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Hand Analyses 14th February, 2007
We’re all familiar with the No Trump ranges for overcalling in the direct seat, typically we will overcall 1NT with 15-18 and Double and then bid No Trump with more than 18. In the balancing seat the ranges are adjusted to something like the following: - 11-15: Bid 1NT - 16-18: Double and rebid No Trump - 19-20: Bid 2NT - 21-22: Double and jump in No Trump So, according to these adjusted ranges, West has an obvious 2NT bid, which is followed by a transfer sequence to 3NT.
Against 3NT, North leads a Spade, and now the A♣, then a Club to the King, a Spade back, and it’s 9 tricks for Declarer.
Double Dummy Department If you like Double Dummy problems, here’s a good one. How does West make 10 tricks in No Trump on a Spade lead? Here is the solution: Spade lead to Declarer’s Jack Cash A♦ and cross to the Q♦ (extracting exit cards from North) Run the Q♣ (keeping South off lead) Club ducked to North’s Jack Now North is end-played in the major suits.
How do you play new suits opposite a Weak Two? Here are 3 common approaches: - New suits are forcing (probably the most common treatment) - New suits are non-forcing - New suits are forcing if at the 3-level, non-forcing if at the 2-level.
Perhaps we should say “non-forcing but constructive” because it’s not recommended that bidding over Partner’s Weak Two is merely a means of escape to another suit, it should show some values, with hopes for game opposite the right hand.
On this deal, if we were playing “New Suits Forcing”, then we would pass the West hand. And if we were playing that 2♠ would be constructive but not forcing? Then we might try 2♠ (which we think East should pass), though Pass also does not seem so terrible.
There is not much to the play of the hand, 2♥ and 2♠ both make 8 tricks.
Quite a wild deal! All four players had at least one key decision to make in the auction: - West’s 3♠: This is a hand that we would normally open 4♠ with, except, at this adverse vulnerability, we’d say that 3♠ is enough. - North’s 4♠: North has too much playing strength to bid 5♦ directly. - East’s 5♣: East is prepared to bid to 5♠ but along the way he throws in a lead-director in case Partner is on lead against 6♦ - South’s Doubles: East had a good thought when he introduced Clubs, trying to help Partner, but alas for E-W he also helps N-S … with Clubs on her right, and White vs Red, it now seems clear to defend this one at the 5-level. - North’s 5♦: South has expressed a desire to defend with that Double of 5♣, but we would say that 7-card support is worth one more bid here, wouldn’t you? - East’s 5♠: Perhaps we are influenced by having seen the whole hand, but we are far from convinced that East should bid 5♠ here. Please see the Bidding Quiz.
Who knows what final contracts will be reached on this board? We do know that if West plays it in Spades he will score just 9 tricks, which in the featured auction will not be a good result, -500 against a non-vulnerable game.
How does 5♦ fare, played by South? Please see Play Problem # 126.
Total Tricks Addendum In competitive bidding situations Total Tricks analysis is a valuable tool. As is well-known by now, “The Law” says that the total number of trumps tends to equal the total number of tricks. On this deal N-S have 12 trumps, E-W have 11, for a total of 23 trumps, and that would suggest 23 total tricks. But it’s not even close! E-W can make 9 tricks, and N-S will be struggling to make 11 tricks, for a total of 19 or 20 and a shortfall of at least 3.
What went wrong here? Well, first of all, it would be foolish to claim that The Law was infallible. Furthermore, the higher the level the less accurate The Law becomes. Finally, there are certain holdings which diminish the total number of tricks and in this deal there are two such suits: - The E-W Heart holding does nothing for their offensive prospects but defensively it’s worth a trick. - The N-S Club holding likewise, that KJx is great for defense opposite Partner’s singleton (worth two tricks), but is utterly useless if N-S declare a Spade contract
So, let’s not take The Law overly seriously above the 4-level, and let’s remember that certain honor holdings opposite shortness often diminish the number of total tricks.
N-S were playing Support Doubles, so that 2♠ raise guaranteed 4-card support (with only 3 Spades she would double 2♦). Armed with that information, North could be sure of a 9-card fit and was comfortable competing to the 3-level on quite modest values.
Against 3♦, East will no doubt lead a low Diamond to West’s Ace. The defense can now set the contract with a shift to a low Heart, then later when West gets in with the A♠ he can lead another Heart through, thereby ensuring that the defense scores a Spade, 3 Hearts and a Diamond for down one. But there’s a small snag here, see what it is? Yes, East won’t know that West has the A♠ and does not have the K♥, so after winning the Heart shift with the T♥ he might well persist with Hearts, fearing that Dummy’s Hearts are about go away on Diamonds, or that Declarer’s Hearts will go away on Clubs. A considerate West will not let his Partner go wrong here … at Trick Two he will shift to the Queen of Hearts!
North makes a reopening Double (we also wouldn’t argue with 2♥ here), South makes a Penalty Pass, and West goes into rescue mode with an SOS Redouble. It turns out that E-W have a safe harbor in 2♦ (down only one), and North reasonably decides to compete to 2♥.
Nothing to the play in 2♥, it will be 9 tricks.
Over 3♥ we would say that 4♠ is a bit of an overbid. How about 3♠ instead? That looks to us like an underbid. Anyone for 3½ Spades? Please see the Bidding Quiz.
4♠ turns out to be a lucky contract indeed. There are 3 inescapable losers in the red suits and it will all come down to avoiding a Club loser. A doubleton Club Queen in either of the defender’s hands would seem to be required, but on the actual hand the Club loser is averted in an unexpected way. Hearts are cashed by the defense, trumps are drawn by Declarer, and then the A♣ fells South’s Queen on the first round of the suit. The good news for Declarer is that he does not have a 3rd round Club loser, but the bad news is that he has a 4th round loser instead. No problem! With the KQ♦ both onside it’s possible to build a second Diamond winner as a place to park that 4th round loser. Making a rather fortunate 10 tricks.
West’s Double was Responsive, in this situation guaranteeing 4 Spades, and the final unexciting contract of 3♦ produced a routine 9 tricks.
Against 3NT, West will no doubt want to lead a major (the suits North that has denied) and, just to make the play interesting, we’ll force West to lead a Heart which Dummy’s Ace wins. Declarer would like to delay the Club guess until she has learned more about the hand, but she does not have the entries to her hand to permit that, so she might as well play on Clubs immediately. Here’s how the play might go: Win the Heart lead with the Ace Cash A♣ Club to the Nine Run the 9♦ (not the Jack!) Now run the J♦ Finish the Diamonds, ending on the board A Club back to Declarer’s hand Cash the last Club (West pitching a Heart) Now, in the end-game, if Declarer can read the position correctly, she will cash the K♥, and lead the Q♠, won by West’s King, and end-playing him in Spades. Making 12 tricks the hard way! The easy way would have been if West had been kind enough to lead a Spade at Trick One.
Here we have a repeat of the previous auction, this time by E-W, and again the opening leader will be predisposed to lead a major suit, this time presumably a Spade. Now Declarer knocks out the A♣ and K♣ and winds up with 3 Spades, a Heart, 3 Diamonds, and 2 Clubs for a total of 9 tricks.
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