Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 396

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My mobile phone number is 083 6066880 6^th June 2010

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

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 7^th 1^st Dino & John H 60% 2^nd Paul Q & Janne 54%

Wed 9^th 1^st Mike G & Terry Q 59% 2^nd Niels K & Janne 53%

Fri 11^th 1^st Janne & Sigurd = Niels & Tonni 69%

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Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B What do you open with Hand A?

♠ K62 ♠ KQJ863 With hand B you are dealer at favourable vulnerability:

♥ AQ43 ♥ A86 (a) What do you open?

♦ KQ8 ♦ 53 (b) Suppose you open 2♠, partner raises to 4♠ and RHO bids 5♣,

♣ AQ4 ♣ 84 what do you do now?

Bidding Sequence Quiz

C 1NT 2♥ dbl What is double – take-out, showing ♠’s or penalties?

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	1852.7 Janne Roos 1845.7 Paul Quodomine 1815.1 Hans Vikman	655.2 Janne Roos 642.1 Hans Vikman 640.1 Paul Quodomine 626.8 Tomas Wikman 619.8 Lars Broman 615.9 Jean Wissing 615.9 Sally Watson 609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 597.8 Bengt Malgren 591.0 Johan Bratsburg	334.4 Janne Roos 329.6 Tomas Wikman 327.9 Hans Vikman 324.8 Sally Watson 323.4 Paul Quodomine 322.9 Lars Broman 320.3 Jean Wissing 319.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 316.0 Sigurd Zahl 309.3 Jeremy Watson

That 4333 shape again Board 21 from Monday 7^th May

This has been mentioned a few times in the past, the totally flat 4333 type shape really sucks.

Dealer: ♠ K62 Table A

North ♥ AQ43 West North(A) East South

N-S vul ♦ KQ8 - 2NT (1) pass 3NT

♣ AQ4 all pass

♠ AJ972 N ♠ 8 Table B

♥ K86 W E ♥ J975 West North(A) East South

♦ 10 S ♦ 96432 - 1♣ (1) pass 1♦ (2)

♣ J852 ♣ K106 1♠ 2NT (3) pass 3NT

all pass

♠ Q1053

♥ 102

♦ AJ75

♣ 973

Table A: (1) What did you open with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? It’s a balanced 20 count and doubtless everybody will open 2NT (20-21).

Table B: (1) This North is not everybody and correctly devalued this totally flat hand with no intermediates, and this is my answer to question A.

(2) It’s a matter of partnership agreement/style as to whether you respond 1♦ or 1♠ with this hand.

(3) 18-19, which is all this hand is worth.

And what happened? 3NT-1 three times and 3NT= once. Even with a combined 27 count with stoppers in every suit, there are only 8 tricks. Why? Because declarer has no long suit to set up and this is very likely to be the case with 4333 type shape hands.

The bottom lines:

- Deduct a point for a totally flat 4333 type shape hand.

- It actually made no difference here as N-S are always going to reach the doomed 3NT, but this deal does again demonstrate how bad the totally flat 4333 shape is.

Pre-empt and bid again? Board 3 from Monday 7^th May

This has also been mentioned a few times in the past and I thought everybody knew about it. But one regular member strayed on this deal.

Dealer: ♠ - Table A

East ♥ KJ7 West North East(B) South

N-S vul ♦ QJ106 - - 2♠ (1) pass

♣ KQ10653 4♠ 5♣ (2) 5♠ (3) all pass

♠ A1095 N ♠ KQJ863 Table B

♥ Q105 W E ♥ A86 West North East(B) South

♦ A87 S ♦ 53 - - 3♠ (1) pass

♣ AJ7 ♣ 84 4♠ 5♣ (2) pass (3) pass

dbl all pass

♠ 742

♥ 9432

♦ K942

♣ 92

Table A: (1) What did you open with this East hand B(a) in this week’s quiz? The hand is top of the range for a non-vul pre-empt but it is not good enough for an opening 1♠ (only 19 for the rule of 20). 2♠ is fairly clear with 3♠ as the only reasonable alternative. I personally do not have a ‘gap’ between 1♠ and 2♠ and do not believe that pass is a sensible option.

(2) It’s difficult for North to make the correct decision at the 5-level and a couple of players chose this optimistic 5♣ bid.

(3) What did you bid with this East hand B(b) in this week’s quiz? This bid breaks the golden rule of not bidding again having pre-empted. And East’s excuse? He was maximum for his opening. That is no excuse whatsoever and bidding again at this vulnerability (when just 2 down doubled scores more than 5♠ if it makes) is a very poor bid.

Table B: (3) This East correctly passed. When you pre-empt you have said your hand and partner is the captain.

And what happened? 4♠= (with help from the defense), 4♠-1, 5♠-2 and 5♣*-3 (800).

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

North South Bidding

♠ 754 ♠ AKQJ10 West North East South

♥ 932 ♥ AQJ - - - 2♣

♦ 653 ♦ AQ2 pass 2♦ pass 2♠

♣ A843 ♣ 52 pass 4♠ all pass

You are South, declarer in 4♠. West lead the ♣K which you win in dummy. With just the one entry, which red suit finesse do you take?

Dave’s Column answer Board 23 from Wednesday 9^th June

Dealer: ♠ 754 Bidding

South ♥ 932 West North East South

Both vul ♦ 653 - - - 2♣

♣ A843 pass 2♦ pass 2♠

pass 4♠ all pass

♠ 92 N ♠ 863

♥ K85 W E ♥ 10764

♦ 10874 S ♦ KJ9

♣ KQJ6 ♣ 1097

♠ AKQJ10

♥ AQJ

♦ AQ2 West lead the ♣K and dummy’s ♣A wins. Which red

♣ 52 suit finesse do you try?

Taking the ♥ finesse gains a trick only when East has specifically king doubleton; you are going to get two ♥ tricks regardless. But taking the ♦ finesse has a 50% chance of showing a profit and that’s the finesse you should take.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT=, 4NT= and 4♠= twice.

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

West East Book Bidding

♠ K108653 ♠ A2 West North East South

♥ K10954 ♥ 72 1♠ - 1♠ pass

♦ K ♦ Q976 2♥ pass 2NT pass

♣ K ♣ A10762 3♥ pass 3♠ pass

4♠ all pass

You are West, declarer in 4♠. North leads the ♦A and switches to a low ♣, plan the play.

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 24 from Wednesday 9^th June

Dealer: ♠ Q9 Book Bidding

West ♥ J83 West North East South

love all ♦ AJ43 1♠ pass 2♣ pass

♣ Q983 2♥ pass 2NT pass

3♥ pass 3♠ pass

♠ K108653 N ♠ A2 4♠ all pass

♥ K10954 W E ♥ 72

♦ K S ♦ Q976

♣ K ♣ A10762

♠ J74

♥ AQ6 North leads the ♦A and shifts to a low ♣. Plan the play.

♦ 10852

♣ J54

It is tempting to win the ♣K, cross to the ♠A, discard two ♥’s on the ♦Q and ♣A, and lead up to the ♥K. The trouble that even if South had the ♥A, a trump return gives the defense two ♥’s, a ♠ and a ♦.

Better is to win the first trick with the ♣A and lead a ♥. Then you make the contract if ♠’s are 3-2 and the ♥A is onside.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4♠= twice, 3♠= and 3NT-1.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 1♣ (with a 2NT rebid in mind). This totally flat hand with no intermediates is not worth a (20-21) 2NT opening, which is what I expect everybody chose? You should deduct a point for this totally flat shape and with no intermediates there is no reason not to devalue the hand.

Hand B: (a) 2♠. The hand is maximum for the opening but does not conform to the rule of 20 and is not quite worth a 1♠ opener. 3♠ is an alternative I guess. I personally have no ‘gap’ between 1♠ and 2♠ and would never pass.

(b) pass. The fact that the hand is maximum is absolutely no reason to break the golden rule of not bidding again having pre-empted.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answer

C 1NT 2♥ dbl This is up to you, but I play that it’s penalties and that is certainly pretty standard if you have not discussed it.