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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

In your bidding.

Aces go Places!

An ace is worth more than 4 hcp which means two must take you in or towards double figures. Throw in a side-suit singleton and four cards in partner’s weak 2 and it looks like we have a pretty good hand.

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West Deals
None Vul

 

N

W

 

E

S

   
 

K 6 3 2

A 9 4

5

A 7 5 4 2

 

West

North

East

South

Pass

2 

Dbl

2 

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

?

2Diamond-small is a 2- way Multi which, by your partner’s 2Spade-small bid  is confirmed as a Weak 2 in spades. East’s double is described as “take-out style, not necessarily more than a minimum opening hand.”  

It is your turn. What now?

“What now?” For some of our Panel, our previous action, or lack of action, attracts criticism. East’s double tells us that our partner has a Weak 2 in one of the majors.

Andy Braithwaite “I would have bid 3Heart-small initially which should be pass or correct to the major- and then bid 4Spade-small over 3Spade-small.”

Nigel Kearney “We should have bid 3Heart-small last time to make it harder for them and have been lucky to get away with the feeble 2Heart-small.”

Or starting with a constructive enquiry (2NT):

Michael Cornell “Unless our multis are seriously weak (5?), I would certainly have started with an inquiry.”

The next question is had we bid as above as to whether 3Spade-small now is invitational or pre-emptive. There are differing views:

Peter Newell “3Spade-small should be invitational.  Firstly, if South wished to pre-empt, he could have bid 3Heart-small pass or correct on the first round.  Secondly, West has passed twice, and East has passed over 2Spade-small, so seems very unlikely that he is going to bid over 3Spade-small.

Finally, hands which are invitational in spades but not suitable for hearts need to bid this way. You cannot start with a 2NT enquiry if you want to invite in 1 suit, but don’t want to in the other major.”

Michael Cornell “Clearly invitational. Who are we trying to pre-empt? West could not bid over 2Heart-small?”

Maybe their silence was because they held hearts?

Andy Braithwaite “3Spade-small should be pre-emptive not invitational as I would have bid 2NT with many invite hands to see if partner was max or min.”

Bruce Anderson “I would treat 3Spade-small as obstructive, not invitational.”

Nigel Kearney “2NT would be invitational in spades and 3Spade-small pre-emptive.”

2NT is certainly available as in invitational spade raise though it does seem to give the opponents just a little extra space to remain in the bidding. However, before you next raise your partner to 3Spade-small, be clear as to what they would expect from the bid.

So far, there have been some differing views but not so when it comes to what we should bid now.

Michael Cornell “4Spade-small: It’s big odds on opposite Spade-smallAxxxxx Heart-smallxx Diamond-smallxxx Club-smallxx, isn’t it?”

Andy Braithwaite “4Spade-small: mine is a really good hand.”

Kris Wooles “4Spade-small: with this fit, shape and pointy high cards I would never bid anything less. “

Nigel Kearney “4Spade-small: I am worth an invite but prefer to just bid 4Spade-small. It might make even opposite a minimum, e.g. Spade-smallAJxxxx Heart-smallxx Diamond-smallxxx Club-smallxx. I also don't have a lot of defence against 4Heart-small.”

Pam Livingston “4Spade-small: Only 11 hcp but sharp cards (i.e., aces and kings) and a singleton as well as a 10-card fit.”

Bruce Anderson “4Spade-small: The way my hand is made up, 4 card support, 2 aces and a singleton, means so long as partner has a decent 6 card, suit game will be unlucky to go down. It is unlikely partner has garbage (Spade-smallQJxxxx and out) as our opponents have subsided so quickly. Even if partner has a 6322 shape, we may get the club suit going if there is no heart lead; it more likely partner has 3 or 4 diamonds, rather a hand with 3 clubs. 3Spade-small would be insipid.”

A little doubt but the same conclusion from:

Stephen Blackstock “4Spade-small: But only in the vacuum of not knowing who partner is and what agreements/style/standards the partnership has for weak 2s. If they may be quite weak with a five card suit only and partner will accept an invitation aggressively, then 3Spade-small (invitational) may be enough. However, four trumps, aces and a shortage will make game opposite so many hands that bidding less than 4Spade-small in the present context would be very conservative.”

and I would say Peter is really advocating 3 ¾ spades!

Peter Newell “3Spade-small or 4Spade-small: This depends on your partner’s style. Is the range 8-10, 6-10, or 2-8?  Can the bid be made on a 5-card suit?  Opposite a “normal strength” weak 2, I think it is worth an invitational 3Spade-small bid and a 4Spade-small bid if partner opens sound weak 2s.

Let’s say partner has:

Spade-smallAQxxxxx

Heart-smallxx

Diamond-smallJxx

Club-smallxx

 

4Spade-small is very good yet partner has a fairly average hand (and the Spade-smallQ is somewhat unnecessary) but two useful doubletons (more likely to have length in partner's longer suits). If partner had the Heart-small or Club-small K  or Q, it would be good even opposite shapes like 6322 or 6223.  So, 3 or 4Spade-small depending on your partner – it looks like the opponents can make 4 of 5Diamond-small which is a good reason to pre-empt on the first round and is another plus to 4Spade-small, though it looks like they are not coming into the auction.”

Michael Cornell gave us a 4-count with 10 tricks a near certainty. North below would surely have accepted an invitation and would kind of want to accept a pre-emptive 3Spade-small but with the power of our own hand, why give them the chance of turning you down?

West Deals
None Vul

Q 10 9 8 5 4

7 3

A J 9

Q 8

7

Q 10 8 2

Q 10 8 6 3

K 6 3

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

A J

K J 6 5

K 7 4 2

J 10 9

 

K 6 3 2

A 9 4

5

A 7 5 4 2

 

West

North

East

South

Pass

2 

Dbl

2 

Pass

2 ♠

Pass

 

?

 

 

At the table, West’s strange inaction a round earlier was rewarded when both South and West passed 2Spade-small. Red suit games do not make but 10 tricks were easy in spades on any lead.

A useful deal to highlight what actions South should take at each of their turns to bid and to demonstrate the power of aces and shortages. Hopefully, you “went places with your aces.” At the table, West’s strange inaction a round earlier was rewarded when both South and West passed 2Spade-small. Red suit games do not make but 10 tricks were easy in spades on any lead.

 

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Not simply counting high-card points

The Panel were given the deal in the Match-Point Pairs environment where the incentive to bid risky games is not so great. 4Spade-small was just about unanimous there. Playing Swiss Pairs (the actual format)  or Teams, I would suggest this action should be an even more certain bid.

Our Monday deal will, I trust, come from the Taranaki Congress this weekend.

Richard Solomon 

 

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