Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 358

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880              20th Sept 2009

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 14th      1st    Derek & Gerard                 59%       2nd    Bob P & Robbie                    57%

Wed 16th      1st    Hans & Janne                     61%       2nd    Paul Q & Terry Q                  60%

Fri  18th        1st            Bob P & Robbie        63%       2nd    Paul Q & Hans                       53%

 

Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           With Hand A do you open in 3rd seat? favourable vulnerability.

 

QJ8              A74                                     

K86432        Q9843          With Hand B you open 1 and partner bids 1, what do you do?

98                 A964                                   

J8                 Q

 

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

 

A543            J8762          

A865            86                 With Hand D everybody is vulnerable. LHO opens 1 in 3rd

1093             AJ10652       seat and partner overcalls 1. RHO bids 1, what do you do?

AQ               -

     
Ron Klinger web site
     
 

 

                                           

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

E      1      pass   1      pass       How many ’s does the 2 bid promise?

        2     

F      1     1NT   dbl     2          Is 2 to play or a transfer?

 

 

Current club championship standings

 

 

Gold Cup = Best 30

Silver Plate = Best 10

Bronze Medal = Best 5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1897.6 Janne Roos

1885.7 Hans Vikman

1849.6 Paul Quodomine

1793.8 Sally Watson

1725.8 Bob Short

1689.1 Paul Scully

674.5 Janne Roos

673.4 Hans Vikman

649.3 Paul Quodomine

633.8 Sally Watson

619.9 Jeremy Watson

619.2 Ivy Schlageter

618.9 Bob Short

615.1 Lars Broman

611.8 Gerard Hardy 

611.8 Derek Tyms

350.7 Hans Vikman

350.6 Janne Roos

333.3 Paul Quodomine

325.3 Ivy Schlageter

324.5 Sally Watson

321.7 Bob Short

321.7 Jeremy Watson

321.0 Per Andersson

316.9 Terje Lie

316.1 Lars Broman


Raise into a Moysian fit?                                    Board 15 from Monday 14th 

 

Dealer:             ♠ Q65                                            West(B)     North         East          South

South               AK6                                           -                 -                 -               pass

N-S vul            Q105                                         1              pass           1            pass

                        10872                                        2    (1)      all pass

 

A74                    N               KJ98            (1)  What did you bid with this West hand B

Q9843            W    E            52                       in this week’s quiz? 1NT is not good

A964                  S                K83                   with a singleton and raising ’s is by

Q                                         K643                 far the best bid. It may well be a 4-3 fit  

1032                                          but should play well because ruffs can

J107                                           be taken in the short trump hand.

J72                                            

AJ95                                   

 

And what happened? Deep Finesse says that 2 (or 2) are the best contracts. Actual results were 2NT=, 3NT-2, 1NT-1, 2= and 2=.

The bottom lines.

-     Don’t be afraid to raise a possible 4 card major suit with just three cards with just three cards and thus end up in a Moysian fit if you have shortage elsewhere.

 


Accurate bidding (and also silly bidding)            Board 13 from Monday 14th   

 

Dealer:             KQ8                                           Table A

North               107                                             West(C)     North         East          South

both vul            QJ8754                                      -                 pass           1            pass

                        J10                                             4    (1)      all pass

 

A543                  N               J9                       Table B

A865              W    E            KQJ932            West(C)     North         East          South

1093                   S                AK                     -                 pass           1            pass

AQ                                       K85                   2NT (1)      pass           3    (2)    pass

10762                                         3    (3)      pass           4NT (4)    pass

4                                                 5    (5)      pass           5NT (6)    pass

74                                              6    (7)      all pass

976432                                             

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this West hand C in this week’s quiz? Regular readers of this news sheet should know that this is a weak bid. The old-fashioned and unsatisfactory treatment is to bid a minor (or 1 here) and then jump to 4. The downside is that it takes up a bunch of space and may only have three trumps.

Table B:     (1)  This is the answer to question C, the Jacoby 2NT.

(2)   Showing a strong hand with no shortage.

(3)   A cue bid.

(4)   Roman Keycard Blackwood

(5)   3 key cards (1430)

(6)   King ask

(7) No king playing cheapest king responses.

 

And what happened? 4+2 twice, 6= twice and 6NT=.  

The bottom lines.

-     1M pass 4M is a weak sequence, usually with 5 trumps and shortage. K

-     The delayed game raise L is an antiquated and unsatisfactory treatment in this age of good modern bidding gadgets like the Jacoby 2NT.

-     Playing RKCB, the specific king response is generally better than number of kings. J

 


The power of a pre-empt                                     Board 25 from Monday 14th   

 

Even a lowly two-level pre-empt can mess up a pair of experienced players: -

 

Dealer:             107653                                       Table A

North               J107                                           West          North         East          South(A)

E-W vul           632                                             -                 pass           pass         pass (1) 

                        42                                              1              pass           2           pass

4NT (2)      pass           5            pass

AK9                   N               42                       5NT           pass           6    (3)    pass

A                    W    E            Q95                   7   (4)      all pass

AQJ105             S                K74                   

K1073                                 AQ965               Table B

QJ8                                            West          North         East          South(A)

K86432                                      -                pass           pas           2    (1)

98                                              dbl             pass           2NT (5)    pass

J8                                               3NT (6)      all pass

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you open with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? Especially at this vulnerability I prefer the bid chosen at table B.K

(2)   I believe that this pair play count in response to a king ask, if so it may be preferable to bid 2 (if that’s forcing in your system) or else 3 so that the K will be included in the responses and then bid 6/7 accordingly.

(3)   Showing 1 king I believe, specific king responses really would have worked a lot better here.

(4)   I guess that West hoped that partner had the K as opposed to the K.

Table B:     (1)  This is the answer to question A, and boy did it work J

(5)   This is an underbid (showing about 6-9) but East is in a bit of a bind. He is too good for 3 and 4 goes past 3NT if partner is minimum for his double; and the ’s are a bit bad for 3NT. Maybe 3 is the answer? L

(6)  With 21 points and a couple of tens, perhaps West should bid more? L

 

And what happened? 7=, 6+1, 3NT+4 twice and a rather strange L 3(E)-1 which was a result of a bidding mix-up.

The bottom lines.

-     Playing RKCB, the specific king response is generally better than number of kings.

-     A simple pre-empt can often keep the opposition out of a game, here it kept them out of a cold grand slam.

 

Dave’s Column           Here is Dave’s first problem on the play of the hand.

 

North               South                           West            North         East          South

K65              AQJ109                    -                   1             pass         1

743               AK62                       pass             2              pass         4NT

KQ               AJ                            pass             5             pass         6

KQ763        82                            all pass

 

You are South, declarer in 6. West leads the J, plan the play when a to the Q holds and East turns up with four trumps.

                 
Dave’s Column answer                      Board 25 from Wednesday 16th

     

Dealer:             K65                                            Book bidding

North               743                                             West          North         East            South

E-W vul           KQ                                            -                 1             pass           1

                        KQ763                                      pass           2              pass           4NT

pass           5             pass           6

4                         N             8732                     all pass

J1098             W    E          Q5               

107543               S              9862             West leads the J, plan the play

J95                                     A104                 

AQJ109                               

AK62                            

AJ                      

82                                       

 

The first time this hand was played South won the J with the A and drew all four of East’s trumps. Hoping to find the A with West, South led a to the Q, ducked by East. South then overtook dummy’s Q with the A to lead another , but this time East took the K and returned a . With only entry left to dummy, South had no chance and he went two down in a makeable slam.

Note that East’s duck of the Q was a vital play. Had he won his A immediately to return a South would have succeeded. He wins the , cashes the K and ruffs a to establish the suit due to the 3-3 split. He then reaches dummy with a to cash two ’s, thus discarding his two losing ’s.

How should South have countered East’s defense? Instead of drawing trumps, South should lead a at trick two. If East ducks, South leads a to his 9 to lead another . East takes dummy’s K with his A and switches to a but South wins and crosses to dummy’s K to ruff a . Fortunately ’s are 3-3 and South can draw trumps and discard two losers on dummy’s last two ’s.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 6=, 5=, 4+1 and 5=.

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column       Here is Dave’s 2nd input, this time a defensive problem.

 

Dealer:             105                                             Book bidding

East                  A42                                            West          North         East            South

both vul            KQ987                                      -                 -                 pass           pass

                        1074                                          1             1              1              5

6              pass           pass           dbl

AK43                 N                                             all pass

J753               W    E                                   

-                         S              You are North and partner leads the 6 which dummy wins with

AKQ53                              the A. Take your time and plan the defense before you follow to this trick. Both the auction and the lead are very unusual. Your

partner passed originally, jumped to 5 and then doubled the slam – and then led the 6. There is a message here somewhere.

                                                                       
Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 26 from Wednesday 16th   

     

Dealer:             105                                             Book bidding

East                  A42                                            West          North         East            South(D)

both vul            KQ987                                      -                 -                 pass           pass

                        1074                                          1             1              1              5  (1)

6              pass           pass           dbl

AK43                 N             Q8                        all pass

J753               W    E          KQ109          

-                         S              43                  (1)  What did you bid with this South hand D

AKQ53                              J9862                   in this week’s quiz?

                        J8762                                        

86                                  

AJ10652            You are North and partner leads the 6 which dummy wins

-                        with the A. What do you do when declarer leads a trump?

 

South could not expect a to hold up or he would have led one. The lead must come from length or declarer would have responded 1 or negative doubled. Why did South double? He must have some hope for a trick: he would not give a way the trump position with a doubleton honour, so he must have a chance for a trick that he would not get without the double. That can only be a ruff. So win the A and give partner his ruff. 

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? Of course nobody doubled, but then nobody bid 6! Results were: 4+2 twice, 5= and 5*(N)-1 for the N-S top.

(1) At my table I was South and partner overcalled 1 and it looks like I was the only one to bid 5 which is the book’s (and my) answer to question D.

The bottom lines:

-     Obey the Law of Total tricks, 5+6=11, so compete immediately to 5 with a shapely hand.

 

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    2, very clear in this position and at this vulnerability.

Hand B:    2, this is far better than 1NT with a singleton . It may be just a 4-3 Moysian fit but should play well with possible ruffs in the short trump hand.

Hand C:    2NT, the Jacoby 2NT showing at least an opening hand with 4 trumps and no shortage (otherwise splinter). A direct raise to 4 is a very poor bid as most play that as pre-emptive these days. One treatment popular twenty or so years ago is the delayed game raise, but it really is an unsatisfactory ambiguous treatment and Jacoby 2NT is far superior.

Hand D:    5, obey the Law. This is a very shapely hand and if 5 does not make then the opponents have a sure vulnerable game, maybe slam. 4 simply is not enough.

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

E      1      pass   1      pass       2 could be a three card suit. It is often best to support with

        2                                         just three cards if you have a doubleton elsewhere.

F      1     1NT   dbl     2          This is up to partnership agreement and should be the same as

if the 1NT was the opening bid. With no agreement I believe that standard is that systems are off and all bids are natural, and this is certainly my preferred treatment as otherwise you lose 2 and 2 as places to run to.

       

 Ron Klinger web site