Recap Of 4/3/2019 28 Board IMP Individual

Today’s game only had 2 double digit swings (with a fair number of opportunities that failed to materialize).  Both were slam hands – see how you might bid these with your favorite partner/systems.

Diamond preempts over 1♣ opening bids are notorious for creating problems for the responding hand.  Although I had numerous comments in the bidding diagram, I will spend a bit of time on the struggles at both tables.

At my table, my partner bid (only) 2♦ and the opponents ended up in a confused auction that eventually landed in the hopeless (as the cards lie) 7♥ grand slam.  Many people play that a negative double after an auction that starts 1♣-(1♦)-X shows exactly 4=4 in both majors, but some play it shows at least 4 in each major with possibly more.  However, 1♣-(2/3♦)-X is different.  West doesn’t have the luxury of confining the specific meaning of the negative double to guaranteeing that they are 4 long in each major – the double shows values which will usually include at least 4 cards in at least 1 major, but partner doesn’t always know precisely what you hold.  For me, I would use the negative double with both auctions, even though West only held 3=4 in the major suits.  At my table, over 2♦, West elected to freely bid their heart suit even though it was only 4 long.  East cue bid 3♦ showing a strong hand and, at least temporarily asking for a diamond stopper.  West denied the diamond stopper and stalled with a 3♠ bid (interpreted by West as a hand that was 4=5 in the majors.  So, East launched into Key Card for hearts.  Upon hearing that partner had the two missing aces as well as the ♥Q, East checked on kings via 5NT (advising partner that all key cards were held) hoping that there might be a grand slam and…West ‘signed off’ in 6NT!  East was wrong when he decided 12 tricks would not be possible in NT, and when he tried to put partner in 7♥, they were not able to find 13 tricks playing in hearts.  The hands were too flat, too balanced (however a 3-2 trump split and a 3-3 spade split and a club finesse would have been enough to find 13 tricks in hearts- but it was not to be).

What about 6NT?  Since North holds the 4th round stopper in both black suits, declarer can duck a diamond lead (or win any lead, then duck a diamond) and then run 5 red winners.  The remaining 7 cards for declarer will be 4 spades in dummy along with 3 clubs, but 4 clubs in declarer’s hand along with 3 spades.  North is unable to hold 4 cards in BOTH black suits, so they will be squeezed – establishing the 4th card for declarer in whichever suit North abandons (assuming declarer takes the club finesse).  So, 12 tricks were available playing in NT.

Our teammates faced a 3♦ preemptive overcall and didn’t find the sequence to advance to slam.  West started with a negative double (as I would) and heard partner come back with 4♦.  East’s 4♦ bid allows them to not be forced to choose a major in case partner, under pressure, didn’t have both majors.  Since East has both majors, he is happy to let West choose.  But, when West chooses, they are now at game, having mentioned hearts for the first time at the 4 level.  Both East (who could advance beyond partner’s 4♥ bid) and West (who made the 4♥ bid) could have bid more.  But neither had a huge amount extra.  Since East would probably bid the way they did with one less ace, they probably need to take another bid.  But bid what?  A 5♥ bid would say ‘partner, bid 6♥ as long as you don’t have 2 fast diamond losers’ – not the key question for this slam.  Key Card would likely have worked, but that is a bit unilateral in case partner was stretching to make the negative double of 3♦.  I think, what you really want, is a quantitative invitational bid which says: ‘partner, if you have any extra, anything in reserve, for your bidding thus far, bid slam.’  Perhaps that ‘slam invite bid’ is 5♦?  A 5♦ bid would confirm that a diamond stopper is not the issue, but invite slam if partner has any reason to move onward.  Some may look at the East hand and say they simply have to drive to slam.  Some may look at the West hand and say they have to bid more than 4♥.  What do you think?

And, what do you think of the diamond preempt?  Second seat is a really dangerous place to stick in a vulnerable preempt vs. non-vulnerable opponents.  There were no singletons, so many might fear making any bid at all.  I like to bid 2♦ over 1♣ whenever possible.  Here, I can simply call the 3♦ bid bold!

Anyway, our teammates thought they lost 11 IMPs when they did not bid the small slam, but in fact we won 11 IMPs when the grand slam went down.

The slam bidding (by our teammates) was simplified somewhat when East (as dealer) opened the bidding with 1♦ in spite of a decent (and longer) club suit.  After the 2♣ overcall, West could be pretty sure that all of his cards were working (and that it was likely that partner’s cards were also working).  I don’t know the best way to bid these two hands, but our West teammate bid his hand sufficiently strongly that, in the end, East simply raised the 5♦ game bid to the 6♦ slam.  There were lots of choices for which strain to play – all options but clubs were in play.  The cards lay so friendly for declarer that 13 tricks were available in clubs, hearts, spades and no trump, but clearly you don’t want to get past a small slam.  Only the diamond slam offers a high percentage chance to make (all 3-2 diamond splits and some 4-1 splits will find 12 tricks).  So, congratulations to our teammates who bid the diamond slam.  In the actual play, declarer won the heart lead, cashed a high diamond, and then led small to the ♦J, losing to the ♦Q.  This will make anytime diamonds are 3-2 (and no ruff), but it will also pick up a 4-1 trump break with LHO.  It also picks up 4-1 break with singleton ♦Q, but since the ♦Q didn’t drop, you know that parlay isn’t coming through for you.

At my table, after East opened 1♣ there was no opposing bidding.  By raising the artificial 2♦ to 3♦, East showed a hand with less than 3 spades, less than 4 hearts, and exactly 4 diamonds.  Next, 3♥ showed strong hearts, but East didn’t know if West was simply confirming heart values for NT when they were 2=2 in the minors, or if the 3♥ call represented diamond interest, so they retreated to 3NT.  West, on the other hand, didn’t know if East had relatively weak diamonds with wasted strength in clubs (in which case 3NT was likely the limit of the hand), or strong diamonds (that he actually had).  I think West can make one more move, bidding 4♦ over 3NT (I think that should show exactly 5=4=4=0).  Then, if partner bids 4NT – that would be (I think) to play.  But, if partner moves on with diamonds, bid the slam.  Slam isn’t cold, but it is a good slam where, if you could look at both hands, you would always want to be in 6♦.

I think the general tendency is to open 1♣ all (or almost all) times when you are 4=5 in the minors.   How do you bid reach the good diamond slam after a 1♣ start?  I think there are 2 ways.  Either West can raise 3♦ to 4♦, or else West can bid just like they did at our table, but continue with 4♦ over 3NT, showing a slam positive hand that is almost certainly 5=4=4=0.  East, with their major suit helpers and minor suit controls should be able to envision slam and just bid it.

There was not much in the play – 13 tricks in 3NT made our score -720 while our teammates scored +1370 in 6♦, winning 12 IMPs.