Solution to December 29th Problem

No one vul as south you hold: ♠ A1085 ♥ J ♦ A963 ♣ A832. The bidding:

¹Inverted, usually 5+♦ and 11+HCP.    What do you bid at teams? At Matchpoints?

After an inverted minor response opener tries to describe their hand type and strength. A suit bid will normally indicate a 2^nd suit. No-trump bids show balanced hands. Some play new suit is a cue bid, but I do not recommend that choice.

2NT or 3♦ by responder shows a minimum, and can be passed. Even though south has a minimum in terms of high cards, they have very good distribution. The best call is a natural 3♣. It describes your hand very well and partner should be able to place the contract.

The disadvantage to the bid is that it pinpoints the heart shortness, and may help the opponents defend better. Despite this, I would bid 3♣ at matchpoints or teams. When you can’t make the final decision involve partner!

At our last sectional some pairs bid 3NT and regretted that choice when east led the 2♥.

The full deal from the Friday pair event:

Dealer: Vul:		North
		♠	942
		♥	Q3
		♦	KQJ1082
		♣	KJ
West				East
♠	K3			♠	QJ76
♥	A98654			♥	K1072
♦	7			♦	54
♣	10954			♣	Q76
		South
		♠	A1085
		♥	J
		♦	A963
		♣	A832

Lessons to learn from this hand 

1. Any time you can bid naturally partner will be better able to evaluate how well their high cards are working. The same principle is why splinters are so popular.
2. If a bid is helpful to partner make it, even though the opponents may also be able to use this information to  their advantage.
3. Notice north’s 2NT bid. They have a tough hand to evaluate in terms of minimum or game forcing, balanced or unbalanced. I like the 2NT bid as it give the most space for south to describe their hand. This became very valuable on this deal as any other bid would not allow south to be able to bid a descriptive 3♣.
4. What should north bid over 3♣? If noth’s queen was in spades it would be an easy 5♦ call. At teams I would still bid 5♦. At matchpoints I would bid 4♦ and expect partner to bid 5♦ with their three aces. Unfortunately the club queen is offside and 4♦ is the limit of the hand (Declarer can make the hand by stripping the side suits and throwing west in with the K♠, if he doesn’t unblock).

Weekly Offering

As a new year’s resolution I will attempt to contribute blogs on a regular basis. Either hands of interest, or articles aimed to support the development of intermediate and advanced players. I currently publish a weekly column on the Unit 181 Website, ‘Kimelman’s Corner’.  

 http://www.bridgemanitoba.org/ 

Here is my first column. I will post my answer tomorrow.

No one vul as south you hold: ♠ A1085 ♥ J ♦ A963 ♣ A832. The bidding:

¹Inverted, usually 5+♦ and 11+HCP.    What do you bid at teams? At Matchpoints?

Only One

 Here is a hand that I declared against David Turner and Roy Hughes in the round-robin

of the CNTCs. The contract was 3♥ doubled on the following bidding, E-W vulnerable.

(1) 5-5 in hearts and a minor, 3-10 HCPs.

(2) Responsive.

David led the 6♥.  The full deal:

Dealer: Vul:		North
		♠	74
		♥	J9532
		♦	8
		♣	A9864
West				East
♠	985			♠	AQJ2
♥	A84			♥	Q6
♦	A543			♦	KQ97
♣	Q105			♣	J32
		South
		♠	K1063
		♥	K107
		♦	J1062
		♣	K7

I fairly confidently played the K♥, expecting the lead to be from Axx. If I duck

and lose to the Qx, three rounds of hearts will leave me with 5 losers. Unhappily, I

saw the king lose to the ace. Fortunately for me the defence played two rounds of diamonds,

allowing me to set up clubs with a ruff, and eventually score my K♠ for +530.

Despite this result David found the only lead to have a chance at defeating the contract.

This hand just reinforces the theory that when you have the majority of high cards lead

trumps to cut down on any extra tricks declarer can make by ruffing in the short hand.

Defending with an 8 card suit – solution?

I  guess the first question to ask is what does the double show? Is it a strong preference to defend, with a good/wasted diamond holding, or can be made with a hand like AQxxx x xxx AQxx? My discussion with other peers is not conclusive. Personally, I think pass should say ‘I don’t have anything to say at this point’, while a bid or double is highly suggestive.

The winner on this hand was passing. Partner was 5-5 in spades and diamonds. RHO had KJ9xx in hearts.

My partner Marielle Brentnall found a pass at the table! This is just one hand, but I find this type of situation both interesting and important.

Defending with an 8 card suit?

Playing at a club team game last night, you pick up J5 AQ10865432 – A85. You are north and not-vul versus vul. and bidding goes:

East is an intermediate player, partnering with their expert teacher and life partner. What is your pleasure?

Recent hand solution

Yes, you have a good hand with a good club suit. Partner has bid to boot. But I think the percentage action is to pass. You are not sure where to play on offence, and you have very little defence against an opponent who committed to 11 tricks against two bidding opponents!

Partner still has a chance to bid. The full deal:

                                1098542

                                 J983

                                A

                                63

              AJ76                          3

              K54                           A6

              8                                KQJ9765432

              J10872                        -

                                 KQ

                                Q1072

                                 5

                                AKQ954

 Playing in a Swiss team match at the sectional I passed. My opponent with the same hand doubled and was       -950, and we picked up 8 useful IMPs (p.s. we lost the match but won the event).

The moral of the story: High Card Points aren’t everything…

Recent Hand

At a recent sectional swiss team event you pick up a solid opening bid: KQ Q107 J5 AKQ954. Both vul, you open 1C. It goes pass, partner bids 1S and RHO bids 5D. Now what?

Answer tomorrow…

Overbidding Grand Slams and getting odds

North
♠	A942
♥	A942
♦	9
♣	AQ104
South
♠	KQ3
♥	KQ1082
♦	AK
♣	753

The contract is 7 ♥. Don’t ask. A small ♦ is lead. Hearts are 3-1. How do you play?

see below…

.

.

It is ironic that I wrote a book entitled Improve Your Bidding Judgment, and my first post is about an overbid grand. Oh well…

There are two lines to consider:

1. Pull trumps, Play three rounds of spades ending in your hand. If spades don’t break, double hook clubs; or

2) Pull trumps, Hook the Q ♣ , and assuming the J does not fall, cash ace♣ and then try to pick up spades or hope for a spade club squeeze when LHO has 4 spades and 4 clubs, or RHO has 4+ spades and Jxxx of clubs).

Line 2 worked at the table, as RHO had J10xx in spades and Jxxx in clubs. Does anyone want to calculate the exact odds of the two lines?