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“Silence is golden.”

Can “pass” be correct?

This is not really the story of the East hand you see below. Yet, without East who faced this problem, there would have been no story! The story concerns a pair of bridge players who have just one aim when they play bridge, the target of enjoying themselves. They go to quite some extremes to carry out that aim as it is no short distance from Tauranga and Auckland to Palmerston North for a weekend’s bridge. Last weekend, to the National Open Pairs. They did not win but they certainly achieved their aim.

 

2 showed hearts and any other suit, less than an opener…5 hearts, 5+ of the second suit. You did not want to hear partner bid spades if you made an immediate take-out double and so passed, wisely. South’s 2 is “pass or correct” style and when North passed, you knew what their second suit was. So, what now?

Well, they are only at the two level and in seemingly an OK contract and you have both minor suits and a decent opening hand. There’s a chance of a fit and of maybe pushing them higher and then there’s the thought that our partner, West, could be sitting on a stack of spades and would love nothing more than to hear your take-out, re-opening double which they would not take-out! You have one spade and North has a few while South seems happy, or maybe reluctantly so, to stop in 2.

Have I convinced you? Double must be right. “Right”, indeed, but not for East. We should now make this one of those “what came next” questions. What came next was not quite what East expected.

You have heard the story of a player pushing their opponents from a lowly part-score to a making game by “pushing” too hard in the pass-out seat. You have been that player probably several times! Yet, it is not very often that you have “rescued” the opponents from the safety of a part-score to see them bid slam in one fell swoop! Maybe, then, you have not played against Bruce Inglis and Peter Hensman very often!

Bruce Inglis and Peter Hensman....love what they do

When you see the hands below, please remember that the South hand is in the correct spot!

 

It’s time to introduce the South player, Peter Hensman. He had not really liked it when his partner, Bruce Inglis, had opened 2 . He thought he should make a standard “pass or correct” bid. He was not sure which one but he was convinced Bruce’s second suit would be a minor rather than spades.  It could be spades! How could it be when he himself had 6 of them?!

When Bruce passed 2, there was a chance that Bruce had forgotten the system (it did happen, very occasionally!) but there again, maybe not. Still, there was some hope for Peter as East was thinking and sure enough came up with a double, the “wake-up “call although perhaps it was Bruce’s pass which had really served this purpose! A “shocking” pass!

What to do? Game seemed easy but then maybe even higher levels. Peter knew Bruce had 10 major cards and therefore there were no quick minor losers. Peter could now bid 4NT, assuming it was now ace asking. Have you ever ace-asked when you were content to play at the two level a few seconds previously? Peter decided Bruce could be rather confused by 4NT and might just “pass” again! So, it was the “boots and all” lurch four levels higher to the amazement of the other three players at the table!  

Bruce did not disappoint as he produced admirable trumps and within a very few seconds, Peter had thanked partner “very much” for their dummy, managed to draw trump without any difficulty and had taken the working club finesse to record a very nice 1430. Much better than 230.

Only 6 North-Souths out of 21 bid to slam and only one via the route shown above! East was too shell-shocked to double this contract, let alone "double again for take-out"..dream on!. At one table, the slam was doubled with South “playing to the gallery” by sending it back, a very dangerous action since East-West had a very cheap “dive” in 7 (only 3 down). Two pairs did find that sacrifice, one Kate Davies and Jack James against the event winners, Charles and Anthony Ker. The Ker’s guessed the sacrifice would be cheap, going on to 7 which was impossible, this time, to make.

However, back to Peter. He admitted it was he, not Bruce, who had misbid. He should have bid 2NT. Peter’s a good partner. He took the blame whether or not it was his fault. It was his this time, of course! He offered afterwards these following pieces of advice:

“Don’t make assumptions” (that partner might indeed have the suit you hold rather than the ones you do not!)

“Don’t be negative” (just in case the news will be good)

“Don’t be aggressive” (poor East was unaware of how their reopening double would work out.)

“Beware of shock tactics” Not sure about this one. To use the word “tactics” in relation to Peter’s actions seems slightly inaccurate.

Peter could have added a fifth piece of advice.

“Enjoy the game.” He and Bruce certainly do.

"Much ado about nothing”

“Nothing” equates to your high-card points and not surprisingly, one’s opponents have gone the whole way to 7NT. This is your hand (one jack hardly counts for “very much”) and their bidding:

 

South has owned up to one ace and two kings. It is, of course, your lead.No rush...anytime today will do!

Richard Solomon

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