Complicated Systems

There's a special sort of joy reserved for a pair that when sat against you, takes twelve alertable bids to reach the six level only to deliver you +200; down four. Schadenfreude of course but why do they introduce such complexity?

Sometimes instead of pinning up that endearing caricature drawn by your favorite nephew you get chilly from the breeze coming through the gaping hole. Nothing is perfect. The most common reason for not learning these systems is worry. Worry that the masonry (memory) won't take a hit like that.

Though you may get it wrong you might also get it right. Ever scored up a match where you team mates mournfully comment: "Their system got them to that contract, we didn't expect you to get there"? So often if you haven't the agreements to find the right spot you lose.

The better your system, and of course the better you play it, the fewer the hands on which you lose. Your opponents may be fighting with knives but that's no reason not to bring along a pistol. Just ensure you know which end does what.

4 over 4 is right

As the old saying goes the five level is for the opponents. Now why did someone feel the need to state this so explicitly? It could be due to a partner who had a bad case of Justonemoreitis but it could be a hint that the four level belongs to us.

♠	A 7 6 5 2
♥	9 6
♦	Q 6 5 2
♣	A 9

What a hand! What a suit. RHO opens 2♥ weak and you're bidding 2♠ are you? I'm not. Say you pass and 4♥, pass, pass comes back to you. How about now?

I struggle with this at the table but 4♠ is right. Simple counting tells us that when they have a big fit so do we. In a 2♥ - 4♥ auction they are likely to have a big fit and even if they have just 8 hearts we're still about 7 to 1 to have a fit ourselves.

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

It's right because compared to the 5 level you're a trick ahead. If the hand is theirs they have to take a full 7 tricks at even vulnerability to make a serious dent in your imps. That makes it attractive before you count your chances to make 4♠ or to push them to a failing 5♥ contract.

A long time ago I was introduced to what was called the "Tuffnell Rule" from then local but now expat expert Graeme. The Tuffnell Rule states that whenever your opponents open 4♥ and you hold five spades you should bid 4♠. Doesn't always work but it's almost always right.

If you build it, they will come

And if you play it, it will make.

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

It might be more common to land in 6♥ or 6NT but say you don't want just your cake. That's right, you're in 7NT.

You get a spade lead and things don't look great. When you cash three rounds of diamonds and discover that East started with ♦JT98 you start to sweat a bit, maybe you've overstretched. Your team mates are known for supportive reassurances like "If in doubt bid 7!"

It's not time to panic though. It's never time to panic while you still have tricks to cash. Take the clubs and 13 tricks can't wait to be yours.

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

East is left with an impossible task, guarding all three remaining suits. Only 11 tricks on top, no finesse positions and yet the only thing that can go wrong is a premature concession.

Into the unknown

I don't know about you but I find playing with someone completely unknown a little terrifying. No fore-warning that you'll be playing together and a minute or less for a system discussion before being thrown into a session.

I played earlier this week in such a partnership. My partner is an experienced player but I have no idea about his style or approach. In general it went well, we bid some nice games like this one:

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

South opened a spade holding AQTxx and we avoided the 3NT trap that the other table fell into and instead played in the very good 5♦ spot.

Later though I picked up this red against green:

♠	J 9 8 4
♥	K
♦	A J 8 6
♣	A K 7 2

My LHO passed, partner opened a weak 2♥ and RHO produced 2♠. If you've played together lots and have an established weak two style this is probably an easy decision. If very strict you're worth game (this is 2nd seat unfavourable we're talking about), if not maybe an invite. If you're both under 20 you should definitely pass but will bid game anyway. I passed and led the ♥K.

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

I've been known to open hands that contain more sevens than high card points but J8xxxx? Needless to say the ♥K wasn't the lead to beat it so we were out 140.

At the other table the auction was quite different:

South	West	North	East
-	-	3♥	Pass
Pass	X	Pass	Pass
3♠	X	Pass	Pass
Pass

That made the same 9 tricks on the much less explicable ♥K lead. Who likes the pass of 3♥x by East?

I've got a good suit

A common theme in bidding challenges is holding a suit so good you can't possibly convince partner you've got it. Consider this hand from the Vanderbilt final:

Dealer: West
♠ A K J T 9 2 ♥ Q 8 ♦ K Q ♣ 8 7 2		♠ Q ♥ A K T 9 2 ♦ A 9 8 5 3 ♣ A Q

Or this hand from the less auspicious Christchurch Open Teams:

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

On both of these hands if you can convey the quality of your suit then partner will co-operate and you'll get to the correct spot. 7NT in the first example and 5♦ in the second. Much of it is to do with partnership trust. Trust that partner will only use the I've got a good suit™ bid when they actually have a really good suit.

Yes 5♦ is the right spot! Sure if they lead spades at you only a heart break will deliver 11 tricks but 3NT needs the heart break on any lead and 4♥ hasn't a hope.

How would your partnership bid these hands?

The play goes perfectly

Sometimes declarer play feels so easy you wonder why it was ever considered a problem...

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

I'm playing in 1NT. My partner opened 1♠, I bid a semi-forcing NT and nobody touched it. The lead was the ♦6 and on seeing dummy I wished we were in 2♠.

Small off the dummy and my Jack beats the Ten. Well that could have been worse, presumably West has the ♦AQ to 5 or 6. I lead a heart to the table intending to play on spades next trick but East wins the Ace. That seems wrong...

Back comes a medium club, maybe it was the ♣8. Hmmm if West has ♦AQ to 5 or 6 and the ♣A then surely they would have bid 2♦. ♣K dropping the ♣Q! Run the hearts pitching four spades and a club off dummy then throw East in with the ♣A to make 10 tricks. Easy game!


Now for something completely different. Gerber is a dangerous convention and a little while ago got the pleasure of watching this auction from the safety of the North hand:

West	North	East	South
1♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♣	Pass	5♠	Pass
?

You can see the accident coming right? I tried not to wince.

West	North	East	South
1♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♣	Pass	5♠	Pass
5♣

There it is. Teachers, talk to your students about Gerber before someone else does.

First Squeeze

There's a first time for everything. I can vaguely remember the first time I pulled off a genuine squeeze. It was a simple positional squeeze to make an overtrick. I didn't plan it as such but recognised it once it happened.

Lately I've been playing with Laura Stephen who has been learning the game at a startling rate since beginning to play about two years ago. Here's a hand she played in a club session last week:

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

The simple auction 1NT, pass, 6NT, all pass didn't give East much chance to indicate a lead; a club saw the contract survive trick one. The first 12 tricks aren't a challenge but the 13th needs to be considered to extract all of the matchpoints.

First the spades were cashed pitching two hearts out of hand. Next the extra club was unblocked before a diamond to hand left this position:

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

Pitching hearts off the table the ♣K is uncomfortable for East but the ♣Q impossible. Well played!

How to improve your bridge in one easy step

I found this wee gem of an article today and thought it both rude enough and relevant enough to share:

How to seem good at everything: Stop doing stupid shit

Bridge is a game of mistakes. A lot of the time we can later identify the plays we've made as mistakes. If you can see it later you can see it before.

Sticky spot

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

After South opened 1♣, two of us passed and partner doubled back in. South continued a spade and my 2♥ ended the auction. ♠4 lead.

Wonderful. Thanks to that spade bid we're now in the wrong spot. Imagining the hearts breaking is probably too hopeful. Still South can't know his partner lead is a singleton so I'll just win the Jack with the Ace like I don't have a choice and play a diamond. There's no point drawing trumps... I'll end up with 4 trumps a spade and nothing else.

North leaps in with the Ace and at great speed fires back a small heart. Well I'll Ace that and draw another round just to have a look. No break there, North started with 5. Time for some optimism. The ♦K and ♦Q hold so I continue in order to force the defence. North ruffed but instead of clearing the trumps tried a club. Now I'm home making 2 diamonds, 4 hearts a spade and a club ruff. Messy.

Here's a different sort of bidding problem. I'll give you an auction and you tell me at what point you would have done something different. Here's the hand, you're South:

♠	-
♥	T 9 8 5 4 3
♦	Q 9 8 7 6
♣	J 2

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
Pass	X	XX	2♣
2♥	Pass	2♠	Pass
Pass	Pass

Partners redoubled showed "good cards" but you don't really have any specific agreements. South was playing a 15 - 17 1NT and 2/1 (so semi-forcing 1NT response) at the time but if that's not your cup of hot water with dead leaves, answer like it was your system.

How do you bid this?

Before I give you the bidding problem it was pointed out that the hand I used as an example last post actually had a really interesting feature. Here it is again:

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

What contract would you most like to be in? What about if you swap the ♠J for the ♠Q? Make a difference?

The point is the 4-3 heart fit is likely to be worth 12 tricks whereas the 5-4 spade fit can only ever make 11. Looks like a suitable hand for a bidding challenge. Can anyone think of a safe, sane and consensual auction to reach 6♥?

Anyway on to the bidding challenge (which by reading this you undertake to answer in the comments below):

♠	A J 9
♥	K T 6 3 2
♦	Q 8 4
♣	9 5

You're playing IMPs, you're the dealer, the vulnerability is nil and your opponents pass throughout. You pass in first seat and hear your partner open 1♠. Your bid?