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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Under-valued!

Have Aces: Go Places.

and “those places” can be in the slam zone. The ingredients would be a reasonable trump fit, shortages and aces. Let’s see:

Bridge in NZ.pngnz map.jpg

 
 
 
K Q 7 2
J 6 3 2
A Q 6 4
6
West North East South
    Pass 1 
Pass ?    

 

Let’s see we what we would bid. We are playing 5-card majors. We are strong enough to bid to game, maybe even to go higher if our cards gel. Rather than make a bid like the Jacoby 2NT (game forcing with 4-card trump support), this is a “telling” hand, “telling” partner you have trump support, game values and a shortage in clubs.

If our partner likes the sound of our bid, they will either cue-bid or maybe even use Key Card/ Blackwood. So, we bid 4Club-small, a splinter saying all of the above….and partner did seem to like it because their next bid was 4Diamond-small, showing a control (ace or king, singleton or void) in that suit.

You have one more important bid to make…and then you can take a rest. You like the sound of partner’s 4Diamond-small, great if it shows Diamond-smallK but not so bad even if it was say a singleton. So, rather than sign-off in 4Heart-small (trumps are not your best asset!), you can make a cue-bid of your own, 4Spade-small.

Out came 4NT Key-Card and your 5Club-small response showed 1 or 4. That was all that partner needed to try 6Heart-small. Take a rest as you are dummy. West led Heart-small7.

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

 

That lead was a little annoying as South would like to ruff three clubs in dummy and perhaps fall back on an even spade break or the diamond finesse if this was not possible.

However, South played the board well. Win in hand and then play Club-smallA and ruff a club. Next came Diamond-smallA and a ruff and then another club ruff. Back to hand with Spade-smallA and ruff South’s fourth club with dummy’s last trump.

A second diamond was ruffed in hand and then Heart-smallA was cashed. West could ruff the spade continuation when they liked but as declarer still had the Heart-small9, that was the only trick the defence could take.

Aces opposite singletons in both minor suits. That was the key to this 26 hcp slam. Indeed, the Diamond-smallQ was not needed though all the rest of North-Souths high-card points were.

The above was the bidding and play of Wellington’s Anne-Marie Russell and Debbie McLeod but only six other pairs in a field of 20 tables matched them in bidding and making the slam.

slam.jpg

 

When aces face shortages, you can think of lots of tricks as long as you have sufficient trumps: the time to be aggressive.

 

A Little Bit of Everything.

That’s one way of describing the hand below.

     
West Deals
N-S Vul
 
N
W   E
S
   
 
K 9 5 4 3
K 4
K 9 6
Q 10 3
West North East South
Pass 1  1  ?

 

Maybe it would be easier to bid now if East was your partner! You are playing Teams and 1Heart-small promises at least a 5-card suit. What is your choice of bids?

Richard Solomon

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