A Hand or Two from the Gold Cup

While I was baking some banana muffins for a family Christmas party, I managed to catch a few hands from the Gold Cup Competition taking place in the U.K.   For more information Gold Cup. 

 

The Collins team

Patrick Collins

Derek Patterson

Gerald Tredinnick

Stuart Tredinnick

is playing the De Botton team

Janet de Botton

Nick Sandqvist

David Burn

Artur Malinowski

Jason Hackett

Justin Hackett

On this deal the Collins team got a poor result but did they do anything wrong?  You are red on white and Jason Hackett in first chair opens a weak notrump.  Let’s say 13-15 HCP although I am not sure of the exact range.  This is your hand.  Are you a bidder?

AQ1092

93

A1082

Q3

For now let’s say you pass and Justin Hackett bids 2, a transfer to clubs.  Jason bids 3.  Do you bid now? 

Now let’s look at the situation in the Closed Room.   This time you are Collins and you have:

J5

AKQ54

K74

J87

You are white on red and you open 1.  Malinowski overcalls 1 and your partner Patterson raises to 5 but South Burns bids on to 5 anyway.  Do you bid again?

Here is the whole hand

	AQ1092
	93
	A1082
	Q3
J5		3
AKQ54		J8752
K74		9
J87		K96542
	K8764
	10
	QJ653
	A10

As you can see 5 is a make, in fact so is six when the diamond finesse works.  How does hearts fair.  Down 2.  But would you want to bid 6 and risk 6.  -680 looks like a pretty good result.  But it is a loss of 13 imps against 3 -1.  So who’s fault is it.  I guess it says that you really have to be active against notrump even vulnerable.  What do you think? 

 

Lest you think these type of swings were all one way.  Put yourself in the Hackett’s shoes.  This time the vulnerable is unfavourable for East-West and you have

AQ74

AKQ97

104

103

You hear Gerard open 2 which I am guessing was an opening bid with at least 6 clubs.  You bid 2.  Perhaps you prefer double, but this seems like a reasonable bid to me as well.  Now Staurt bids 3 and Jason has this problem.

KJ863

J105

8653

8

Of course he passes and Gerard bid 5 which naturally gets passed out.  In the closed room where Malinowski opened 3 Patterson doubled.  Burn bid 4 and Collins on Jason’s hand bought it for 4 and a double game swing.

	95
	3
	J92
	AKJ9652
KJ863		AQ74
J105		AKQ97
8653		104
8		103
	102
	8642
	AKQ7
	Q74

Things don’t quiet down in the latter stages of the match.  Enjoy yourself and look it up in the BBO library.  I will tell you only that there is only 1 imps between the two sides when they play the last board.

And if you want the recipe for my banana muffins send me an email.  They are worth it!

The answer to yesterday’s rebus is “the husband slept like a baby”.