Linda Lee — My personal bridge blog

Those Special Moments

There are a lot of reasons why people like to play bridge. Its a terrific social activity and you belong to a very special group of people. Most of the time its not really about winning, at least for me. There is usually nothing of real importance to win. The best thing is the enjoyment of each deal. Some of them are magic, some even funny or ironic. A few make me sad or angry. (And then there are the times where it is about the winning … )

Anyway here is an example of a tiny special moment or two from a session with a favorite partner last night.  Your hand with everybody vulnerable is:

South – You
s_thumb2 QJ764
h_thumb2 6
Copyofd_thumb2 Q1085
c_thumb2 K52

Partner opens 1Copyofd_thumb2 which could be three and you bid 1s_thumb2.  West with a great BBO name (Red Baron) doubles, partner passes and East bids 2h_thumb2.  I have three choices:

  • pass, prudent or mouselike?
  • 2s_thumb2 I have five but partner has at most two (no support double)
  • 3Copyofd_thumb2.  (at this point she has to have at least four diamonds).

Well I am no mouse so I bid 3Copyofd_thumb2.  West bid 4h_thumb2 and partner doubled.  One of these doubled games had already made (See later).  But I really had no choice but to pass.

I led a small diamond and a ferocious dummy appeared:

RB’s Ferocious Dummy
s_thumb2 AK982
h_thumb2 AJ97
Copyofd_thumb2 2
c_thumb2 AJ10

Partner won the Copyofd_thumb2K and switched to the s_thumb210.   Were we beating this? 

The question was answered in a second.  Declarer led a small heart from dummy and partner won the 10.  That was quite soothing.  Some errors by declarer led to +800.  Declarer held 4-4-4-1 with a stiff spade and the c_thumb2Q as his only high card.  A 3h_thumb2 bid would have been more circumspect by RB but after the 3Copyofd_thumb2 bid perhaps it sounded too competitive for RB.  Some times Snoopy has his day.

I think this hand was satisfying because of the roundness of +800, because some opponents are so very aggressive (that’s what you like to do) and because you survived your own overbidding.

Now here is a hand that was very satisfying for someone (not for me).  You hold

Soon To Be Satisfied Opponent
s_thumb2 432
h_thumb2 AKQ873
Copyofd_thumb2 K97
c_thumb2 10

You are in third chair with nobody vulnerable.  Two passes to you.  What do you do?  What do you do if I am in fourth chair and you want to irritate me?

  1. Pass – the most friendly bid, giving opponents a nice free ride (nobody is this wimpy)
  2. 1h_thumb2.  You have a full opening bid with a good suit.  Partner will know what to do and your bridge teacher will be happy
  3. 2h_thumb2  That will put it to the opponents.  You might some day miss a game but not many days
  4. 1s_thumb2  I only know a few people who would venture into this territory and most of them aren’t of drinking age

At my table the bid was 3h_thumb2, sock it to you.  Do you like that one?    So here I am with

Yours Truly
s_thumb2 KQ985
h_thumb2 4
Copyofd_thumb2 65
c_thumb2 AKJ64

I have played a system at times where I could bid 4c_thumb2 here to show clubs and spades but that was not on the system card with this partner.  I suppose I could pass but (see earlier comment about not being a mouse) I bid 3s_thumb2.  LHO bid 4h_thumb2 and partner doubled.  Should I pull?  Partner probably doesn’t have a heart stack on this auction.  She probably doesn’t have a lot of spades.  She therefore has minors.  5c_thumb2?  Well if you figured that out you would have been right.  5c_thumb2 is likely down one and 4h_thumb2 doubled was gin.  Curse you RB.

Red Baron Victorious
s_thumb2 AJ76
h_thumb2 9652
Copyofd_thumb2 Q4
c_thumb2 Q83

1 Comment

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