Heavy Weather

8th December – Board 20: Game All. Dealer West.

A lot of pairs made heavy weather of the featured hand but maybe that was because some basic bidding theory was missing – namely that when partner has responded to your opening bid of one in a major by responding at the two-level in a minor (as here) a jump to four in that minor by opener is game forcing. The reason for that is clear, because it enables responder either to start a cue-bidding sequence at a low level if appropriate or to give delayed support for opener’s major.

West	North	East	South
No	No	1S	No
2C	No	4C	No
4S	End

With such a poor club suit and with wasted values likely in hearts West should have no ambitions beyond game and I imagine that South would lead the jack of hearts, whereupon declarer has an easy route to at least twelve tricks, but even if South is inspired enough to lead a diamond the defence are only likely to make three tricks at most. Looking at the two hands you can see that four spades is easily the best contract, needing as it does just for the club finesse to work or for the trumps to be 3-3 or for a non-diamond lead.

Taking Out Insurance

29th September – Board 11: Love All. Dealer South.

Bidding decisions at the five-level are notoriously hard to get right on a consistent basis and the hand shown below was no exception. I have to say that I would have made the wrong decision, taking out insurance on the East hand to safeguard against a potential catastrophe.

West	North	East	South
			1H
1S	2C	4S	5C
Dbl	No	????

I think it is right to double 5C on the West hand because there are likely to be two quick winners in diamonds but I’m not at all sure that I would have left the double in with the East hand. There is unlikely to be a trick in spades and while there may well be a trump trick in the offing the risks of them making a doubled contract are too high. Certainly in teams I would have no hesitation in bidding 5S, in pairs it is less clear-cut. But without partner’s double bidding 5S would be automatic.