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poor result…again!

Pre-empts do work.

That’s why we keep churning them out. Whether we like to have AKQ to seven or a little or a lot less in our suit, we like to set the opposition, even alas our partner, with a problem, like this:

 

Pairs, all vul.

I have to confess that I thought this was no problem. I held no aces, was vulnerable, had a vile holding in the pre-emptor’s suit and was opposite a partner who could not open the bidding, less than an opener and no suitable weak opening. 

What say the Panel?

Bruce Anderson  “Pass: partner is likely to be short in hearts and did not bid. The hand is flat and my style is to bid flat hands down and distributional hands up. Also, it could be that East has a weighted 3 hearts given he/she has a partner who has passed. Obviously, it could be wrong to pass, but at this vulnerability I am not entering the auction.”

Nigel Kearney “Pass: This is quite close and double could work. I don't like it with three hearts though. If RHO has a singleton heart and some high cards, which is quite likely, it is very easy for them to double and -200 will be a bottom. I don't anticipate a great score for passing, but prefer to avoid a zero and just take my 30-40% and try to make it up on the next hand.”

Michael Ware “Pass: an easy pass - I have too much length in hearts to bid.”

Stephen Blackstock “ Pass. I am not even close to any other action. I can only presume this was an appeal case, and South hesitated before passing.”

Peter Newell “ Pass - bidding could easily be right but the three small hearts suggest caution, and being forced to the 4 level if partner doesn't have 4+ spades and not enough to bid 3NT doesn't feel good to me. We will get doubled from time to time and will go down in something when they were not making 3 at other times. I expect there will be a fair bit of support for double but not for me...doubleton heart then I would probably be there with a double at pairs...”

Wrong on one count, Peter. Not much support for that double. 

Andy Braithwaite was also very much in the “pass” camp. We had one vote for action:

Kris Wooles “Double: Balancing take- out which is fairly descriptive since my original pass.”

Bidding has a dangerous feel to it especially if our partner held the three missing hearts. Yet, action was the right thing this time when you see all four hands:

 

Many would have raised to game on the West cards. Indeed 4 does make unless South can find a spade lead or switch after A lead. On 10 lead, North has to win and East’s spade loser will disappear on the third round of diamonds.

Yet, whether or not 4 makes or does not (and there are 9 certain tricks in 3), 4 is a make. If slightly fortunate (on a different day, a club ruff might defeat this contract), 4 can afford two trump losers as long as A is in the West hand…and with East the pre-emptor, that is a likely occurrence.

So, do we have to sit there and record -140 (partner did well to find the spade lead to save the overtrick) and just reflect on the fact that “pre-empts do work”? Certainly, South need not be void or singleton in hearts. Are we unlucky not to record a plus score from game… but from which game, theirs or ours?
Seems like we should all “keep on” with those pre-empts.

Surely not with this hand?
No pre-empt today, surely? Please do not tell me you would have opened 3!
What now though?

 

We are playing Pairs.

Richard Solomon

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