Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 277

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880 2^nd Mar 2008

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

My e-mail is terry@pattayabridge.com or pattayabridge@yahoo.com

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

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Mon 25^th N-S 1^st Jeremy & Sally 68% 2^nd Claudia & Tony 60%

E-W 1^st Hans V & Lars G 63% 2^nd Bob & Royd 60%

Wed 27^th N-S 1^st Alan & Hans B 69% 2^nd Val & terry 57%

E-W 1^st John P & Linda W 57% 2^nd Holger & Jan 56%

Fri 29^th N-S 1^st Bill & Jean-Charles 62% 2^nd Bob & Jo 60%

E-W 1^st Dave & Margit 61% 2^nd Hans V & Lars G 56%

Bidding Quiz

Hand A Hand B With Hand A partner opens 3♠, what do you do?

♠ A ♠ K98732

♥ 10987 ♥ J5 With Hand B partner opens 1♥ and RHO overcalls 1♠, what

♦ AQ32 ♦ AJ do you bid?

♣ KQJ5 ♣ J53

Hand C Hand D With Hand C RHO opens 3♠, what do you bid?

♠ A107 ♠ KQJ5

♥ A86 ♥ Q2 With Hand D partner opens 1NT, what do you bid?

♦ AJ65 ♦ Q765

♣ KQ10 ♣ AJ3

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

♠ A1093 ♠ 6

♥ KJ ♥ K9832 With Hand F you open 1♥, LHO overcalls 1♠ and this is passed

♦ A1084 ♦ Q732 back to you, what do you do?

♣ 653 ♣ AKQ

Hand G Hand H With Hand G RHO opens 1♥, what do you bid?

♠ AQJ104 ♠ 62

♥ 10 ♥ A9874 With Hand H LHO opens 1♦, partner doubles and you bid 1♥.

♦ 104 ♦ J953 Partner then bids 1NT, what do you do?

♣ 108762 ♣ J9

Bidding Sequence Quiz

J 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

2NT Is 2NT forcing?

K 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

3NT What is 3NT?

L 1♦ dbl pass 1♥

pass 1NT How strong is 1NT?

M 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

2NT pass 4♣ pass 2NT is 18-19, 4♣ is Gerber and 4♠ is two aces.

4♠ pass 4NT What is 4NT – is it quantitative, to play or asking for kings?

Bridge Cryptogram Each letter denotes a specific letter in the alphabet.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

__	__	__	__		__			__			__			__			__					__				__		__		__		__			__		__		__		__
11	26	16	26		22			2			26			11			5					3				7		10		1		22			25		3		22		2
__	__	__	__		__		.			__			__						__		__			__		__		__		__		__			__		__		__		__		__
24	3	17	10		22					12			7						20		3			22		21		11		26		22			10		20		26		11		9
__	__	__		__		__				__			__			__				__		__				__		__		__				__	__		__			__		__		__	__
10	11	26		11		10				21			22			1				24		20				3		11		2				5	10		1			14		3		16	26
__	__	__	__		__		__		__			__			__			__					__		__		__		__		__		__			__		__
9	1	7	7		12		25		12			26			11			21					16		3		15		1		26		9			21		10

__		__		__		__	__			__				__		__				__		__			__				__		__		__		__		__	__	__
12		11		16		12	21			26				10		22				6		12			2				18		3		24		26		3	11	2
__		__		__		__			__				__		__			__		__				__			__		__		__			__		__	__	__	__	–
3		15		9		10			3				7		10			1		22				25			3		22		2			24		3	17	10	22
__	__		__		__			__			__	__					__		__		__		__			__		__		__		.
21	14		26		11			6			12	2					9		21		3		5			24		3		11

Never deny a 4-card major Board 29 from Friday 29^th

Here we go again, with a number of East’s not bothering with Stayman.

Dealer: ♠ A43 Table A

South ♥ KJ103 West North East(D) South

E-W vul ♦ 93 - - - pass

♣ 10652 1NT pass 3NT (1) all pass

♠ 9862 N ♠ KQJ5 Table B

♥ A98 W E ♥ Q2 West North East(D) South

♦ AKJ2 S ♦ Q765 - - - pass

♣ K8 ♣ AJ3 1NT pass 2♣(1) pass

♠ 107 2♠ pass 4♠ all pass

♥ 7654

♦ 1086

♣ Q974

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this East hand D in this week’s quiz? The hand is totally flat but you should still try for a 4-4 ♠ fit. I hate to call anybody ‘lazy’, but 3NT is, quite simply, a lazy bid.

Table B: (1) This East got it right.

And what happened? The board was played 7 times. Three South’s bid 3NT and they all very deservedly shared the bottom; I really find this quite unbelievable, especially with a ♠ suit as good as ♠KQJx. The other 4 all bid Stayman to get to the top spot of 4♠ (one bid 6♠ and made it).

The bottom lines: -

- Stayman is an excellent convention – USE IT!!

An entertaining hand Board 22 from Monday 25^th

There were a load of different contracts on this board, ranging from 6♣* by West, 5♦ by South and passed out! I give the auction at my table where N-S ended up in a 4-2 fit despite the bidding being fairly sensible.

Dealer: ♠ A108543 West North East South

East ♥ A853 - - pass pass (1)

E-W vul ♦ A74 1♠ pass (2) pass dbl (3)

♣ - 2♣ (4) 2♥ (5) pass pass (6)

pass

♠ KQJ72 N ♠ 96

♥ K96 W E ♥ J1074 (1) I would open 1♦, the hand has two excellent

♦ - S ♦ Q953 suits, great intermediates, an easy rebid and

♣ AQ764 ♣ J53 it complies with the rule of 20.

♠ - (2) Hoping that partner will double!

♥ Q2 (3) Expecting that partner had a ♠ stack.

♦ KJ10862 (4) Thwarting North’s plan to pass,

♣ K10982 (5) North had no idea that South could penalize ♣’s and so simply bid his 4-card ♥ suit.

(6) A 3♦ bid here would be reasonable, it would normally show a stronger hand, but not in this case as South has already passed.

I don’t know the bidding at any other tables (except the one which was passed out, obviously) but I expect that they were equally amusing.

And what happened? North actually made 2♥ for an above average score, perhaps his bidding is such that he is used to playing in 4-2 fits? Better scores for N-S were 5♦ making and 6♣* by West -4. E-W got + scores for various N-S contracts going down, including 3NT-1 and 1♠ by North -4 (I assume that West opened 1♣ here).

The bottom lines: -

- The pass out is a big mystery to me, I would open the South, West and North hands.

- When LHO opens and this is passed round to you, it is very likely that partner has a stack of the suit opened if you are short in it. So a double is often an effective bid – but it sometimes backfires, especially if you do not have a decent holding in the unbid major.

- 3NT is not usually a good contract when both players have a void!

Dave’s Column Here is this week’s Dave input involving the best play for the contract.

West East You are East, declarer in 4♠ and South leads the ♥K, how

♠ A ♠ QJ109876 do you play the hand?

♥ 10987 ♥ A65

♦ AQ32 ♦ 4

♣ KQJ5 ♣ 86

Dave’s Column answer Board 10 from Wednesday 27^th

Dealer: ♠ 532 West(A) North East South

East ♥ 432 - - 3♠ pass

Both vul ♦ J107 4♠ (1) all pass

♣ A972

South leads the ♥K, how do you play the hand?

♠ A N ♠ QJ109876

♥ 10987 W E ♥ A65 (1) What did you bid with this West hand A in this

♦ AQ32 S ♦ 4 week’s quiz? I’m pleased to say that only one

♣ KQJ5 ♣ 86 West found the atrocious 3NT, with virtually

♠ K4 every E-W pair bidding to the best contract of 4♠.

♥ KQJ

♦ K9865 So, how does East play in 4♠ on the ♥K lead?

♣ 1043

Counting losers, the first thing you do in a suit contract, you see that you could lose 1 ♠,

2 ♥’s and a ♣ - a total of four.

You don’t have time to work with the ♣’s because upon winning the ♣A the opponents will simply cash their two ♥ tricks.

The best play is win with the ♥A and to take the ♦ finesse at trick two! There is no need to duck a round of ♥’s. If the ♦ finesse works you can discard a losing ♥ on the ♦A and eventually lose just 1 ♠, 1♥ and 1♣. If the ♦ finesse loses you go down two but it’s worth the extra down trick in order to try to make a 50% contract.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge Club? Just one West bid a silly 3NT and went

-3 for a totally deserved complete bottom. Virtually every other East (6 of them) was in 4♠ and all went minus one. I have no comment about the other score of 4♣ by North -5.

The bottom lines: -

- If a finesse is the only realistic chance for the contract – then take it.

Dave’s 2^nd Column Here is Dave’s 2^nd input involving the best play for the contract.

North South You are North, declarer in 3NT after West has opened with

♠ A107 ♠ 43 a 3♠ pre-empt. East leads the ♠5, what do you play at trick

♥ A86 ♥ 52 one and what is your plan to make the contract?

♦ AJ65 ♦ Q10983

♣ KQ10 ♣ AJ2

?

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 12 from Wednesday 20^th

Dealer: ♠ A107 West North(C) East South

West ♥ A86 3♠ 3NT (1) all pass

N-S vul ♦ AJ65

♣ KQ10 (1) What did you bid with this North hand C in this

week’s quiz? There is only one sensible bid and

♠ KQJ9862 N ♠ 5 it appears that just two players found it. Double

♥ QJ9 W E ♥ K1074 (found by most players) implies 4 ♥’s and is totally

♦ 4 S ♦ K72 pointless - North has an excellent ♠ stop and the

♣ 93 ♣ 87654 only sensible bid is 3NT.

♠ 43

♥ 52 East leads the ♠5, what do you play the trick one and

♦ Q10983 what is your plan to make the contract?

♣ AJ2

West is marked with a 7-card ♠ suit on the bidding and there is a great danger if you duck the opening lead. West may find a ♥ switch. If he does and the ♦K resides with East you have just mangled a cold contract.

The answer is NOT to give West the chance to find the killing ♥ switch. Win the opening lead with the ♠A, cross to dummy with a ♣ and run the ♦Q.

Assuming this loses and East has no more ♠’s you have 9 tricks.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club?

I was sitting out when this board reached my table. I was North and Dave gave me the North hand and asked what I bid over 3♠, I said 3NT. He then asked me how I play the hand on the ♠5 lead. I said win with the ♠A because I am afraid of a ♥ switch, cross to dummy and take the ♦ finesse.

Just one other player was declarer in 3NT and he tried hard to ‘mangle the cold contract’ by ducking the opening lead but West did not shift to the fairly obvious ♥Q. Lucky eh?

The board was played 8 times but only the one pair ended up in 3NT. Other results were all over the place, including 6♦ -3 by South and West sacrificing over the hopeless 6♦ by bidding 6♠ having opened with a pre-empt! It seems that the only player to find the right bid in competition at the table did not play it correctly but got a clear top anyway.

The bottom lines: -

- If RHO opens a three-level pre-empt and you have a good hand with a good stopper in the suit, then bid 3NT rather than double. If you double then you will go past the likely best contract of 3NT, as in this case.

- There is no need to make a hold-up play when you know that one of the opponents has no more cards in the suit being led.

- You must be alive to the possibility of a damaging shift in yet another weak suit if you decide to make a hold-up play.

- Never bid again having pre-empted. To do so at the 6-level is, well,… I am lost for words.

- When you have pre-empted you have done your job, and the opponents may well end up in a silly contract – do not rescue them!

The vagaries of scoring Board 8 from Friday 29^th

E-W were on different wavelengths and made a complete hash of this deal, but they still got a good score for going two down!

Dealer: ♠ KQJ West(H) North East(E) South

East ♥ Q62 - 1♦ dbl (1) pass

E-W vul ♦ K762 1♥ pass 1NT (2) pass

♣ K104 3NT (3) pass pass pass (4)

♠ 62 N ♠ A1093 (1) What did you bid with this East hand E in this

♥ A9874 W E ♥ KJ week’s quiz? This East is a leading member

♦ J953 S ♦ A1084 of the ‘double with an opening hand’ brigade.

♣ J9 ♣ 653 with 4(!) ♦’s, pass is clear to me.

♠ 8754 (2) Apparently 1NT having doubled by a member

♥ 1053 of the brigade shows a weak hand and invites

♦ Q the opposition to double?

♣ AQ872 (3) What did you bid with this East hand E in this week’s quiz? This West is very familiar with the eternal writings in the news-sheets and assumed partner has 18+ pts.

(4) I have no idea why South did not double. Presumably he thought that E-W knew what they were doing?

And what happened? 3NT went two down for -100; but at most other tables North was playing in 2NT scoring 120 and so E-W got a totally unjustified good score.

The bottom lines: -

- Bidding 1NT having doubled (sequence L) shows a hand too strong for a 1NT overcall.

- Do not double on totally unsuitable flat hands just to ‘show your points’.

Another re-opening double missed Board 14 from Friday 29^th

Dealer: ♠ K98732 West(G) North(B) East South(F)

East ♥ J5 - - pass 1♥

Love all ♦ AJ 1♠ (1) pass (2) pass pass (3)

♣ J53

(1) What did you bid with this West hand G in this

♠ AQJ104 N ♠ 5 week’s quiz? 2♥ (Michaels - ♠’s and a minor) is

♥ 10 W E ♥ AQ764 an alternative but E-W had not agreed this.

♦ 104 S ♦ K9865 (2) What did you bid with this North hand B in this

♣ 108762 ♣ 94 week’s quiz? This pass is correct, and pass

♠ 6 partner’s automatic re-opening double.

♥ K9832 (3) What did you bid with this South hand F in this

♦ Q732 week’s quiz? With short ♠’s double is ‘automatic’

♣ AKQ

And what happened? E-W got away with an average score.

The bottom lines: -

- If you play negative doubles, do not forget the automatic re-opening double.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 4♠. This hand is worth game but 3NT would be very silly as it’s unlikely that you will have the two entries to dummy required unless ♠’s are trumps. Pass is a rather poor 2^nd choice but far better than 3NT.

Hand B: Pass, and pass partner’s subsequent re-opening double.

Hand C: 3NT. The ♠Axx is an excellent stop and 3NT is a far better bid than a silly double (found by the vast majority of the club) as partner cannot possibly have a ♠ stop and you will go past the most likely best contract of 3NT.

Hand D: 2♣, Stayman – obviously. So why is this in the quiz? Because no less than three out of seven simply bid 3NT; they missed the 4-4 ♠ fit and deservedly shared the bottom.

Hand E: Pass. The hand is TOTALLY unsuitable for a double; do not double with length in the suit opened just to show opening values.

Hand F: Double. Partner has points and a ♠ stack (otherwise RHO would have bid). Some players (incorrectly in my opinion) do not like to double at the one level with just a singleton and in that case 2♦ is a rather poor alternative. Pass is out of the question.

Hand G: 1♠. Or possibly 2♥ (if you play Michaels). With these good ♠’s I slightly prefer 1♠.

Hand H: 3NT. Partner’s 1NT having doubled shows 18+ points. A cue bid of 2♦ (to try to find out if partner has 3 ♥’s) is also possible but I simply bid 3NT.

Bidding Sequence Answers

J 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

2NT 2NT is not forcing but as it shows 18-19 points it is rarely passed.

K 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

3NT 3NT usually shows a good hand with a good long minor suit. Alternatively it could be around 20-22 points and 1444 shape.

L 1♦ dbl pass 1♥ 1NT having doubled show a hand too strong for a simple 1NT

pass 1NT overcall, so about 18-20 points

M 1♣ pass 1♠ pass

2NT pass 4♣ pass 2NT is 18-19, 4♣ is Gerber and 4♠ is two aces.

4♠ pass 4NT 4NT is always to play having invoked Gerber.