Walking the bidding tightrope

Top experts make huge mistakes;  not very often or they would lose that title.  Sometimes it seems that they make a mistake that would never happen in your club game.  Sometimes these mistakes are particularly spectacular.  Why does this happen?  I think many players have made bidding too complicated.  There is too much to remember and too much to figure out.  And as a result accidents happen.  Not to mention the effect on morale when a disaster happens.  It can take you right down to Zone 3.

So it was strange, but not all that strange. to watch two incredible results in the finals of the Germany Open Team Trials Round 2.  Board 31 was the first board played in the Closed Room.  Look at the bidding on the North-South hands hands.

 

Khanukov ♠ –  ♥ KQJ9542  ♦ A5  ♣ AQ32

 

Sitting North, vulnerable vs not in third chair you open 2♣ (strong).  I might have just opened 4♥  in fourth.  I suppose we could have more but that seems somewhat unlikely and I don’t really want the spades waltzing in at this vulnerability.  Anyway East (Gromoller) bids 2♠ . … in waltz the spades. 

Partner, Felmy, bids 3♣  natural and positive.   And Rehder, West, makes the unpleastant interjection of 4♠ .  What now?  Khanukov bid 5♥ .  I am not sure this is the right action but it seems reasonable to tell partner about your seven card suit.    Knowng you have a double fit maybe you should just bid 6C.  Anyway,  Partner bids 5♠  which really hasn’t made your hand any better.  So you singoff in 6♣ .  Let’s walk South for  a minute.

 

Felmy ♠ A985  ♥ 9  ♦ Q107  ♣ K9874

 It’s your turn.  Do you bid over 6♣ ?  Let’s look at the auction again.

 

 

 

West	North	East	South
—	—	—	Pass
Pass	2♣	2♠	3♣
4♠	5♥	Pass	5♠
Pass	6♣	Pass	6♥
Pass	?

 

 

I think in this auction 5♥  is a suit and it is not forcing.  6♣  is suggesting clubs as a place to play it (a good suggestion as it turns out.)  If partners hears were solid would he bid 6♣  I don’t think so.  Anyway Felmy bid 6♥  and now Khanukov whose partner is known to have a wasted spade card (probably the ace) and likely the ♣ K also has the ♥ A and opened with a pass.  Now Khanukov bid 7♥ .  The trump ace doubled and so it was +200 for East-West.

Board 32 pass quietly but then comes Board 17.  If I told you that a pair a this table ended up voluntarily bidding a slam in spads on a 4-1 fit with minimal opposition bidding which pair would you pick as the culprit… north-south or east-west.

If you picked North-South you would be right.

 

Khanukov ♠ AK32  ♥ 4  ♦ K3  ♣ AQ7632

Felmy ♠ 6  ♥ AQ10985  ♦ Q9  ♣ K984

 Here is the auction.  Apparently the mistake was the interpretation of 2♦ which North thought showed spades.

 

Khanukov ♠ AK32  ♥ 4  ♦ K3  ♣ AQ7632

Felmy ♠ 6  ♥ AQ10985  ♦ Q9  ♣ K984

 

 

West	North	East	South
—	1♣	1♦	2♦*
DBL	3♠	Pass	4♣
Pass	4NT	Pass	5♣
Pass	6♠	All pass

You can think about the auction if you think 2♦ shows hearts as Felmy did and if you think it shows spades as Khanukov did.  Did Felmy realize at the end that Khanukov thought he had spades and bailed.  Did he think 6NT might be even worse?  Anyway they are in the wrong place and no bid by South will fix it now.

So here you are.  You have bid a grand slam off an ace and you have played a slam in your 4-1 spade fit in the first three boards.

But one thing about team games … you shouldn’t give up.  As it will turn out there are some wild and wooly things going on by your opponents in the other room (but on different boards).