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Bidding high and Playing safe.

Today, we have a bidding and a play problem. Let’s begin at the beginning. What would you open with the hand below? Neither side is vulnerable.

 

We certainly want to open and at the very least would open 3 having 8 hcp and a good suit. However, the extreme shape of the hand suggests we might go a little higher. The hand is more powerful than the average pre-empt if we have a fit with partner and it could be awkward for our opponents if we opened 4 (normally reserved for an 8-card suit) if they then bid, running into a misfit hand.

Pre-empting always carries a risk but here the risk seems worthwhile. A few might even choose 5 but the vulnerability is not completely in your favour and you give your opponents less chance to bid when you and your partner would like them to do so.

So, open 4 and this may have been the quick auction:

 

East’s first double should be for take-out but South can extend the pre-empt as they have club length and little defence outside hearts. With aces and kings, East’s second double is primarily now for penalties though West could still bid if they had extreme shape of their own. On this day, they did well to pass 5x as making 11 tricks in spades is impossible.

Defenders to 5 whether doubled or not will be relieved to take 3 tricks especially after A gets ruffed at trick 1. North has to lose the lead twice in diamonds in order to ruff a diamond in dummy. A is the third trick for the defence. Not a great score you might think for that East hand but on this day, many West players who managed to end as declarers in 4 struggled to make 10 tricks. Let’s see why.

Against 4, North may well lead two top clubs, West ruffing the second round. It looks like declarer has to lose a club and two hearts…and then it is all down to how a declarer plays the diamond suit. A finesse and the contract fails.

Yet, it should not come to that. Firstly, declarer draws trumps in three rounds. If hearts break 3-2 in the defenders’ hands, then West can play three rounds and if South wins the third round, they will be forced either to play a diamond or give West a ruff and discard by playing a club. Playing a diamond by West would be only a last resort.

   

The same is true, though works even more certainly, when hearts break 4-1 or 5-0 and South has the heart length. West can afford to lose two heart tricks (along with the club) and still make their contract. South has no good card to play after West plays HAK and a low heart. Contract made without having to worry about whether or not to finesse in diamonds.

So, really, North-South should be bidding to 5 even though many West players failed in 4. 3 as an opening bid does not do justice to that North hand. If North had opened 3 and East doubled for take-out, South should bid 4 pre-emptively. Assuming West bids 4, North should break the rule about a pre-emptor not bidding twice by bidding 5 because of their extreme shape. However, that would not have been necessary had they opened 4 in the first place.

Richard Solomon

Our National Congress… and JIN Club members.

Now, listen all you JIN Club players. Are you thinking whether or not you might like to play in part, maybe a big part of our National Congress at Mt Maunganui (Bay Park) in the last week of September?

NZ Bridge would love to see you there as this is a great week of bridge and socialising for all levels of player. If you have never been to a National Congress before, follow this  NZ BRIDGE CONGRESS POSTER and read about an extra 10% discount off your registration fees. Every little saving helps…and the Congress, with extra events this year for JIN Club members, a quiz night, a theme day, teaching sessions, in a fabulous venue, is just a buzz for all bridge players. Come on now…check it out.

 

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