, Namyats, showing a good 4♠ opening. A Benjamin (or even standard) 2♣ are possible but I much prefer to show the suit straight away and make it difficult for the opponents to find their ♥’s.

Hand B: 2♣, Benjamin. The difference between this hand and hand A is that this suit is only six cards, the hand is playable in three suits, and the point count is higher. You need at least a 7-card suit for a Namyats 4♣/♦. If you don’t play Benjamin then I guess you have to open 1♥ and hope for the best, it’s a bit weak for a traditional 2♣ in my style.

Hand C: 4♥. Make it difficult for LHO. It’s a bit good for 3♥ and 2♥ makes it too easy for the opponents.

Hand D: 3♠, just. It’s very close between 2♠ and 3♠ but the 4^th trump and no quacks outside trumps swing it for me.

Hand E: Pass – partner’s 3♥ bid is weak/pre-emptive.

Hand F: (a) 1♥. I hate to pass a possibly short ♣ as there may well be a better spot. Of course I would not argue if you did pass.

(b) Pass. The reverse is forcing of course but you did not have the values for your initial response. If you play Lebensohl here you can bid 2NT and stop in 3♦ if partner has a minimal reverse, but you may be too high.

Hand G: 2NT. This ♠AQ cries out for a NoTrump bid – bid 3♦ and you will never play in a NoTrump contract.

Hand H: (a) pass or 1♠. I personally hate to pass a possibly short ♣ as there may well be a better spot and I bid 1♠. Of course I would not argue if you did pass.

(b) Pass. The reverse is game forcing of course but you did not have the values for your initial response. Be happy that you have found a fit at a low level.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answers

J 1♠ 2♥ pass 3♥ 3♥ is weak. With a sound raise to 3♥ he would bid 2♠,

an Unassuming Cue Bid.