10th November – Board 11: Love All. Dealer South.
Weak twos in the major are a good idea designed to cause confusion to the opposing side but occasionally partner is caught with the problem rather than the opposition. So it is just as well to have some constructive way forward…..
West
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North
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East
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South
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|
|
|
No
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2H
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No
|
2NT
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No
|
3H
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No
|
3NT
|
End
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2NT is the so-called ‘Ogust Convention’, named after its originator, and the responses show the exact nature of the opening two with respect to both points and quality of suit. Here the response of 3H shows a hand within the top-end range of points, 8-9, but lacking two of the top three trumps. Knowing that the opener can have at most five points in hearts it is easy to see that he must have another useful card somewhere, the queen of clubs perhaps, or better still the ace of diamonds. All of this makes 3NT the bid of choice and indeed that contract was reached at several tables but not always made. Nor should it be really due to the hateful diamond layout, but I imagine after a club lead declarer ran the spade suit and a somnolent North threw a diamond or two. Easy to do of course but it can hardly be wrong to pitch a couple of clubs to clear up the position in that suit.
At our table declarer won my club lead, led to the diamond ace, deduced that my J might well be singleton (principle of restricted choice) and finessed the 9 on the way back, thus taking the first ten tricks - well done Graham! I'd opened a club, so had I underled the heart ace we could have taken the first seven. That assumes (I'm sure rightly!) that my partner would have returned the 10 of clubs then unblocked the 9 on the second round of that suit).
ReplyDeleteChris A.
Actually it isn't a restricted choice position at all because South could equally well have played the jack from J10x trying to create the illusion of a singleton! Anyway it was brave of Graham to do what he did and he deserved a good score. Don't know whether I would have opened that South hand or not. The intermediates are crummy but on the other hand you are not embarrassed by any bid partner would make so perhaps you should. And perhaps I am getting old.
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