Hand for the students

I was given this hand a few days ago because it's a great hand for those learning declarer play. There's some important things to deduce here but all of them should be within reach of most players.

You land in 4♥ and this is what it looks like:

	♠ Q J ♥ J T 6 ♦ A J T 9 6 ♣ T 6 5
	♠ A 6 3 ♥ K Q 8 7 4 3 2 ♦ K 7 5 ♣ -

East	South	West	North
Pass	1♥	Pass	1NT
2♣	2♥	3♣	3♥
Pass	4♥	Pass	Pass
Pass

The play begins: 3♣ to the Ace ruffed in hand. Heart to the 9, Jack and Ace. 4 of spades returned.

Do you rise Ace or do you finesse?

 

It gets better

Every so often I find myself in an auction in which everything goes my way. Then it gets better. This is a good example that happened recently; of course, like all the really fun auctions, I'm green against red:

♠	Q J 8 3
♥	Q 5
♦	K J T 5
♣	T 5 3

Opp1	Part	Opp2	Me
Pass	1♥	2♦	?

What initially seemed like a dull hand has suddenly come alive. It looks like we're going to get a juicy penalty. I hope partner is well trained enough to double back in. Pass.

Opp1	Part	Opp2	Me
Pass	1♥	2♦	Pass
Pass	X

Hooray, we're going do such nasty things to 2♦ they won't overcall again for the rest of the match! About to make my triumphant pass...

Opp1	Part	Opp2	Me
Pass	1♥	2♦	Pass
Pass	X	3♦!

Whoa! I can't penalize 2♦ anymore? How upsetting.

Bumbling through an auction

Playing with a reasonably regular partner I picked up the following 13 cards:

♠	Q J T
♥	-
♦	K x x x
♣	Q J T x x x

I'm North and I can't remember whether we play inverted minors over interference. That's not usually a problem because it almost never comes up but today is not my day. Here's how the auction started:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	?

Lots of options for my bid. I could try 2 or 3 clubs but I don't know what they show and partners alert or lack thereof might land me in trouble. A heart splinter would have been a great idea but forgetting our inverted agreements wasn't the only thing wrong with my brain that day. No, I was on a different track:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	X	2♥
3♠	Pass	?

Well my inability to bid might just be a blessing here. Partner has a good hand with 4 card spades. We're playing match points so spades is a considerably better denomination than clubs. Just to prove my insanity though I'll make a slam try. Maybe I'll be able to pull to 6♣ after an accept from partner or maybe 6♠ will play ok.

Vul: Nil Dealer: N	♠ A 9 x x ♥ K J ♦ A Q ♣ K x x x x
♠ K x x ♥ Q x x x x ♦ x x x x ♣ A		♠ x x x ♥ A T x x x x ♦ J x x ♣ x
	♠ Q J T ♥ - ♦ K x x x ♣ Q J T x x x

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	X	2♥
3♠	Pass	4♥	Pass
4♠	Pass	Pass	Pass

Partner wasn't keen on slam but a diamond lead and when the K♠  was onside we had 12 tricks in spades. Feeling confident my match point shenanigans combined with lack of forethought had netted us a good result we moved on. Par score: 5♥x down 5, +480 was worth a matchpoint short of 50%. Tough school.

Here's a challenge:

♠	K 2
♥	7
♦	Q 5
♣	A K Q J T 9 8 5

what action do you take after a weak 2♥ opening?

Impossible defense

I don't want to fill the world with sob stories but this is really a good one. Defense is hard enough when you've got all the information. When you don't it's harder but when the opponents have outright lied harder still.

Imagine you're south, listen carefully to the bidding:

North	East	South	West
-	2♥1	Pass	4NT2
Pass	5♦3	Pass	5♥4
Pass	6♥5	Pass	Pass
Pass

If you're short of time I'll help you out:

1. 5♥ & 4+ minor, weak
2. Months out of tempo. Keycard Blackwood.
3. 1 or 4 keycards
4. Sign off
5. ???

You stare down meaningfully at your hand and find a suitable lead like the K♠.

♠ Q J 3 ♥ K Q 9 7 6 2 ♦ A Q 8 ♣ K
	♠ A K T 6 ♥ 8 5 ♦ J T 5 3 2 ♣ J 7

Partner is a diligent soul and plays the 9♠ declarer plays the 5♠. That's reverse count and shows and odd number meaning declarer has 1 or 3 spades.

Lets summarize what we know. Partner doesn't have any hearts so declarer has the Ace and Jack. Declarer has no spade cards so either the Ace of clubs or the King of diamonds. What's the defense on these possible layouts?

♠ 7 5 2 ♥ A J T 4 3 ♦ - ♣ A T 9 8 5

♠ 7 5 2 ♥ A J T 4 3 ♦ K ♣ A 8 5 4

♠ 5 ♥ A J T 4 3 ♦ 7 4 ♣ A 9 8 5 4

Hand 1 it doesn't matter a bean; this contract is doomed. Hand 2; cash the spade, or they have the rest of the tricks. Hand 3 you switch, to anything, take your hand off that spade and no one gets hurt.

You can guess which hand was at the table. Couldn't even rely on something simple like: open 12 counts at the 1 level. Next board please.

The ominous +170

My hand wasn't good:

♠	J 9
♥	K 8 7 5 3
♦	J 9 7 2
♣	8 3

So when partner opened 1♣ and 1♦ was interjected I didn't bid. If partner has a rock I'll find out soon enough. I'm not expecting much preemption in diamonds.

LHO didn't squeak and partner reopened 1♥. Righty persevered with 2♦ and I jumped to 3♥ hoping that partner had a good hand. She didn't and passed.

♠ A 3 ♥ J T 9 2 ♦ A 5 ♣ A Q 9 7 5

♠ J 9 ♥ K 8 7 5 3 ♦ J 9 7 2 ♣ 8 3

The hearts cost us two tricks and the diamonds one but the defense never attacked spades and when the clubs broke 4-2 with finesse working we achieved that worrying +170.

Surely no one would bid and make this we thought as we headed back to score up, surely not. Reading down the scores we call out 170 and hear 420 in reply. What! They did what?! "Eleven in!" calls out a team mate. Oh, that 420.

	♠ Q 8 6 4 ♥ A ♦ K Q 8 6 4 3 ♣ T 4
♠ A 3 ♥ J T 9 2 ♦ A 5 ♣ A Q 9 7 5		♠ J 9 ♥ K 8 7 5 3 ♦ J 9 7 2 ♣ 8 3
	♠ K T 7 5 2 ♥ Q 6 4 ♦ T ♣ K J 6 2

Team mates on discovering the spade suit had become quite excited. When the spades broke, East couldn't get in to lead a club and the diamond Ace was onside 10 tricks couldn't be avoided.

Here's an unrelated bidding problem. What would you bid holding:

♠	-
♥	K 8 6 3
♦	Q 9 5
♣	A K T 9 5 3

unfavorable at IMPs after RHO deals and opens 2♠ (5♠ and 4+minor, weak)?

Quick tricks

In the years before my parents were born bidding was based on quick tricks. Ace one, KQ one and King half.

Times have moved on and we all like to feel superior with our Milton works point count. While I'm on the subject of both counting points and my parents; they own a book on the "The Crane System". It was written by Joshua Crane, published in 1937 and details his system using the 4321 point count. It's full of wonderful sentences like

"If your partner shows a TWELVE hand by an opening bid, and you hold an EIGHT hand, you stand to make TWO ODD at least, if you agree on a trump."

Just imagine if we could all write like that. Where was I? Ancient History. Quick Tricks. And weak no trump openings on 11 points.

Lots of things get recommended about when to open a 12-14 NT without the officially sanctioned values. The one I've come to dislike is "Look, I have 3 tens". All very well but, unless they're in suits like AJT9x or KQTx, probably worth zero tricks. Remember when partner puts down a 5 count you'll have only tenuous control of the hand.

Me, I like tricks. Ace, Ace, King, over easy or fried hard I'll open 1NT.

The least distortion

Every so often I get blindsided by a hand that looks simple and easy until I get a bid or two in and suddenly I'm in trouble. I picked one up the other day, it's not shapely or have a lot or very few values. I think this is only a problem for those of us who play a weak NT. Here it is:

♠	A J
♥	K Q J 3
♦	8 7 5
♣	K Q T 4

You open 1♣. The next hand overcalls 1♦; partner bids 1♠ and RHO passes.

You. Are. Stuck.

2♣ shows 5 with fewer points, 1NT needs a diamond card and 2♥ is bad for the rain forests. I bid 1NT hoping for a heart call from partner. That didn't happen but the overcaller with AKQTxx decided it might be good to try for a lead through Jack fourth.

Not all of us found Jxx on the table funny.

When is a reverse not a reverse?

I know a lot of people have strong feelings about what "standard bidding" means. Sometimes I think it should have a capital letter. Here's your chance to give your opinion on what turned out to be a much more contentious issue than I anticipated.

I'm reasonably confident the range of your NT won't be a factor here but strong club players might not have the same views Here's the auction:

North	East	South	West
1♣	1♠	2♦	Pass
2♥

I'm interested in any and all points of view on this. I think 2♥ is always forcing but does it show the extras of a reverse and is it game forcing? Would it make a difference if South were dealer and North had opened after two passes?

I'm asking is the above auction most similar to this:

North	East	South	West
1♥	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♠

Or this?

North	East	South	West
1♥	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♦

Trump suit acrobatics

For anyone who was getting tired of me reporting on my silly system I'm now back to playing Acol so the auctions should be a fraction more palatable.

This is an entertaining hand from a swiss pairs event played during the long weekend. Yes folks the Queen is one year older and we celebrate with imped pairs. Anyway, picking up a nice collection I opened 1♥ and over partner's 1♠ I showed my clubs. He put me back to hearts and without a reason to move I didn't.

♠ K Q J T ♥ T 2 ♦ T 8 5 4 ♣ T 9 7

♠ 6 2 ♥ A K J 5 3 ♦ 7 ♣ Q J 4 3 2

After some amusing comment from partner about having four of a kind I realized the defense had led a diamond. Fiddlesticks! How did they work that out? Hopefully they'll switch at trick two.

Nope. I'm staring at 6 tricks, 3 diamond ruffs, the two top trumps and a spade. If I pitch a black card here the opps will dive on the suit like hawks on a cute defenseless bunny and I'll be no better off so I ruff. Exiting a spade seems the best way to start and it wins on the table. Here's a chance, maybe the defense are a little sleepy and will let me have a second spade. Wrong, West wins the Ace and continues diamonds, they probably play something technical like count.

Time for something dramatic. Ruff with the Ace of trumps and lead back the Knave. West after some thought wins his Queen and returns the fourth round of diamonds confirming an even break. Ruff with the King of trumps and enter dummy with that T partner was so happy with. Now if a hand with four hearts is kind enough to also hold four spades I'm home.

J♠, ruffed by West. Even if they were playing count the simpler system of following suit was the key driver behind the earlier play. Now West is thinking. And thinking. A♣, 7♣, K♣ 2♣, hooray!

Dealer: S Vul: All	♠ K Q J T ♥ T 2 ♦ T 8 5 4 ♣ T 9 7
♠ A 9 ♥ Q 9 7 ♦ K J 6 3 ♣ A 8 6 5		♠ 8 7 6 4 3 ♥ 8 6 4 ♦ A Q 9 2 ♣ K
	♠ 6 2 ♥ A K J 5 3 ♦ 7 ♣ Q J 4 3 2

Passing splinters for fun and profit

Most system are pretty unambiguous on the subject of splinters. They're forcing.

But, like all forcing bids, there's a time and a place to pass them. The particular situation might not easily spring to mind but consider another important principle of competitive bidding. The best sacrifices are in their suit. If the opposition think you've got a genuine fit somewhere else they won't double and you'll be left to trickle 5 or so off.

Dealer: S Vul: E/W	♠ Q J 4 2 ♥ 6 5 4 3 ♦ 3 2 ♣ 9 8 5
♠ 8 5 ♥ A K Q J 8 ♦ J 9 5 ♣ A Q J		♠ A 9 6 ♥ T 9 2 ♦ Q 8 6 4 ♣ K 6 2
	♠ K T 7 2 ♥ 7 ♦ A K T 7 ♣ T 7 4 3

I'm South and I opened my quality diamond suit 1♦, 8 - 11. Left hand opponent doubled and partner wanting to prolong the magic bid 1♠. RHO passed so I, innocently figuring I would compete to 3♠ over 3♥ (I've got a max right?), splintered. I have no idea who has the values but we might find a magic game or slam here.

I gave it all away in the title but no one else bid from here on. The defense showed that the heart game might be on by rounding up ten tricks -300.