Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 390

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My mobile phone number is 083 6066880                                                          2nd May 2010

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

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 26th N-S    1st  Jeremy & Sally               66%       2nd    Jean W & Tonni                     56%

E-W   1st  Alan K & Paul Q            64%       2nd    Dave C & Terry Q                 58%

Wed 28th            1st  Alan K & Paul Q            60%       2nd    Jean W & Tomas                   60%          

Fri  30th              1st  Alan K & Paul Q  =  Paul K & Sean B       60%

   

       
bridge news sheets to news-sheet main page Bridge conventions No Trump bidding book
   
Pattaya Bridge Club to Pattaya Bridge home page
       
recommended bridge books reviewed to bridge book reviews to bridge conventions to No Trump bidding
   
   
Bridge CD's and bridge games to bridge CD's and computer games and software  

            

 

Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B                 With Hand A partner opens 1♦, what do you bid?

 

♠ Q2                ♠ A                                               

♥ AQ52           ♥ 4                         With Hand B you open 1♦ and partner responds 2♣,   

♦ 98                ♦ AKQJ76             what do you bid?        

♣ AK432         ♣ Q10875

                                                                             

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

C     1♦      pass   2♣     pass                               

2♥                                                Is 2♥ forcing?

D     1♦      pass   2♣     pass                               

3♥                                                What is 3♥?

 

     
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

1820.4 Janne Roos
1817.3 Paul Quodomine
1777.3 Hans Vikman

 

649.0 Janne Roos

641.2 Hans Vikman

638.3 Paul Quodomine

623.4 Tomas Wikman

619.8 Lars Broman

615.9 Jean Wissing

609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet

594.9 Bengt Malgren

586.4 Bob Short

583.2 Johan Bratsburg

 

330.4 Janne Roos

329.6 Tomas Wikman

327.9 Hans Vikman

324.8 Sally Watson

323.4 Paul Quodomine

322.9 Lars Broman

320.3 Jean Wissing

319.5 Duplessy & Coutlet

308.2 Bob Short

305.7 Bengt Malmgren

 

                                                                       

 

The Tripple

Congratulations to Paul Quodomine and Alan Kleist who won all three sessions last week. That is now Paul’s third triple.

 


Blackwood with ♣’s as Trumps                           Board 7 from Wednesday 28th April

 

The lower ranking the agreed suit is, the more problems you may have with Blackwood or Roman Keycard Blackwood.

 

Dealer:             ♠ Q2                                              West          North(A)    East          South(B)

South               ♥ AQ52                                         -                 -                 -               1♦

both vul            ♦ 98                                               pass           2♣   (1)      pass         4NT (2)

                        ♣ AK432                                       pass           5♣   (3)      pass         pass (4) 

                 

♠ J9865                 N               ♠ K10743             

♥ J9763             W    E            ♥ K108                 

♦ 53                       S               ♦ 10042                

♣ 6                                          ♣ J9                      

♠ A                                               

♥ 4                                                

♦ AKQJ76                                   

♣ Q10875                                    

 

(1)   What did you bid with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? Some said that North should bid 1♥ but I agree with this 2♣ bid (with a view to bidding ♥’s if necessary next go). This then shows the shape and promises a game-forcing hand.

(2)   What did you bid with this South hand B in this week’s quiz? I don’t like this jump into RKCB, if you play 0314 responses you are in a fix if partner bids 5♣.

(3)   0 or 3 keycards

(4)   This South took the pessimistic view that partner had 0 keycards and passed.

 

So what’s the solution? A 3♥ splinter at (2) would elicit a 4♥ cue bid from North and then if South bids 4NT RKCB the 5♣ answer must be 3 keycards as North has already promised the ♥A. But there are alternatives that solve the problems of RKCB in this and other situations when minor suits are trumps. Paul Q and I have agreed that 4-of-the-minor is RKCB. An equally good option is to play Kickback, where 4 of the suit above trumps is RKCB.

 

And what happened? 6NT+1, 6♣=, 5♣+2 twice, 5♦+2 and 4NT+3.

The bottom line:

-         Experienced or established pairs should have an alternative to 4NT as RKCB when minor suits are trumps.

 

Dave’s Column           Here is Dave’s first input, a defensive problem.                                                

 N                ♠ -                                           West        North       East      South

W      E            ♥ 1052                                     -               -               3♦        dbl

 S                 ♦ AK109864                           pass         5♣           all pass

♣ 875                                     

♠ AKJ10                                                        

♥ AKQ3                                        You are East, on lead against 5♣. You play the ♦A and

♦ 73                                               partner plays an encouraging ♦2, how do you continue?

♣ 1094         

  
Dave’s Column answer                      Board 10 from Wednesday 28th      

     

Dealer:             ♠ 854                                             Book Bidding

East                  ♥ 96                                               West          North         East            South

both vul            ♦ J5                                               -                 -                3♦              dbl

                        ♣ AKQJ63                                    pass           5♣             all pass      

 

♠ Q97632              N             ♠ -                          

♥ J874               W    E          ♥ 1052                     You are East and lead the ♦A. Playing low

♦ Q2                      S             ♦ AK109864           to encourage, partner plays the ♦2 and North

♣ 2                                         ♣ 875                       the ♦J. How do you continue?

                        ♠ AKJ10                                      

♥ AKQ3                       

♦ 73                              

♣ 1094                         

                                           

You should continue with the ♦10, a suit preference signal for ♠’s. How can you be sure that partner will take the trick? Consider partner’s possible ♦ holdings, partner cannot have ♦52 as he would have played the ♦5 to discourage and he is marked with either a singleton or the ♦Q. The argument is similar if you play high to encourage and partner is still marked with either the ♦Q or a singleton.

In short, it is completely safe to lead a lower ♦ and you might as well make a suit preference signal with the ♦10.

Note that West should not play the ♦Q at trick one as that promises the jack or a singleton.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 5♣= three times, 4♣=, 3♦(E)-1 and 4♥*=.

 

 

Dave’s 2nd Column         Here is Dave’s second problem, again on defense.

                                                                                                                                                                               

Dealer:             ♠ Q84                                           

West                ♥ AQ973                                       West          North         East            South

N-S vul            ♦ QJ10                                          pass           1♥              2♣             pass

                        ♣ 43                                              2NT           pass           3NT           all pass

 

                              N             ♠ K96               

                          W    E          ♥ K6                

                              S              ♦ 82                  

                                              ♣ AKJ1072            

 

You are North and elect to lead the ♦Q and partner plays a discouraging card. Declarer wins with the ♦K and leads a low ♥, how do you defend?   


Dave’s 2nd Column answer              Board 11 from Wednesday 28th    

 

Dealer:             ♠ Q84                                            Book Bidding

West                ♥ AQ973                                       West          North         East            South

N-S vul            ♦ QJ10                                          pass           1♥              2♣             pass

                        ♣ 43                                              2NT           pass           3NT           all pass

 

♠ 753                     N             ♠ K96                You are North and elect to lead the ♦Q and

♥ J1085             W    E          ♥ K6                 partner plays a discouraging card. Declarer

♦ AK9                   S             ♦ 82                  wins with the ♦K and leads a low ♥, how do

♣ Q98                                   ♣ AKJ1072       you defend?     

♠ AJ102                                        

♥ 42                                        

♦ 76543                                       

♣ 65                                             

 

It all starts with assuming declarer has six ♣ tricks by assuming the ‘Law of Unattended Suits’ which states that if a long suit missing one honour appears in dummy and declarer ignores the suit, then declarer has the missing honour. Count on it. So what do you do:

Partner has discouraged in ♦’s and so declarer started with the ♦AK. If you duck the heart, the ♥K will be declarer’s ninth trick. Your only hope is to rise with the ♥A and play the ♠Q. Partner needs good ♠’s (♠AJ10x) for this to work but it’s your only chance, so take it. And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 3NT= four times and 3♣+1 twice.

 

No Psyches Please                                               Board 29 from Monday 21st April

 

Psyching is not allowed in this club. This is clearly stated in the rules and was first mentioned in detail in news-sheet No.3, way back in 2002.

 

♠ 94                       This West hand was held by a very experienced American player, partnered

♥ K543                  by an equally experienced American. They were facing a pair of ladies, one

♦ A952                  of whom was very inexperienced. The American opened this with 1♦ in

♣ 1063                  3rd seat. This is totally unacceptable. Time for a quote from the ACBL:

‘People who employ psychic bids against less experienced players may be guilty of unsportsmanlike behaviour’. Anyway, psyches are not allowed in this club and the score was re-set to 50% for everybody.

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    2♣. There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with a 1♥ bid, but I prefer to bid the ♣’s and then the ♥’s next go – showing a strong hand with 5+♣’s and 4 ♥’s.

Hand B:    3♥, a splinter agreeing ♣’s. If you bid 4NT RKCB and play 3014 responses then a 5♣ response leaves you not sure if partner has 0 or 3 keycards.

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answer

 

C     1♦      pass   2♣     pass                               

2♥                                                2♥ is forcing …

D     1♦      pass   2♣     pass       … and so 3♥ is best played as a splinter, agreeing ♣’s

3♥                                                with ♥ shortage.

       
       

 Ron Klinger web site