Our website is www.pattayabridge.com Club News Sheet – No. 388

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com

My mobile phone number is 083 6066880 20^th April 2010

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

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 12^th N-S 1^st Bengt & Guttorm 61% 2^nd Hans V & Jean 54%

E-W 1^st Janne & Paul Q 63% 2^nd Dave H & Tony C 58%

Wed 14^th 1^st Janne & Jan 58% 2^nd Terry Q & Paul Q 57%

Fri 16^th 1^st Janne & Jean 62% 2^nd Jan & Tonni 56%

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Bidding Quiz Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

Hand A Hand B With Hand A it’s love all. Partner opens 1♦ and RHO overcalls with a weak 2♠, what do you bid?

♠ A9852 ♠ J9754

♥ AJ73 ♥ AJ8 What do you open with Hand B?

♦ QJ2 ♦ AJ

♣ J ♣ AK7

Hand C Hand D With Hand C it’s love all. You open 1♦ and LHO overcalls with a weak 2♠. This is passed to you, what do you do?

♠ 10 ♠ 7632

♥ K106 ♥ 6 With Hand D partner opens 1NT

♦ AK10865 ♦ A92 (a) What do you bid if 1NT is 15-17?

♣ K54 ♣ AJ1076 (b) What do you bid if playing Acol, so 1NT is 12-14?

Hand E Hand F With Hand E you open 1♦, partner bids 1♠ and RHO comes in with 2♥, what do you bid?

♠ QJ6 ♠ AK63

♥ A1076 ♥ 97 With Hand F you open 1♣, partner bids 1♦ and RHO comes in

♦ AJ97 ♦ J with 2♠, what do you bid?

♣ J2 ♣ AQ9754

Hand G Hand H With Hand G partner opens 1NT. What do you bid and what do you plan to do next?

♠ AK ♠ AK1065

♥ KQ ♥ 75 With Hand H partner opens 1♦ and you bid 1♠. Partner then bids

♦ A643 ♦ AJ6 2♣, what do you do?

♣ KQ874 ♣ K86

Bidding Sequence Quiz

J 1NT pass 4NT What is 4NT?

K 1♦ pass 1♠ 2♣

2NT How strong is the 2NT bid here?

The Re-opening Double Board 1 from Wednesday 14^th

When playing negative doubles, don’t forget the ’automatic’ re-opening double.

Dealer: ♠ 10 Table A

North ♥ K106 West North East South(A)

Love all ♦ AK10865 - 1♦ 2♠ (1) dbl (2)

♣ K54 pass 3♦ pass 3NT

all pass

♠ J N ♠ KQ7643

♥ Q54 W E ♥ 982 Table B

♦ 943 S ♦ 7 West North(C) East South(A)

♣ A87532 ♣ 1096 - 1♦ 2♠ (1) pass (2)

♠ A9852 pass dbl (3) pass pass

♥ AJ73 pass

♦ QJ2

♣ J

Table A: (1) A weak - weak jump overcall, but I guess it’s OK non-vulnerable?

(2) What did you bid with this South hand A in this week’s quiz? A NT bid is possible, but double (negative, showing 4 ♥’s) is better. But I was South at Table B and chose another bid.

Table B: (2) This was what I bid in answer to question A. It may or may not be best, but I hoped partner would re-open with a double and we would get a penalty exceeding the expected 400+ for a non-vul game.

(3) What did you bid with this North hand C in this week’s quiz? Now some say that you should not re-open with a double when holding a singleton in the over-called suit, but with these top cards, the ♠10, and presumably a ♦ lead from partner, double looks right to me – and if partner does not have a penalty hand then 3♦ should be fine.

And what happened? 2♠* went -5 for 1100. Other results were 3NT+3 three times. 5♦+1 and 7♦**-2

The bottom line:

- If you want to penalize an overcall when playing negative doubles, then pass and partner will usually re-open with a double.

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

North South West North East South

♠ AK1065 ♠ 7 - - - 1♦

♥ 75 ♥ A62 pass 1♠ pass 2♣

♦ AJ6 ♦ K10975 pass 2♥ (1) pass 2NT

♣ K86 ♣ AQ52 pass 3NT all pass (1) 4^th suit

You are South, declarer in 3NT. West leads the ♥K and East plays an encouraging card. West continues with the ♥4 to the ♥J. You duck again but must win the 3^rd round with the ♥A with West playing the ♥10. What is the layout of the ♥ suit and how do you continue?

Dave’s Column answer Board 11 from Wednesday 14^th

Dealer: ♠ AK1065 Book Bidding

South ♥ 75 West North(H) East South

Love all ♦ AJ6 - - - 1♦

♣ K86 pass 1♠ pass 2♣

pass 2♥ (1) pass 2NT (2)

♠ 983 N ♠ QJ42 pass 3NT

♥ KQ1094 W E ♥ J83

♦ Q832 S ♦ 4 (1) What did you bid with this North hand H in

♣ 4 ♣ J10973 this week’s quiz? 2♥ - 4^th suit forcing is the

♠ 7 best bid, looking for 3NT or 4♠.

♥ A62 (2) Promising a ♥ stop. Showing a stopper is the

♦ K10975 first priority when partner bids 4^th suit forcing

♣ AQ52

West leads the ♥K and East plays an encouraging card (the ♥3 if playing low to encourage or the ♥8 if playing high to encourage). West continues with the ♥4 to the ♥J. Declarer ducks again but must win the 3^rd round with the ♥A with West playing the ♥10. What do you think the layout of the ♥ suit is and how do you continue?

West is 99% to hold the ♥Q, even though East’s ♥J did not deny that card; West would have led a low card from ♥K104 and the ♥10 or low from ♥K1094. If West started with ♥KQ104 and East ♥J983 it doesn’t matter how you play the ♦ suit. If, however, West started with ♥KQ1094, you cannot afford to lose a ♦ trick to him.

Play the ♦10 from hand and run it unless West covers. Continue with a ♦ to the ♦J and claim the rest when it holds.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+1 twice, 3NT= twice, 3♠+2 and 3NT-3.

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

N ♠ 732 West North East South

W E ♥ K9 1NT pass 2NT pass

S ♦ AJ1062 3NT all pass

♣ 873

♠ KQJ84

♥ J84 You are South, defending 3NT. North leads the ♥6 playing 4^th best

♦ KQ5 leads, dummy plays low and declarer takes your ♥J with the ♥A.

♣ 65 West then leads a ♦ to the ♦10 which you win. Do you now play

the ♠K or a ♥?
Dave’s 2^nd Column answer Board 12 from Wednesday 14^th

Dealer: ♠ 6 Book Bidding

West ♥ Q107632 West North East South

N-S vul ♦ 73 1NT pass 2NT pass

♣ J1094 3NT all pass

♠ A1095 N ♠ 732

♥ A5 W E ♥ K9

♦ 984 S ♦ AJ1062

♣ AKQ2 ♣ 873

♠ KQJ84

♥ J84

♦ KQ5

♣ 65

I (Frank Stewart) suspect that after E-W reached 3NT, South was willing partner to lead a ♠. Alas, North failed to get the message and led the ♥6 (4^th best). West won with the ♥A and let the ♦9 ride. South took the ♦K and with hardly a pause for thought, tabled the ♠K.

Do you agree with this play?

West took the ♠A and lost another ♦ finesse to the ♦Q. South then cashed the ♠QJ, but as declarer held ♠A1095, he claimed the rest, making his game.

Since declarer’s ♥’s had been ♥Ax, South would beat 3NT if he returned a ♥ at trick three. Did South make a clear error or was he unlucky?

The ♠K switch looked like all but a sure thing muttered South after the contract made.

After West took the ♥A and lost a ♦ finesse at trick two, South shifted to the ♠K. He wound up with two ♠’s and two ♦’s, but West made his game. A ♥ continuation by South at trick two would have beaten the contract.

The ‘sure thing’ actually lay with North’s ♥’s. Assuming North’s ♥6 was his 4^th highest ♥, the ♥A could be West’s only higher ♥. (South can apply the Rule of Eleven, subtracting partner’s spot card from 11 to learn that dummy, declarer and himself have only 5 ♥’s higher than the ♥6 and South can see all five of them once the ♥A appeared).

If South returns a ♥ when he takes the first ♦ he can lead his last ♥ later and North will run the ♥’s for two down. South’s actual defense was unsound as there was no reason why West couldn’t hold ♠A1095.

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+1, 3NT= twice, 3♦=, 3NT-1 and 3NT-2.

Hand Evaluation Board 16 from Monday 12^th

I disagree with the club’s three top players on this one:-

Dealer: ♠ 8 Table A

West ♥ K763 West North East(B) South

E-W vul ♦ Q87432 pass pass 1♠ (1) pass

♣ J10 1NT pass 2NT (2) pass

pass (3)

♠ KQ N ♠ J9754

♥ 10542 W E ♥ AJ8 Table B

♦ 6 S ♦ AJ West North East(B) South

♣ Q85432 ♣ AK7 pass pass 1♠ (1) pass

♠ A10632 1NT pass 3NT (2) all pass

♥ Q9

♦ K1095

♣ 96

Table A: (1) What did you open with this East hand B in this week’s quiz? This is bid chosen by everybody I believe, but I would have opened 1NT.

(2) Of course you have to bid this now, but with this miserable ♠ suit this contract may well be in jeopardy if partner is minimum, and if he thinks he has values for game then your hand will be a disappointment.

(3) This is very close. The KQ in partner’s 5-card suit are good cards and if East had a real 18-19 then I would not argue with a 3NT bid here; but this pair were playing 4-card majors and West had no idea if East had 5 ♠’s or not.

Table B: (2) I consider the 2NT above to be an overbid, this 3NT is ridiculous of course but one player did bid it!

And what happened? Scores were all over the place, but 2NT is the limit of the hand. Three pairs did bid to the unmakeable 3NT, but the all made it! I don’t see how as both North and South have an obvious ♦ lead. Maybe South led the ♦5 and blocked the suit but it was made by West twice which looks impossible to me unless South subsequently blocked the ♦’s.

The bottom lines:

- So how much is this East hand B worth? Paul Q thought about it for a while and opened 1♠ when partnering Janne. At the end of the deal both Janne and Hans V agreed with Paul and said that the 1♠ opening was obvious. Paul’s argument was that if partner has 4 ♠’s and around 6 points then you may miss game if you open 1NT. That’s true, but it’s much more likely that you will go down in 2NT when partner is minimum or go down in 3NT if partner has 7 or so points as here. It was very lucky that West had 6 ♣’s and so could take 8 tricks off the top on a ♦ lead, give him just 5 ♣’s and 2NT is going down. So, I disagree with all three of them and 1NT is my answer to question B.

- Hand B has three aces its true, but the 5-card suit is horrible – points belong in long suits, and the hand is not worth 18 points in my opinion.

Gerber Board 2 from Wednesday 14^th

A direct 4♣ Gerber bid is rarely a good choise (that’s why many play South African Texas). However, a simple Gerber bid easy reaches the correct contract on this deal. I give only the one biding sequence as the others I heard of are too embarrasing to print.

Dealer: ♠ AK West North(G) East South

East ♥ KQ - - pass 1NT

N-S vul ♦ A643 pass 4♣ (1) pass 4♠ (2)

♣ KQ874 pass 7NT (3) all pass

♠ Q9852 N ♠ 43 (1) What did you bid with this North hand G in

♥ 765 W E ♥ J9842 this week’s quiz? This is one of the rare

♦ 10 S ♦ 98732 occasions where a 4♣ Gerber bid is best.

♣ 110962 ♣ 5 With this hand, you only need to know if

♠ J1076 there is an ace missing or not.

♥ A103 (2) Two aces.

♦ KQJ (3) Pessimistic people may ask for kings, but

♣ AJ3 7NT must be a good bet even if there is a

king missing.

And what happened? 7NT=twice, 6NT+1, 6♣+1 and 5NT+2 twice. So just 33% of the club reached the grand with 37 points and 14 top tricks! The bidding given gets you there, and it also does if North asks for kings at (3). The other player to bid the grand simply bid 7NT at (1), which I think is silly (there could be an ace missing and it costs nothing to check), and all of the rest lost their way somehow.

The bottom line:

- 37 points is usually enough for the grand!

- Remember that if you bid 4♣ Gerber, then 5♣ asks for kings and 4NT is a sign-off.

The 2NT rebid

We all know that if we open 1x and partner responds 1y, then a jump to 2NT shows 18-19. But what about the situation where we open 1x, partner responds 1y and RHO bids at the two level. What does 2NT show now? These two hands come from Friday 16^th.

Hand E West North(E) East South North Board 12

♠ QJ6 pass 1♦ pass 1♠

♥ A1076 2♥ 2NT (1) …….

♦ AJ97

♣ J2 What did you bid with this North hand E in this week’s quiz? This 2NT bid

is wrong as it shows about 18-19 points. You should pass or double to show 3 ♠’s if you play Support Doubles.

Hand F West North(F) East South North Board 5

♠ AK63 - 1♣ pass 1♦

♥ 97 2♠ 2NT (1) …….

♦ J

♣ AQ9754 What did you bid with this North hand F in this week’s quiz? This 2NT bid

is wrong as it shows about 18-19 points. You should pass or else double if you play that as penalties.

The Bottom Lines:

- When partner responds at the one level he is only promising 6+ points and so you need 18-19 to jump to 2NT. If partner responds at the two level then he has 10+ and so 2NT is just 12-14. But if partner responds at the one level and RHO bids at the two level then partner probably does not have 10+ and so with a balanced 12-14 you should pass.

- The thing to note is, who has pushed up the bidding to the two level? If it is partner then you can bid 2NT with 12-14 but if it is RHO you cannot and you need the traditional 18-19.

- You can stretch the points slightly, but 13 or 14 are simply not good enough.

The Tripple

Well done Janne on winning the triple – with three different partners. He has now won it three times in a row and five times in all and so equals the club record for the most number of triples.

Numbers Up!

The club has been doing particularly well for the last 6 months or so, with about 2-3 tables more than the previous year. I’m sure that our policy of keeping it a friendly club – and throwing out the riff-raff – has a lot to do with it. So far this year we have had to throw out just one member. I’ve heard of football hooligans but a bridge hooligan – really! Yes! This arrogant individual actually initiated a brawl in the club, the origins of which were his own stupid inability to tell the time, understand dates, and no comprehension whatsoever of the word deadline. Be assured that we will keep the club friendly and garbage WILL continue to be THROWN OUT.

Bidding Quiz Answers

Hand A: Pass. That’s if you play negative doubles and partner will likely re-open with a double. A negative double (showing 4 ♥’s) is the alternative with 3NT a poor 3^rd choice.

Hand B: 1♠ or 1NT? Hans V, Paul Q and Janne all vote for 1♠ (with a jump NT rebid in mind), and I expect that every man and his dog will open 1♠ without giving it a second thought. But I think that this is a poor 18 and would downgrade to a 1NT opening. Just look at that miserable ♠ suit – points belong in long suits.

Hand C: Double. Partner probably has a penalty double hand and this hand has good defensive cards and the presumed ♦ lead should be a good start.

Hand D: (a) 2♣, Stayman, and then 2NT if partner bids 2♦ or 2♥.

(b) Pass. You cannot afford the luxury of finding out if partner as a ♠ suit as if he does not then a subsequent 2NT bid by you promises 11-12 points when playing Acol. One of the club’s top players did bid 2♣ on Wednesday, I suspect that he forgot and is too used to playing a strong NT?

Hand E: Pass. You do not have the values (18-19) to bid 2NT. If you play Support Doubles then you can double to show 3 ♠’s.

Hand F: Pass. You do not have the values (18-19) to bid 2NT. If you play double as penalties here then that is the alternative.

Hand G: 4♣, Gerber. If partner has the expected two aces then either check for kings with 5♣ or else simply bid 7NT.

Hand H: 2♥, 4^th suit forcing (I play it as game forcing by an unlimited hand). If partner has a ♥ stop he will bid NoTrumps and otherwise he will bid 2♠ with three ♠’s.

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answers

J 1NT pass 4NT 4NT is generally played as quantitive here, with 4♣ Gerber asking for aces.

K 1♦ pass 1♠ 2♣ 2NT here should be 18-19. Remember, it is an opponent and

2NT not partner who has pushed the bidding up to the two level.

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	1819.6 Janne Roos 1777.3 Hans Vikman	649.0 Janne Roos 641.2 Hans Vikman 638.2 Paul Quodomine 620.3 Tomas Wikman 619.8 Lars Broman 612.8 Jean Wissing 609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 594.9 Bengt Malgren 580.6 Jan v Koss 580.4 Holger Renken	330.4 Janne Roos 329.6 Tomas Wikman 327.9 Hans Vikman 323.3 Paul Quodomine 322.9 Lars Broman 320.3 Jean Wissing 319.6 Sally Watson 319.5 Duplessy & Coutlet 320.3 Jean Wissing 308.2 Bob Short