Recap Of 4/8/2019 28 Board IMP Individual

Today we had 4 double digit swings – 2 slam hands and the other 2 varied bidding decisions.

Most people who play both Texas and Jacoby transfers over 1NT opening bids use those tools to describe various hands with 5 or 6 card majors.  Typically, if all you want to do is play 4♥, you need to bid (Texas transfer) 4♦ and pass when partner accepts the transfer by bidding 4♥.   But, if you want to invite slam with a 6 card suit, you can start with (Jacoby transfer) 2♦ and when partner accepts the transfer by bidding 2♥, you can bid 4♥ showing a slam invitational hand with 6 trump.

Another way to invite slam with a suit that is only 5 long is to first use Jacoby transfer and then bid 4NT (4 NT is NOT key card, but a quantitative raise showing slam invitational values that includes a major suit that is only 5 long).

Here, North had a suit that was 6 long and wanted to invite slam – but they have a problem.  Partner has at most 1 ace and may not be encouraged to move beyond game.  At the other table the opponents, who were holding our cards, did start with a Jacoby transfer and then invited slam with a raise of 2♥ to 4♥, but they played it there when the invitation was declined.

At my table, partner decided to bid (Texas transfer) 4♦ which got doubled.  My system notes with most partners discuss “if a Jacoby transfer is doubled”…but, looking at my notes, the notes don’t cover “what if a Texas transfer is doubled?”  I think the same principle should apply.  That is, if the Jacoby (or Texas) transfer is doubled, you accept the transfer as long as you know you will have 8 trump and you DO NOT HAVE two fast losers in the suit that was doubled (here, that means you hold the ♦A or ♦K).  Partner can always redouble to re-transfer, but meanwhile partner can know if you are exposed (or not) in the suit that was doubled.  After I bid 4♥ my partner bid 4♠.  OK, what does that mean?  We had some table talk (perhaps it is exclusion key card showing a spade void; perhaps it is kickback asking key cards via 4♠ rather than 4NT; perhaps it is a cue bid checking on a club control?), but eventually we decided it wasn’t really fair to ask – if partner chooses to make a murky undefined bid, do your best to figure it out).  So, I did the best I could by bidding 5♣.  It was my longest strongest suit, it might show partner a club control, and it also answered 1 key card in case partner was playing 0314 key card with his 4♠ bid!  So, however partner took my bid (and however he intended his bid), I had it!  Partner assumed that I would not have accepted the transfer (after 4♦ was doubled) unless I had some interest in hearts – I could always wait and let him bid 4♥ or redouble to re-transfer.  So, he decided to just bid the slam over my .  After the diamond lead, it was all over when trump were 3-2, since a diamond winner allowed me to get rid of the spade loser in dummy.

Doubles to help partner on the opening lead can be very good.  Here East had nothing in any suit but diamonds and feared partner might blow a trick if they led a non-diamond on opening lead, so they doubled.  If West leads a spade, things are a bit more touchy.  If clubs don’t set up, you can always fall back on a diamond finesse.  Declarer will always arrive at 12 tricks with this friendly layout.  So, we were +980 vs. teammates at -480 to win 11 IMPs.

Here I was playing with a semi-regular partner where, after my strong 1NT opening bid, 2♣ could be a Stayman start to an invitational sequence heading towards 2NT with or without a 4 card major; 3♣ would be game forcing puppet Stayman which would allow us to find a 5-3 spade fit or a 4-4 heart fit.  But, partner elected to make an aggressive 3NT call (9 tricks might be easier than 10) and we played it there.  Lucky.  At the other table, they deployed Stayman, found the 4-4 fit in hearts and wound up with 7 tricks, down 3, +300 for our teammates.  Double Dummy there are 9 tricks available to declarer in hearts, but the poor split and some unlucky guesses only produced 7 tricks.

Playing 3NT, I had to find a way to win 9 tricks after the opening lead of the ♠K.  I ducked, of course, and North decided that the ♠8 played by South would make a spade continuation safe, so at trick 2 they led a small spade to the ♠J and ♠A.  I continued spades at trick 3, establishing my second spade trick – I was going for 2+2+2+3.  I had five top tricks in the minors (with a possible 3rd trick in diamonds), and with that start, I was up to two spade tricks.  If I could find either the ♥Q or the ♥10 with my RHO, I would be able to force 2 heart tricks.  When North won the ♠Q at trick 4, they led a heart.  The club and diamond suits did not look appealing to North at the start, and after seeing dummy and seeing the first 2 tricks, the minors still didn’t look appealing.  As it turns out, double dummy, no defense can defeat 3NT. 

So, at trick 4, when I captured the ♥10 with the ♥K, I had the power to keep leading hearts, losing 2 more tricks in hearts, but winning a second heart and get me to 9 tricks.  The vulnerable game scored +600, so we won 14 IMPs.

I don’t think I would have bounced to the 3NT game if I had held partner’s (West’s) hand.  It can be useful to check on major suit fits.  But, bidding 3NT sure worked for this hand.

The bidding started with the same three bids at both tables, but with the favorable vulnerability, my partner decided to push them level higher by immediately bouncing to 5♣.  West had some texture to their long heart suit and wasn’t sure how long/strong partner’s spade suit would be.  As it turns out, there is no defense to stop 11 tricks in spades, but the 5-0 split in hearts left declarer with only 10 tricks at both tables, losing the 2 red aces plus another heart trick.  That mean down 1 for us, +100 to go with +620 for our teammates, win 12 IMPs.

Once again, there was nothing to the play, it was all in the bidding.  Several lessons are available from the bidding.  Preempts work – they create problems and make the opponents guess.  Sometimes it is best to take the plus score that has been offered (5♣X would likely have scored +500) rather than risk a speculative bid at the 5 level (“The 5 level belongs to the opponents”?).  Arriving at a 5♠ contract was barely possible, but highly unlikely…unless South got greedy and doubled the 5♥ contract!  The extra 100 points gains 1 IMP, but if your double causes them to run to 5♠, the 12 IMPs you were winning by defending 4♥ without a double just became a 1 IMP loss.  There aren’t too many rules in bridge that have the words “always” or “never,” but I think it is safe to say “never double the opponents in a contract where they will fail if it is possible for them to run to a higher level contract that will succeed.”  You will turn a small (or even possibly large) win into a loss – this is losing bridge (and you might lose a partner along with it).

Another ‘lesson’ from the bidding revolves around the spade suit and Uvs.U.  Most players play that a 2NT overcall of an opening bid shows 2 suits (some always the minors, some the two lowest unbid).  On this hand, 2NT (known as “Unusual NT” bid at both tables) was clearly showing clubs and diamonds.  The side that opened the bidding can use the two known suits (♣+♦) shown by the opponents to create some useful bids for their side to show the other two suits (♥+♠).  This is known as “Unusual vs. Unusual” aka Uvs.U.  But, as is often the case, there is reasonable ground for reasonable agreements (disagreements) over what various choices mean, so be sure to discuss this with your partner.  When the two suits known to be held by the opponents are clubs and diamonds, some people play that cue bidding the lower suit (clubs) always shows a limit raise in partner’s suit while others play that cue bidding the lower suit always shows the lower suit (hearts).    Here, since West opened hearts, both ‘agreements’ would have the same meaning.  What about the 4th suit – spades?  There are two ways to show spades – one by bidding 3♠ and one by bidding 3♦.  Which is stronger?  Here again, there are different agreements, so you must discuss and agree with partner.  Some play that one bid is “less than invitational” and the other bid is “invitational or better.”  The ‘common’ understanding, used at both tables, was that 3♠ would be strong and game forcing, while 3♦ would show spades with invitational values.  I think this hand is about as close to prototypical that you could get for an invitational spade hand.  A suit that is 6 long, 10 HCP, doubleton support for partner’s initial heart bid.  Perfect. 

So, why didn’t E-W arrive in 5♠ that makes instead of 5♥ that did not make?  Well, the N-S bidding does not offer any clue into which suit is breaking 5-0!?!?! Very unlucky for E-W.  Had the hearts been 4-1, a ruff would likely beat 5♠ but you can score 11 tricks in hearts (by finessing for the ♥10).  But when the opponents have modest values and compete for a high level contract, it is often because they have some distributional values to make up for their lack of HCP.  So, beware – bad breaks will be lurking (if North is 5=5 in the minors as advertised, it is not possible for both majors to break 3-2 – it simply can’t happen).  Rather than guess, just double and collect what you can.

Here again, the first 3 bids were the same, but my partner’s second bid showed his second suit.  It was easy to raise diamonds (although I considered bidding 3♥ and supporting with the singleton ♥Q).  Usually honor doubleton is expected when you provide delayed support to a known 5 card suit.  Anyway, partner proceeded with key card and soon we were in the diamond slam.  It was easy to score 12 tricks – the hearts were so strong that it was not necessary for the ♣A to be onside as long as trumps broke 3-2 (2+5+5+0).  Fits that are 4-4 usually produce a 5th trick via a ruff in each hand – sometimes even a 6th or 7th trick can be scored with extra ruffing.  After the actual club lead, declarer won trick 2 with the ♣K and simply needed to draw trump and claim the balance of the tricks, scoring +1370.

The other table stopped in a safe 3NT contract.  When the ♣3 was led, North inserted the ♣9 which was won by the ♣K.  Declarer ran their red suit winners and, uncertain about the club situation, South abandoned spades and declarer was able to score all 13 tricks.  Still -720 for our teammates along with +1370 for our diamond slam allowed us to score 12 IMPs.

What about the bidding?  Certainly a lot of players, for purposes of opening bids, are treating many hands that are 5-4-2-2 as balanced and opening 1NT when they are in range in terms of HCP.  But, that is for opening bid purposes.  Also, in the second round of bidding in game forcing auctions, jumps in NT should show extras (“not fast arrival”) so that a 2NT rebid by responder (who already made a 2/1 game forcing bid) should show a minimum (13-14 HCP) so that a jump to 3NT would show 15-17 HCP.  With more than 17 HCP, you can start with 2NT, but then you must bid again after partner raises to 3NT.  Here with 17 (plus the strong 5 card suit upgrading to 18), if they are going to rebid NT, East probably should either jump at their second bid or else bid further after partner raises to 3NT, depending on how they evaluate their hand.  East chose the 2NT bid in order to become declarer and protect the ♣K on the opening lead.  But, in the end, West, who had opened the bidding, never knew that East had extra values nor that they had a second suit in diamonds.  Right siding the contract can be a useful tool in constructing the auction/making your bidding choices.  But, here, if partner raises 2NT to 3NT, with extra values and an awkward auction, what should you bid?  What would a 4♦ bid show?  I think just bidding naturally (3♦) for East’s rebid was easiest, best and certainly worked well on this hand.  The diamond slam is far superior to NT or hearts (even though they all make on this hand).  In diamonds, if trump are 3-2 (67.8% of the time), you can reach 12 tricks without the ♣A onside.  In both hearts and NT, you cannot reach 12 tricks without finding the ♣A onside.  Well, in hearts, you have one slim extra chance: with trump 4-3 and spades 3-3, you can ruff spades good for club discards.

In an email exchange with Jerry (who was East and bid 2NT), I learned that, in his regular partnerships, he plays 3NT as the weak hand (minimum game hand, a type of “fast arrival” treatment that I have never heard of) and uses 2NT for all ‘extra value’ hands.  If his partner knew this, he could have offered his 4 card diamond suit at the 3 level and perhaps proceeded to slam – who knows?  As it was, West was minimum with a little help everywhere and simply raised 2NT to 3NT ending the auction.

So, on all of the hands, bidding determined the result.  Lead, defense and declarer play had little impact on the final IMP result.  And all 4 swings went my way, although in each case it was my partner’s decision that created the good result (not mine).  

• Board 6 – moving past 4♥ 
• Board 10 – bidding 3NT and not checking on the majors
• Board 16 – taking the save in 5♣ and making the opponents guess at the 5 level
• Board 19 – bidding their second suit propelling us into the excellent diamond slam