Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 305

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880 14^th Sept 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 8^th 1^st Bob P & Tomas 63% 2^nd Dave & Lewis = Jeremy & Sally 58%

Wed 10^th 1^st Lewis & Terry 59% 2^nd Hans & Sally 57%

Fri 12^th 1^st Lewis & Paul Q 59% 2^nd Jan & Janne 58%

Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hand A LHO opens a Multi 2♦ and RHO bids 2♠

(showing a willingness to compete to 3♥ or more if partner

♠ A10 ♠ AJ82 has a weak ♥ hand). What do you bid?

♥ A875 ♥ AK42

♦ J4 ♦ J86 With Hand B RHO opens 1♣ and you double. Partner responds

♣ AQ754 ♣ J8 1♥, what do you do?

Hand C Hand D With Hand C partner opens 1♣ and RHO doubles, what

do you bid?

♠ 8 ♠ QJ

♥ K52 ♥ 642 With Hand D RHO opens a Multi 2♦ and LHO bids 2♠

♦ KQ1065 ♦ AQ73 (showing values in ♥’s). Partner doubles and RHO passes.

♣ KJ97 ♣ K1082 What do you do? – think about it, it’s a tricky one.

Hand E Hand F With Hand E you open 1♣, LHO bids 1♦ and partner bids 1♥.

What do you bid?

♠ J10 ♠ K64

♥ AJ108 ♥ 7653 With Hand F LHO opens 1♣ and partner doubles.

♦ A8 ♦ Q52 (a) What do you bid?

♣ AK762 ♣ KQ10 (b) Suppose you choose 1♥ and partner raises to 2♥, what now?

Bidding Sequence Quiz

G 1♣ 1♥ 1NT 2♥

2♠ Is 2♠ competitive or forcing?

H 1♣ dbl 1♦ Is 1♦ forcing?

J 1♠ dbl 2♣ Is 2♣ forcing?

K 1♣ 1♦ 1♥ How many points does 1♥ promise? Without the overcall it’s generally 6+, does the overcall affect things?

The Infamous Multi Board 11 from Monday 8^th

The Multi often causes confusion for one side or the other, here both defenders got it wrong.

Dealer: ♠ 842 West(D) North East(A) South

South ♥ KJ109 - - - 2♦ (1)

Love all ♦ 10652 pass 2♠ (2) dbl (3) pass (4)

♣ J6 3♦ (5) all pass

♠ QJ N ♠ A10

♥ 642 W E ♥ A875 (1) The Multi 2♦

♦ AQ73 S ♦ J4 (2) Showing a willingness to play in 3♥ or more

♣ K1082 ♣ AQ754 if partner has a weak ♥ hand

♠ K97653 (3) What did you bid with this East hand A in this

♥ Q3 week’s quiz? East does not know exactly

♦ K98 what’s going on, but North has shown at least

♣ 93 three decent ♥’s and South probably has a weak ♠ hand. With a stopper in both majors I would bid 2NT with 3♣ an alternative.

(4) Confirming a weak ♠ hand.

(5) What did you bid with this West hand D in this week’s quiz? This West just decided to bid his best suit, but with 12 points opposite a double at the two level you have to make an effort and 3♠ (asking for a ♠ stop) is my choice.

.

And what happened? 3♦ went -2 for the N-S top, two E-W’s played in ♣ partscores and just one East played in 3NT making for the E-W top.

The bottom lines: -

- Even if you don’t play the Multi you need to understand it as you will need to defend against it quite a bit at our club.

- Don’t make a take-out double if one of the unbid suits is Jx.

- It is unclear whether dbl at (3) is for the minors as LHO probably has ♠’s and RHO has shown values in ♥’s. If not for the minors then it’s very unclear what it is, probably just values. This particular sequence (2♦ - 2♠) makes it difficult for the defence.

- If you have a NoTrump overcall, don’t double.

- If you have 12 points and partner doubles then you have to make an effort (cue bid or jump).

Don’t ask about a short ♣ Board 23 from Wednesday 10^th

If you play a short ♣ (can be two cards) then you should either pre-alert by telling the opponents that you play it, or else alert when partner opens 1♣. Provided that the opponents have done one of the above then YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK IF 1♣ WAS SHORT DURING THE AUCTION. This passes unauthorised information to partner that you probably have good clubs! This happened twice on Monday.

Dealer: ♠ K98 Table A

West ♥ Q97 West North East South

Love all ♦ KQ 1♣ (1) pass 1NT pass

♣ K9765 pass 2♣ (2) pass 2♦ (3)

pass pass 2NT (4) all pass

♠ Q753 N ♠ 1062

♥ A1086 W E ♥ K53 Table B

♦ A9 S ♦ 643 West North East South

♣ Q103 ♣ AJ42 1♣ (1) pass 1NT pass

♠ AJ4 pass 2♣ (2) dbl (5) pass (6)

♥ J42 pass pass

♦ J108752

♣ 8

Table A: (1) Could be short, the opposition had previously been told.

(2) At this point North asked ‘Could the 1♣ opening be short?’ and upon receiving an affirmative reply he bid 2♣. This, in my opinion, is unethical and it is also against the club rules.

(3) There was no problem as South bid 2♦ anyway.

(4) A strange bid that turned out OK (N-S can make 9 tricks in ♦’s)

Table B: (1) This E-W pair had also pre-alerted that they play a short club.

(2) But this North also felt compelled to ask about the 1♣ opening before bidding 2♣.

(5) This East had had enough of the nonsense and doubled.

(6) South should bid 2♦.

And what happened? 2NT went -1 for about average, 2♣* went -2 for a bottom to North.

The bottom lines: -

- Do NOT ask about a 1♣ opening if it was alerted or if you have previously been told that the opponents play a short ♣. This conveys unauthorized information (that you probably have something decent in ♣’s) to partner and you may get penalized.

Dave’s Column Here is this week’s Dave input involving the play of the hand.

North South You are South, declarer in 4♠. West leads the ♥A and ♥K,

♠ QJ5 ♠ AK109 plan the play.

♥ 864 ♥ 3

♦ J109 ♦ A43

♣ K987 ♣ AQJ103

Dave’s Column answer Board 3 from Wednesday 10^th

Dealer: ♠ QJ5 West North East South

South ♥ 864 - - - 1♣

E-W vul ♦ J109 1♥ 2♣ (1) 3♥ (2) 3♠

♣ K987 pass 4♠ (3) all pass

♠ 8643 N ♠ 72 (1) This is tricky – North has values and

♥ AK1092 W E ♥ QJ75 has to bid, but partner may have only

♦ Q8 S ♦ K7652 2 or 3 ♣’s. So 1NT is a reasonable

♣ 52 ♣ 64 alternative despite the lack of a ♥ stop.

♠ AK109 (2) Weak

♥ 3 (3) Three card support – with 4 ♠’s North

♦ A43 would probably negative double at (2).

♣ AQJ103

Anyway, West leads the ♥A and ♥K, plan the play If it were South’s lead initially he could easily take the first ten tricks because he would be able to draw 4 rounds of trumps before running the ♣’s.

However, with the continued ♥ plays (the best defence against a 4- trump fit is the forcing game) South must be careful.

If South ruffs in the long hand thus reducing himself to three trumps and the opposing trumps divide 4-2 (normal) the terminal complications set in.

In order to avoid ruffing in the long hand, South should discard ♦’s on 2^nd and 3^rd round of ♥’s. If the opponents persist with a 4^th round of ♥’s then the force can be avoided by ruffing in dummy. Whatever the opponents do at trick 4 declarer can win, draw 4 rounds of trumps and claim 10 tricks.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 3NT+1 twice, 5♣= and 2♠+2. Quite how two pairs managed not to lead ♥’s against 3NT is a mystery. The pair that stopped in 2♠ was after the auction 1♣ 1♥ 1NT 2♥ 2♠ pass pass(!). The 2♠ bid (sequence G) is a forcing reverse and passing it was appalling; declarer played along the lines given to make 10 tricks in ♠’s but 4♠ would have got a poor score anyway because of the two silly 3NT contracts both making +1.

Dave’s 2^nd Column Here is Dave’s second input involving the play of the hand.

West East You are West, declarer in 3♠ after partner opened 1♣ in 4^th

♠ QJ1098 ♠ A76 seat. North leads the ♦A,K and a low ♦ which South ruffs.

♥ QJ108 ♥ K95 South returns the ♣Q which you win in dummy (North having

♦ J52 ♦ Q107 encouraged). How do you play the ♠’s?

♣ 8 ♣ A532

Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 12 from Wednesday 10^th

Dealer: ♠ 543 West North East South

east ♥ 76 - - 1♣ pass

N-S vul ♦ AK943 1♠ 2♦ pass 3♣

♣ K76 3♥ pass 3♠ all pass

♠ QJ1098 N ♠ A76 Opening lead the ♦A.

♥ QJ108 W E ♥ K95 South signals with the ♦8 (HELD) and North

♦ J52 S ♦ Q107 continues with ♦K, South playing the ♦6.

♣ 8 ♣ A532 North continues with the ♦3 which South trumps.

♠ K2 At trick 4 South shifts to the ♣Q which North

♥ A432 encourages. Plan the play.

♦ 86

♣ QJ1094

You have lost three tricks and you must lose a ♥. The problem revolves around ♠’s and, of course, the normal play is to finesse. However, there are extenuating circumstances here.

Both North and South have passed originally (not true at the Pattaya bridge Club, but in the book South was dealer and the bidding started with three passes) and North has shown a 5 card ♦ suit headed by the AK. Furthermore, if South’s return of the ♣Q and North’s encouraging signal are to be believed, North has the ♣K along with the ♦AK, he simply cannot also have the ♠K if he was a passed hand.

You might lead a ♥ from hand in order to lead the ♠Q, but when North plays low, play rise with the ♠A – or simply play the ♠A.

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? Unfortunately this problem was voided because the dealer was not the same as in the book and there were not three initial passes to the East hand. At our table North actually overcalled and so declarer certainly should finesse.

Anyway, results were 3♠=, 3♠-1, 2♥= and 2♠=.

The 3♠= is instructive. North led the ♦A and South played the ♦8. But N-S were playing low to encourage and so North switched to a ♣. Declarer won and finessed a ♠ to South’s ♠K and South returned the ♦6 but North did not give him a ruff. Who is to blame?

Playing Inverted Attitude Signals.

Many experienced pairs play inverted attitude signals (low to encourage), but if you do so then when holding a doubleton and want a ruff you MUST encourage with a low card when partner leads the suit. More than one experienced player at the club has failed to understand this in the past. In the scenario above South was showing three ♦’s when he played the ♦8 followed by the ♦6 when playing inverted attitude.

Do not confuse (inverted) attitude with giving count.

The Jordan 2NT Board 1 from Wednesday 10^th

Players past the beginner’s stage should know what to do when partner’s 1-level opening is doubled. With 10+ points you usually redouble, but this often implies no fit for partner. So with a sound raise to 3 (or more) of partner’s suit, bid 2NT.

Dealer: ♠ A52 West North East South(C)

North ♥ - - 1♣ dbl 2NT (1)

Love all ♦ 842 3♥ (2) 5♣ (3) dbl (4) all pass

♣ AQ108532

(1) What did you bid with this South hand C

♠ QJ1096 N ♠ K743 in this week’s quiz? 1♦ is possible but it

♥ Q9764 W E ♥ AJ1083 lets the opponents in too cheaply and

♦ 97 S ♦ AJ3 conceals the ♣ support. Redouble then?

♣ 4 ♣ 6 It’s 12 points but I don’t like it as you

♠ 8 cannot penalize either major. Any ♣ bid

♥ K52 would be pre-emptive and the Jordan 2NT,

♦ KQ1065 showing a sound raise to 3♣ or better, is

♣ KJ97 easily the best bid.

(2) With this shape, it’s worth a bid. I would bid 3♠

(3) Due to South’s great bid, North can confidently bid 5♣ and make it difficult for East.

(4) Unwise with just one trump.

And what happened? 5♣* made +1 for a near top (6♣*= by Sally of course, was the top), 5♠-2 and 5♠*-2.

The bottom lines: -

- You need trumps for a penalty double.

- You must have agreements about what you do when RHO doubles your partner’s opening.

- I play that redouble (10+) generally shows a mis fit for partner and is looking for a penalty. With 10+ and a fit for partner I use the Jordan 2NT. Raises of partner’s suit to any level are pre-emptive. A new suit at the 1-level is forcing; a new suit at the 2-level is weakish.

- This is all written up on the website > General Bridge Topics > When RHO doubles.

Inverted Jordan 2NT for the Minors

In the example above South used the standard Jordan bid of 2NT. But when partner has opened a minor suit and you have 10+ with support then NoTrumps is quite likely to be the final strain and it’s usually better if opener is declarer. So playing Inverted Jordan for the Minors, the meanings of 2NT and 3 of the minor are interchanged: 2NT is a pre-emptive raise of the minor and 3 of the minor is a constructive raise.

Paul Quodomine mentioned this to me and it appears to be very sensible, but I do have one reservation. Jordan 2NT is forcing and defined as a limit raise (to three) or better. There would appear to be a problem if responder has more than a raise to three – he then has to redouble and follow up with a forcing bid, such as a cue bid and support later if the opponents bid. But the limit raise is much more frequent than the ‘or more’ and so this problem is not that common.

Understanding take-out doubles Board 20 from Wednesday 10^th

Dealer: ♠ Q10 West(F) North East(B) South

West ♥ 1098 - 1♣ (1) dbl (2) pass (3)

Both vul ♦ A109 1♥ (4) pass 2♥ (5) pass

♣ A9743 3♥ (6) pass 4♥ (7) all pass

♠ K64 N ♠ AJ82

♥ 7653 W E ♥ AK42

♦ Q52 S ♦ J86

♣ KQ10 ♣ J8

♠ 9753

♥ QJ

♦ K743

♣ 652

(1) This North was presumably dazzled by all of those 10’s and 9’s when he decided to open.

(2) Obviously a very reasonable double.

(3) 1♠ is an alternative

(4) What did you bid with this West hand F(a) in this week’s quiz? This is quite close, with 9+ points you should normally make a jump response to partner’s double but this hand is totally flat (knock off a point) and the ♥’s are miserable so 1♥ is very reasonable. 2♥ is a very slight overbid in my opinion and 1NT is a reasonable alternative.

(5) What did you bid with this East hand B in this week’s quiz? This is not at all close and pass is very clear. This is a fairly flat 14 points and you usually need 11 opposite to make game and partner has said that he is 0-8.

(6) What did you bid with this West hand F(b) in this week’s quiz? Being totally maximum for the initial 1♥ response, I would bid 4♥ (or maybe 3NT) here. 3♥ shows about 7-8 points.

(7) Very unwise. Bidding a hand three times that I would only bid once.

And what happened? 4♥ went -1 for a fully deserved zero. Everybody else stopped in 2♥ or 3♥.

The bottom lines: -

- Understand the responses and follow up bids to partner’s double.

- It’s all on the website: -

Basic Bidding > #133 Responding to partner’s take-out double.

Basic Bidding > #134 Bidding again having doubled.

Bid what your hand’s worth Board 28 from Friday 12^th

Dealer: ♠ AK82 Table A

West ♥ 974 West(E) North East South

N-S vul ♦ QJ10765 1♣ 1♦ 1♥ pass

♣ - 2♦ (1) pass 2NT pass

4♥ (2) pass pass (3) pass

♠ J10 N ♠ Q65

♥ AJ108 W E ♥ KQ32 Table B

♦ A8 S ♦ K43 West(E) North East South

♣ AK762 ♣ J84 1♣ 1♦ 1♥ pass

♠ 9743 3♥ (1) pass 4♥ all pass

♥ 65

♦ 92

♣ 8Q10953

Table A: (1) What did you bid with this West hand E in this week’s quiz? I simply cannot understand this cue bid.

(2) This now shows a huge hand. A direct jump to 4♥ at (1) would show about 19 points and is a bit of an overbid, so this jump to game now presumably shows considerably more.

(3) Fortunately for West, East has a totally flat hand. Give him a couple of more points or a bit of shape and he should be off slamming.

Table B: (1) Every other West bid the obvious 3♥ in answer to question E.

And what happened? Everybody bid to 4♥ and made the obvious 10 tricks.

The bottom lines: -

- I understand that West at Table A bid as he did because he thought that partner’s “free bid” of 1♦ showed extra values. It does not, it’s exactly the same as if there was no overcall except that partner will not respond with 4-5 points.

The Club Championships

Here are the latest standings in the club competitions:

	Gold Cup = Best 30	Silver Plate = Best 10	Bronze Medal = Best 5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	1831.8 Dave Cutler 1809.2 Sally Watson 1782.5 Ivy Schlageter 1779.3 Bob Pelletier 1714.7 Jan v Koss	661.8 Dave Cutler 661.1 Sally Watson 661.1 Jeremy Watson 658.3 Hans Vikman 642.7 Ivy Schlageter 642.0 Lars Gustafsson 634.3 Derek & Gerard 628.7 Lewis Berg 628.6 Bob Pelletier 619.6 Tomas Wikman …	342.3 Dave Cutler 341.9 Hans Vikman 341.1 Jeremy Watson 341.1 Sally Watson 336.9 Lars Gustafsson 335.3 Ivy Schlageter 328.5 Derek & Gerard 327.4 Tomas Wikman 325.2 Lewis Berg  320.5 Bob Pelletier ...

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: 2NT. LHO most likely has a weak ♠ hand and you have a stopper in both majors. 3♣ is a rather feeble alternative. Dbl is a poor bid as partner may well bid 3♦.

Hand B: Pass. Partner is 0-8 and there is no game.

Hand C: 2NT – The Jordan 2NT showing a sound raise to the three level or more of partner’s suit. Now there are obviously a lot of alternatives here, so let’s look at them:

(a) redouble – I don’t like this as I cannot penalize either major.

(b) 1♦ - I don’t like this as it’s too easy for the opps to find their major suit fit(s).

(c) 2/3♣ - This cannot be right as any ♣ raise is pre-emptive.

Hand D: 3♠, asking partner to bid 3NT with a ♠ stop. This must be asking as RHO is now marked with a weak ♠ hand (otherwise he would have bid at his 2^nd turn). 3♣/♦ simply is not good enough with 12 points opposite partner’s double.

Hand E: 3♥, invitational. 4♥ is a bit of an overbid and anything else is way over the top.

Hand F: (a) 1♥, but it’s very close. With 9+ points you should jump to 2♥ but the hand is totally flat with a miserable ♥ suit. 1NT is also reasonable.

(b) 4♥. You were totally maximum for your first response and partner’s raise promises around 16 points.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answers

G 1♣ 1♥ 1NT 2♥ 2♠ is a forcing reverse.

2♠

H 1♣ dbl 1♦ After a double, a new suit at the one level is forcing.

J 1♠ dbl 2♣ After a double, a new suit at the two level is non-forcing.

K 1♣ 1♦ 1♥ 1♥ is 6+, just as if there were no overcall.