Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 371

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880 20^th Dec 2009

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

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Mon 14^th N-S 1^st Bob P & Robbie 58% 2^nd Alan K & Michael C 56%

E-W 1^st Guttorm & Olaf 68% 2^nd Hans V & Paul S 59%

Wed 16^th N-S 1^st Alan K & Paul Q 65% 2^nd Hans V & Sally 59%

E-W 1^st Arne & Svein 59% 2^nd Jan & Janne 57%

Fri 18^th N-S 1^st Hans V & Paul Q 68% 2^nd Janne & Lars B 62%

E-W 1^st Alan K & Michael C 69% 2^nd Ivy & Paul S 56%

Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

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

♠ J64 ♠ Q

♥ 87 ♥ KJ42 With Hand B partner opens 1♦ (4+) and you bid 1♥. Partner then

♦ J109542 ♦ AK10832 bids 2NT (18-19), what do you do?

♣ Q2 ♣ 105

Bidding Sequence Quiz

C 1♦ pass 1♥ pass What is 4NT?

2NT pass 4NT

The bridge is cancelled on Christmas Day, 25th Dec.

Swiss teams of 4 on Boxing Day, Sat 26^th Dec

The annual Pattaya Bridge Club Xmas teams event. Sat 26^th Dec, 11 a.m. Details are:

Entries MUST be entered before 4.30 p.m. on Monday 21^st Dec. Late entries will likely be rejected as numbers need to be known in order to organise the catering.

Location: The Bowling Green, Soy X-Zyte

Entry is free and the event is open to all (except the dozen or so people who are banned from the club)!

There will be a lunch break with food also free – you have to pay for any beverages.

The event is sponsored by Paul Quodomine

Trophies will be presented for first and second placed teams.

Please sign up on the notice board at the Bowling Green, or if unable to, e-mail terry.

If you are a pair and need team-mates, or if you are an individual, then your name(s) will be added and you will hopefully get assigned to a team – first come first served.

Tel 038 422924  e-mail terry@pattayabridge.com

Quantitative or Blackwood? Board 14 from Wednesday 16^th

Two pairs got their Blackwood/Gerber/Quantitative bids mixed up on this deal:

Dealer: ♠ J109765 Table A

East ♥ Q1096 West(B) North East South

Love all ♦ J - - 1♦ pass

♣ 93 1♥ pass 2NT pass

4NT (1) pass pass (2) pass

♠ Q N ♠ A43

♥ KJ42 W E ♥ A Table B

♦ AK10832 S ♦ Q9754 West(B) North East South

♣ 105 ♣ AKJ7 - - 1♦ pass

♠ K82 1♥ pass 2NT pass

♥ 8753 4♦ (1) pass 4NT (3) pass

♦ 6 5♠ (4) pass 7♦ (5) all pass

♣ Q8642

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this West hand B in this week’s quiz? At least two West’s thought that this was Blackwood

(2) And two East’s thought that it was quantitative, and with a poor 18 they both passed .

Table B: (1) This was Jan’s answer at the table and, especially with no prior agreements, I like it – it is obviously setting ♦’s as trumps and looking for slam.

(3) RKCB for ♦’s. I think that this is better than a cue bid as you really want to find out about the ♦K.

(4) 2 keycards plus the ♦Q (you say that you have the queen even if you do not if you have extra length).

(5) Knowing that there are 6 ♦’s opposite to the ♦AK, East confidently bids the grand.

And what happened? 7♦=, 6♦+1 five times, 4NT+3 twice and 4♠*(N)-3.

The bottom line:

- It’s up to you what 4NT means in this sequence A. I like to play 4♣ as Gerber when partner’s last bid was a natural 1NT or 2NT and play 4NT as quantitative here.

- Of course if you play the PARROT convention then 4♥ at (2) would be RKCB for ♦’s.

- There is a page on the website Conventions > section 2 > Blackwood or Gerber? recommending what is Gerber, Blackwood and quantitative in various scenarios.

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

North South West North East South

♠ A6 ♠ K984 - - - 1♣

♥ QJ72 ♥ 1095 1♠ dbl pass 2NT

♦ 7532 ♦ AK pass 3NT all pass

♣ Q75 ♣ AKJ10

West leads a 4^th best ♠5. South has only eight top tricks so must set up at least one more.

That can only be done in the ♥ suit, how should play to the first trick?

Dave’s Column answer Board 11 from Wednesday 16^th

Dealer: ♠ A6 Book bidding

South ♥ QJ72 West North East South

Love all ♦ 7532 - - - 1♣

♣ Q75 1♠ dbl pass 2NT

pass 3NT all pass

♠ Q10753 N ♠ J2

♥ AK W E ♥ 8643

♦ QJ8 S ♦ 10964 West leads a 4^th best ♠5. South has only eight

♣ 842 ♣ 953 top tricks so must set up at least one more.

♠ K984 That can only be done in the ♥ suit, how should

♥ 1095 declarer play to the first trick?

♦ AK

♣ AKJ10

If South holds up at trick one East continues the suit. West will get in twice and he thus sets up his ♠ winners.

If South takes the first trick with his ♠K and leads ♥’s, West will win and his low ♠ continuation will knock out dummy’s ♠A. When West gets in again with his high ♥ he will run his ♠ suit.

There is an answer. West does not have the ♠QJ10 or he would have led one of them and so East is marked with a ♠ honour. Declarer should take the first ♠ with the ♠A. When West gets in with a ♥ he will lead a ♠ to East’s honour, in this case the ♠J. This is the trick that South should duck. East will win but he has no ♠ to continue and West cannot set up the ♠ suit.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+2 twice, 3NT+1 five times and 3NT-1 twice.

Dave’s 2^nd Column Here is Dave’s second problem on the play of the hand.

West East West North East South

♠ AQJ8 ♠ 1073 2♣ pass 2♦ pass

♥ A ♥ J542 3♣ pass 3♦ pass

♦ AK4 ♦ J653 3♠ pass 3NT all pass

♣ AK742 ♣ Q8

You are East, declarer in 3NT. South leads a ♥ and North encourages. Should you play for ♣’s to be 3-3 or take the ♠ finesse?

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 12 from Wednesday 16^th

Dealer: ♠ K6542 Book Bidding

West ♥ K87 West North East South

N-S vul ♦ 82 2♣ pass 2♦ pass

♣ 1065 3♣ pass 3♦ pass

3♠ pass 3NT all pass

♠ AQJ8 N ♠ 1073

♥ A W E ♥ J542

♦ AK4 S ♦ J653

♣ AK742 ♣ Q8 South leads the ♥9. Does this get your attention

♠ 9 in any way? How should East play the hand?

♥ Q10963

♦ Q1097

♣ J93

West asked what leads N-S play and North said that their partnership uses the lead of the ten or nine to promise zero higher cards or two higher cards, one of them touching. It is likely that South has the ♥K109x or ♥Q109x.

Declarer takes the ♥A and North signals that he likes the suit. How does declarer play from here? Should he play ♣’s from the top, hoping for a 3-3 split or should he come to his hand with the ♣Q in order to lead the ♠10 for a finesse?

This is a typical decision that is solved by using percentages. ♣’s will divide 3-3 a third of the time and South will have the ♠K half of the time.

So play to the ♣Q and take the ♠ finesse. Tough luck – it loses.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+3 twice, 3NT+2 four times, 3♣+2 6NT-1 and 3NT-1.

The Weak Jump Shift Board 21 from Monday 14^th

Jumps shifts are usually either (very) weak or strong, here’s an advert for the weak type:

Dealer: ♠ K1083 Table A

North ♥ AJ65 West North East South(A)

N-S ♦ A - 1♣ pass pass (1)

♣ AK93 pass

♠ A5 N ♠ Q972 Table B

♥ 10943 W E ♥ KQ2 West North East South(A)

♦ Q763 S ♦ K8 - 1♣ pass 2♦ (1)

♣ J85 ♣ 10764 pass pass (2) pass

♠ J64

♥ 87

♦ J109542

♣ Q2

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? This is an obvious pass using traditional methods.

Table B: (1) But if you play weak jump shifts then this hand is ideal – a 6+ card suit and insufficient values for a normal response.

(2) Knowing that there is a very weak hand opposite, North passes.

And what happened? 1♣=twice, 2♦= twice, and a few spurious results.

The bottom line:

- On this deal, ♦’s plays better than ♣’s and the weak jump shift worked well.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 2♦ - that is if you play weak jumps shifts. If you have not agreed this, you pass of course.

Hand B: 4♦. This sets ♦’s as trumps and is clearly looking for slam. I guess you could ask for aces as long as you have agreed whether 4♣ or 4NT asks.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answer

C 1♦ pass 1♥ pass 4NT here is up to you. With no previous agreement I play it as

2NT pass 4NT quantitative (4♣ asking for aces).

Current club championship standings

	Gold Cup = Best 30	Silver Plate = Best 10	Bronze Medal = Best 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	1956.9 Janne Roos 1943.3 Hans Vikman 1920.1 Paul Quodomine 1817.2 Sally Watson 1770.2 Lars Broman 1748.3 Paul Scully 1746.5 Ivy Schlageter 1733.2 Bob Pelletier 1725.8 Bob Short	693.1 Janne Roos 689.2 Hans Vikman 672.9 Paul Quodomine 639.8 Sally Watson 635.9 Alan Kleist 634.5 Lars Broman 631.2 Per-Ake Roskvist 630.7 Guttorm Lonborg 625.4 Jeremy Watson 625.0 Per Andersson	355.2 Janne Roos 351.7 Hans Vikman 343.7 Paul Quodomine 341.7 Alan Kleist 332.6 Per-Ake Roskvist 329.8 Per Andersson 327.8 Sally Watson 327.6 Lars Broman 325.4 Jeremy Watson 325.3 Ivy Schlageter