Club News Sheet – No. 230    www.pattayabridge.com        1st April 2007

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 086 6089887

It is best to use my house number to contact me unless I am at the bridge club.

       
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Mon 26th    1st N-S     Jean-Charles & Alain          57%         2nd    Phil & Tomas                   56%

                  1st E-W    Dave & Kenneth                60%         2nd    Jan & Wolfgang                59%

Wed 28th    1st N-S     Wolfgang & Ivy                  60%         2nd    Bob & Mike                     51%

                  1st E-W    Dave & Terry                     63%         2nd    Gene & Paul S                 57%

Fri  30th      1st N-S     Cornelia & Sean                 60%         2nd    = Ivy & Wolfgang             53%

2nd    = Paul S & Ursula            53%

                  1st E-W    Jan & Richard                    54%         2nd    Barbara & Bev                 57%

 

Bidding Quiz                           Standard American is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A RHO opens 3♦, what do you bid?

 

♠ J1054           ♠ A32

♥ AKQ976      ♥ K3                With Hand B you open 1♦ and partner responds 1♥. You bid

♦ 5                   ♦ 109763         1NT and partner bids 2♥, what do you do?

♣ K9               ♣ AK10                  

 

Hand C           Hand D           With Hand C RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

 

♠ 4                   ♠ 4

♥ Q1073          ♥ AQ642         With Hand D RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

♦ QJ6               ♦ QJ6

♣ AQ642         ♣ Q1073

 

Hand E            Hand F            With Hand E RHO opens 1♠, what do you bid?

 

♠ 4                   ♠ AK32           (a)  What do you open with Hand F?

♥ QJ6              ♥ KQ               (b)  Suppose you choose 1♣ and partner responds 1♠, what

♦ Q1073          ♦ AQ7                   do you bid now?

♣ AQ642         ♣ J1075

 

Hand G           Hand H           With Hand G RHO opens 2♥, what do you bid?

 

♠ A105            ♠ K10876543                               

♥ K5                ♥ 3

♦ AJ652           ♦ Q1083          With hand H you are dealer at favourable vulnerability, what

♣ A32              ♣ -                   do you open?

                                               

                                                                                     

The Bidding Sequence Quiz is on the next page.
Bidding Sequences Quiz            All of these sequences occurred this week

 

J      1♦      pass   1♥      pass       (a) What is the 2♥ bid – Weak, invitational or forcing?

1NT   pass   2♥                    (b) How many ♥’s for the 2♥ bid?

K     1♦      pass   1♥      pass      

1NT   pass   2♥      pass       What is the 3♦ bid?

3♦

L      1♣     pass   1♠      pass       (a) How many points is 4♠?

4♠                                        (b) How many ♠’s for the 4♠ bid?

M    1♣     pass   1♠      pass       (a) How many points is 2NT?

2NT                                     (b) How many ♠’s for the 2NT bid?

N     1♣     pass   1♠      pass       is 3♠ weak, invitational or forcing?

2NT   pass   3♠                     

 

Don’t ask for kings unless you are looking for the grand           Board 27 from Monday 26th

They got into a poor spot at Table A when South passed North’s king ask – but then North deserved it as there was absolutely no point in asking for kings anyway!

Dealer:             ♠ AJ2                                             Table A

South               ♥ AK                                             West          North         East          South

Love all            ♦ J105                                            -                 -                 -               1♣   (1)

                        ♣ AKQJ9                                      pass           4♣   (2)      pass         4♦

pass           5♣   (3)      pass         pass (4)

♠ 753                    N             ♠ 1084                    

♥ 42                   W    E          ♥ J98653                

♦ A8642                S              ♦ 73                        Table B

♣ 874                                    ♣ 63                        West          North         East          South

                        ♠ KQ96                                         -                 -                 -               1♣   (1)

♥ Q107                                          pass           4NT (2)      pass         5♣

♦ KQ9                                           pass           6NT (5)      all pass

♣ 1052                                         

 

Table A:     (1)  It’s 12 points and totally flat, so not normally worth an opener, but these two tens and good intermediates make it sound.

(2)   Apparently asking for aces in their methods.

(3)    So asking for kings? But what’s the point – with an ace missing North should simply bid 6NT.

(4)  Presumably South should bid 4♠ to show two kings.

Table B:     (2)  Most pairs play 4NT to ask for aces (or keycards).

(5)  And with just one ace missing 6NT is clear.

 

And what happened? Everybody but Table A bid as Table B with 6NT making or making +1 on two occasions. The bottom lines: -

-         Don’t ask for kings unless you are looking for a grand slam.

Open or rebid 1NT and partner’s in charge           Board 7 from Monday 26th

We all know by now, I hope, that when you open 1NT then partner is the captain. The same is true if you open, partner responds and you rebid 1NT (showing 12-14 points): -

Dealer:             ♠ QJ764                                        Table A

South               ♥ Q                                                West          North         East(B)     South

Both vul            ♦ K54                                            -                 -                 -               pass

                        ♣ J632                                           pass           pass           1♦            pass

1♥              pass (1)      1NT         pass

♠ 98                      N             ♠ A32                      2♥  (2)        pass (3)      3♦    (4)    all pass

♥ AJ842            W    E          ♥ K3                       

♦ Q8                      S              ♦ 109763                Table B

♣ 9875                                  ♣ AK10                   West          North         East(B)     South

                        ♠ K105                                          -                 -                 -               pass

♥ 109765                                       pass           pass           1♦            pass

♦ AJ2                                             1♥              pass (1)      1NT         pass

♣ Q4                                             pass (2)      2♠    (5)      all pass

 

Table A:     (1)  It’s a bit dangerous to bid 1♠ here in the sandwich seat.

                  (2)  West knows that partner has at most 3 ♠’s and that NoTrumps will probably not play well, so he elected to rebid his 5 card suit.

(3)   2♠ here is reasonable as both opponents are limited.

(4)   What did you bid with this East hand B in this week’s quiz? Any bid here other than pass is diabolical, especially when holding ♥Kx.

Table B:     (1)  This West chose to pass 1NT, also quite reasonable.

(2)  This West chose to pass, fine.

(5)  This is the balancing seat with both opponents limited and 2♠ is a good bid.

 

And what happened? 3♦ by East at Table A went two down for an absolute bottom. Deep Finesse says that 2♥ makes and so was the top spot. 2♠ by North as at Table B was bid 3 times and made exactly every time, scoring well - but not as well as the 200 gift that N-S got at Table A.

 

The bottom lines: -

-         When you open and then rebid 1NT (balanced 12-14) then partner is the captain. If he elects to rebid his suit then it’s usually a 6-carder and a pass by you is mandatory.

-         Partners do not like being taken out of the top spot into the bottom spot.

-         Even if you are not obliged to pass, a suit like ♦109763 is most certainly not rebiddable.

 

 

Pass partner’s 2♣ Stayman bid? Board 1 from Monday 26th

Of course you should never pass 2♣ Stayman, but there are always exceptions? …

Dealer:             ♠ K109                                          Table A

North               ♥ 765                                             West          North         East          South

Love all            ♦ J1093                                          -                 pass           pass         1♣

                        ♣ 865                                            1NT (1)      pass           2♣   (2)    pass

pass (3)      pass

♠ QJ7                   N             ♠ 543                      

♥ A8                  W    E          ♥ 10932                  

♦ 74                       S              ♦ AQ652                Table B

♣ AKQJ42                            ♣ 9                          West          North         East          South

                        ♠A862                                           -                 pass           pass         1♣

♥ KQJ4                                         1NT (1)      pass           2♣   (2)    pass

♦ K8                                              2♦    (3)      pass           pass (4)    pass

♣ 1073                                         

 

Table A:     (1)  A rather off-beat 1NT overcall, but it does have a ♣ stop!

(2)   Garbage Stayman, with a singleton ♣ East plans to pass any response.

(3)   But East is a passed hand and West took the rather strange view to pass.

Table B:     (1)  This West also chose the offbeat 1NT overcall

(3)  But this time he responded.

(4)   And they played in the 5-3 fit.

 

And what happened? 2♣ made for an average, 2♦ was one down.

The bottom lines: -

-     This passing Stayman is a very dangerous option as partner may well have enough for game, even if he is a passed hand.

 

 

 Dave’s Column                                            Boards 9 (& 18) from Wednesday 28th

Here is this week’s Dave input involving a play to ensure the contract.

♠ K10876543            You open 4♠ as North and all pass.       

♥ 4                             How do you play on the lead of a ♦?

♦ -                              Assuming you ruff and decide to pull trumps, which ♠ do you lead?

♣ Q1083        

 

♠ -                      

♥ A8632                                                         

♦ Q10962

♣ AK6                  

                                               

 

Dave’s Column answer

Look at the missing spots                                    Boards 9 (& 18) from Wednesday 21st

Dave put these virtually identical two boards in on Wednesday. East hand the 4♠ opener when it was board 18

Dealer:             ♠ K10876543                                North opens 4♠ (Hand H) and all pass, how

North               ♥ 3                                                 do you play the hand on the ♣A lead?

E-W vul           ♦ Q1083