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22 not enough in “22”.

You need a mighty good hand to defeat Jeremy and Jack in a game contract as the following board from the recent Asia Cup proved. Come on, be honest. You would just think a little about doubling Jeremy in the pair’s freely bid 4 contract after this sequence:

 

3 was Bergen style, 6-9 hcp with 4-card spade support. The above is your hand as West!

So, you are rather 2-suited and you would not expect much help from your partner in terms of even a modest jack. What could have tempted South to jump to game with at most 12 hcp? It would have to be a bit of shape…and suddenly maybe you do not have the best 22-count for doubling. It would, though, seem 2 to 1 on that the A is with opener.

So, might you be just a little tempted? The Indian South was:

 

Even though East did hold one (worthless) jack, it was not too pretty sight that West saw in dummy as “the other Jack” tabled the AJ and Q. Two high diamonds offered some hope for West but the second round of diamonds was a further disappointment. All that remained was for Jeremy to take a fairly marked spade finesse to record +790. I am sure neither West nor East imagined that 5 would be a cheap sacrifice for them!

With 2 5-card suits and 10hcp, that South hand does comply with the Rule of 20 for opening 1-level bids. All Jeremy needed for game was some decent trumps and any club holding other than three small and his bold leap to game would be rewarded. Our Jack did not disappoint. 

 
Jeremy and the holder of some decent 
black cards, including A and inevitably J!

At the other table, South did not open leaving the field to Michael Ware in the West seat to start…and finish the auction in 2NT. A heart lead did nothing for the defence with Michael taking 9 rather comfortable red-suit tricks (North was a little short of discards on 5 rounds of diamonds.)

Imagine, though, North had started with their lowest club. Once the defence took 5 winners there, a spade switch would see 5 more materialize before a severely battered West emerged with AAK! That’s 5 down or +500 and would almost have cancelled out the loss to 4 had this contract not been doubled!

That, of course, did not happen as New Zealand gained 14 imps on the board. A double game-swing perhaps? The board certainly showed that it’s not just how many high-card points you have in defence but how they are situated that really counts.

Any offers for a 23-hcp high hand not being good enough to defeat a game in 2023?

Richard Solomon

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