|
Hand Analyses 6th February, 2008
There’s an abundance of links on this page, here’s what they all mean: - Notations such as Bidding Quiz (North) are links to the weekly Bidding Quiz, a selection of the 15-20 most interesting bidding situations of the week. - Each week we pick out two or three hands which are suitable for presentation in problem format, as in Play Problem 203 (West), linking you to a page with only two hands on display. Solve the problem first, then see the solution and the entire deal. - Some analyses contain references to bidding conventions, and you’ll see links to articles in our Convention Library such as Roman Key Card - In BridgeOpedia we have categorized by theme the entire history of the most instructive Wednesday Game hands, two year’s worth. Occasionally you will see a purple arrow, linking to the relevant BridgeOpedia section. For example, in this week’s Board 13, Declarer has trump control issues to be resolved. Adjacent to the text for that hand you will see the link >>BRIDGEOPEDIA: “Trump Control”>> which will transport you to the collection of hands with the same theme.
Most players would not pass the East hand with those 3 quick tricks, even if it is just 11 HCP’s and a hand that fails the Rule of Twenty test. On the next round of bidding, for those pairs that play Support Doubles, East’s 2♠ guarantees 4-card support. We’d categorize West’s 4♠ as somewhat risky. He was bidding it as a sacrifice, of course, but South could well have 4 Spades on this auction, and it is easy enough to see the hand disintegrating in the face of repeated Heart leads.
If West plays it in 4♠ doubled, he will make the contract unless the defenders cash their Diamonds in time. Here are three ways in which the defense could hand Declarer his contract: - North leads her singleton Club, hoping for a ruff. But Declarer wins the opening lead, draws two rounds of trumps and starts cashing Clubs. Alas for the defense, the last trump is in the hand with the three Clubs, so a Diamond loser goes away. Making 10 tricks. - North leads a trump and again it’s 10 tricks for Declarer. - North leads the Heart Ten and South mistakenly tries to cash a second Heart before cashing the Diamonds. But surely that won't happen, North is unlikely to have 4 Hearts and 6 Diamonds.
How does 4♥ by North fare? Just fine, it’s 10 tricks, no more and no less. So, even if 4♠ doubled is beaten, E-W will have achieved a very good board.
In the previous Wednesday Game we featured Support Doubles as our Convention of the Week and in this set our obliging computer has dealt us two such hands right off the bat. Here, the Redouble shows 3-card support, West’s 3♠ was invitational (4♠ was no doubt tempting with that double fit and nice distribution), and East dredged up 4♠.
Will 4♠ make? As on the previous board the opening lead will be crucial: - If North decides to cut down on Dummy’s ruffing power by leading a trump, then 10 tricks will roll in. - Alternatively, North might lay down the A♥. Will North now find the A♦ switch, beating the contract two tricks when South scores two ruffs? South can make sure that North does! On the first trick, she should play the Jack! This will be strange-looking enough give North pause for thought. It supposedly denies the Queen, and it’s obviously not top of a sequence as North is looking at the Ten. Surely, therefore, South is trying to send a message, and what can that message be other than “Give me a Diamond ruff!” So, North cashes the A♦, leads a low Diamond (suit preference, if only for practice), and South gets her two ruffs. That dropping of the J♥ is known as an Alarm Clock Play, it's purpose being to say "Wake up, Partner, there's something I want you to do!"
West has one of those 5-6 hands where the opening bid decision is whether to bid the 5-card suit first or whether to open with the longer suit planning to reverse. Well, maybe not much of a decision, perhaps, surely that 4-loser hand is worth a reverse. West’s 4♦ was a splinter, of course, showing support for Spades, Diamond shortness, and the values for game. East, with substantial extras himself, tried Roman Key Card. The 5NT response? That showed 2 Key Cards and a void, for more on which please see the Bidding Quiz. East then had an easy enough 7♠ bid, surely Partner had the K♥ for his vigorous bidding (even Kxx in Clubs without the K♥ would have been enough).
Is anyone wondering where N-S were while E-W were showing off their high-tech Roman Key Card agreements? Yes, South was fast asleep it seems, at this favorable vulnerability it pays to get into the auction with 5-5 hands, in the hope of either finding a profitable sacrifice or disrupting the opponents’ auction. Here is what might happen if South is more enterprising: South West North East Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠ 2NT 4♦ ?? Anything less than 6♦ here would be quite feeble, and even 7♦ is not unconscionable. In the face of this N-S barrage it would be quite a feat for N-S to reach their grand slam.
Quick question. Suppose that you play Support Doubles (and Redoubles). Is this a Support Redouble situation? That’s a matter for partnership agreement. Our own preference is for the Redouble to show a good hand (probably 18-19 due to the failure to open 1NT and the failure to bid a second suit), we don’t see the need to show 3-card support for a minor. But that’s just our preference, as always the most important thing is that you and Partner are on the same page.
Walsh Addendum For those E-W pairs that play “Walsh-style”, East will bypass his Diamond suit and go straight to his 4-card major, perhaps leading to this auction: West North East South 1♣ Pass 1♥ Dbl Rdbl Pass Pass 1♠ Pass Pass Dbl Pass 2♣ Pass Pass Pass Now, West’s Redouble does show 3-card support for Partner, and East’s balancing Double said “I don’t want to sell out to 1♠, but I don’t know what to do”.
For the second hand in the set, the opening bidder has 3 quick tricks and only 11 HCP’s. South then bid a forcing No Trump and the shaky contract of 2♥ was reached. Unless the defense errs, there are two trumps, three Diamonds and the A♣ to be lost. That’s down one for starters, and if a Spade is also lost, then that will be down two and the dreaded -200. Declarer can avoid that Spade loser if she plays on Clubs immediately, setting up a Spade pitch while she still has an entry to Dummy with the K♥. In fact, it’s even possible to imagine E-W going astray and letting 2♥ make with this unfortunate defense: J♠ lead won by Declarer’s Ace, West playing the Six Club to Dummy’s King Heart to Declarer’s Ace Club won by East’s Ace Spade continuation won by Declarer’s King Over to Dummy’s K♥ Q♣ is cashed, pitching a Spade Another Club, Declarer pitching a Diamond, East ruffing with a natural trump trick. Of course, East has to shift to a Diamond when in with the A♣, but the Spade situation may not be clear. For example, West might have started with ♠ KQ63 and Declarer with ♠ A98 (and the A♦), holdings that would be consistent with the play to the first trick.
E-W can make 3NT but it’s a moderate game at best, we are not sure that we would want to be there. East chose to respond 1NT which looks reasonable enough to us. An alternative would be to show a limit raise in Clubs (perhaps via an Inverted Raise, if that is the E-W method), but we would classify that as an overbid.
Playing in a No Trump contract, East (or West) should come to 9 tricks easily enough. There are three Spades tricks available, plus three Hearts, two Diamonds and two Clubs. That’s 10 tricks, but the defense will surely get a trick in each suit before Declarer can collect his 10. So, we expect a bunch of 150’s and a sprinkling of 600’s.
North’s 2♣ was forcing to game, and her 4NT bid was a general slam try. Not Blackwood or Roman Key Card? Yes, many would play it as that, please see the Bidding Quiz.
6♦ requires some luck in the trump suit. South cashes the A♦ and the Ten appears on her left. Should she play for the drop on the second round? Or finesse against the Queen? These two plays are pretty close, 53% to 52% in favor of playing for the drop. Guess well!
E-W did well to stay out of slam on this board (even the 5-level is uncomfortably high), for more on which please see the Bidding Quiz.
The best lead for the defense is a Diamond, setting up a trick in the suit before Declarer can organize a Diamond pitch on the Spades. This makes sure of 11 tricks, maybe 12 depending on the play of the trump suit (see below). However, a Spade lead seems more likely on this auction, and now the defense’s Diamond trick will be but a wistful dream.
How should Declarer play the trump suit? The percentage play is to lead the Queen (or Jack), and, if North covers with the King, to finesse the Nine on the second round. This picks up the suit for no losers if North holds K8 or K6 or K3, but, the computer perversely dealt North KT, so the percentage play ends up losing one trump trick. Another way to play the trump suit (and the best way if the goal is to avoid two losers) is to cash the Ace and lead towards the Queen, and this approach also ends up with one loser on the actual hand.
How does 3NT fare? It will probably be played by West with an opening Club lead. That’s most inconvenient for Declarer knocking out the entry to Declarer’s Hearts before the suit is set up. In the circumstances, Declarer does best to go after the Diamonds, and the play might develop as follows: Club lead to Dummy’s Queen Low Diamond to South’s Queen Club return won by Declarer Two more Clubs are cashed (Dummy pitching a Spade and a Heart) Diamond finesse is lost to South Now, the defense can score the A♠, but otherwise Dummy is good and it’s 10 tricks for Declarer.
South can make things more interesting by returning a Heart at Trick Three, attacking Dummy’s entry before the Diamonds are set up. Declarer plays the Queen, covered by the King and Ace. The K♠ is won by South’s Ace and South reverts to Clubs. Now Declarer might well cash his Clubs (pitching a Spade and two Diamonds), cross to the A♦, cash the Spades, and lead towards the Q♥. Now: - He can jump up with the K♥, the safe play for 9 tricks, but scoring 11 tricks when the Ten comes down. - He may reason that just 9 tricks will be a bad board, and he will risk his contract by finessing the Nine. Unlucky, that’s down one. Reasonable play by Declarer, good defense by South with that entry-destroying Heart shift.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
