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Is it?

Unmakeable and Unbeatable.

 Does that saying describe many of your contracts? Well, maybe one or two. Let’s see whether you would be put to the test to make the unmakeable. We shall consult our Panel first:

 

2 is a Weak Jump. Where do you go from here?

“Nowhere” say…

Anthony Ker “Pass: Initially I wanted to bid 4 (invitational)but on reflection there are a lot of hands we get too high doing this. I am going to pass. Maybe we miss game but this is Pairs and the best chance for a plus score. I also considered false preference with 3 (second choice). Those 12 points aren’t as nice as they look.”

Michael Cornell “Pass: is my Pairs answer. I only have invitational values so see no reason to bid more. Partner has to be quite good to make game. If he was good, he would have done more.

Peter Newell “Pass: While I have 12 points, prospects don't look great for game. Partner has 9+ cards in hearts and clubs and probably 3 spades possibly 2 (no spade raise) so if we have a spade stopper, it may be tenuous and if we have 3 spades, we have 0-1 diamonds.. ugh!

While 3NT might make, it seems unlikely that hearts and clubs will provide enough tricks. 5 seems way off with the doubleton spade and poorish clubs unless partner has 5 good clubs and the K.  On a good day we might make 4 if partner has a good 5 card suit, but that looks against the odds.  So, while we could make game, it is not clear which game and at Pairs I'm happy to settle low and expect to get a plus score.”

Partner should be limited for their 3 bid though if they were really poor, they might just have rebid 2, even with 5. Maybe this prompts movement from the rest of the Panel:

Nigel Kearney “3:  This is the most descriptive bid at this point. We are too good to pass (though it could easily be right). 3 would commit us to game  and is an overbid with no trick source and them having a good suit to lead. 3 also makes it hard for partner to choose correctly with a mediocre six- card heart suit, e.g. Ax Qxxxxx x AKxx. If partner is as good as Kxx KQxxx x AQxx ,they can bid 3NT over 3 and it will still need considerable good luck to make.

Bidding over 3 with 6 hearts and 4 clubs might not be so hard. Try it when you only have 5 hearts and 4 clubs…or perhaps there is implied club agreement in that 3 bid. 

Stephen Blackstock “3: I'm assuming 1 shows five, in which case I can only have a doubleton or would have raised immediately over 2.” Even if 1 initially might have been a 4-card suit, having a lower 4-card suit does suggest at least 5 hearts.

“In my book 3 is forcing, but if South disagrees and passes, that will usually be fine. It looks as if South has a singleton diamond (no 3 from East), and diamond shortage doesn't bode well for no-trumps. If we stop out of game, +140/170 should score well; I have too much to want to play in a lower scoring minor.

It does seem hard to stay out of game were North to choose 3. Perhaps then, 3 is indeed only a game try. 3 does seem to offer more options than our final choice:

Seeking a hold for 3NT was:

Andy Braithwaite “3: asking for a stop and willing to play 4 if necessary.

Surely 3 would say the same?

Bruce Anderson “3: the strong diamond suit, and partner can have the K for his/her opening bid, makes game a good shot if partner has some strength in spades, and A10x or K10x would be a double stop. My values seem to be too marginal for a five level contract so I am not bidding 5. My second choice would be to invite with 4.  

It is questionable as to whether South can hold 3 spades and 2 diamonds after their 3 bid, unless they did only hold 4 hearts.

Kris Wooles  “3: Seeking a spade hold as 3NT is often the best spot especially at  Pairs.”

Well, that was the bid found at the table… at at least 2 tables….and South with nothing better to do, owned up to a hold…which they sort of had!

 

 If East-West here reflect on the bad score they recorded to defending the “unmakeable, unbeatable” 3NT contract, then East might consider they should have raised to 3 after the take-out double, as some Panellists suggested. Then, it would become a different problem for North-South.

Yes, against 3NT, West can take the first 6 tricks by leading high spades, as long as East unblocks by playing 10 and 9 on the first 2 rounds.

However, with no outside entry and a “spade hold” in declarer’s hand, both tables saw West lead a low spade. Two rather surprised declarers scored trick 1 and two rather relieved declarers made then the next 8…heart to dummy, an all important J covered, 2 top hearts getting bad news, then a diamond to the ace (no finesse) and run 8…and when they opened their eyes, dummy had won the trick!

The irony of the deal is that no other declarer made a contract, ranging from 3 through to 5…though a few North-Souths did defeat 3 and 4 to go plus. The top “legitimate” North score was 130 playing in clubs, with 9 tricks available in diamonds, 8 in hearts and 7 in no-trumps…though we saw that is not necessarily so.

Ultimately, it would seem that the passers of 3 may or should have scored rather well and that 12 hcp opposite an opening bid is no guarantee you want to be in game.

Richard Solomon

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