Recap Of 2/26/2018 28 Board IMP Individual

Bidding choices basically decided the swings in today’s game, but there were some interesting play and defense opportunities as well that could have made a difference, both on the hands reported and some others not included.  There were only 3 double digit swings, but I included one more hand (‘only’ 9 IMPs, but a funny result).

 

 

 

In standard bidding (where Jacoby and Texas transfers are both used), when a player has a 6+ long major suit and only has game aspirations, the transfer is done at the 4 level (Texas), signing off with pass after the 1NT opener completes the transfer into game).  If a player does a Jacoby transfer and then bids game in that major, they show a suit 6+ long (since partner may only have 2), but the Jacoby sequence suggests to the 1NT opener that, should the NT bidder have a slam suitable hand, further bidding would be welcome.  The ‘Jacoby then game’ sequence is considered ‘slam invitational’.  

Also, in standard bidding, I try (and have asked my partners to try) to ‘never’ use a key card ask when they hold 2 quick losers in an unbid suit.  Use control bidding instead.

At my table, partner used Texas to arrive in 4♠ quickly and easily.  At the other table, East and West were not using the ‘standard bidding rules’ noted above and arrived in a rather unhappy 4NT contract.  Perhaps West transferred while considering playing only 3♠ but then changed his mind and decided to bid game?

Unfortunately, even 4♠ is too high, since it can be beaten after the actual diamond opening lead (unless declarer takes a view in the heart suit).  Fortunately, the defense allowed 10 tricks at my table.  The foul trump split (and strength of the ♠9) allows the defense to score 2 clubs and 2 spades.  After the ♦K was played at trick 1, I won the ♦A and reviewed the situation.  It looks like I can score 5+2+2+? – I need 10 tricks.  I have to deal with the problem in clubs – either promote the ♣Q to a trick, or ruff the third club, or take a heart finesse (to discard a club on a heart winner) or ruff out the ♥Q and then discard a club.  The last option has transportation problems (unless 3 rounds of hearts is the first thing you do, which it should be) and doesn’t seem likely to succeed (but, in fact, leading 3 rounds of hearts is the only winning line, double dummy for this lie of the cards).  There is no legitimate way to promote the ♣Q other than ♣AK onside.  If the ♣J is with South, they should cover what I lead (whether I lead the ♣10 or ♣9) with the ♣J and when I play the ♣Q from dummy, North will win the ♣A, leaving a club loser for later, hopefully to be ruffed by declarer’s small spade.  If the ♣J is with North, they will win the ♣J and the ♣AK will still be outstanding and I will need to ruff (or discard) the third club in dummy.  I led the ♣9.  Rather than cover with the ♣J (best) or duck (next best), South rose with the ♣K and not liking any other suit, continued with a small club.  The ♣J (pinning my ♣10) would have been a better continuation and given me further problems).  I ducked the club lead in dummy around to my ♣10 with North winning the ♣A (establishing my ♣Q and solving that problem).  When North shifted to a heart, I won with the ♥A and started playing trump (seeing the bad trump break).  North won the third round of trump (while South was pitching hearts) and continued hearts.  When I won the ♥K, I had to chose a red suit to ruff (low) in dummy so that I could play my last high trump from dummy, allowing me to extract the outstanding ♠9 and claim the balance of the tricks (by this point, dummy was down to the established ♣Q and trump).  Had I led a diamond, North could overruff with their ♠9, but when the ♥Q came down under the ♥K, I concluded North still had a heart remaining and ruffed my good heart in order to get to dummy, draw trump and score 10 tricks.

How might the defense have gone?  Best (cover my ♣9 with the ♣J) leaves me very poorly placed.  Double dummy, the hand can still be made, but I wouldn’t have.  North wins the ♣A, leads their last diamond which I win.  Now if I play another club (so that I can void myself in clubs and ruff the third club), South can win their preserved ♣K and play another diamond.  This promotes the trump ♠9 into the setting trick.  Playing the ♣K on the first club lead lost the defensive transportation to get the diamond ruff. 

Finally, if the ♣J was played on the first club lead, I still have the losing club to worry about to possibly go down 2.  Or take a heart finesse and go down 3?  All in all, a very messy hand.

The only way to set the hand, double dummy, is to make an opening lead of the ♣K or ♣J.  This is not happening – no one would make that lead.  Once a diamond is led, the only way to make the hand (double dummy) is to play for South to hold the ♥Q and play hearts (early) from the top, ruffing out the ♥Q.  Then take spade finesses leaving 1 trump outstanding, cash your good heart to throw away one club loser while they ruff with their last trump.  You still have a club to lose, but you make it, losing 2 clubs and a trump.

If declarer plays trumps early, there are complications that cannot be overcome.  The only entry to dummy is a red suit ruff (and that red suit better be hearts, because diamonds will be over ruffed).

After the diamond lead against 4NT at the other table, declarer won and played ♠AQ, North ducking.  East doesn’t have a lot of options to score tricks, but South pitched hearts on the spades, so the ♥AK brought down the ♥Q bringing declarer to 8 tricks (2+4+2+0).  The defense took the rest, down 2, +200 for our teammates to go with our lucky +620, win 13 IMPs.

 

 

There were quite a few missed opportunities on this hand.  First, in the bidding, since we were not playing Flannery (where opening 2♦ shows 5+ hearts and 4 spades with less than reversing values), I opened 1♥ and passed partner’s semi-forcing 1NT.  No rebid appealed and that was the best possible contract for the E-W hands.  Double dummy, the only lead to beat 1NT is the ‘impossible’ ♦J.  After the actual lead of the ♠6, declarer won in dummy and can reach 7+ tricks by attacking hearts or clubs.  But, hoping to find 3-3 diamonds, declarer played the ♦K and the hand can no longer be made.  When the ♦J fell under the ♦K, he continued with another diamond, hoping that the ♦J was an upside down count signal showing that diamonds were breaking 3-3.  Instead, he established the diamond suit for the defense and, in the end, was only able to score 2+1+2+0 for 5 tricks, down 2, -100.  Dummy was endplayed with a heart at trick 12, forced to lead from ♠K8 to the ♠A10.

Depending on how the defense goes, declarer can reach 8 or 9 tricks if the defense doesn’t get diamonds going soon enough.  The rule of 11 shows that the ♠8 is a power card, once the ♠7 falls from the North hand at trick 1.  With the ♣A onside and the ♥9 falling, 3+2+2+2 tricks are possible unless the defense gets their diamonds established early.  Here, a bit unluckily, declarer established diamonds for them.

On this hand, the ‘par’ result is 2♣ by North.  When holding a Flannery hand that is 4=5=2=2, but not having the option of a Flannery opening bid, West is stuck for a rebid after a forcing 1NT.  Sometimes bidding a 2 card club suit is chosen.  That would not work well here, since only 5 tricks are available to E-W playing in clubs.  Sometimes rebidding a modest 5 card heart suit is chosen (and that is what West did at the other table).  Sometimes stretching a reverse and bidding 2♠ is chosen, but that is nowhere near the values of this West hand.  So, after the 1♥-1NT-2♥ auction was passed around to South, they looked at their 5 card heart suit (where they would collect down 2 with best defense) and decided they didn’t want to defend.  It was time to introduce spades, so they balanced with 2♠.  North, not happy with spades, pulled it to 2NT (intended as ‘pick a minor’).  For some reason, rather than picking a minor, South persisted with 3♠ and West did not double to collect +1100.  However, they did achieve the optimum double dummy defense for +400 to go with their teammates +100 and win 11 IMPs.  Only 4 more IMPs were available had they doubled and gotten +1100.  Sometimes large numbers produce large IMPs.  Sometimes, the numbers start off so large, that making them even bigger only captures a few more IMPs.  That is one of the funny things about the IMP scoring tables.

 

 

This hand didn’t create a double digit swing, but the (failure to make an) opening bid changed things in a remarkable way.  Some have upgraded the ‘rule of 20’ to the ‘rule of 22’ saying that you need to add the length of your 2 longest suits plus high card points plus quick tricks.  Here, using that math, East, as dealer, holds 22.5.  Plus all of their HCP are in their long suits and the ♥10 is also a significant card.  Few would pass – my partner opened 1♥ but at the other table, East did not open, South passed, and West opened 1♠.  You can see how the auctions unfolded.  At the other table, North overcalled 2♥ after the 1♠ opening bid.  South’s singleton spade could be useful, but the ♠Q is unlikely to be worth any points and the trump are minuscule.  So, with 4 working HCP and 3 small trump, South raised to 3♥ which was passed around to East and they doubled, ending the auction.  Double dummy defense vs. 3♥ can achieve down 2 (only by starting with ♥A and another heart, cutting down spade ruffs in dummy).  The actual defense was only able to score 5 tricks for down 1, +100.  Chances are that East was hoping to hear a reopening double  of 2♥ and sit for penalties.  The result at the table points out the danger of making a reopening double with a void – here, if 2♥ had been passed around to West, they would need to either pass quietly, balance with 3♦ or double.  If they double, the defense needs to be more accurate or they pay out a game bonus for 2♥X scoring 8 tricks.

Back to my table – I forced game and partner signed off in 5♦.  After winning the opening ♠Q lead in dummy, declarer had to assess their plan.  Had the ♦K been onside with a 2-2 trump split plus the ♣A onside, 12 tricks were there (3+1+7+1).  But, that isn’t how it was.  Partner started diamonds with the ♦J.  This doesn’t cost a trick if diamonds are 4-0 in the North hand, but I can’t think of any lie of the cards where leading the ♦J actually gains a trick (the advantage of being able to pick up the diamond suit without loss is offset by the lost opportunity of ruffing tricks).  Besides, the opening lead looks like someone who is looking for ruffing tricks, not someone who is void in trump.  Here, with diamonds 4-0 in the South hand, starting with the ♦J cost a trick (South scored 3 trump tricks and North scores 2 clubs), so we were down 3, -300.  Paired with our teammates -100, lose 9 IMPs.

Once partner opens (I would always open this hand 1♥), I don’t see how my hand can merely invite game.  Had I raised 2♦ to 3♦, we would have played it there and might have gone plus.  Yes, people are opening light these days, but big fits often produce lots of tricks.  This one didn’t.

Would you open?  Would you stay out of game?

After the 2♥ overcall by North, would you raise to 3♥ as South?  If 2♥ is passed around to you as West, would you reopen with a double?  As East, would you start with two rounds of hearts for the defense against a doubled heart contract?

Anyway, I thought there were so many variations on bidding, defense and declarer play that I included this hand even though it wasn’t ‘double digits’.

 

 

This last hand is reminiscent of some hands last month where the bidding was the same up until the last bid – one table stayed below slam, the other ventured forth with a slam bid.  If, instead of worthless (as the cards lie) 6 HCP (♠QJ, ♣K), West had provided 3 useful HCP (♦K) or even 4 useful HCP (♣A), the slam would have produced 12 tricks.  With the opponents bidding up to 4♠, East does have reason to hope that partner’s high cards are not in spades…but, alas, they were.  As it was, both a club and diamond had to be lost, 11 tricks at both tables, +100 at my table and +650 for our teammates, win 13 (pretty random) IMPs. 

Another way to look at it – if you took away all 8 HCP from the West hand but left the distribution the same, declarer still scores 11 tricks.  Sometimes, when partner supports you at the 5 level, they can offer a trick in the play of the hand.  I think the 5♥ call is clear.  I think the final pass is reasonable, but I also think 6♥ is what I would bid with this hand.  It didn’t work.  What do you think?