Our website is www.pattayabridge.com                           Club News Sheet – No. 391

Our blogsite is www.pattayabridge.wordpress.com                                 

My mobile phone number is 083 6066880                                                          9th May 2010

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

My MSN messenger ID is tj_quested@hotmail.com

Mon 3rd            1st    Bengt & Terry Q            59%       2nd    Hans V & Janne                     59%

Wed 5th    N-S 1st    Dave C & Mike G          60%       2nd    Paul K & Sean                       55%

E-W 1st    Alan K & Paul Q            61%       2nd    Bengt & Guttorm                    57%

Fri  7th              1st    Dave C & Tomas           60%       2nd    Mike G & Johan                     57%

               

       
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Bidding Quiz                    Standard American bidding is assumed unless otherwise stated.

 

Hand A           Hand B                 With Hands A & B it’s favourable vulnerability and there are two passes to you in 3rd seat:

KQJ10973   KQ97543          

A32              Q32                    What do you open with Hand A?

Q3                43                                        

5                  5                        What do you open with Hand B?

 

Hand C           Hand D                 With Hand C it is favourable vulnerability. You pass as

dealer and partner opens 3, passed to you. What do you do?

86                 AJ4                                      

K5                AJ543

AK106         A85                    With Hand D partner opens 1, what do you bid?

J9763           A10

                                                                       

Bidding Sequence Quiz

 

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

F      1      pass   2     pass       How many ’s does 2 promise?

         

     
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

1826.1 Paul Quodomine
1823.5 Janne Roos
1785.9 Hans Vikman

649.0 Janne Roos

641.2 Hans Vikman

638.3 Paul Quodomine

626.8 Tomas Wikman

619.8 Lars Broman

615.9 Jean Wissing

609.5 Duplessy & Coutlet

597.8 Bengt Malgren

586.4 Bob Short

585.1 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 power of a fit                                                 Board 6 from Monday 3rd May

 

If a 4-4 fit is golden’ then a 5-5 major suit fit is... well, you certainly don’t want to play in NoTrumps: -

 

Dealer:             953                                             Table A

East                  6                                                 West(D)     North        East          South

E-W vul           QJ10                                          -                 -                1            pass

                        QJ6543                                      2   (1)      pass           2NT         pass

6NT (2)      all pass                      

AJ4                     N               K107                 

AJ543            W    E            KQ1072             A Possible Auction

A85                    S                K2                      West(D)     North         East          South

A10                                      K82                   -                 -                 1            pass

Q862                                          2NT (1)      pass           3NT (3)    pass

98                                               4NT (4)      pass           5    (5)    pass

97643                                        5NT (6)      pass           7    (7)    all pass

97                                       

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this West hand D in this week’s quiz? This misleading bid is totally beyond my comprehension. Anyway, it was game forcing in their system and apparently promised no more than two ’s which I think is ridiculous, I would assume 4+ ’s as explained in sequence E.

                  (2)  And this second bid is also totally beyond the comprehension of a simple soul like me – surely 5-5 major suit fits are heaven sent and meant to be played in? Partner MUST have at most a doubleton in one suit and unless it is unluckily in ’s then it seems to me that you will get an extra trick with a ruff. This is taking ‘Matchpoint bidding’ to an unsound extreme.

Possible:     (1)  This is the obvious bid and the answer to question D in this week’s quiz, assuming that you play the Jacoby 2NT convention. This is clearly far better than a fatuous 2 bid as it shows support and asks partner to describe his hand pretty accurately.

(3)   Promising a bit more than minimum with no shortage or other 5-card suit.

(4)   RKCB. Knowing that partner has a relatively balanced hand with about 14 points (no 1NT opening so presumably not 15+) then 6 is probably a better alternative.

(5)   1 or 4 keycards playing 3014 responses.

(6)   Kings?

(7)   It’s up to your partnership what responses you play, but partner is looking for a grand and has all of the aces. Since you have all of the kings in addition to the trump queen this seems reasonable to me.

 

And what happened? 6NT=, 6NT-1, 6+1, 6= and 5+2

The bottom lines:

-         I simply cannot understand why two West’s decided to play in 6NT when there is a known 5-5 fit. These 6NT bids are a silly ‘pairs’ bid which actually is not sound – the hand will make one more trick in ’s and so if declarer guesses the ’s right then he makes either 6NT or 7; guess wrong then 6NT goes down but 6 makes.

 

 


Doing a Chuck                                                     Board 3 from Monday 12th April

 

Looks like we have another contender for thedoing a Chuck’ crown:

 

Dealer:             KQJ10973                                 Table A

South               A32                                            West          North(A)    East          South(C)

E-W vul           Q3                                              -                 -                 -               pass

                        5                                                pass           3    (1)      pass         pass (2)

all pass                        

A54                    N               2                        

QJ86              W    E            10974                 Table B

J982                   S                754                     West          North(A)    East          South

104                                      AKQ82              -                 -                 -               pass

86                                               pass           1    (1)      pass         2    (3)

K5                                              pass           3    (4)      pass         4

AK106                                      all pass

J9763                                  

 

Table A:     (1)  What did you bid with this North hand A in this week’s quiz? This, especially at this vulnerability, is much too strong in my opinion.

                  (2)  What did you bid with this South hand C in this week’s quiz? This looks totally obvious to me and the hand is nowhere near worth a raise to 4.

Table B:     (1)  This is the obvious bid and the answer to question A in this week’s quiz.

(3)   Apparently preferring to bid the suit with the AK rather the jack high suit.

(4)   And not only is the North hand worth an opening bid, it has improved with partner’s 2 response and is worth a jump to 3 or maybe even simply 4.

 

And what happened? At Table A, when dummy was placed on the table, North immediately ‘did a Chuck’ – laying into South for not raising to 4!! EVERYBODY else was in game of course, typically with sensible bidding as at table B. Results were 4+2, 4+1 four times, 3+2 and 3NT-1.

The bottom line:

-         Hand A is FAR too good for a pre-empt at favourable vulnerability, especially in 3rd seat.

When you do something stupid, do not then ‘do a Chuck’, instead apologise to partner for your poor decision.

 

 

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

N               Q74                          West          North         East            South

W        E          QJ6                            -               -                 1NT           pass

S                KQ108                     2             pass           2              pass

AQ9                         3              pass           4              all pass

9632                                                      

72                                   You are South, defending 4. Partner leads a and dummy plays

A76                                low. You win with the K, what card (exact please) do you return?

K876                                  


Dave’s Column answer                      Board 14 from Wednesday 5th May  

     

Dealer:             AJ                                               Book Bidding

East                  K9                                              West          North         East            South

Love all            95432                                         -                 -                1NT           pass

                        10532                                        2   (1)      pass           2              pass    

3    (2)      pass           4              all pass

K1085                N             Q74                     

A109853        W    E          QJ6                (1)  Looking for a 4-4 fit rather than insisting

J                          S              KQ108                 on ’s.

J4                                       AQ9               (2)  Forcing and natural. If you play Smolen (3)

                        9632                                          or Quest transfers (3) then opener gets to

72                                               be declarer.

A76                           

K876                

 

Anyway, with this bidding declarer is West and you are South. Partner leads the 2 and dummy plays low. You win with K, what do you lead at trick two?       

                                           

The first time the board was played South won the K and could see that the defense needed a trick in each suit. He might have cashed his A next, but instead he led the 2. North took the A and returned … the J. West won, cashed the A, took the AQ to discard his J and led another trump to make his contract.

South’s error was that when he led the 2 (a low card) that signified that he wanted a return. Since South did not want a back he should have led the 9 and then North would doubtless have returned a to defeat the contract.

 

And what happened at the Pattaya bridge club? 4= four times, 4-1 twice and 6-2. The 6 was a bidding understanding. At another table I was West and with an unfamiliar/inexperienced  partner I took no chances and simply bid 4 at (2).

 

 

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

                                                                                                                                   

Dealer:             643                                            

South               852                                             West          North         East            South

N-S vul            72                                               -                 -                -                 2NT

                        A10987                                      pass           3NT           all pass

 

QJ1098              N                                            

J94                 W    E                You are West, defending 3NT. You lead the Q, partner     

865                    S                    wins with the K and returns the 2. Declarer wins with

Q3                                           the A and leads a low , what do you do?


Dave’s 2nd Column answer                    Board 14 from Wednesday 5th May

     

Dealer:             643                                             Book Bidding

South               852                                             West          North         East            South

N-S vul            72                                               -                 -                -                 2NT

                        A10987                                      pass           3NT           all pass

 

QJ1098              N             K2                       

J94                 W    E          Q1076           

865                    S              QJ109                  

Q3                                     J62                

                        A75                                            

AK3                   You are West and lead the Q. Partner overtakes with the

AK43                 K and returns the 2 which declarer wins with the A.     

K54                   How are you going to stop declarer from taking nine tricks when he leads a low from hand?

 

Your partner did well twice. First, he unblocked the ’s and second he resisted the temptation to shift to the Q. Now you must not let him down. If declarer leads a low from his hand at trick three you must fly in with your Q. If you play low declarer will play low from dummy, establishing four tricks in the suit while keeping you off lead. But if you play the Q he cannot afford to duck or win. If he ducks you run the ’s. If he wins in dummy he can even finesse partner’s J on the way back but that only gives him eight tricks.

Watch out for second hand high when dummy has a suit like this and no side entry.       

                                           

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

 

What to lead?                                                       Board 6 from Friday 7th April

 

I was asked about this deal from Friday.

 

 

8652                                                                   West          North         East          South

J95                                                                     -                 -                 1            pass

107532                                                              2              pass           2            pass

7                                                                        3    (1)      pass           4            pass

(1)  splinter                                     4NT           pass           6            pass      

pass           ??     (4)      all pass

 

You are South, on lead against (a) 6 and (b) 6 doubled

(a)    If partner passes at (4), what do you lead?

(b)   If partner doubles at (4), what does the double mean and what do you lead?         

                                                     

                                                     

                                                     

                                                                       
A Lightner Double?                                             Board 6 from Friday 7th April

 

Dealer:             A1097                                        West          North         East          South

East                  76                                               -                 -                 1            pass

E-W vul           A97                                            2              pass           2            pass

                        QJ97                                          3    (1)      pass           4    (2)    pass

4NT           pass           6    (3)    pass      

Q                        N               KJ43                  pass           dbl   (4)      all pass

Q43                W    E            AK1082      

KQJ86               S                -                         

AK103                                 9852                  (1)  A splinter showing shortage and three

8652                                                 card support in this sequence.

J95                                             (2)  shortage does not look good to East.

107532                                     

7                                         

 

(3)  The bidding has been OK up to now, but I don’t like this 6 bid at all. Presumably the pair have not agrees Eddie Kantar’s void RKCB responses (5NT would show 2 keycards and a useful void). But even if this was agreed I would not bid it and would simply show the two keycards – a void in partner’s first bid suit is unlikely to be useful, you know that the opponents hold the A - partner’s splinter would not be with a singleton A. And there may well be a loser as partner’s shape is probably 1354 or 1363.

(4)  A double here is usually played as a Lightner double – asking for an unusual lead – generally dummy’s first bid suit, with you often wanting a ruff. Of course you can double with two aces if you think that the contract is going down whatever the lead is.

So what is the answer to the lead problems?

(a)    Partner hopefully has an ace and it may be the A or the A, so lead the singleton .

(b)   You should assume that this is a Lightner double, and since you have 5 ’s it is extremely likely that partner wants a ruff, so lead the 2 (suit preference, asking partner to cash his A if he has it and continue with a to give you a ruff).

 

And what happened? 6*-2, 6*-1, 4-1, and 6*= twice. 6 made twice when North attempted to cash his A thus setting up three good ’s in dummy.

 

Bidding Quiz Answers

 

Hand A:    1, this hand is FAR too good for a pre-emptive 3, especially in this seat and at this vulnerability.

Hand B:    3, this is pretty much what a 3 bid should look like in this situation.

Hand C:    Pass. Obviously this hand is nowhere near good enough to raise to 4 when partner likely has a hand like Hand B.

Hand D:    2NT – Jacoby, agreeing ’s and asking partner to describe his hand. I cannot think of a way to bid this hand sensibly without using Jacoby – you need to find out how strong and/or shapely partner is and Jacoby 2NT is ideal for this.

 

Bidding Sequence Quiz Answer

 

E      1      pass   2     pass       Four. He presumably does not have 4 ’s (and if he has then

he has 4+ or 5 ’s), so even 3334 gives him 4 ’s.

F      1      pass   2     pass       Three. Partner could have a good hand with 3433 shape.     

       
       

 Ron Klinger web site