Mon 3rd N-S 1st Bjoern R & Enrico 56% 2nd Terry & Stephan 56%
E-W 1st Bob S & Roger 60% 2nd Gerard & Derek 59%
Wed 5th N-S 1st Paul Q & Terry 56% 2nd Robbie & Ivy 56%
E-W 1st Bob S & Roger 57% 2nd Alan K & Jan 54%
Fri 7th N-S 1st Guttorm & Bjorn 55% 2nd Jeremy & Ivy 54%
E-W 1st Jostein & Valur 63% 2nd Tobjorn & Johan 56%
Bidding Quiz Standard American (short ♣) bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.
Hand A Hand B What do you open with Hand A?
♠ Q107 ♠ KJ95
♥ 7 ♥ A52 With Hand B partner opens 3NT, what do you bid?
♦ Q4 ♦ A32
♣ AKQJ1094 ♣ 865
Hand C Hand D With Hand C partner opens 3NT, what do you bid?
♠ KJ95 ♠ AJ3
♥ Q52 ♥ 853 With Hand D you open 1♦ and partner bids 1♠
♦ 732 ♦ AQ86 (a) what do you bid?
♣ 865 ♣ K53 (b) what do you bid if RHO overcalls 2♥ over partner’s 1♠ ?
Bidding Sequence Quiz
E 1NT 2♣ pass 2♦ 2♣ is Multi-Landy (or Landy) promising at least 5-4 (or 4-5) in
the majors. What is the 2♦ response?
Current club championship standings
|
Gold Cup = Best 30 |
Silver Plate = Best 10 |
Bronze Medal = Best 5 |
1 |
1827.5 Hans Vikman |
647.4 Hans Vikman |
335.4 Bob Short |
Play in the 4-3 fit? Board 7 from Monday 7th
Dealer: ♠ KQ74 Table A
South ♥ 6 West North East South(D)
Both vul ♦ 97 - - - 1♦
♣ AQJ1096 pass 1♠ (1) 2♥ (2) 2♠ (3)
pass 4♠ (4) all pass
♠ 10652 N ♠ 98
♥ KJ94 W E ♥ AQ1072 Table B
♦ KJ S ♦ 105432 West North East South(D)
♣ 874 ♣ 2 - - - 1♦
♠ AJ3 pass 1♠ pass (2) 1NT (5)
♥ 853 pass 2NT (6) pass 3NT (7)
♦ AQ86 all pass.
♣ K53
Table A: (1) The hand is probably not quite worth 2♣ followed by a ♠ bid.
(2) A bit light, especially vulnerable in a situation where a double by dealer would be for penalties.
(3) What did you bid with this South hand D(b) in this week’s quiz? Partner has by-
passed ♥’s and you have nothing there. If you end up in NoTrumps then LHO
will lead a ♥ thorough partner’s possible holding and a NT contract will probably
be hopeless. So support partner with 2♠ and do not bid 1NT.
(4) East’s overcall has actually helped North to reach the best contract.
Table B: (1) This East decided very sensibly not to enter the auction.
(5) What did you bid with this South hand D(a) in this week’s quiz? With no ♥
overcall from East, 1NT is very reasonable.
(6) North has a very difficult bid now, 2♣ is either weak or forcing (conventional)
and 3♣ would be a game forcing distortion. So this 2NT invitational bid is
probably the best of the evils.
(7) With a maximum, 3NT seems obvious, but is it best? Partner by-passed ♥’s and
you have a very weak holding in that suit. With excellent ♠’s, a 3♠ bid may work
out better than 3NT (partner knows it’s only 3 cards).
The bottom lines:
And what happened? 4♠+1 four times, 5♣=, 3NT= and 3NT-1.
Making 4♠ (+1) is easy on any lead but a ♥. Can you see how to make 4♠ on a ♥ lead? If you
ruff the second ♥ and attempt to draw trumps, hoping for a 3-3 split, you will go down losing a
trump and four ♥’s.
Dave’s Column
West East West North East South
♠ 75 ♠ A62 - pass 1NT pass
♥ KQ3 ♥ A95 3NT all pass
♦ K964 ♦ AJ52
♣ A432 ♣ K65
You are East, declarer in 3NT. South leads the ♠4, North plays the ♠Q and you duck. North
continues with the ♠10, plan the play for nine tricks.
Dave’s Column Answer Board 13 from Wednesday 5th Oct.
Dealer: ♠ Q108 Bidding
North ♥ J8764 West North East South
both vul ♦ 107 - pass 1NT pass
♣ J107 3NT all pass
♠ 75 N ♠ A62
♥ KQ3 W E ♥ A95
♦ K964 S ♦ AJ52
♣ A432 ♣ K65
♠ KJ943
♥ 102
♦ Q83 Plan the play for declarer on the ♠4 lead.
♣ Q98
With eight top tricks, you are looking for the ninth. You also need to cut communications
between the two defenders; you do this by ducking the first two rounds of ♠’s. Since it looks as if
South started with five ♠’s. you must keep that defender off lead, so forget any thoughts of
finessing in ♦’s. Instead, play the ♦A followed by a low one and if South plays low, insert the ♦9
from dummy. Playing the ♦A and then running the ♦J also works (in fact better on this layout). The
contract is only in danger if South holds ♦Q10x along with five ♠’s.
And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+1 five times, 3NT-1 three times and
3NT-2.
Dave’s 2nd Column
North South West North East South
♠ AK4 ♠ 863 - - - 1NT
♥ AK74 ♥ Q63 pass 2♣ pass 2♦
♦ J62 ♦ AQ75 pass 3NT all pass
♣ 974 ♣ AQJ
You are South, declarer in 3NT. West leads the ♠Q, plan the play.
Dave’s 2nd Column Answer Board 15 from Wednesday 5h Oct.
Dealer: ♠ AK4 Bidding
South ♥ AK74 West North East South
N-S vul ♦ J62 - - - 1NT
♣ 974 pass 2♣ pass 2♦
pass 3NT all pass
♠ QJ1095 N ♠ 72
♥ 108 W E ♥ J952
♦ K94 S ♦ 1083
♣ K53 ♣ 10862
♠ 863
♥ Q63
♦ AQ75 West leads the ♠Q, plan the play.
♣ AQJ
The only danger is a 5-2 ♠ split making it quite likely to lose two minor suit kings and three
♠’s. So, assuming 5-2, you should duck the first ♠ so that East is out of ♠’s if a minor suit king is
won by his hand.
You have seven top tricks and need two more without West getting the lead twice. That may
not be easy if West holds both minor suit kings. So, assuming the worst, you must make West
play one of his kings on thin air. You need to lead up to an honour in dummy and the only one is
the ♦J.
So win the second round of ♠’s, cash the ♦A and lead a small ♦ towards dummy. If West plays
the ♦K you have two more ♦ tricks. But if West ducks you switch to ♣’s and establish the ninth
trick there. Of course if Naes held the ♦K he can do no harm as he has no ♠ left.
And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+2, 3NT+1, 3NT= twice, 4NT-2, 3NT-1 twice and 6NT-4 twice.
No psyches please West hand 1 from Wednesday 5th Oct
♠ 875 Weak jump overcalls are the norm at our club, but there are limits. One player
♥ - overcalled with a weak jump overcall of 3♦. This is not acceptable and in
♦ 10965432 general the Australian rule of 15 applies for both openings and weak overcalls.
♣ 653 We do allow a slight lee-way for an overcall but zero points (so 10 for the rule
of 15 here) is totally unacceptable. We do, however, (reluctantly) allow you make
these ridiculous bids if you really want to, if have already passed.
Lead Quiz
♠ A32 You hold this hand
♥ 983
♦ KJ865 (a) What do you lead if RHO opens 1NT and it is passed out?
♣ 32 (b) What do you lead if RHO opens 2NT and it is passed out?
(c) What do you lead if RHO opens 3NT (gambling) and it is passed out?
Answers below.
The Gambling 3NT Board 4 from Monday 3rd
Dealer: ♠ A32 Table A
West ♥ 983 West(A) North East(C) South
Both vul ♦ KJ865 3NT (1) pass pass (2) pass (3)
♣ 32
Table B
♠ Q107 N ♠ KJ95 West(A) North East(C) South
♥ 7 W E ♥ Q52 3NT (1) pass 4♣ (2) 4♥
♦ Q4 S ♦ 732 pass pass pass (4)
♣ AKQJ1094 ♣ 865
♠ 864 (1) This was explained as a long solid minor with
♥ AKJ1064 nothing outside.
♦ A109
♣ 7
Table A: (1) What did you open with this West hand A in this week’s quiz? This is a decent
example of the gambling 3NT, a solid 7-8 card minor suit with no outside ace or
king.
(2) What did you bid with this East hand C in this week’s quiz? This pass is a poor
choice with only the ♠ suit stopped, 3NT is very likely to go seven or eight down.
(3) South could bid 4♥.
Table B: (1) Obviously, with two suits unstopped, East has to bid and the normal bid is 4♣
(pass or correct) although since he knows that the opponents can make an easy 4♥
it may be best to bid 5♣ (pass or correct) immediately.
(4) 5♣* is a good save, but perhaps he should have bid that last go?
The bottom lines:
suits stopped (or some expectation of making 3NT). There are other options with a strong
hand – see the conventions page on the website.
And what happened? Every N-S played in ♥’s or else doubled E-W in 5♣. That is, with the exception of table A …
... Worst Defence Ever?
First of all, the answers to the lead quiz on the previous page.
So what happened at table A? North led the ♠A upon which South played the ♠8 (possibly suit
preference for ♥’s). North then continued with ♦6, planning to get the five ♦ tricks in the bag
before leading a ♥ through dummy’s ♥Q. This would lead to an obvious eight down and a nice
800 top to N-S. It’s all double-dummy as declarer is known to have only the ♣AKQxxxx(x).
But it did not quite go as planned. South won the ♦A at trick two, cashed the ♥A and then,
after considerable thought, led the …
♣7 !
3NT+1 was obviously a (very lucky) top instead of bottom for E-W. South’s excuse was that
he did not understand the ♠A lead and that North should have shifted to a ♥ at trick two. East’s
excuse for his pass at (2) was equally lame (he said he would have bid if doubled).
Bidding Quiz Answers
Hand A: 3NT, gambling, no outside ace or king.
Hand B: pass. You have three suits covered.
Hand C: 4♣ (pass or correct). 3NT will go way down.
Hand D: (a) 1NT, This is fairly obvious. I would bid 2♠ if the ♥’s were just a doubleton.
(b) 2♠. But after RHO has bid ♥’s 1NT is no longer attractive, especially as partner
has by-passed the suit.
Bidding Sequence Quiz
E 1NT 2♣ pass 2♦ 2♣ is Multi-Landy (or Landy) promising at least 5-4 (or 4-5) in
the majors. The 2♦ response is generally played as showing equal
length (usually 2-2 or 3-3) in the majors. This is the advantage of Multi Landy over Cappelletti where
you have to guess and if partner is 5-4 (or 4-5) you will get it wrong half the time and play in a 4-2 or 4-3 fit.