Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 386

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My mobile phone number is 083 6066880                                                          3rd April 2010

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

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 29th N-S    1st  Dave C & Frode            57%       2nd    Jeremy & Sally                       56%

                E-W   1st  Janne & Paul Q              60%       2nd    Dave H & Tony C                  60%

Wed 31st N-S   1st  Kenneth & Ursula           60%       2nd    Bengt & Guttorm                    56%

                E-W   1st  Dave H & Tony C          58%       2nd    Terry Ibbs & Tobjorn             57%          

Fri  2nd     N-S   1st  Per-Ake & Per And..     63%       2nd    Hans V & Paul Q                   62%

                E-W   1st  Jan & Tony C                 62%       2nd    Bengt & Bob S                       61%

       
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Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B           What do you open (1st seat vul) with Hand A ?

 

109               109                      

1083             A8643          With Hand B everybody is vulnerable. Partner deals and passes

AKQ104      A83              and RHO opens 3, what do you do?

AJ8              A62

 

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

C     1NT   pass   2      pass      

        2      pass   4NT                 what is 4NT – quantitative, ace asking or what? 

                             

D     pass   pass   1      pass       2 is natural (not Drury) by this pair. Is 3 invitational or  

        2     pass   3                    forcing opposite an initial passed hand?

 

     
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

 

641.8 Janne Roos

639.7 Hans Vikman

632.6 Paul Quodomine

619.8 Lars Broman

613.9 Tomas Wikman

609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet

606.1 Jean Wissing

587.8 Bengt Malgren

580.4 Holger Renken

573.5 Tom Grovslien

 

328.9 Tomas Wikman

327.8 Janne Roos

327.4 Hans Vikman

322.9 Lars Broman

319.6 Sally Watson

319.5 Paul Quodomine

319.5 Duplessy & Coutlet

318.6 Jean Wissing

304.5 Bengt Malmgren

303.5 Bob Short

 

                                                                       


Worth a strong 1NT?                                           Board 5 from Friday 2nd 

 

Dealer:             109                                                  Table A

North               1083                                           West          North(A)    East          South

N-S vul            AKQ104                                   -                 1    (1)     pass         1

                        AJ8                                            pass           1NT (2)      pass         2   (3)

pass           3    (4)      pass         4

Q73                   N             K8654                  all pass

K652              W    E          J                          

97                      S              J86                       Table B

10964                                7532                    West          North(A)    East          South

                        AJ2                                            -                 1NT (1)      pass         2

AQ974                                       pass           2              pass         4NT (5)

                        532                                            pass           5    (6)      pass         6

                        KQ                                            all pass

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you open with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? This was the ‘obvious’ and most popular choice.

(2)   With a weak doubleton, 2 is an alternative.

(3)   New minor Forcing – asking for three ’s here.

(4)   Maximum with three ’s

Table B:     (1)  This North does not simply add up HCP’s but evaluates hands according to good long suits, tens and intermediates, etc. In his (i.e. my) opinion this Hand A is easily worth a strong 1NT opening and that’s my answer.

(5)   What was your answer to bidding sequence C? I like to play this as quantitive and use 4 to ask for aces (or keycards by agreement). This was an unfamiliar partnership and had no understanding whatsoever.

(6)   North has no problem as it happens – if 4NT was quantitative then this is to play in 5, if 4NT was ace asking this shows the two aces and if 4NT was just a forcing bid meaning nothing (as I believe it was) then 5 shows the support.

 

And what happened? 6 made exactly for a cold top. It appears that nobody else opened 1NT and other contracts were 3NT and 4, all making with overtricks. 6 is a good contract and is only defeated on a lead (unlikely from East’s holding).

The bottom lines:

-         Don’t be afraid to open 1NT with a good 14 or a poor 18.

-         Upgrade for good long (5+) suits and for tens (generally ½ a point) and good intermediates.

 

Dave’s Column                       Here is Dave’s first input, this time on bidding.

 

West                East                                  West            North         East          South

K9                AQJ1042                      -                   -                 -               pass

AQ5             643                               pass             pass           1            pass

QJ6               A                                 2NT             pass           4            all pass

108743        A52

 

You are East, declarer in 4. South leads the J to the Q, A, 3 and a is returned, won by dummy’s A. How do you continue?

 


Dave’s Column answer                Board 19 from Wednesday 31st      

     

Dealer:             75                                               Book Bidding

South               K82                                            West          North         East            South

E-W vul           109542                                      -                 -                 -                 pass

                        KJ9                                            pass (1)      pass           1              pass

2NT (2)      pass           4              all pass

K9                      N             AQJ1042             

AQ5               W    E          643                 (1)  A 1 opening is a reasonable alternative.   

QJ6                    S              A                   (2)  Natural (not Jacoby 2NT) by a passed hand.   

108743                              A52                     

                        863                                           

J1097                             South leads the J and your Q looses to North’s K,

K873                             a is returned, won by dummy’s A. Plan the play.

Q6                                      

                                           

Declarer took the 2nd with the A and cashed all but one of his trumps. The defense failed to do anything silly and declarer eventually lost two ’s and two ’s for one down.

East succeeds with a loser-on-loser play. He takes the A at trick three, leads a trump to dummy and runs the Q, throwing his loser from hand.  South wins but declarer ruffs the next , leads a trump to dummy and discards a on the good J.

Although in this era of lighter and lighter opening bids many experts would open the West hand. I (Frank Stewart) wouldn’t open because the long suit contains no high cards. Tricks, not points, are what matter, and it’s hard to establish tricks in a poor suit. Change the AQ to the AQ, and I’d be more inclined to open.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT+1, 4= five times, 2+1, 4-1 and 6-2.

 

 

 

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

 

North               South                               West            North         East          South

A108632      9754                             -                   1              pass         2 

AQJ4           K62                              dbl               3              pass         4

76                 AQ3                             dbl               all pass

6                  843                               

                                                 

You are North, declarer in 4 doubled. You have three top losers, two ’s (West has the KQJ) and one . You could take the finesse but it is unlikely to work based on West’s two doubles. Plan the play.


Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 23 from Wednesday 31st    

 

Dealer:             A108632                                    Book Bidding

North               AQJ4                                         West          North         East            South

N-S vul            76                                              -                 1              pass           2

                        6                                                dbl   (1)      3              pass           4

dbl             all pass

KQJ                   N             -                    

1097               W    E          853                (1)  I (Terry) see little point in doubling here

KJ9                     S              108542               with this totally flat hand and knowing that

AKQJ                                109752                partner is bust and I passed at the table,     

9754                                           although I doubled the final 4 contract of

K62                                           course.

AQ3                                    

843                                      East leads a taken with the J and the K is

returned. East discards a , plan the play.

 

You have three top losers, two ’s and one . You could take the finesse but it is unlikely to work based on West’s two doubles.

Instead, after winning the 2nd trick, play a to dummy’s K, ruff a in hand, and continue the ’s, discarding dummy’s last on the 4th . West may ruff but is endplayed, as he is if he refuses to ruff when you simply throw him in with a trump.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4*=, 5*(E)-1, 5(E)-1, 5*-2, 5*-1 and 4*-1 four times.

I was West defending 4* but unfortunately declarer was Hans Vikman and he had no difficulty chalking up +790 for an outright top along the lines given after East led a . Bad timing (wrong opponent for the wrong board).

 

 .

Lead problem Board 4 from Wednesday 31st

 

Dealer:             109862                                       West          North         East          South

West                98                                               1NT           pass           3NT         all pass

both vul            AQ932                                      

                        7

You are North, on lead against 3NT.

                              N                           What do you lead – the 10 or a ?       

                          W    E                                         

                              S                                             

                                                                       


More bad timing                                                  Board 4 from Wednesday 31st

 

Dealer:             109862                                       West          North         East          South

West                98                                               1NT           pass           3NT         all pass

both vul            AQ932                                      

                        7

                       

KQ74                N             J53                      

K43               W    E          A102                   

K104                 S              65                        

AQ9                                   KJ863           

                        A                                         

QJ765                                       

                        J87                                             

                        10542

 

What did you lead in the lead quiz on the previous page? The 10 knowing that dummy has no 4-card major and with hopefully two entries? Or a text-book 4th best ? I was declarer and this was simply another case of bad timing (wrong opponent for the wrong board). North stoically led a 4th best and the contract was automatically one down. The 10 was led at most tables and 3NT+2 or 3NT+1 were popular scores depending upon whether South found a switch or not.                                         

 

Even More bad timing                                         Board 15 from Wednesday 31st

 

Dealer:             K42                                            West          North         East          South

South               984                                             -                 -                 -               pass

N-S vul            Q76                                           1              pass           2NT (1)    pass

                        10652                                        4  (2)        all pass

                       

Q7653               N             AJ108             (1)  Jacoby 2NT    

76                  W    E          QJ32              (2)  poor opener      

K94                   S              A53                     

AKJ                                   Q8                

                        9                                          

AK105                                      

                        J1082                                         

                        9743

 

So what’s the story here, 4+1 seems automatic, right? Wrong! Playing MUD leads from three small, North led the 9. I was West and played the J from dummy and South won with the K. The A was continued and North played the 2. A third came and knowing that North had started with a doubleton I ensured the contract by ruffing with the Q, North produced the 8, which was presumably mixed up with the ’s? It’s time to tackle trumps but I cannot afford to take the finesse because if it loses and North has the 9 then I am one down in a cold contract when South wins and leads another . So I ensured the contract by playing to the A and conceding a trick to the K. This was another absolute bottom as every other declarer made 4+1. North apologized to his partner for leading the wrong card when playing MUD. So another excellent example of the wrong opponent for the wrong board.


Who should come in?                                           Board 4 from Friday 2nd 

 

E-W got a bad score for letting North play in 3 when they cam make 4, who do you think should have bid?

 

Dealer:             Q3                                              West          North         East(B)     South

West                5                                                 pass           3             pass (1)    pass

Both vul            QJ4                                            pass (2)                       

                        KJ98753                                   

(1)  What did you bid with this East hand B in this

A742                 N             109                       week’s quiz? I agree with this pass, partner has

QJ972            W    E          A8643                  already passed and a 3 bid here with an

K109                 S              A83                     unlimited opponent to the left is reckless.

10                                      A62                (2)  But West should bid here. It is the balancing

                        KJ865                                        seat and he has near perfect shape for a take out

K10                                            double (with 3 a less attractive 2nd choice).

                        7652                                          

                        Q4

 

 

 

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    1NT. This hand is far too good to open 1 and rebid 1NT. With a great 5-card suit and three tens this hand is easily worth a strong 1NT, and the opening solves any rebid problems.

Hand B:    Pass. To bid (3) in this position, vulnerable, with an unlimited opponent on your left, would be very reckless. And you do have a partner who hopefully understands balancing if LHO passes.

 

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

C     1NT   pass   2      pass       This is up to partnership understanding. I believe that

        2      pass   4NT                 ‘standard’ is that 4NT is quantitative and 4 ace asking.

                                     

D     pass   pass   1      pass       3 is game forcing, partner has a good 10+ and so if you

        2     pass   3                    good enough for a jump then there must be game values.

 

       
       

 Ron Klinger web site