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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players …and others. It’s Fri Yay.pngday.

Choice!

You might use that word colloquially when partner puts down a good dummy! Yet, it has another meaning. What is your next bid with the following hand?

Bridge in NZ.png nz map.jpg

 

K Q J 9 4

6 2

K Q

K 10 8 5

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 NT

Pass

2 

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

?

 

 

Your partner opened a 12-14 1NT and you are playing transfers- hence 2Heart-small. However, what next?

At more than one table, with more than enough high cards to bid game, North chose 3NT and South passed. This was not to be a happy contract for the declarers.

South Deals
None Vul

K Q J 9 4

6 2

K Q

K 10 8 5

8 2

Q 10 9 3

A 5 4 3

Q 9 6

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

10 6 3

A J 8 7 4

8 7 2

J 7

 

A 7 5

K 5

J 10 9 6

A 4 3 2

 

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1 NT

Pass

2 

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

3NT

 All Pass

 

With better looking cards in hearts over diamonds, West led Heart-small10 (called “an interior sequence” lead). South won the second round with Heart-smallK and could play 5 rounds of spades but then had to lose the lead to Diamond-smallA. The defence had in total four heart tricks and Diamond-smallA for down 1.

Maybe South made the wrong choice because with just 2 hearts and 3 spades, they could anticipate that 4Spade-small might be a safer game. Yet, North could have helped them make that right choice by bidding 3Club-small as their second bid. This is termed “bidding out the shape of your hand” in order to help partner decide which game to bid.

It is important to realise that a change of suit after you have transferred is forcing for at least one round. South cannot pass 3Club-small. Here, it should make the decision to play in spades easier for South. 3Club-small will tell South that their partner has at least 5 spades and at least 4 clubs, meaning they are likely to be short in one or both red suits. Alarm bells should then be raised for South who would definitely support spades.

The bidding could then proceed:

North                   South

                              1NT

2Heart-small                         2Spade-small

3Club-small                         3Spade-small

4Spade-small                         Pass

South might even choose to bid 4Spade-small directly over 3Club-small. 3Club-small is at least a try for game. Some even play such a change of suit as forcing to game.

Sometimes, it is a good idea to hide information about your hand from your opponents. However, on other occasions like this, you need to help your partner decide which game to bid.

While 3NT has no chance (apart from misdefence) on a heart lead, 4Spade-small is relatively straightforward. Again Heart-small10 is a likely lead. South can win Heart-smallK as before, draw trumps and then play Diamond-smallK. South wins the return in dummy, plays Diamond-smallQ and then a club to the king. North’s 2 remaining clubs are discarded on Diamond-smallJ10. Game made.

best choice 3.jpg

“Choice” says partner. It was indeed a good choice by South, helped by North’s 3Club-small bid. Being able to make such a bid is one reason transfer bids are recommended. 

Who was it who said that bridge is a partnership game? Whoever it was, was certainly correct.

Richard Solomon

Just in case it has slipped your mind, the Loveblock New Zealand Wide Pairs will take place 2 weeks from today, on the Friday evening, November 10th. With 58 clubs running a heat, there is bound to be at least one near you. (Have a look at the list under the Tournament tab on this website.) So, come along, enjoy the evening and get a booklet about the hands afterwards. This event raises money for NZ Bridge Foundation, an organisation which helps clubs throughout the country, clubs like yours.

There are Loveblock wine prizes, including for top Junior and Novice pairs, too.

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