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 Minor Mayhem…and Machine Malfunction!

Would you ever put down your 8 card suit as dummy? Would you ever do that if the suit contained two honour cards? The answer surely is “no”. If partner insisted on being declarer, you would politely leave the table asking someone else to put down your dummy…not you!

So, it is over to you as North. Your big moment. Your 8-card suit…and spades, the “boss” suit, too! You cannot wait to bid your 8-bagger..second to speak. Wonderful. Everyone's vulnerable. 

 

You are well behaved, knowing you should “never pre-empt a pre-empt”. Can you believe a mere diamond bid silenced you… for now! You are playing Pairs and even a small singleton in partner’s hand let alone maybe Q would make 5  a great spot. You cannot resist.

5 it is and yet more clubs bid by your partner. Forcing partner to slam was not really your aim. However, when they bid 6, it was time to go against the saying, put your hand face down on the table and ask partner if they would like a drink. They were about to need a stiff one!

 

Well, that’s the ending to the auction you would have liked. When East doubled, you might wonder whether 6 could be any worse. The answer was “yes”!

After K lead against 6 (probably doubled) overtaken and a trump switch, dummy was dead. Declarer’s best bet was to draw trumps and exit a low heart. A diamond continuation ruffed and another low heart forced A from East. Another ruff and a third low heart from South. East had to give South 2 heart tricks (AQ) or else a discard by having to play a spade. Down 3 was certainly no triumph especially if doubled. Sometimes like this time, it was “damage control” mode for North-South and had that 8-card suit gone down as dummy a round earlier, some matchpoints would have been earned. 5 could escape the double.

In 5, there were a minimum of 2 trump losers to go along with 3 diamond losers. Perhaps South should have passed if there had been no double. A time though to break the 8-card suit guideline.

What say you here?

 

Normally, it is an opponent who will stop you playing in your desired major game. After all, your partner had limited their hand already. Not this time, though. They seemed to want to play in their suit, not yours! Yet, have you noticed your own diamond suit? Your partner must just about have the rest!

What now? Again, we are playing Pairs.

Your heart holding is not ideal! You want to bid 5 but something makes you wonder. Are you prepared to gamble?

 

Well, your partner had only 5hcp in diamonds and none in spades. If they survived the opening heart attack, they would be fine. There was a very nervous moment for East after A was led. (a nervous one for West, too, who had not gone to get the coffees!) South continued with Q. What bad luck it would be to suffer a ruff with the defence’s only trump! Not today as fortune favoured the brave, or foolhardy, depending on how you viewed the raise to slam.

Like our first board, this one occurred recently. In an Intermediate/Junior field, only 1 pair bid 6 (it is not easy to do so scientifically) (and were doubled) while most of the rest played safely in a spade or diamond game.

 

You will have noticed that East had an 8-card suit which they were not going to put down in dummy. When the deal was given to me (thank you, Phil), an unusual occurrence took place. Take a look:

Have you noticed anything odd? Our expert machine tells us what happens to spade contracts and how 6NT by East is more than frigid. It is even correct that South can be held to 8 tricks in hearts. After 9 lead ducked by East, South has to lose a trump, two spades, and one in trick in each minor!

However, what about diamond contracts? Making 7! Now these computer programmes are wonderful at analysing but the only way I can see East making all 13 tricks after a heart lead is for North to lead a heart out of turn and for East to ban the lead of that suit! Maybe that is how the machine reckons 13 tricks are cold? Well, it could make on a revoke too!

Also, if 12 tricks is the maximum in diamonds (for most humans, that is), then Par of -1400 is not correct. Allowing the slam to make for - 1370 is "much" better than giving away 5 tricks in 7x!  

So, that guideline re 8 card suits may be true after all. What though of 9 card suits? Now, North has not taken a bid in our auction. What a shame as should the opponents bid to the frigid 6, the vulnerable 7 level sacrifice costs a maximum 3 down, -800 if doubled. A great sacrifice unless the opponents bid on to what we are told is the cold diamond grand slam!

Happy Easter and the daily articles will resume on Tuesday.

Richard Solomon

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