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For Junior, Intermediate and Novice players..and others. It’s Fri day!

Putting the pressure on!

Competitive bidding often creates difficult situations. One good piece of advice is to bid quickly to where you think (with emphasis on “think”) you would like to be and let the opposition work out whether you indeed are right! What about this?

 

What is your partner showing with their double? Tolerance for hearts and at least one if not both minor suits. They do not have to be very strong but they might be.

You certainly want to compete to 3 though if you do, it is almost certain the opponents will bid 3. After all, neither side is vulnerable.

Then what? Should we bid 4? Maybe it will make. Maybe it is a reasonable sacrifice against 3 which might make. Nothing is certain…but if you bid 4 immediately, then you have stated your intention. Let’s see what one’s opponents might do….and if they decide to bid 4, then double them! Yes, you should make one or two heart tricks and with partner’s hcp in the minors, there should be enough there to beat 4.

That sounds like a plan. So, bid 4 over 2 and await:

 

Notice that North did not have much for their double of 1. However, that K was from North's point of view a useful card for their side and they were happy to compete, at least to the 2-level!

You might say that 4 is a lucky making contract but it is certainly there to be made. West is likely to start with two high spades. You ruff and then can prove that finesses do sometimes work. A heart to the king and a second heart, putting in J. You can draw trumps before turning your attention to clubs.

2 will probably see West insert J. Win Q and play 10. East should cover and you insert Q. You will have to lose one trick in each minor suit (J on the first round of the suit may well indicate doubleton AJ) but that would be 4 making. Your lucky day? Certainly. Making 4 would be even easier if West won A on the first round of the suit, though as you can see from the bidding above, it is unlikely you will end as declarer in 4.

West could not be sure about defeating 4 and perhaps took insurance by bidding 4…and you doubled that!

North would start with K and a second heart. West ruffs the third round and draws trumps. That is when, for them, the fun stops. With North covering whichever diamond West leads, J loses to Q. South has to lead a low club which West wins and can exit a club. As long as North wins this trick with Q, the defence can take three diamonds, a club and two heart tricks, down 3, +500 which is even better than the +420 for making 4.

Remember, also, that +420 or + 500 has been achieved with North having just a 5-count. They may well have a stronger hand for the same bidding.

South could not tell whether or not they could make 4 over East’s 2 raise. They also could not tell the fate of 3. They did not wait to find out. Bid as high as you want quickly and let the opponents have the problem of whether to keep bidding…and do not forget to double should they bid on to game. Playing Pairs, recording +100 from 4 undoubled down 2 would not score well compared with making 9 or 10 tricks in hearts.

Under pressure!

It was West who would be more disappointed with their dummy in 4 doubled than you would have been had you been allowed to play 4. Some days, you may finish in a non-making 4 contract though there is still the chance the opponents may misdefend or the lie of the cards is fortunate.  “Putting that pressure on” should have borne dividends here whether or not you were left to be declarer.

Richard Solomon

 

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