Wed 21st 1st Alan K & Paul Q 58% 2nd Bengt & Kristen 55%
Fri 23rd 1st Johan & Tom 63% 2nd = Alan K & Paul Q 59%
2nd = Dave C & Tomas 59%
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Bidding Quiz Standard
American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.
Hand A Hand B With Hand A it is favourable vulnerability. LHO opens 1♣
and
♠
AKJ76 ♠ AJ2
♥ 105 ♥ AKQ87 With Hand B everyone is vulnerable.
♦ A982 ♦ K5 do
you bid?
♣
83 ♣ 963
Hand C Hand D With
Hand C RHO opens 1♠, what do you do?
♠ 53 ♠
10943
♥
AKQ754 ♥ Q82 With Hand D
it’s favourable vulnerability.
♦ KQ7 ♦ KQ5 1♣, you pass, LHO bids 1♥ and partner bids 1♠.
♣ Q4 ♣
J65 raises to 2♥, what do
you do?
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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 |
1819.6 Janne Roos |
649.0 641.2 638.2 623.4 Tomas
Wikman 619.8 Lars Broman 612.8 Jean Wissing 609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 594.9 Bengt Malgren 583.2 Johan Bratsburg 581.7 Tom Grovslien |
330.4 329.6 327.9 323.3 322.9 Lars Broman 320.3 Jean Wissing 319.6 Sally Watson 319.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 308.2 Bob Short 305.7 Bengt Malmgren |
A Fun Michaels Auction Board 9 from Wednesday 21st April
I like to play that a Michaels Cue bid is
either weak or very strong. Of course the stong type rarely comes up, but it
did on Wednesday.
Dealer: ♠
J West North East South
North ♥ KQ542 - 1♥ 2♥ (1) pass
E-W vul ♦ KQ 3♦ (2) pass 3♠ (3) dbl
♣ 108762 4♦ (4) pass 5♦ (5) all
pass
♠
76 N ♠ A9832
♥ J987 W E ♥ A
♣
- ♣
AKQ954
♠ KQ1054
♥
1063
♦ 632
♣ J3
(1) Of course you can
double with this hand, but if you play that a Michaels cue bid is either weak
or very strong, then I prefer that. So 2♥ here showed ♠’s and a minor.
(2) Assuming that
partner has a weak hand (as he usually has) with ♠’s and ♣’s, West is not interested
and wants to play in ♦’s.
(3) Showing the strong
hand type.
(4) West still prefers
to play in ♦’s.
(5) Hoping that partner had good ♦’s, East, with every other suit controlled,
decided to raise to game with his singleton! A more conservative pass is
probably a better bid, especially as partner has shown nothing except long ♦’s and both opponents have shown values.
And what happened? The favourable ♦
situation meant that 5♦ made OK. Other
results were 4♠=, 2♦+3,
1♠+1, 6♣-3
and 4NT-3.
The bottom line:
-
Most players play the
Michaels cue bid to show a two-suited hand. Some play it weak and some play it
any strength; but I prefer to play that it is either weak or very strong.
-
Trust partner – the player
in 6♣-3 got exactly what he deserved. I agree that 5♦
was lucky to make, but it’s much better than insisting on ♣’s.
Doing a Chuck! Board 21 from Wednesday 21st April
Boy, has it been a long time since we
heard that name! And the phrase‚ "doing a Chuck" –which means imediately blaming partner for
your mistake. Now Chuuck was the master at this, but I believe he has now been
surpassed by today’s East at table A who criticizes partner and anybody else on
just about every board. Bob Short is so sure that he is right on this deal that
he insisted I write it up with his name and reasoning:
Dealer: ♠
2 Table
A
North ♥ AJ97 West(A) North East(D) South
N-S vul ♦ J103 - 1♣ pass 1♥
♣ AQ742 1♠ (1) 2♥ pass (2) all
pass
♠
AKJ76 N ♠
10943 Table B
♥ 105 W E ♥ Q82 West(A) North East(D) South
♣
83 ♣
J65 1♠ (1) 2♥ 2♠ (2) all
pass
♠ Q85
♥
K643
♦ 764
♣ K109
And what happened? At Table A North made 2♥ quite comfortably for a near top as most E-W’s were playing in ♠’s making 110 or 140 or else N-S were pushed
too high and went down. At the end of the hand Bob Short (East) criticized his
partner, saying that he should have doubled instead of bidding 1♠. The mild-mannered West said nothing and so I
defended his bid and said that 1♠
was quite correct and that the West hand is nowhere near worth a double
followed by a ♠ bid.
Bob totally disagreed, and here is what he wants me to put in the news
sheet: ‘The West hand has a good ♠
suit AND the ♥A and should double to show opening values. The
reason I (Bob) did not raise ♠’s is that I thought
that the opponents may make 4♥’.
My (Terry) opinion: This is TOTAL TWADDLE. Bob was 100% to blame for the
poor score for not raising ♠’s with four(!) ♠’s, and a double followed by a new suit shows a
MUCH better hand than West had. And as for N-S making 4♥, I am sure that their bidding prowess is good
enough to reach it if it was there (but I am biased here).
The bottom lines:
- The concept of
doubling to show opening values went out in the stone age.
-
It is impolite to
continually criticize people, and when you are 100% wrong then it is pretty
silly as well. And inviting me to write it up, well...?
-
Bob Short might also like
to have a look at this week’s Dave’s column 2, where an auction given by Bobby
Wolf has a simple 1♥ overcall of 1♣ holding ♠AJ2 ♥AKQ87 ♦K5 ♣963.
-
There is no doubt in my
mind that Bob Short is a fine player of the cards; but his bidding, to put it
politely, is somewhat antiquated.
Double and bid again. Board 22 from Wednesday 21st April
Now as it happened, the very next board
against Bob Short and his partner had a decent example of a hand that was
good enough to double and then bid again. I was partnering Ivy who was South
and DOES know how to bid (and is polite enough not to criticize others).
Dealer: ♠
KQ62 West North East South(C)
East ♥ 3 - - 1♠ dbl (1)
E-W vul ♦ 1084 pass 1NT pass 2♥ (2)
♣ J10985 all pass
♠
94 N ♠ AJ1087 (1) What did you bid with this South hand C
♥ J982 W E ♥ 106 in this week’s quiz? I think its good
enough
♣
K32 ♣ A76 I would not argue with a 2♥ overcall but the
♠ 53 hand probably is a bit too good.
♥
AKQ754 (2) So
showing a good hand with ♥’s.
♦ KQ7
♣ Q4
And what happened? 2♥ was the correct
spot and it earned a joint top. Three N-S pairs overbid and went down in 3 or 4♥’s.
The bottom line:
- Double followed
by a new suit shows a good hand and a good suit.
- So Bob, if you want to know how to bid correctly, maybe you should stop
telling others how to bid and ask Ivy?
Dave’s Column Here is Dave’s first input on declarer play of the hand.
North South West North East South
♠ QJ106 ♠ 98753 - 1♦ pass 1♠
♥ A103 ♥
KQ pass 2♠ 3♣ 4♠
♦ AQ107 ♦ KJ984 all
pass
♣
85 ♣ 6
You are South, declarer in 4♠ and West leads the ♦2 (looks
like a singleton). There seem to be only three losers: two ♠’s and one ♣. What nasty surprise is
around the corner and how
might you avoid an accident?
Dave’s Column
answer Board 21 from Wednesday 21st
Dealer: ♠ QJ106 Book Bidding
North ♥ A103 West North East South
E-W vul ♦ AQ107 - 1♦ pass 1♠
♣
85 2♣ 2♠ 3♣ 4♠
♠ 98753
♥
KQ There seem to be only three losers: two ♠’s and one ♣.
♦ KJ984 What nasty surprise is around the corner?
♣ 6 How
might you avoid an accident?
The ♦2
lead has all the aura of a singleton and the nasty ‘surprise’ is a ♦ ruff. If you play a trump, there is the risk
that West will take the trick, put his partner on lead with a ♣, and gain a ♦ ruff with a low trump. If so, you will lose two ♠’s, one ♣
and a ruff.
Is there a way to avoid this denouement?
Perhaps. After winning the first trick, lead a ♥ to your ♥K
and play the ♥Q, overtaking with dummy’s ace. Then play the ♥10. If East covers with the ♥J you will ruff and hope for the best. But here
East plays low do not ruff – instead discard the ♣6. This stops East from gaining the lead and you can draw trumps at your
leisure.
That is a classic Scissors Coup.
And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 4♠=, 5♣*(W)-1,
3♠+2, 3♠+1
and 2♠+2 twice. I don’t believe that anybody found
the scissors coup, but that all of the West’s were unprepared to under-lead the
♣A.
Dave’s 2nd
Column Here
is Dave’s second problem on the play of the hand.
West East West North East South
♠ Q963 ♠ K875 - - 1♣ 1♥
♥ J104 ♥ 6 pass pass dbl redbl
♦ 962 ♦ AQ7 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ pass
♣ K82 ♣
AQJ105 3♠ pass 4♠ all pass
You are
West, declarer in 4♠. North leads a ♥ to South’s ♥Q and South continued with the ♥A
which you ruff in dummy. How should you continue?
Dave’s
2nd Column answer Board 26 from Wednesday 21st
Dealer: ♠ 104 Book Bidding
East ♥ 9532 West North East South(B)
both vul ♦ J10843 - - 1♣ 1♥ (1)
♣
72 pass (2) pass dbl redbl
1♠ 2♥ 2♠ pass
♣ K82 ♣
AQJ105 this week’s quiz? Bob Short will doubtless
♠ AJ2 double, but this is an article by Bobby
Wolff
♥
AKQ87 and
1♥ is a much better and descriptive bid.
♦ K5 (2) West might have tried a negative double to
♣ 963 show four ♠’s but with such a flat hand
(that terrible 4333 type shape) and so many losers,
pass is reasonable.
North led a ♥ to South’s ♥Q and South
continued with the ♥A, ruffed in dummy.
How should declarer continue?
Declarer led a trump to his ♠Q and a trump back to dummy’s ♠8, hoping to drop an original ♠A doubleton from South. Curtains! South took
the ♠J and cashed the ♠A, removing dummy’s last trump. With dummy unable to ruff, South cashed
a high ♥, giving defenders two tricks in each major for
one down.
West does not need to find South with ♠Ax, all he had to do was ensure two ♥ ruffs in dummy.
After ruffing South’s ♥ continuation in dummy at trick two, declarer
leads a trump to his ♠Q and ruffs his last
♥. Having ruffed his last ♥ he can now safely lead dummy’s ♠K to South’s ♠A and it does not matter who has the ♠J, it will be the last trick for the defense.
What if North has the ♠Jxx? It does not matter, Declarer accepts the
force in ♥’s and runs the ♣’s until North ruffs. Either way, all the defenders can win are two
trump tricks and one ♥.
And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4♠=, 3♠+2,
3♠+1 twice, 2♠+1 and 3♥(S)=.
