Automatic Squeeze

6th September – Board 1. Love All. Dealer North.

I love the fact that N/S can bid on a combined five count with impunity although it might have been better to stay silent and hope the opposition gets too high.

	North: S Q 10 9 6 4 3 H J D J 10 8 5 4 C 10
West: S J 7 5 H A 4 3 D 9 3 C A K Q 7 6		East: S A K 2 H K Q 7 6 D A K Q 7 C 8 4
	South: S 8 H 10 9 8 5 2 D 6 2 C J 9 5 3 2

West	North	East	South
	2S	Dbl	No
3S	No	4NT	No
6NT	End

It’s hard to know exactly how the bidding would go if North opens with a weak 2S. (As they should.) East has an easy take out double leaving West to find a forcing bid on his good fourteen count and cue-bidding the opponent’s suit is the most practical way. Now 4NT by East is just a big hand and not Blackwood as no suit has been agreed and West can hardly do less than bid 6NT. If clubs break there are thirteen tricks on top but with that suit breaking 5-1 and hearts 4-2 even twelve tricks are hard to find. But if South has five clubs and only one spade then he must have four cards at least in one of the red suits so if declarer ducks a club, wins the return and cashes winners then South will be automatically squeezed and will have to give up his guard in either clubs or his four-card red suit. Note that on a heart lead declarer must duck a club immediately or else the entries get tangled, spurning the chance of an overtrick, and playing pairs that might not be so easy!

Hard To Say

6th September – Board 17. Love All. Dealer North.

Hands which present no problems playing teams can take on a whole new perspective in the pair’s game.

	North: S Q 5 2 H A J 7 D 8 4 C 10 7 6 5 3
West: S J 3 H 9 6 5 D K Q J 7 3 2 C K 4		East: S A K H Q 10 4 3 2 D A 10 5 C A J 8
	South: S 10 9 8 7 6 4 H K 8 D 9 6 C Q 9 2

West	North	East	South
	No	1H	No
2D	No	2NT	No
3NT/3H?	No	No/4H	End

Remember that it’s a good idea to play a 2NT rebid as game forcing after partner has responded at the two-level so here it’s just a question of whether West should bother to try for the heart game in case his partner has five in that suit. I know that I wouldn’t but it’s hard to say and as usual I would be wrong! 3NT has ten tricks on top and no more after a spade lead but eleven tricks in hearts due to the favourable position of the knave.

Too Risky

24^th May – Board 7. Game All. Dealer South.

It would be tempting for East to protect with 2H in the pass out position on the hand shown below but playing pairs and with the wrong vulnerability it is perhaps a little too risky.

	North: S Q 8 5 H 9 8 D A J 9 8 4 C Q 6 4
West: S K 7 6 3 H 10 2 D Q 10 5 C 9 7 5 2		East: S A J 10 H K 6 5 4 3 D K 7 C K 10 3
	South: S 9 4 2 H A Q J 7 D 6 3 2 C A J 8

West	North	East	South
			1NT
End

South will likely make nine tricks in 1NT on a club lead assuming he plays a diamond to the nine at trick two but just eight on a spade lead. (It is hard to say which is the best lead for West.) East might consider bidding 2H but with such poor impletion in his suit it doesn’t look right. That bid would pass round to North who should double, not for penalties but to show he is alive and that his side has the balance of the points. South would pass and collect 500 but even one down is rewarded with 200 points, just about the worse thing that can happen playing pairs when neither side has the values for game.

Too Ghastly

24^th May – Board 23. Game All. Dealer South.

One of the hardest things in bridge is to know when a bid is forcing or not and here it was imperative that East/West were on the same wavelength.

	North: S K 10 9 7 6 4 H A 6 5 D 10 C Q J 3
West: S Q J 5 H K 7 4 3 2 D A 9 4 C K 10		East: S A 2 H none D K Q 8 7 5 2 C A 9 8 6 2
	South: S 8 3 H Q J 10 9 8 D J 6 3 C 7 5 4

West	North	East	South
			No
1NT	2S	3D	No
3NT	No	4C	No
5D	No	6D	End

3D in this auction is absolutely forcing and cannot be passed. (Which is why Lebensohl was invented!) Note also that 1NT is a better bid than 1H on those West cards being a better overall description of the hand, with the thought of having to rebid the suit after a 2C response being too ghastly for words. Similarly 4C is forcing because you never remove a game contract into a partscore! 5D shows positive support and overall liking of the hand leaving East in no doubt to bid on to the slam. As it happens all thirteen tricks are available with the minor suits being well behaved.

Not A Fan

17^th May – Board 4. Game All. Dealer West.

I’m not a fan of traditional Benji Acol because the ‘big’ bid of 2D quite often gets the auction to start at an awkward level. The hand below is a case in point.

	North: S 10 6 3 H Q 5 D 10 8 6 5 2 C 10 9 2
West: S K Q 8 7 H A K J 10 2 D A K Q C 6		East: S 5 2 H 7 4 D J 9 4 3 C A J 8 7 5
	South: S A J 9 4 H 9 8 6 3               D 7 C K Q 4 3

West	North	East	South
2D	No	2H	No
3H	No	???

See what I mean? If East now bids 4C the auction is at the 4-level without any fit forthcoming and the alternative of 3NT is just a leap in the dark. Much better to play the old traditional way when the bidding would go 2C-2D-2H-3C-3S-3NT. Although both 3NT and 4H make the former is by far the easier and on a normal low diamond lead declarer will plonk down the two top hearts and come to an easy eleven tricks.