Highlights and Lowlights from our match Corrected

Last night Colin and I played Sondra and Isabelle.  Colin and I were a bit foggy, me in particular and the score showed that.  But there were many interesting deals.   I have some favorites but first an opening lead problem or two.

I have updated the blog because on the last full hand I had to change the diagram around to make Colin South and when I did it I inadvertently switched Isabelle and Sondra.  I have fixed that in this corrected version.  Boy do I need an editor!

It is my belief that opening leads swing more imps than any other aspect of defense.  The first board presented Colin with an opening lead problem.

A105

K10543

J2

J103

With nobody vulnerable Isabelle opened 1 which may not be clubs.  Sondra bid 1 which was alerted as NAT and a positive and Isabelle bid a spade.  Now we knew she was unbalanced with longer clubs than spades.  Sondra bid  2 which was game forcing, presumably fourth suit.  Isabelle bid 2  suggesting 6-5 and Sondra bid 2NT.  Isabelle bid 3 which probably just means my points are concentrated in my suits and I don’t have a heart fit at all.  Sondra bid 3NT.  What do you lead?

While you are thinking I will pass on one other piece of information which was not described in the alerts.  I believe that 1 is a negative of some sort so they will bypass diamonds even with much better diamonds than hearts. Perhaps that chances your mind?

Colin decided to lead a heart and it was game over.  That was in effect trick nine.  Any other lead but the spade ace keeps us in the game.  The whole hand was

	Isabelle KQ742 – 93 KQ8632
Colin A105 K10543 J2 J103		Linda 986 8762 Q106 A97
	Sondra J3 AQJ9 AK8754 4

 

Not that it will be a piece of cake to beat it anyway.  Lets say Colin starts with the J  and for the sake of argument I duck it.  Sondra plays a diamond which Colin wins.  Colin continues a club.  I win and shift to a heart.  And as you can see we will come to a heart, two clubs, a spade and a diamond.  It is possible to beat the hand on any lead other than then a heart (or the spade ace) on similar lines but it can get a lot tougher on other leads.

The next deal I find interesting is this one.  First do you bid on my hand?  I held

Linda

J9

J8

Q1083

87653

 

We were vulnerable against not and the auction went pass by me 1 by me.  3 by Colin and double by Isabelle.  I could bid any number of diamonds.  What do you think? 6 seems to rich at this vulnerability.  I don’t have all that much to help Colin.  I suppose there is an argument for either 5 or 4.  I chose pass.  I usually find that bidding here helps the opponents more than it hurts them.  But there is a value in 4.  Sondra has no way to show extra and hearts without going past game as we will see in a second.

Sondra bid 4 and it was up to Isabelle.  Now you see why I should have bid 4.

Isabelle

K104

KQ965

A

QJ42

Obviously Isabelle has a huge hand on this auction.  If you play that 5 demands that partner bid slam with a club control then it is reasonable.  Otherwise I probably would just keycard.  If 5 is cooperative then what will you do over 5.  Does this really deny a club control or does it just show a minimum?  Good questions for any partnership.  Anyway, that was the auction at the table.  Sondra did sign off in    5 and Isabelle respected that.  This was Sondra’s hand and as you can see the slam was very good.

Sondra

AQ865

A10743

7

K10This is not to say that the ladies did not get to many aggressive games and slams.  They were definitely ahead of the field on that.

There is nothing special about the next hand except that it shows that some times I can stop

Here is your next bidding challenge and I think it deals with an interesting issue.  First take my hand.

Linda

10

J10987

2

AQJ1075

Nobody vulnerable.  Sondra opens 1.  Colin doubles.  Isabelle bids 1 and I bid 4.  This is passed to Isabelle who bids 5.  Should I bid or pass to Colin.  What does a pass by me mean now.  I don’t think it can be a forcing pass.  My bid shows shape rather than points.  Or is it?  We voluntarily bid game.  By my usually rules it isn’t a forcing pass since we are not vulnerable and I haven’t shown points.  Is it clear for me to bid 5.  Looking back on it I think I might have.  I just don’t think I can double.  Do you?  Anyway I passed.  And it was over to Colin.  He held

Colin

AJ93

AQ62

85

K42

So now he had the whole thought process.  Is this a forcing auction?  Probably not.  Should I double?  What does Linda’s pass mean?  Does it mean I was preempting?  I confess I think he should move but then again thinking about it I should.  Maybe double by me in a non-forcing pass situation should just say I had values for my bid rather than a desire to penalize.

Anyway he passed to and that was not very good for our side.   They went 2 down which wouldn’t have been bad doubled. Not only is 5 cold but 6 is on a losing finesse.

This is the one deal that really stood out to me.  It showed interesting defense by Isabelle-Sondra and an interesting declarer play problem.  Here is the deal from Colin’s point of view (I have rotated it)

	Linda K8 82  954  AK10983
	Colin AJ10963 K105 AQ J7

 

Colin opened 1 showing 4 or more about 11-15 HCP.  I bid 1NT semi forcing and he bid 3.  A good 6 card suit and a maximum.  I bid 4.  The opening lead is a small trump.  How do you play the hand?  One possibility is to assume (I know that assume makes an …. of u and me) that the Q is onside.  You could rise with the K, finesse the Q.  Draw trump and run the J.  If it losses you are home.  The defense can’t take more than two hearts.  If it wins then you should probably repeat the finesse if West shows in (conceding the player who ducked the Qxx offside.)  If West shows out then you are going to need to have one of the red suits onside and you are going to have to decide which one.  You might be able to run the fourth spade, run spades and come down to an ending that works as well.  But most of the time the clubs will work for you.

The problem with not drawing trump before playing clubs is that the opponents may play a second club when they win the first one.  Anyway Colin ducked the spade and won the Q.with the A.  Now he ran the club.  The finesse lost to Sondra and she did return a club.  Colin won and played a third club.  Isabelle ruffed as Colin threw a heart.  But since she sat over Colin she couldn’t cash two heart winners and she had the long spade.  So Colin could enter dummy on the second spade and win the clubs. 

 

	Linda K8 82  954  AK10983
Isabelle 542 AQ43 J863 52		Sondra Q7 J976 K1072  Q64
	Colin AJ10963 K105 AQ J7

I thought for a moment that if Isabelle didn’t ruff the club the third club she can beat it and it does make it harder.  But Colin can actually still make it by deciding which red card is onside.  He does have to take the diamond finesse at some point.

Once Colin won the spade in hand and finessed the club at trick two Sondra can beat the hand for certain by returning a highish heart rather than a club.  She knows her side has to take red tricks.  Can she figure out that she has to lead a red card?  Let’s see.  Colin can’t really have more than two clubs for this play so Isabelle can’t have an immediate club ruff (or if she does Colin doesn’t care).  So lets give Colin five red cards.  He is going to have to have three potential red losers to have a chance of beating it.  If Isabelle has a heart tenance she will get in and return a club.  If Colin only started with 3 red suit losers he would have not bothered with clubs.  He has to have risk in the red suits.  Since she has the K a heart looks attractive.  Anyway, you decide if it is possible to find the perfect defense or the perfect declarer play on the hand.

 

Once again the ladies played a great game.  These two are definitely the future of Canadian Women’s Bridge – go girls.