Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                       Club News Sheet – No. 479
Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                    
My mobile phone number is 083 6066880                                                            29th Jan 2012
My e-mail is terry@pattayabridge.com or pattayabridge@yahoo.com
My Windows Live Messenger is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 23rd  N-S      1st   Ron & Jan                      65%            2nd  Sean & Jeremy               64%
                 E-W     1st   Gerard & Derek             62%            2nd  Per Andersson & Hans  62%
Wed 25th  N-S      1st   Flurio & Pezzini             62%            2nd  Sean & Jeremy               59%
                 E-W     1st   Martin H & Holger        58%            2nd  Lars B & Per And          57%
Fri 27th     N-S      1st   Alan K & Per-Ake         60%            2nd  Per Andersson & Sean   60%
                E-W     1st    Mike Guin & Holger       65%            2nd  Sigurd & Henry              53%

Bidding Quiz          Standard American (short ♣) bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A                                   With Hand A LHO opens 1♣ and RHO bids 1♠, what do you bid?

♠ -                                                   
♥ A832                                                           
♦ AKQJ9432                                                  
♣ 4
                                               

Bidding Sequence Quiz        

B      1♦     1♠      2♦      3♦                              what is 3♦?

C      1♦     1♠      2♥      3♥                              what is 3♥?

D      1♦     1♠      pass   3♦                              what is the jump cuebid of 3♦?

E      1♥     1♠      3♠      pass                           3♠ is a splinter agreeing ♥’s,
         4NT  pass   5NT                                     what is the 5NT response to RKCB

 

 


Void Responses to RKCB

There was yet another mix-up on Wednesday. These Eddie Kantar void response have been on the website for over four years

5NT  =       0 or 2 keycards with a useful void.
6X    =       1 or 3 keycards with a void in suit X if X is lower ranking than the trump suit.
                  If the void suit is higher ranking than the trump suit, then bid 6 of the trump suit.

Note that you should only use these 5NT or 6X responses if the void is useful and if your hand
is good enough (in light of the previous bidding) to reasonably expect at least a small slam to make.
Note also that giving a void response does not enable partner to establish if you have the trump
queen or not, and it also does not enable him to ask for kings (but one would normally cuebid kings
after a void response).

Important Note: Eddie Kantar is the acknowledged undisputed world expert on Roman
Keycard Blackwood and has written six books just on the topic. His responses are accepted
throughout the bridge community except, it appears, in Scandinavia, where the responses are
reversed. I can see no logical reason why anyone would wish to deviate from Eddie’s version so
have to suggest that if you are playing with a Scandinavian that you refrain from using the bids
unless you have agreed which variation you are using.

 

 

Dave’s Column

West                East                                         West                North               East             South
♠ KJ1094        ♠ AQ86                                   -                       -                       -                  1♦
♥ 82                 ♥ AQ                                       1♠                    pass                 3♦    (1)        pass
♦ K1032          ♦ 965                                       4♠                    all pass
♣ AK              ♣ 9632                 
                                                      (1)   Limit raise or better with 4-card support.

You are West declarer in 4♠. North leads the ♦4 which South wins with the ♦A. South
continues with the ♦Q, plan the play.
Dave’s Column Answer                 Board 11 from Wednesday 25th Jan 
     
Dealer:             ♠ 732                                             Bidding            
South               ♥ J9765                                         West          North         East           South
Love all           ♦ 4                                                 -                 -                 -                 1♦
                        ♣ J754                                           1♠              pass           3♦    (1)      pass                                                                                                 4♠            all pass
♠ KJ1094              N             ♠ AQ86                  
♥ 82                   W    E          ♥ AQ                      
♦ K1032                S              ♦ 965                 (1)  Limit raise or better with 4-card support.
♣ AK                                    ♣ 9632             
                        ♠ 5                                          
                        ♥ K1043                                 
                        ♦ AQJ87                           
                        ♣ Q109                            

  1. Today, many use a jump raise of an overcall to show a weak hand. This puts pressure on

the opening side. If East had the same shape but only the ♠A, a 3♠ bid would show such a
hand.. If your partnership does this you need a way to show a good limit raise (10-12
points with four card support). The scientific answer is to use a jump in opener’s suit to
show a good shapely hand with four trumps and limit raise values. If you have just three
trumps then simply cuebid without the jump to show a sound raise.

North led the ♦4 and South won his ♦A and returned the ♦Q. West played the ♦K and
North ruffed. His ♥ return set up South’s ♥K and the contract was one down. Was this
necessary?

West should have made 4♠. That ♦4 must surely be a singleton and so West knows that the
♦K will be ruffed and that a ♥ return will give South the setting trick.
But West has an interesting option. Instead of covering the ♦Q at trick two he can let the
♦Q win. South can continue ♦’s, North ruffs but and leads a ♥ but West is in control with a
winning ♦K. He wins the ♥A, draws trumps and discards the ♥Q on the ♦K. His ♥ loser gets
ruffed in dummy and 4♠ makes.

 

Dave’s 2nd Column

♠ 653                     N                                       West       North        East           South
♥ 7                    W     E                                   1♦           1♠             3♥ (1)        4♠
♦ KQ10764           S                                        all pass  
♣ AK2                                 
                        ♠ KQ7                                     (1)  pre-emptive
                        ♥ AQ                                
                        ♦ 832                                
                        ♣ J10976
                                                       
You are West, defending against 4♠. Partner leads the ♦J which North wins with the ♦A and
draws three rounds of trumps, East following once. North leads a ♣ to dummy’s ♣J and your ♣K.
You cash the ♦K, what should you do next?
                                                                                     


Dave’s 2nd Column Answer            Board 12 from Wednesday 25th Jan 
     
Dealer:             ♠ A109842                                    Bidding            
West                ♥ 653                                             West          North         East           South
both vul           ♦ A9                                              1♦              1♠              3♥    (1)      4♠
                        ♣ 43                                              all pass
                                                                             
♠ 653                     N             ♠ J                    
♥ 7                    W     E          ♥ KJ109842            
♦ KQ10764           S              ♦ J5                         
♣ AK2                                  ♣ Q85                     (1)   pre-emptive
                        ♠ KQ7                                    
                        ♥ AQ                                
                        ♦ 832                                
                        ♣ J10976                          

Against 4♠, East leads the ♦J. North wins the ♦A and draws three rounds of trumps, East
following once. North leads a ♣ to dummy’s ♣J and your ♣K. You cash the ♦K, what should you
do next?
West knows that North has six ♠ tricks, a ♦ and two ♥’s. If North also has the ♣Q then he will
make the contract whatever. The only defence is to hope that partner has the ♣Q and knock out
the entries to the south hand. So lead a ♥. You let partner win the next ♣ and he will knock out
the remaining ♥ entry.

And what happened? Not surprisingly, no N-S pair was in the 20 point 4♠ game, but
virtually every E-W  pair was in 4♥ going one or two down.

Bidding Quiz Answers  

Hand A:   dbl. This is North hand 10 from Wednesday. The hand has just three losers and with
                  ten playing tricks it is far too good for any kind of pre-empt, there could easily be
                  slam your way (there was). If  I was inclined to pre-empt, my ‘pre-empt’ bid would
                  be 6♦ or maybe 7♦. 5♦ is a very poor bid and the words I would use for the ridiculous
                  4♦ bid chosen at one table are unprintable.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answers      

B      1♦     1♠      2♦      3♦                 3♦ shows a sound raise to 3♥ or better (Unassuming Cue Bid)

C      1♦     1♠      2♥      3♥                 here you have a choice of USB’s, I bid the stronger.

D      1♦     1♠      pass   3♦                 the jump USB is used to show four trumps.

E      1♥     1♠      3♠      pass             5NT is used to show 2 keycards (or 0 or 4) with a useful
         4NT  pass   5NT                       void (so obviously ♠’s here).