Club News Sheet – No. 229    www.pattayabridge.com        25th March 2007

My mobile number is 086 6089887

       
to news-sheet main page Bridge conventions  
    to bridge conventions
to Pattaya Bridge home page  
       

Mon 19th    1st N-S     Ivy & Wolfgang                  61%         2nd    Hugh & Sally                    60%

                  1st E-W    Derek & Gerard                 64%         2nd    Jan Roos & Per-Ake        63%

Wed 21st    1st N-S     Bob & Mike                       56%         2nd    Hugh & Sally                    55%

                  1st E-W    Derek & Gerard                 58%         2nd    Paul & Ursula                   56%

Fri  23rd      1st N-S     John MacI & Sean             60%         2nd    Hugh & Sally                    58%

                  1st E-W    Flurio & Pezzini                  75%         2nd    Derek & Gerard               62%

 

Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

 

♠ K10985        ♠ -                                                

♥ Q10932        ♥ KQ108543   With Hand B you open 3♥ (or 4♥ if you prefer) and partner 

♦ 6                   ♦ J953              bids 4NT, RKC Blackwood, what do you respond?  

♣ 54                ♣ Q10.                         

 

Hand C           Hand D           What do you open with Hand C (playing Benjamin twos).

 

♠ AK               ♠ KQJ9

♥ AK10943     ♥ K1064          With Hand D partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

♦ AQ8             ♦ J84             

♣ Q10             ♣ Q8

 

Hand E            Hand F            What do you open with Hand E (playing Benjamin twos).

 

♠ AKJ853        ♠ A107            (a)  What do you open with Hand F?

♥ 10                 ♥ AQJ3           (b)  Suppose you chose 1♣ and partner responds 1♥, what

♦ 4                   ♦ A3                      do you bid now?

♣ AKQ106      ♣ K1095        

                                               

Bidding Sequences Quiz        All of these sequences occurred this week

 

G     3♥      pass   4NT   pass   What is this 5♥ response to Roman Keycard Blackwood?

5♥

H     3♥      pass   4NT   pass   What is this 6♥ response to Roman Keycard Blackwood?

6♥

I       1♦      pass   1♥      pass   What does this 3NT bid show?

3NT

J      1♦      pass   1♥      pass   4NT was Blackwood and the 5♦ response indicated that there

3NT   pass   4NT   pass   were two aces missing. What does responder do to play in 5NT?

5♦      pass   ?

K     1NT   pass   pass   2♣     2♣ was conventional, showing both minors, and 2♦ was simple

pass   2♦      dbl               preference. What does the double mean?

L      1♣     pass   1♥      pass   What is 4♥? Strong or pre-emptive?

4♥

Editorial

I had to adjust the scores on two boards on Wednesday.

Board 5: The first problem was when a double of a 2♦ bid, in a sequence which I consider to be very clearly penalties (sequence K) was not alerted as a transfer by a regular partnership, and then when the pair were asked if all bids were natural one said ‘I think so’ (he bid 2♥ with a three card ♥ suit) and the other (dummy) said nothing. They clearly had an (absurd in my opinion) agreement that the double of 2♦ at this 2nd turn was a transfer. I adjusted the score to fall in line with the majority of the field who played in 3♦ or 4♦.

Board 12: The other problem involved the same N-S pair. After the play all 4 hands were placed in the incorrect slots. As a result the board was a waste of time for the rest of the field - four subsequent tables. All four players at the mis-boarding table were given 40% and those who played the incorrect board were awarded 60%.

We had some consistency in the results this week; with Derek & Gerard just missing the triple (tough luck not winning on Friday with 62%) and Hugh/Sally coming in a steady 2nd three times running.

 

Stopping in 5NT when there are two keycards missing               Board 15 from Monday 19th

An interesting Blackwood problem cropped up on this deal: -

Dealer:             ♠ J64                                            

South               ♥ 105                                             West          North         East          South

N-S vul            ♦ 1054                                           -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ 108654                                      1♦              pass           1♥            pass

3NT (1)      pass           4NT (2)    pass

♠ 109                    N             ♠ AK75                   5♦    (3)      pass           5♥    (4)    pass

♥ K98                W    E          ♥ Q7643                  all pass

♦ AKQJ863           S              ♦ 7                         

♣ 9                                        ♣ KQJ                    

                        ♠ Q832                                   

♥ AJ2                                     

♦ 92                                        

♣ A732                                         

 

(1)   I prefer this bid to 3♦; it shows a good hand with a good long solid ♦ suit.

(2)   Since West Has defined his hand quite clearly this must be Blackwood.

(3)   So West showed his ace.

(4)   But East did not know how to stop in 5NT (5NT is asking for kings). Did you get sequence J right? East should bid 5♠, the highest unbid suit, asking partner to bid 5NT.

 

And what happened? 5♥ went one down. 3NT (or 5NT if East asks about aces) is where you want to play and it makes 11 tricks comfortably.

The bottom lines: -

-     Know how to stop in 5NT having invoked Blackwood (bid 5 of the highest unbid suit).
Responding to Blackwood with a void                    Board 8 from Monday 19th

Here’s another interesting Blackwood problem. It was in the news-sheets a few weeks back (News-sheet 218) and the pair at Table B did remember it, thus reaching an excellent slam: -

Dealer:             ♠ -                                                 Table A

West                ♥ KQ108543                                 West          North(B)    East          South

Love all            ♦ J953                                            pass           3♥    (1)      pass         4NT (2)

                        ♣ Q10                                           pass           5♦    (3)      pass         5♥    (4)

all pass

♠ AJ75                  N             ♠ K10986               

♥ J7                   W    E          ♥ 6                           Table B

♦ 1084                   S              ♦ 72                        West          North(B)    East          South

♣ 9876                                  ♣ KJ542                  pass           3♥    (1)      pass         4NT (2)

                        ♠ Q432                                          pass           6♥    (3)      pass         pass (5)

♥ A92                                            pass

♦ AKQ6                                 

♣ A3                                             

 

Table A:     (1)  A very sound 3♥ opener, with this nice shape some may prefer 4♥.

(2)   RKCB. Not elegant with these ♠’s but it should have worked.

(3)   North thought for a while before responding – obviously trying to think what to do with a void.

(4)   With just one keycard opposite and potentially two ♠ losers off the top, South signed off.

Table B:     (2)  This South also tried RKCB.

(3)  But fortunately they knew what to do with a void. 5NT would show 0 or 2 keycards with an undisclosed void but the response with 1 (or 3) keycards is more explicit. A six-level bid below the trump suit shows 1 or 3 keycards with a void in the suit bid and a bid of six of the trump suit shows 1 or 3 keycards with a void in a higher ranking suit. Since North has a keycard (which he has not promised) he should show the void.

(5)  With a known ♠ void opposite South is very happy. But he does not quite have enough to bid the grand as there could easily be a minor suit loser.

 

And what happened? Three pairs bid the cold 6♥; one went down in 7♥ and the other five settled for game. I don’t know how many of the 6♥/7♥ bidders knew what they were doing or if they simply gambled.

The bottom lines: -

-         There is no need to lie or gamble when you have a void and partner bids Blackwood; 5NT shows 0 or 2 and a six level bid shows 1or 3; simple eh?

-         But you should not use this scheme if you have 0 or 1 keycards and partner could reasonably expect more.

-         And don’t show a void in a suit that partner has bid – it’s probably not useful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally illogical                                                     Board 5 from Wednesday 21st 

There was a bit of silly animosity (and a subsequent adjusted score) on this deal: -

Dealer:             ♠ QJ3                                           

North               ♥ K64                                            West          North         East          South(A)

N-S vul            ♦ J92                                              -                 1NT (1)      pass         pass (2)

                        ♣ AK106                                       2♣   (3)      pass           2♦            dbl   (4)

pass           2♥    (5)      pass (6)    all pass

♠ A762                 N             ♠ 4                          

♥ 5                     W    E          ♥ AJ87                   

♦ AQ105               S              ♦ K8743                

♣ Q982                                 ♣ J73                      

                        ♠ K10985                               

♥ Q10932                               

♦ 6                                          

♣ 54                                             

 

(1)   A bit light for 1NT with this totally flat shape.

(2)   What did you bid with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? Obviously you should try 2♣, Stayman. If partner has a 4 card major then you have found a 5-4 fit and if partner bids 2♦ then you bid 2♥. Standard ‘Garbage Stayman’.

(3)   Apparently showing both minors in this West’s system. Don’t ask me how he shows a two suited hand with a major and a minor.

(4)   What was you answer to this double in this weeks sequence quiz number K. South had a chance to transfer if he wished at (2) and so playing this as a transfer to ♥’s has no sense whatsoever, it is clearly penalties. There was no alert.

(5)   Neither was this alerted.

(6)   East was understandably unwilling to venture 3♦ when South had doubled 2♦. He specifically asked if all bids were natural and was given an affirmative reply.

 

And what happened? 2♥ made exactly. The director would have been summoned if he was not already at the table; he was East and made his objections very clear. At the time of the incident no action was taken as it was a good score for E-W as the one previous time it was 4♠ making by South. However, at all of the subsequent tables E-W played in ♦’s making 9 or 10 tricks and so the score was adjusted to 4♦ making by West. This sort of situation is very clear in the rules – adjust the score to the most favourable likely outcome.

The bottom lines: -

-         Straightforward transfers (i.e. 2♦ and 2♥ bids) do not need alerting at this club, but I do recommend simply announcing ‘transfer’.

-         If you play that a double of an overcall as a transfer then that needs alerting. A failure to do so may well lead to an adjusted score if a defender reasonably assumed that it was penalties.

-         If you play that a double of an overcall when you previously declined to transfer as a transfer then that is totally illogical and most certainly needs alerting.

-         If an opponent specifically asks ‘was everything natural?’ before his opening lead then both declarer and/or dummy should explain if a double was conventional.

-         Incidentally, I did mention sequence K to Dave and he said ‘obviously penalties’.

 

 

A good hand for 2/1                                              Board 3 from Monday 19th

 

Dealer:             ♠ J53                                             Table A

South               ♥ J75                                             West          North         East          South

N-S vul            ♦ K64                                            -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ AKQ8                                        1♠              pass           pass         pass

 

♠ A8762               N             ♠ 10                         Expert Table

♥ A82                W    E          ♥ KQ10964             West          North         East          South

♦ AJ82                   S              ♦ 105                      -                 -                 -               pass

♣ 4                                        ♣ 10952                  1♠              pass           1NT (1)    pass

                        ♠ KQ94                                         2♦              pass           2♥    (2)    all pass

♥ 3                                          

♦ Q973                                   

♣ J763                                          

 

Table A:     (1)  This hand is not good enough for 2♥. If you play weak jump shifts then 3♥ will work but without that agreement I guess 1NT is best and hope that partner does not pass.

‘Expert’      (1)  But our experts play 2/1 and East knows that partner cannot pass 1NT – it’s

 Table               forcing playing 2/1.

(2)  And this subsequent 2♥