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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Who’s to bless: who’s to blame!

When one reaches a small slam, which has less than a 50% chance of being successful, someone in the partnership has usually overbid/ misbid a little, maybe more than a little. So, we asked you and the Panel who that might be and which bids in particular.

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East Deals
Both Vul
   
A Q
7
K Q 10 7 4 2
8 7 6 3
 
N
W   E
S
 
J 9 6 5 2
J
A 8 5
A K Q 5
West North East South
    1  Pass
2  Pass 3  Pass
3  Pass 4  Pass
4 NT Pass 5  Pass
6  All pass    

 

The above sequence is a normal Acol based sequence with 1Spade-small being 5+ spades. 5Heart-small showed 2 key cards and no Diamond-small Q. 

Giving our chances of success and being uncritical of the auction is:

Kris Wooles “I’m OK with 6Diamond-small. I’ve seen worse. I’m remembering when the Italian’s won a world championship by bidding and making 7Club-small with AQ opposite J9xxxx as their trump holding. 

6Club-small needs both a club break and a spade finesse whereas 6Diamond-small would likely come home more often with a successful spade finesse plus a potential club pitch on spades provided diamonds behave reasonably.”

There are a few “ifs and buts” there but the slam is not one of those whose defeat is sealed by trick 2!

Also, fairly happy where we have landed is:

Nigel Kearney “The contract is ok. A 50% small slam is break even and this is pretty close to that. We need the spade finesse, but have a 95% chance of being able to pick up trumps and will usually be able to establish a long spade in case clubs don't break. An opening spade lead away from the king is quite unlikely but not impossible. I'll let you know whether I approve of the contract after I find out which opponent has the Spade-smallK. (no skipping down the page, Nigel!)

West's bidding was fine. Blackwood doesn't fill all the holes but East has described a good hand without much in hearts so probably has the missing stuff. The actual East hand will be a slight disappointment, compared to e.g., Spade-smallK10xxx Heart-smallJx Diamond-smallAx Club-smallAKxx.

It looks like they're always going to end in slam once East chose to reverse, but I prefer a 4Heart-small splinter on East's third turn. 4Diamond-small will often be 5224 not 5134 and the singleton heart could be vital. For example, West could have Spade-smallA Heart-smallxxx Diamond-smallKQJxxx Club-smallxxx.

However, Blackwood (or Roman Key Card) was not approved by:

Stephen Blackstock “The contract is not terrible but below par, being a little worse (but only a little) than the spade finesse.Both hands have overbid a little. 3Club-small is pushy. Is the hand worth more than 3Diamond-small? I presume 2Diamond-small was Acol style and not game forcing (correct).

However, there is nothing polite to say about 4NT. How does an ace ask help West to judge whether there will be good play for 12 tricks? 4NT falls in the category of “untutored bash”.

I would have progressed with 4Spade-small by West, a forcing cue-bid now we have clearly set diamonds. (followed by 5Club-small; 5Diamond-small – Pass. Both hands have then run out of steam.)

More criticism of Key Card and West:

Matt Brown “ I don't think slam is a good final contract, since it needs the spade finesse to start with.
West has bid the pants off their hand. I think cueing would be much better than key-carding, because it allows East to evaluate their hand rather than just us blindly bidding slam opposite the correct number of key-cards. So, I think most of the blame goes to West's 4NT."

What though of the 3Club-small bid?

Peter Newell “I don’t mind the auction, the only East bid that is questionable is 3Club-small, and I prefer it to 2Spade-small or 3Diamond-small. It very clearly shows where your values are, other bids being a distortion.”

Too strong really for a non-forcing 3Diamond-small while you just cannot repeat the anaemic spade suit. It does seem that it was the 3Club-small bid which got the auction accelerating. From West’s point of view, East could have been an ace stronger.

Generally, the Panel are not over-critical of the auction, even of West’s failure to support clubs:

Michael Cornell “I sympathise with the 3Diamond-small call but disagree with it. Partner has a strongish hand with 4+Club-small. So, I believe I should support with 4Club-small (partner often has 5).  I do have primary support.

It is pretty close though. If partner has Club-smallKJ instead of the Club-small KQ, 6Diamond-small is the best spot.”

Peter Newell As far as West’s bidding is concerned, I don’t mind 3Diamond-small (assuming it is forcing). 3Spade-small is clearly an option, but I don’t like 4Club-small as it consumes too much room and the clubs are bad. 

4NT is mildly pushy if one bids 3Club-small freely. Clearly slam is definitely in the picture but it may be better to start with 4Heart-small cue bid, and when one doesn’t hear a 4Spade-small cue bid, that’s a bit off putting…

So, probably 4NT is the least bid I like, but I don’t mind any of the bids really.”

Peter would prefer to have been in 5Diamond-small though was happy enough a level higher. However, the most critical of the auction was:

Bruce Anderson “I don’t approve of the final contract as even if the spade finesse wins, there may still be club loser, and on a bad day there could even be a trump loser. So, the slam falls short of the required percentage for bidding a minor suit slam, which I understand to be 48%.

The East hand was not strong enough to bid 3Club-small and then support diamonds; partner will never envisage such a weak spade suit. I think bidding 3Diamond-small immediately is correct.

Even then West may still make a move as if partner’s spade suit is headed by KJ and he has both minor suit aces, the slam will be good. But after an immediate raise of diamonds, West may show restraint, rather than play partner for four key cards. That was never going to happen after East bid 3Club-small and then showed diamond support.”  

One negative feature, despite East’s strong bidding was that they appeared to have shown a 5134 shape. Thus, both partners had just one heart, not the best. However, as Bruce said, 3Club-small gave the auction impetus. Even then, on a different day, had East bid 3NT over 3Diamond-small, West may have passed.

The proof of the pudding is in the….

Let’s see if the aggressive bidding did pay off. As West thanked their partner for dummy, they might have felt just a little short-changed in the spade suit.

East Deals
Both Vul
10 7 4
A Q 8 6 5 2
J 6 3
4
A Q
7
K Q 10 7 4 2
8 7 6 3
 
N
W   E
S
 
J 9 6 5 2
J
A 8 5
A K Q 5
 
K 8 3
K 10 9 4 3
9
J 10 9 2
West North East South
    1  Pass
2  Pass 3  Pass
3  Pass 4  Pass
4 NT Pass 5  Pass
6  All pass    

 

The Heart-smallA lead was followed by a club switch. Declarer won and followed with the critical successful spade finesse, two high diamonds in the West hand and Spade-smallA. Back to the Diamond-smallA and a spade ruff set up a vital discard foe the potential and real club loser. Had spades broken 4-2, it would have been necessary to play that way, using every entry to the East hand to set up and then enjoy the fifth spade for the club discard.

So, generally, the Panel were mildly critical of the auction. 5Diamond-small may be best but one could imagine 6Diamond-small making on a too imaginative spade lead away from the king held by West while the other table failed in 5Club-small with a bad trump break and the losing spade finesse.

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Living slightly dangerously in 6Diamond-small, but those in this slam survived.

There has been some debate recently about what constitutes a 2Club-small game- forcing opener. I feel fairly confident that the hand below would be accepted by even the most conservative 2Club-small opener as being strong enough. There is only one problem. You are not the opener and it was not your partner who got in first!

Power!

North Deals
None Vul
   
A K J 8
A 3
A K Q
A Q 3 2
 
N
W   E
S
   
West North East South
  Pass Pass 2 
Dbl Pass 2 NT Pass
?      

 

2Heart-small is weak (you might guess that!), a 5 card suit with 4+ of a minor suit. Your first action is reasonable but what now? Oh, 2NT was Lebensohl asking you to bid 3Club-small. Partner will normally have a hand in the 0-6 range and without ambition. Have you?

You have the weekend to count your high-card points and decide on your next bid.

Richard Solomon

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