26th January – Board 1: Love All. Dealer North.
The two blog hands today were only played once last Thursday due to the format of the competition, but I had already played them in a match a few days previously and I report here what happened in that match. Here a useful gadget helped N/S off to a flying start.
West
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North
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East
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South
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2S*
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3S
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4S
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5H
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End
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2S was the so-called Lucas 2, showing five cards in a specified major and four or five cards in a minor, but with a limited hand of 5-9 points. East bid 3S probably intending it to be a
Michaels type bid but whatever the reason South had an easy raise to game. With a round or two of bidding taken away E/W subsided in game when the heart slam is a 50% proposition depending as it does on the position of the king of hearts. With no barrage in the replay E/W bid the slam giving his side a useful opening board.
A 6S sacrifice by N/S would seem to work well, even assuming the defence gets its club ruff, but how can they find it without the 'Lucas 2'? How brave/foolhardy would a 2H Michaels by S be over E's 1H opener? In other words, what is your view of light Michaels bids?
ReplyDeleteChris A.
I was South and I might have bid 6S had they bid 6H. Dunno. I don't play Michaels myself but if I did I would come in with 2H over 1H I'm sure. They didn't in the other room because our East elected to open 1D because of the disparity of the suit strengths. South passed (I wouldn't) and West bid 1H. North now bid 1S and East bid 4C as a splinter. South bid 4S, West 5H which was raised to 6H by East. So I guess they could have sacrificed too.
ReplyDeleteIf you play Lucas Twos what do you do if you have a weak 6 card major as an opening bid? Do you forego opening? Is a Lucas Two hand more common than a 6-carder weak two?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I play Lucas twos but I also play a multi so that 2D might be a weak two in a minor, inter alia.
ReplyDeleteFor the record I play 2D as a multi, 2C as either a weak two in diamonds or 23+ and 2H and 2S as Lucas. Having a strong two in a major is now the problem! (Not in 4th suit however when Lucas goes out the window for obvious reasons - someone would have already bid!)