Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                             Club News Sheet – No. 336

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880                   19th April 2009

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

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Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A               Hand B             With Hand A nobody is vulnerable and RHO opens 1, what

 do you bid?

-                       J8

J74                   A2                  With Hand B partner opens 1 (4+ ’s) and RHO doubles,

64                     Q7642            what do you bid?

KQJ109643     K1062      

                               

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

C     2      2NT                                 2 is weak, what is 2NT – natural or for the minors.

D     1      dbl       2NT              (a) what is 2NT

(b) what would redouble be?

 

     
Ron Klinger web site
     
 
     

 

 

Gold Cup = Best 30

Silver Plate = Best 10

Bronze Medal = Best 5

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 Current standings

   18-April-2009

643.2 Janne Roos

638.9 Hans Vikman

625.5 Paul Quodomine

617.4 Sally Watson

612.8 Lars Broman

609.9 Bob Short

607.6 Per Andersson

601.1 Jean Wissing

588.6 Derek & Gerard

586.4 Johan Bratsberg

331.8 Janne Roos

329.0 Hans Vikman

321.7 Bob Short

321.0 Per Andersson

320.9 Paul Quodomine

320.7 Sally Watson

316.1 Lars Broman

313.5 Jeremy Watson

312.8 Dave Hurst

312.9 Jean Wissing

 

 

 


4-level pre-empt enough?                                    Board 27 from Friday 27th   

 

When deciding how high to pre-empt, one guide is Culbertson’s rule of 2,3,4. At equal vulnerability it’s the rule of  three which suggests that you should bid to the level where you expect to go three down. So with this West hand (which has 7 tricks) you should compete at the 4-level and so overcall with a pre-emptive 4. However, many people (including me) do not agree with, or bid according to, Culbertson’s classic rules. It is silly to assume that partner has nothing, and (as in this case) it looks quite likely that the opponents may have slam and so bidding higher than Culbertson’s rule suggests is very often the best policy. Also, a hand that has absolutely no defence (as this West hand) should consider pre-empting at a higher level.

 

 

Dealer:             QJ9543                                      Table A

South               A963                                          West(A)     North         East          South

Love all            102                                            -                 -                 -               1   

                        2                                                4     (1)    4      (2)    dbl   (3)    all pass

 

-                         N               K862                  Table B

J74                 W    E            K10                   West(A)     North         East          South

64                      S                QJ73                  -                 -                 -               1

KQJ109643                         A85                    5     (1)    5      (4)    dbl   (5)    all pass

                        A107                                         

Q862                                         

AK985                                     

7                                               

                                                                             

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this West hand A in this week’s quiz? Culbertson’s rule of three indicates that 4 is the bid, and that’s what this West bid.

(2)   Pre-empts always make life difficult and North really has little option but to bid 4 unless you play negative doubles to this level, but with a 6-card suit 4 is still probably best.

(3)   With a defence-orientated hand, East reasonably doubles.

Table B:     (1)  As I said in the banter at the top of the page, Culbertson’s rules are old hat. I do not consider 4 as high enough and I bid 5.

(4)   North has the same problem but one level higher. It’s all a gamble at this stage (that’s what pre-empting is all about) and North decided to bid 5.

(5)   With a defence-orientated hand, East obviously doubles at this level.

 

And what happened? 4*=, 5*-2 and 5*-1.

The bottom lines: -

-         Culbertson’s rules are too pessimistic and are rarely applied these days; the modern trend is that you should bid up and pre-empt as high as is reasonable, especially with no defence.

-         It seems reasonable to me to assume that partner can contribute one trick and then apply Culbertson’s rules. But I just look at the vulnerability and use common sense.

 


Jordan 2NT                                                          Board 30 from Friday 27th   

 

 

Dealer:             5432                                           West(B)     North         East          South

East                  1065                                           -                 -                1    (1)   dbl

Love all            J985                                           2NT (2)      pass           3NT (3)    all pass  

                        Q8                                            

(1)  playing a short , so promising 4+ ’s

J8                       N               Q106            (2)  What did you bid with this West hand B in

A2                  W    E            KQ94                this week’s quiz? Redouble would show     

Q7642               S                AK103              9+ points but really should be more

K1062                                 73                      penalty orientated. With just a doubleton

                        AK97                                         in both majors and length in partner’s suit

J873                                           I prefer a Jordan 2NT, showing +-11 or more

-                                                 points and a sound raise to 3 or better

AJ954                                  (3)  Partner’s failure to double implies not much in the majors and therefore something decent in ’s and 3NT is clear here.

                                                                             

And what happened? 3NT=twice; at the third table it was 3*+1, presumably when North made a ridiculous pass of a second double by South.

The bottom lines: -

-     If RHO doubles partner’s 1-level opening, then 2NT shows a sound raise to 3 (or more) of partner’s suit. This is the Jordon 2NT which is detailed on the website.              

-     More experienced players may wish to look up “Inverted Jordan for the Minors” which is written up on the website > conventions > section 2. This would enable East to be declarer in 3NT (preferable with this holding).

 

 

 

Dave’s Column   Here is Dave’s first input about the play of the hand.

 

North               South               You are South, declarer in 6. West leads the K which

KQ2             A4                you win with the A and play the A upon which East  

J1064           AK985         discards a . Can you see any hope of making this contract? 

93                 AJ5                                      

AQ102         K43

                                               

                                                 

                                                 

 


Dave’s Column answer                      Board 17 from Wednesday 15th  

     

Dealer:             KQ2                                           West          North         East            South

North               J1064                                         pass           1             pass           1

Love all            93                                               pass           2              pass           4NT

                        AQ102                                       pass           5    (1)      pass           5  (2)

pass           6    (3)      all pass

J93                     N             108765          

Q732              W    E          -                     (1)  1 keycard (03,14)

KQ                     S              1087642         (2)  do you have the trump queen?

J975                                   86                  (3)  no (a return to the trump suit denies the

                        A4                                             queen)

AK985                                 

AJ5                                      

K43                                    

 

West leads the K which you win but East shows out when you lead the A, plan the play.

There is a small hope. You have to get rid of two ’s with West following suit to all of your winners. For that to succeed, West needs to have at least 3 ’s and, crucially, at least 4 ’s. So start with the AKQ discarding a . Then lead a to the A and K and finally finesse the 10. You have to take the finesse, a 3-3 split will do you no good. However, if the finesse works you can pitch the last on the Q and then drive out the Q to make the slam.

.

 

 

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column             Here is Dave’s 2nd input concerning the play of the hand.

 

Dealer:             A8542                                       

East                  63                                               West          North         East          South

N-S vul            Q94                                            -                 -                 1            pass

                        643                                            2              pass           4            all pass

 

KQ106               N               You are North, defending 4. Partner leads the J     which    

Q104              W    E            declarer (East) wins with the Q. Declarer cashes the A and

1085                   S                J and then leads a towards dummy’s K which you take

752                                      with the A. How do you proceed? 

 

         
Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 18 from Wednesday 15th

     

Dealer:             A8542                                       

East                  63                                               West          North         East          South

N-S vul            Q94                                            -                 -                 1            pass

                        643                                            2              pass           4            all pass

 

KQ106               N               7                        

Q104              W    E            AKJ985           

1085                   S                K73                   

752                                      AKQ                         

            J93                                      

72                                              

AJ72                                         

J1098

 

                        8542                                     This is the position, with you (North) on lead

                        -                                           having just won the A, what do you do?   

                        Q94                                           

                        64                                        i.e. which do you lead?   

 

Q106                  N               -                   Appreciating the need for quick winners  

Q                    W    E            K985            North led the 4. With the 10 in dummy, East

1085                   S                K73              ducked, South won the J but declarer was now

75                                        AK               safe, with just one more to lose.      

            J9                                         Would it have mattered if North had led the Q?

-                                           Yes and no. It depends upon what happens next.

AJ72                                    But the Q is a much better play.       

1098                                    If East ducks expecting North to have QJ9, he is in for a surprise and a continuation sets the contract.

What if East covers the Q? It’s not over yet, When South wins with the A and boldly underleads his J declarer still has a critical guess. If he finesses dummy’s 8 he goes down.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 5=, 4=, 3+1 and 2NT+1.

 

 


Basic Signals when following suit – Pattaya Standard.

 

A few people have been confused recently about signalling. This topic is covered in more detail on the website > General bridge Topics > Signals in defence.

 

When partner leads an ace or high card, most people give attitude (indicate if you like him to continue that suit or not) and the majority of players in our club play a low card to encourage.

 

When the opponents lead a suit to which you can follow, then you should give count (high-low for an even number). So if partner’s first card is fairly high then he is showing 2, 4, or 6 etc. A low card would normally show an odd number. This signal would be confirmed when partner follows to the suit next time; it does no apply to the trump suit..

 

It is important not to confuse these totally independent treatments. Suppose you are playing Pattaya standard and declarer leads an ace, a low card from you is not encouraging – it is simply giving count (an odd number) and a high card would show an even number.

 

542                                       Example

63           ¬  DUMMY                                

Q94                                      You are East, defending a contract with these cards left

6                                          and you are playing low to encourage and standard count.

 

    N                 7                   (a)  Partner leads the A, which card do you play?     

W     E             J9                (b)  Declarer leads the A and plays low from dummy,

    S                  J82                      which card do you play?

                        752

Remember. It is rare that you want to encourage/discourage a suit that declarer is leading – so give count when declarer leads unless you wish to deceive declarer (and partner).

 

Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    5. 4 is far too feeble for me.

Hand B:    2NT, showing a sound raise to 3 or better. 3 is generally played as weak and pre-emptive. Double would show 9+ points but is a poor choice with 5-card support for partner and doubletons in both majors

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

C     2      2NT                           2NT is natural, +- 16-18 with a stop. It is not the UNT for the minors which is usually a jump in NoTrumps in a situation where it cannot be natural.

D     1      dbl       2NT              (a)  2NT is Jordan, showing +-11 or more points in support of ’s

(b)  redbl would show 9+ points, usually with no support for partner and looking for a penalty.

Signalling Quiz

 

(a)    the 8, high to discourage.

(b)   the 2, a low card to indicate an odd number in the suit. You cannot signal attitude when it is declarer/dummy who is leading. The 8 would simply show two (or 4 or 6) ’s.

       

 Ron Klinger web site