We all have an internal set of rules that guide when and what we bid. Usually we follow them without thinking but from time to time temptation appears and they fall away. Here's a hand I picked up a while ago on a club pairs night:
| ♠ | A J 9 7 2 |
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| ♥ | T 7 3 |
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| ♦ | A K Q |
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| ♣ | Q 4 |
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My right hand opponent dealt and opened 3♣.
I suspect the expert opinion would favour a pass here perhaps with double as a candidate.
Figuring that everyone else would overcall and not wanting to be left behind I bid 3♠. Partner raised to game, left hand opponent doubled and I went down two earning exactly zero matchpoints.
Lets have a peek at what left hand opponent has:
| ♠ | K T 8 3 |
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| ♥ | Q 4 |
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| ♦ | T 8 7 4 3 |
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| ♣ | 9 3 |
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What? Their partner pre-empted and looking at a maximum of two tricks they doubled? How fortunate that the clubs were 7222 around the table and their partner had the AK and the ♠Q.
Call it unlucky but if I'd just passed...
| | ♠ | 6 5 4 |
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| ♥ | A K 9 8 6 5 |
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| ♦ | J 2 |
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| ♣ | 8 5 |
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|
| ♠ | K T 8 3 |
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| ♥ | Q 4 |
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| ♦ | T 8 7 4 3 |
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| ♣ | 9 3 |
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|  | | ♠ | Q |
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| ♥ | J 2 |
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| ♦ | 9 6 5 |
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| ♣ | A K J T 7 6 2 |
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|
| | ♠ | A J 9 7 2 |
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| ♥ | T 7 3 |
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| ♦ | A K Q |
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| ♣ | Q 4 |
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|
I reckon this is a reasonably clear 3S bid by south, surely? It may be a bit of a matter of partnership understanding but for me, given that I could overcall 3S with a had such as the one sitting south, I would hope that my partner sitting north might attempt 4H instead of 4S. Sure, it's a wee bit of a lucky make with hearts 2-2, but then again 4SX would have been down 3, not 2, if hearts didn't break.
ReplyDeleteSome though to a double? Hate the suit for an overcall.
ReplyDeleteWere others in 4S down undoubled?
ReplyDelete