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Trust your opponents.

Drawing Inferences.

We know we can draw inferences from our opponents’ actions at the table at our own risk. Let’s see if we can draw any inference from their “actions” here, “actions” simply meaning what they have bid. Maybe such an inference will help us place the final contract.

 

Normal bidding…well almost. Your partner’s redouble promised exactly 4 spades and their double of 2 was for take-out. After showing a minimum hand with long clubs (2), you suggest spades as a possible playing spot in a 3-4 fit though partner then shows some interest in your first- bid suit. Is 3 going to end the bidding or have you fuel in your tank for something higher?

What is your next bid?

In our final look at a deal from last weekend’s trial, we look at a board which did not exchange imps though the two tables saw rather different contracts. The decision with the above North hand was left to Malcolm Mayer and he decided from West’ s semi-free bid of 1 (they could have passed the redouble) and East’s 2 bid that both opponents had four hearts.

Maybe his J103 might produce half a hold and partner’s honour doubleton the other half or even a full hold. Perhaps therefore, his side could run off 6 club tricks and find three more in 3NT. Alternatively, 5 might prove hard to make while partner did not seem to want to try a 4-3 spade fit.

So, without a full heart stopper of his own, he tried 3NT. 6 was led…and he held his breath!

 

South’s doubleton 9 did not produce a heart hold though meant that the defence could only take 4 tricks in the suit after which Malcolm could claim his 9, 6 clubs, AK and A. Had his partner not produced three quick winners, it is unlikely other game contracts would have made either.

Note that the bad spade break would have given 4 no chance of making. There were though no imps changing hands on this deal as Zachary Yan and Jeremy Fraser- Hoskin bid to 5. The problem card for the declarer was North's third heart as the defence could switch to a trump after the opening A lead and deny declarer the ability to ruff a heart in dummy.

However, East’s opening bid placed the K almost certainly with East and a successful diamond finesse ( A and two diamond ruffs would have worked as well) saw two hearts as being the only losers… flat board!

It is not often one sees a declarer bid 3NT without a hold in a key suit bid by both opponents but with the knowledge that this could well be the only making game contract.

Richard Solomon

After tomorrow’s JIN Club hand, we will have a break from the daily hands until early in the New Year…well not, really as we will step back 20, maybe even 30 years, in New Zealand Bridge history and pick on some of the deals which made the news in our then monthly Bridge Magazine. There are sure to be some lively, interesting deals which we can now relive. I hope you will enjoy reading about them. It is even possible you may feature in them!

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