A Couple of Hands to try .. Segment 1 of 6 US Senior Team Final

Problem 1: Let’s start off with an opening lead problem.  no pressure but this lead is worth 17 imps.

You are EEast with all vulnerable and you are in third chair.

East ♠ 98 ♥ A76432 ♦ Q104 ♣ Q10

The auction in the Open Room where Morse and Wolff were North-South was as follows (West passed as dealer and your side passed throughout).

North	South
2♣	2♦
2♠	3♠
4♣	4♥
5♦	5♠
6♠

So what do you lead?  Would you do anything different if the auction had been?

West	North	East	South
Pass	1♣ *	1♥	DBL*
3♥	6♠	all pass

I like leading aces against slams.  But the first auction really suggests to me that North has a void somewhere.  When players don’t bid Blackwood and then could then that is often the case.  I have a bit of this and that in all the suits.  I lead a trump.  And that is what Hayden did against Morse.  The auction is a bit less revealing in the Open Room.  North opened a strong club and South’s double showed 5-7 points.   Still a heart void seems possible.  I know where 10 or 11 hearts are.  Maybe the same arguments apply.  Maybe not.  Anyway Schwartz led the heart ace and that was trick twelve.

Problem 2

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ AKJ10432 ♥ – ♦ A32 ♣ AK8
West ♠ – ♥ Q095 ♦ KJ9 ♣ J97432		East ♠ 98 ♥ A76432 ♦ Q104 ♣ Q10
	South ♠ Q765 ♥ KJ8 ♦ 8765 ♣ 65

And here is a horrendous bidding problem for you.  Nobody is vulnerable and you are in third chair.  It has been pass pass to you.

Dealer: Vul:

North ♠ AK754 ♥ AK ♦ 7 ♣ AK872

First what do you open?  I hate opening 2♣ on two suiters but this hand is so very strong.  With some partners I have an agreement that they will be over 1♣ on almost anything and there might be an argument for opening 1♣ and then bidding 2♠ over their response, I suppose.  But 2♣ seems like the normal bid.  It goes 4♦ on your right and this passed back to you.  I am on slightly shaky ground here but pass by partner is probably forcing and shows some values.  What do you do?  Is there any way out of this mess?

……………………

There are three bids that come to mind: double, 4♠ and 5♣ .  (Don’t you wish you had opened 1C or 1S?)

If you bid 4♠ as Morse quite reasonably did, too bad.  Lose 10 imps.  Double works fine as did 5♣ .  In the Closed Room where Passell opened a strong club, Schwartz bid only 3D and North-South found there way to 3NT which makes 4.

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ AK754 ♥ AK ♦ 7 ♣ AK872
West ♠ Q9632 ♥ Q10865 ♦ 6 ♣ 53		East ♠ 10 ♥ 974 ♦ AKQ9854 ♣ J6
	South ♠ J8 ♥ J32 ♦ J1032 ♣ Q1094

At the end of the first quarter Lynch led Schwartz 53 to 17.