Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 364

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My home phone is 038 422924 and my mobile number is 083 6066880              1st Nov 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

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Mon 26th  N-S   1st  Gerry & Per-Ake           65%       2nd    Bob P & Robbie                    58%

                E-W   1st  Janne & Paul Q              63%       2nd    Lars B & Lars G                    62%

Wed 28th N-S   1st  Janne & Per-Ake           57%       2nd    Frode & Robbie                     56%

                E-W   1st  Hans V & Royd             61%       2nd    Paul Q & Terry Q                  54%

Fri  30th    N-S   1st  Janne & Per-Ake           70%       2nd    Bengt & Lars B                      54%

                E-W   1st  Paul Q & Guttorm          61%       2nd    Andre & Knud                       54%

       
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Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           What do you open with Hand A?

 

KJ109542    J6

AKQ            QJ102          With Hand B partner opens 1 and RHO overcalls with a

A5                AK9             weak 3, what do you do?

Q                 J1085

                       

Hand C           Hand D           With Hand C it’s favourable vulnerability and RHO opens

1NT, what do you do?    

A52              AK6542    

KQJ102       2                   With Hand D it’s favourable vulnerability and you are in 3rd

Q103            6                   seat after two passes, what do you open?           

K3               AJ876       

 
Ron Klinger web site
     
 
   

 

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

1928.6 Janne Roos

1924.0 Hans Vikman

1883.4 Paul Quodomine

1804.7 Sally Watson

1732.1 Ivy Schlageter

1725.8 Bob Short

1714.4 Bob Pelletier

1709.7 Paul Scully

682.5 Janne Roos

682.1 Hans Vikman

655.4 Paul Quodomine

636.6 Sally Watson

625.4 Jeremy Watson

624.0 Per-Ake Roskvist

619.7 Ivy Schlageter

618.9 Bob Short

618.5 Lars Broman

611.2 Gerard / Derek

352.9 Janne Roos

351.7 Hans Vikman

336.7 Paul Quodomine

328.1 Per-Ake Roskvist

326.0 Sally Watson

325.4 Jeremy Watson

325.3 Ivy Schlageter

321.7 Bob Short

321.0 Per Andersson

319.5 Lars Broman

 

The Tripple

Well done Janne Roos and Per-Ake Roskvist, who both achieved the triple this week. And their fine result together on Friday put Janne on top of the gold and Per-Ake on top of the bronze.

                                                                             


Negative double how high?                                 Board 18 from Wednesday 28th  

 

Dealer:             AQ952                                       Table A

East                  765                                            West(B)     North         East          South

N-S vul            10532                                        -                 -                 1            3

                        2                                                pass   (1)    pass           dbl   (2)    pass

pass   (3)    pass

J6                       N               K10873             

QJ102            W    E            AK943              Table B

AK9                   S                J74                     West(B)     North         East          South

J1085                                   -                         -                 -                 1            3

4                                                 dbl   (1)      pass           3            pass

8                                                 4              all pass

Q86                                          

AKQ97643                                       

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this North hand B in this week’s quiz? Apparently this West thought that double of a weak jump overcall was for penalties and so he chose to pass.

(2)   This is taking the ‘automatic re-opening double’ to extremes. With a trump void it is rarely correct to double and 3 looks like the best bet to me.

(3)   Not really knowing what to do, West decided to pass.

Table B:     (1)  This is the correct answer to question B, a negative double – provided that you have agreed to play them at this level

 

And what happened? Lots of spurious results, but three pairs did bid 4, = and +1 twice.

The bottom lines: -

-         You have to agree how high you play negative doubles. Common options are 3 and 3 J

 

 

 

 

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

 

North               South                           West            North         East          South

KJ1098        7642                         -                   1              2           3    (1)

AK               9643                         5               5              all pass    

A1083          J9765                       

A2                -                       (1)  pre-emptive

                                                                   

East leads the K, what is your plan?               

                                                     


Dave’s Column answer                      Board 21 from Wednesday 28th  

     

Dealer:             KJ1098                                      Book bidding

North               AK                                             West          North         East            South

N-S vul            A1083                                        -                1              2             3  (1)

                        A2                                              5             5              all pass

 

AQ3                   N             5                     (1)  Pre-emptive.

J872               W    E          Q105             

Q                        S              K42                     

109653                              KQJ874        

                        7642                                    

9643                   East leads the K, what is your plan?           

J9765                                         

-                  

 

Assuming that you have only one loser, you can afford one trump loser but not two. The % play in ’s for one loser is to finesse through West for the Q. But if West has three ’s, you will need to finesse twice. Do you have two dummy entries?

Yes! Trump the at trick one and play a to your J. When that holds, ruff the A on table and lead another trump. 5 making exactly for 650.

                                                                       

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 5*=, 5=, 5-2, 5-1, 4=, 5*-2, 4*-1, 4-1 and 2+3.

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column   Here is Dave’s second problem on the play of the hand.

 

West                East                              West            North         East          South

KJ109542    87                             1                3             pass         pass

AKQ            10984                       4                all pass      

A5                Q876                       

Q                 754          North leads the A and then the K which you ruff, plan the play.

 

                                                                       


Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 20 from Wednesday 28th

 

Dealer:             Q                                                Book Bidding

West                7632                                           West(A)     North         East            South

both vul            9                                                 1    (1)      3             pass           pass

                        AKJ9632                                   4    (2)      all pass      

 

KJ109542          N             87                         Table A

AKQ              W    E          10984                  West(A)     North         East          South

A5                      S              Q876                  2   (1)      3             pass         pass

Q                                       754                      3             pass           4            all pass

A63                                                       

J5                                   North leads the A and then the K, plan the play.

KJ10432                        

108                               

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you open with this West hand A(a) in this week’s quiz? This is the bid from the article but I don’t understand it.

(2)  The author says: ‘West has a powerful suit and only four losers. Opposite as little as the Q or K or A, 4 would stand a very good chance. That prompted West to rebid 4 rather than 3.’

Table B:     (1)  I agree with the first two sentences of (2) above and in my opinion that means a 2 opener – and that is what I bid at the table and is my answer to question A.

I can see no logic in opening just 1 and then leaping to 4 when partner has shown nothing; if the hand is worth 4 here then it’s a 2 opener?

 

Anyway, whatever the bidding, dummy is a distinct disappointment if you ended up in 4, but you have to make the best of the situation. Your legitimate chance is to find the Q singleton and so you should play the K at trick three. When this does pin the singleton Q, you lose just one , one and one .

It would be optimistic, and an error, to try to reach dummy by playing a towards dummy’s Q, hoping that second hand might play low when holding the K. Firstly, as North has already turned up with the AK it is not very likely that he also has the K for his weak jump to 3. Secondly, there is a risk that North started with a singleton . If so, South can win one and play a 2nd to create a 2nd trump trick for N-S.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya Bridge Club? 4*-1, 4=, 4-1, 3= four times, 2+1, and 5*(N)-1. I note that just the one player managed to make ten tricks and he did indeed play the K when he got in, just a lucky guess I suppose?

 

The bottom line. Terry Note: The author does not go into detail as to why playing for the singleton Q is the only hope. The reason is that if ’s are 2-2 or 4-0 you lose whatever you do and if it is Qxx opposite A you still lose two tricks whatever you do, so given that you have no entries to dummy, the only hope is a singleton Q opposite Axx, so play the K.

 

 


Paul’s Column                                         

 

Instructive:                                                              Board 21 from Friday 30th  

     

Dealer:             J743                                          

North               KJ6                                            West          North         East            South

N-S vul            J987                                           -                 pass           2NT           pass

                        108                                            6   (1)      pass           6NT           all pass

 

109                     N             AK62            

Q92                W    E          A1083            (1)  Terry commemt: It might be prudent to

6                         S              AK                      try Gerber to be sure that there are not

AK97652                           Q43                     two aces off the top.

                        Q85                                     

754                                

Q105432                                   

J                  

 


I declared 6NT after an auction of 2NT, 6
, 6NT.  Partner's 6 bid was aggressive but it let me count 12 tricks in NT since I had the club fit.
A diamond was led and won perforce and I cashed my second diamond pitching a spade.  The key play was next, cashing the Ace of hearts (Vienna Coup) to cater to one defender having sole control of spades and the King of hearts.  This is merely good technique, the hoped for distribution seldom exists.  South, on the run of the clubs and with a zillion diamonds to discard chose to discard a spade.  Thus North now did have sole control of spades and the heart king!  With dummy's last 3 cards the Qx of hearts and a spade North had to find a discard.  The A, K, and 6 of spades took the last 3 tricks.  Without cashing the Ace of hearts first declarer would block the heart Q as a threat.  Certainly there was a defensive faux pas, but without setting the stage it would have been innocuous and overlooked.

Someone will no doubt point out to me that this particular squeeze would have worked against North without cashing the heart ace first by discarding from the suit North chooses to guard.  My answer is that I don't always recognize which suit North guards, and by cashing the Ace first it operates against EITHER defender and removes all doubt.  The heart King either is discarded or you play on spades.



Owing to the plethora of flawed "instant analyses" by opponents I would like to start a regular column:

"IT IS BETTER TO REMAIN SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL THAN TO SPEAK AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT"

My favorite from recent sessions concerns a player who pre-empted 3
in third seat holding the spade Axx on the side with AJxxxxx.  Cardinal sin number one:  Never open a 3 level preempt with an outside ace or partner will never know when to sacrifice over the opponents’ high level contract.  His LHO bid 3NT and his partner raised protectively to 4, thus taking us out of our only making game, and 3NT would have required inspired declarer play.  I stretched a mile to bid a competitive 4 and now came cardinal sin number two:  Do NOT preempt and bid again, your partner is in charge.  To do so with extra defense and inviting a penalty is asinine/moronic/atrocious but he bid 5 which of course was doubled.  -500 against a partscore??  At the conclusion of play, having played my partner for the spade king after I had shown precisely nothing outside Kxxxxx in diamonds to that point he justified his play with the statement "The NT overcaller should have had that card!".  I couldn't contain myself.  I said "I had to have something to bid at the four level".  His three little words "No you didn't" removed all doubt.

Hilarious (and somewhat instructive if you are bold)         Board 21 from Friday 30th  

 

Dealer:             J9                                              

West                106543                                       West          North         East(D)      South

N-S vul            109873                                      -                 pass           4              dbl

                        4                                                pass           5              pass           pass

dbl             all pass

Q108                  N             AK6542        

QJ97              W    E          2                    

AQ52                 S              6                          

95                                      AJ876           

                        73                                        

AK8                              

KJ4                                            

KQ1032


What did you open with this East hand D in this week’s quiz? I opened not ONE spade, but FOUR spades.  Non-vul vs vul this had certain tactical advantages.  Partner had already passed and with only two singletons in the red suits the opponents were likely to interfere with any constructive auction.  Indeed, if they bid to 4 hearts I'd probably want to save.  It put them to a high level guess, and LHO doubled as a "card showing" double.  RHO assumed it was takeout and bid 5
, which I passed to my partner who doubled (probably thinking of somewhere between 200 and 800).  When the smoke cleared WE had taken 8 tricks and the vulnerable opponents were -1700!  Two spades, two diamonds, diamond ruff with my singleton heart, ace of clubs and two hearts.  I doubt many others thought of the tactical advantage of opening 4.  For the record most partnerships play a double of a 4 opening as card-showing and 4NT as a (generally) two-suited takeout.



Weird:                                                                    Board 6 from Friday 30th  

 

Dealer:             K1087                                       

East                  873                                             West          North         East            South

E-W vul           A1084                                        -                 -                 1             1

                        J2                                               pass           2              pass           pass

2              pass           pass           3

AJ54                   N             Q92                     3              pass           pass           4

Q109542        W    E          K6                        4              pass           pass           5

5                         S              97                         pass           pass           dbl             all pass

104                                    AK9853        

                        63                                        

AJ                                 

KQJ632                                     

Q76


After a 1
opening by East, South overcalled 1.  West passed!  North raised to 2 passed around to West who only NOW saw his partner's 1 opening!  2 from our intrepid West passed to South who bid 3.  Now our hero was in there with ... 3 SPADES.  Passed to South (I was East and really didn't have a CLUE about what was going on) and South decided to bid 4.  West was right there with 4!  Having failed to respond initially he was NOT to be denied!  Passed to South who now bid FIVE diamonds!  When that was passed to me I had a pretty fair idea of what to do.  +300.  Four hearts could have made on perfect play, but what was SOUTH thinking about?  What he had for breakfast?

 

<  End of Paul’s Column>

Double a strong 1NT?                                         Board 31 from Friday 30th  

 

Dealer:             1086                                           West          North         East(C)    South

South               A6                                              -                 -                 -               pass

N-S vul            KJ9                                            pass           1NT           2    (1)    all pass

                        AQJ95                                      

 

KQ9                   N               A52              (1)  What did you bid with this East hand C in

743                 W    E            KQJ102             in this week’s quiz? I would not bid this

A8542                S                Q103                 5-card suit, but double (penalties). Not all

86                                        K3                     15 counts are good penalty doubles but this

J743                                          one is because it has an obvious () lead.

985                                      

76                                             

10742                                     

 

And what happened? 4-1, 4= twice, 2+1, 2NT(W)= and 1NT(N)-3 twice. So it looks like NOBODY thought of doubling the 1NT opening which would have collected 500 or 800 for an absolute top.

The bottom lines.

-     With a good 15 and a good lead, double a 1NT opening J


A good 4-4 fit…                                                    Board 9 from Monday 19th

 

Just one pair reached this great grand slam on Monday – everybody else insisted in playing in game in one of their 7 or 6 card suits and did not locate the great 4-4 fit for slam.  

 

Dealer:             AQ10876                                   West          North         East          South

West                7                                                 pass           1              pass         2

N-S vul            103                                             pass           3   (1)      pass         4

                        AKQ4                                        pass           4NT (2)      pass         5

pass           7             all pass

94                       N               KJ52           

K9                  W    E            J85               (1)  This is the key bid.       

K97542              S                QJ86            (2)  RKCB

832                                      75                   

3                                              

AQ106432                              

A                                            

J1096                                      

 

And what happened? 7=, 4+2, 4+1 three times, 4= and 4-1. 7 made pretty easily by just setting the ’s up. The bottom lines:

-     Look for good 4-4 fits. A good 4-4 fit is usually better than 5-3, 6-2 or 6-1 J

 

TWERB – a defense to a strong 1                   Board 8 from Wednesday 28th  

 

Dealer:             852                                             West          North         East          South

West                A764                                          pass           pass           pass         1   (1)

Love all            J32                                             2   (2)      pass           2    (3)    pass

                        1082                                          2    (4)      pass           2            3NT (5)

all pass

AJ1093               N               Q76             

10983             W    E            2                   (1)  Precision 1, 16+, artificial

7                         S                Q965           (2)  TWERB, showing either ’s or both majors.

A75                                      KQ543        (3)  nothing special to say – pass or correct.     

K4                                        (4)  ’s and ’s, at least 5-4 or 4-5    

KQJ5                                   (5)  South (correctly) assumed that she would

AK1084                                    not get rich by doubling 2.

J9                                            

 

And what happened? 3NT went -1 for about an average. The bottom lines:

-         TWERB is a great convention for messing up their strong 1 opening J

 

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    2 (or your strongest bid). This hand is 9 playing tricks in ♠’s with 19 HCPs and easily meets the criteria for a strong 2 opening. Partner needs very little for 4 to be cold.

Hand B:    dbl, negative, showing  ’s.

Hand C:    dbl, pretty clear at this vulnerability and with an obvious lead.

Hand D:    4, the opponents are likely to interfere with any constructive auction starting at the one level.

       
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