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Hand Analyses 19th March, 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 1, Declarer is faced with a Restricted Choice situation. Adjacent to the text for that hand you will see the link >>BRIDGEOPEDIA: “Restricted Choice”>> which will transport you to the collection of hands with the same theme.
North’s 4♥ bid was an attempt to jam the auction, but that was to no avail as East had a clear 4♠ bid. There’s nothing to the play in 4♠, it’s an easy 11 tricks when the A♣ is onside.
North no doubt considered bidding 5♥ as a sacrifice, and that will be either a spectacular success or a spectacular failure, nothing in between. The difference between triumph and disaster will be the play of the Club suit. The defense starts out with Diamonds and Declarer ruffs the second round. Declarer cashes the A♣, noting the fall of the Ten from East, then plays three rounds of trumps ending on the board. The bidding suggests that the K♣ is with East (though it’s no certainty), and the play of the T♣ is a further indication for Declarer to run the 9♣ on the second round of the suit (it’s another application of the Principle of Restricted Choice). It was nice play by Declarer to cash the A♣, rather than take a first round finesse. A well-earned top for those N-S pairs who escaped for -300! >>BRIDGEOPEDIA: “Restricted Choice”>>
Back to the bidding. Many, perhaps most, Easts will make a Michaels Cue-Bid (in this case showing Spades and a minor) over the 1♥ opening, and that is a matter of partnership style. Those Easts who like their Michaels bids to be weak or strong (but not in between) may consider this hand a tweener, though it looks pretty close to a strong Michaels, don’t you think? Anyway, the Michaels bidders should have no trouble getting to game for the same result as the 1♠ overcallers.
There’s not much to the bidding here, but as North what would you lead against 4♥? Here are the possibilities: - A Trump? Surely not from that holding, it’s too likely to blow a trick. - A Diamond? There’s not much point to this opening lead, it’s unlikely that the defense’s Diamond tricks are going anywhere, so all that this lead is likely to do is to give up a tempo. - A Spade? This looks relatively safe and from North’s point of view it might well set up a Spade trick before Declarer’s Spade loser goes on a Diamond. - A Club? Yes, this looks like the most dynamic lead to us, there might well be a second Club trick for the defense on the right layout. But the relative shortness of the suit could also save Declarer a Club guess on some layouts.
So, it looks to us like a choice between a safe Spade and an aggressive Club, and we are delighted to be able to report that both of these leads hold Declarer to 10 tricks. If North leads a Diamond then Declarer will win the K♦ in hand and lead a Heart … now North can save the day by jumping up with the A♥ and shooting back a Club, any other defense will allow Declarer to make 11 tricks. Finally, if North leads a Heart for some strange reason it will be 11 tricks, that Club loser will disappear on the 13th Diamond.
South’s 3♦ is not exactly text-book, but at favorable vulnerability nobody cares much about text-books. After West doubles, East had to choose between a penalty pass, 3NT, 3♥ or 4♥, for more on which please see the Bidding Quiz.
These are the possible outcomes: - If East makes a Penalty Pass: The vulnerability works against this choice, and although it goes down three tricks that is not enough to compensate for E-W’s vulnerable game. - If E-W bid the Heart Game: 12 tricks are made provided that Declarer does not make a mistake in the play of the Spades. He’ll play North for the Q♠ based on the bidding, but, as Declarer cannot pick up Qxxx in the North hand (the spots are not good enough), he should start out the suit by playing Dummy’s Ace, getting rewarded when South’s Queen comes tumbling down. >>BRIDGEOPEDIA: “Suit Combinations”>> - If East bids 3NT: We confess that this would be our choice, but it’s not the winner when it turns out that only 11 tricks are available. - If West plays in 4♠: This might happen if South feebly declines to preempt with that moth-eaten Diamond suit. Now, the auction might go 1♠ 2♠, 4♠, and it’s an easy 12 tricks with the aid of a Club ruff in Dummy.
On this board we can predict with confidence that there will be almost as many different auctions as there will be tables in play and that there will be final contracts in all four suits. Let’s look at each action in turn: - West’s 1♣: This one doesn’t pass the Rule of Twenty, but it’s close enough for us. The singleton, the long suit, and the two-and-a-half quick tricks, all indicate action, and with two Aces it’s certainly not a hand that one would want to preempt on. So, 1♣ it is! - North’s 1♠: One of the few bids in the entire auction to which nobody could take exception! - East’s 2♦: East had the choice between bidding Diamonds and raising Clubs, for more on which please see the Bidding Quiz. - South’s 2♥: South also had the choice between raising Partner and introducing his own suit. We are always encouraged to “support with support”, but it’s hard to ignore a 7-card major, don’t you think? So, South bids her own suit first planning to support Spades later. - West’s 3♦: First, West opens on what some would say are sub-minimal values, now he freely raises Partner at the 3-level. And rightly so, he still has the same hand that he originally thought was worth a 1♣ opening, and he has shortness in one of the enemy suits, so there’s surely no good reason to withhold that Diamond support. - North’s 3♥: The K♦ appears badly placed, and the Heart support is not the greatest, but it would surely be wrong not to raise Partner here. - East’s 4♣: East may have been minimum for his first bid (at least in terms of HCP’s), but his hand has gotten better with each successive bid. East might be tempted to withhold his Club support, reasoning that the hand would be better played from his side (to protect the Heart holding), but we like 4♣ here, it lets Partner in on the double fit and gives him a better chance of making the right competitive decision if the opponents bid again. - South’s 4♥: At this point in the proceedings, South (just like everybody else at the table!) has no idea who can make what, but she does know that it’s a double-fitter, and she does have 7 Hearts. Sure, she wishes that those minor suit high cards were more usefully placed, but even so it seems clear to bid 4♥ here. It would be nice to let Partner in on the Spade fit, of course, but it’s too late for that, and probably unnecessary, in light of her limited 3♥ bid it seems unlikely that Partner will be bidding again. - West’s 5♣: West bids one more for the road, not knowing whether he is bidding to make or bidding as a sacrifice. - East’s 5♦: This seems pretty clear-cut, East cannot know for sure that Partner has a singleton Heart, so he protects his Heart holding from the opening lead.
An interesting auction! N-S did well not to double 5♣, but would have done better to take the sacrifice. But that was far from obvious, this hand being an exception to the old advice “The five-level belongs to the opponents”.
As South, after North’s 2NT opening, would you bid 3NT or would you look for a 4-4 Spade fit? Just because South’s square hand has no ruffing values does not mean that there is not a useful ruff in Opener’s hand. On the other hand, South does have nothing but Queens and Jacks, and such hands tend to play just as well in No Trump. Take your pick on this one, but either way 3NT by North will be the final contract.
Against 3NT, East will probably lead a Heart. Declarer wins and plays on Diamonds, and East plays another low Heart after winning the A♦. This accurate defense ensures 4 tricks for E-W.
Anyone for a 3♣ opening bid by South? True, N-S have the vulnerability in their favor, but that’s about all that the preempt has going for it. On the down-side there are only 6 Clubs, mangy ones at that, and the two Aces provide altogether too much defense for an opening preempt. The clinching argument is that South is in second seat, the worst place for an off-beat preemptive effort. So, much as we like to jump in when White vs Red, this is not the right time for it. In fact, if South does chance her arm with a 3♣ opening she will live to regret it when East balances with a Double (yes, he should with that hand!) and West makes a penalty Pass. 3♣ doubled is down three for a (well-earned) dreadful result.
Assuming that South’s manages to refrain from the preempt, West will open 1♣, after which it seems likely that North will play it in 2♠ (that 2♣ bid by South was not showing Clubs, it was a sound Spade raise). Here is how the play might go in 2♠: East leads a Club to Dummy’s Ace Diamond to Declarer’s King and East’s Ace Three rounds of Hearts Club ruffed by Declarer At this point, Declarer does best to run the J♠ (surely the Q♠ is with East), in which case the play might continue: J♠ covered by the Queen and Ace Club ruffed by the Seven, overruffed by the Ten (East does no better by declining to overruff) Spade return won on the board Club ruff Now Dummy’s Clubs are good. Do you see where East went wrong on the defense? Yes, he should not cover the J♠ with the Queen, after which Declarer can come to just 7 tricks. However, Declarer can make 8 tricks if she finesses the T♦ at Trick Two.
When 1♥ was passed around to him, East could be fairly certain that Partner had a good Heart holding, so it was clear for him to balance with a Double rather than with 1♠. North no doubt considered an SOS Redouble, that would have been as reasonable a guess as passing.
Playing in 1♥ doubled will be a miserable experience for South, she’ll end up with no more than 5 or 6 tricks. -500 or -800 will both be bad results for N-S on this part-score hand. If North redoubles, then N-S will end up in 1NT or 2♦ (both will be doubled), also going for 500 or 800.
We don’t know about you but as West we would not be able to resist opening 2♠ with that magnificent 5-card suit. Whether this works out at the table is a moot point. Against 2♠ North leads the K♣, after which the hand will develop into a battle for ruffs in Declarer’s hand. Declarer ducks the opening lead, wins the Club continuation, and leads another Club which South does best to ruff with the Six, Declarer pitching a Diamond. Now, South cannot shift to a Heart, and it would be a mistake to start cashing Diamonds, that would allow Declarer to score all 5 of his trumps. So, best defense (after ruffing the Club) is to play a low trump. Declarer wins that and exits a Diamond. The defense wins that and leads another trump. Now a losing Heart finesse and yet another trump comes back. Declarer crosses to the A♥ and ruffs a Diamond, but the excellent defense has prevailed, Declarer can score no more than 4 trump tricks and 2 side-suit Aces.
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