Blurred Vision

27th May - Board 2: N/S Vul. Dealer East

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

A number of players would have been unhappy with their efforts on this exciting board but the reality is that if you keep your focus things could hardly be easier. After South opens 2NT second in hand that North hand is huge, with eight certain tricks, and I think a practical way forward is to ask for aces, find that partner has three and then bid 7S! That may seem rash but you can now count eleven tricks and partner still has an extra eight or so points for the remaining couple of tricks. As an aside people ask for aces in different ways in this situation. A popular approach is to bid 4C, Gerber, but I prefer 4C to show a long club suit with slam interest. I play that 4NT is Blackwood and if I have a ‘quantitative raise’ to 4NT I bid 4S, which otherwise has no meaning at all.

The play in 7S should be trivial, even on a club lead. With twelve tricks ‘on top’ you are just looking for one more and that will come from the heart suit as long as the missing hearts are not worse than 4-2. So win the club ace, cash the ace of trumps and then cash the top two hearts before ruffing one high. As it happens the suit divides 3-3 but even if it didn’t you could return to dummy with the jack of spades and ruff another heart. Then dummy is accessed with the ace of diamonds and the long heart provides a parking place for the second club in the closed hand.

Leap In The Dark

27th May - Board 23: Game All. Dealer South

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

A preempt almost by definition is something of a leap in the dark and while some guidelines should be adhered to it is important to remember that the main raison d’être of a preempt is to derail the opponents. A first in hand preempt has a much greater degree of success than one made in second hand because in the first case you have two opponents and only one partner. (Although occasionally it feels like three opponents.) The best time to preempt is third in hand because you know by now that the hand on your left is dying to bid and partner is little more than a bystander. For all of the above reasons I would have passed the West hand. Not only is it the worst position to preempt but the suit is only ok-ish and having a four-card major on the side is not entirely desirable. (Most players under the age of 25 don’t worry about such niceties but we oldies do.)

3D was indeed opened at several tables and East closed proceedings with 3NT, a contract that rolled home on a heart lead but would have been less successful if a club had been led, assuming of course that North withholds the ace.

Having said that I would have passed the West hand I would have opened the North hand with 3C! I know I am a club short but only sissies demand a seven-card suit these days and the suit is pretty robust. I also do not mind having four hearts on the side because partner has passed and chances of game are remote. Would 3C have been effective? Not a bit. East would have doubled, West bid diamonds and East spades, raised to game by West. Dead easy.

Leaping Michaels

20th May -  Board: 11 Love All. Dealer South

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

Six hearts is an excellent contract on the E/W cards but hard to reach with minimum values, especially if South opens with a weak two bid in spades. A good convention to have in your armoury is the exotically sounding ‘Leaping Michaels’ whereby a jump to the four level in a minor after a weak two in a major shows at least five cards in the minor plus five cards in the other major. It is allied of course to the well-known ‘Michaels’ convention when a cue-bid of an opening major shows five cards in the other major plus five cards in an unknown minor. (Responder can find out the minor by relaying with 2NT.) So on the above hand the bidding might start:

             W        N         E        S

                                              2S

             4C      4S         ??   

East could play safe and bid 5H or take a punt at 6H. The preemption in spades makes it likely that West has a singleton but of course there could be two aces missing. I guess it’s just too difficult.

Don’t forget to write in with any queries or suggestions, as long as they are not rude! And I hope to see you next Thursday.

Transfer Break

20th May - Board: 18 N/S Vul. Dealer East

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

When partner transfers after an opening of 1NT by you it is normal to do as you are told and just complete the transfer. However there are situations when it might be right to show that you have a maximum within your no-trump range with good four card support in the transfer suit, and you can do this either by jumping to the three level in the known suit or by bidding a worthless doubleton at the three level if you happen to possess one. (This makes it easier for the responder to know whether the hands are fitting well or not.) The hand above was on the borderline for breaking the transfer but it worked out well in practice, even though perhaps it shouldn’t.

W N E S

1NT No

2H No 3S No

4S All Pass

Can you see that if East had a club less and a red card more, then a bid of 3C – showing a worthless doubleton – would have led to an excellent game. As it was against 4S South led a low diamond and declarer rightly played low from dummy. After all there was no rush to take the finesse, but North fell from grace by playing the queen and not the nine, and ten tricks were now easy. If the nine is played then South can play another diamond when in with the ace of clubs and the game would fail. And if South had failed to lead a diamond initially then declarer always has time to set up the thirteenth club for a diamond discard.

Safety First

13th May - Board: 24 Love All. Dealer West

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

There were many interesting deals last Thursday but not many managed to come to grips with the following hand. The recommended bidding is worthy of note because the trump slam should be given preference to the no-trump one. I think it should go something like the following: -

            W              N              E              S

            No            1C            No            2D

            No            3C            No            3D

            No            3NT         No            4NT

            No            6C            All Pass

It is important that South should force to game with his first bid because otherwise he will forever be trying to catch up. 4NT is natural, NOT asking, because no suit has been agreed and North should accept the slam try by stressing once again the club suit. There is little to the play in clubs because the North hand can always be accessed with diamond ruffs if necessary, but imagine you are playing in 6NT and receive a spade lead. Whether you win in dummy or hand you will find difficulty in establishing the club suit without needing the heart finesse.

Freak Show

13th May - Board: 5 N/S Vul. Dealer North

It is important to keep your head when dealt a freak hand and not mentally place partner with cards that you wish he might hold. There were all sorts of results on the hand shown above but I think a logical bidding sequence might be as follows: -

N E S W

1C No 1D 1H

1S 2H 2NT No

4S No 5C No

All Pass

Some players started by opening 1S – don’t know why – and quite often the game was missed. In fact on a trump lead you would need a bit of luck to make game but the even spade split would see you home.

So comments please, not necessarily about the above, but about any aspect of Thursday evening. And please don’t be anonymous – unless of course you think my sensibilities may be hurt!