All The Difference

20th September – Board 7: Game All. Dealer South.

Normally you need about 33 points between the two combined hands for 6NT to stand a sporting chance but that assumes that both hands are flat. As a corollary to that any decent five card suit makes all the difference in the world, as can be seen demonstrated in the hand below.

South shows a balanced hand of about 15/16 points and in the first instance North bids 3♥ to check whether the opener has a five-card suit there. However after the 3NT response North is worth one more go because of that good five-card suit. 4NT is not Blackwood of course because no suit has been agreed but merely quantitative and South should take up the slack with his fine array of controls. Notice that if North had a diamond less and a club more (say) then 6NT would be an awful contract needing both diamonds to break 3-3 and the spade finesse to be right, odds of just 18%. However with the hand as it stands declarer just needs to make five diamond tricks after a club lead to fulfil his contract, the odds this time being around 70%. For those playing a strong no-trump North would bid 4NT after the opening with the same happy result.

Far From Minimum

28th June – Board 20: Game All. Dealer West.

Being able to have flexibility in one’s game is a tremendous asset and that awareness often manifests itself in an ability to think beyond the mere counting of points. North was in that position in the featured hand and should have had no difficulty in realising that his hand was far from minimum.

It is debatable as to whether South should even look for a major suit fit but give the North hand a heart more and a club less and it is the heart slam which is the winner. As it is South’s 4NT bid is not Blackwood because no suit has been agreed but merely quantitative asking the opener to either pass with a minimum or to bid six with an above minimum hand. And that North hand is certainly that! Take away a club and make it a diamond and then pass would be the order of the day but with all the aces and a five card suit it is much more than just a mere 20 points. With clubs breaking 3-2 as one might expect there are twelve easy tricks and in fact thirteen tricks are liable to roll in with both opponents feeling the stress when the clubs are played.