kenrexford Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 [hv=d=s&v=n&n=sq10xhaqjxdkxxxxcx&s=skjxxxhxxxdaxcakx]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv] I thought this was a cute little hand from tonight. Thought I'd share. Seems like a good B/I hand, for bidding and play. At our table, I as South opened 1NT. There are pro's and con's to opening 1NT with a five-card major, and my partner tends to not like that. However, this is a perfect time for the call. With a 15-count with a five-card suit, the hand really values to 16 as a notrump hand, and that's hard to show otherwise (playing standard). Partner bids the obvious Stayman 2♣ and hears 2♠. A less careful player might just jump to 3NT and hope that's right. My partner, however, saw two good reasons to bid 3♦. First, she is bidding around the stiff to imply to me the likely problem. She figures that if I do not have a club stopper, I could bid 3♥ to suggest that, and then she can bid 3♠, and we will play 5♦ or maybe a major (probably 4♠ from her perspective). I might also raise diamonds, which suggests that 3NT was wrong anyway. Also, it gives me room to rebid spades, just in case I have a fifth spade. That latter idea paid off. I rebid 3♠ and she raised to 4♠, which had the fringe benefit of isolating the club stiff. Had I held three small clubs instead, moving my club Ace to the spade Ace and by club King to the heart King, I could bid and make 6♠. With AKx wasted in clubs, however, 4♠ was the limit. There may be cause for me just bidding 3NT, in case partner had no club stopper (likely) and no spade fit, but I knew my partner would bid 3NT with that hand because her usual reason for bidding a minor in this sequence is to isolate the other minor as a hole. Having done this, 3NT does not change that message. Also she knows that I would bid 3♥ without a club stopper, to see if she can bid spades, rather than bidding 3♠ myself. I would also isolate the club problem first before committing to the spade call. In any event, I received a spade lead (the Ace) and another spade, the opponents trying to cut down club ruffs, reasonably. When everyomne followed to the second spade, I knew I could easily play club Ace, ruff a club, back to hand with a diamond, and pull the remaining trump, ending with the following: [hv=d=s&v=n&n=sq10xhaqjxdkxxxxcx&s=skjxxxhxxxdaxcakx]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv] What now? The heart finesse looks obvious, and that caught many declarers off guard. Look at the diamond suit. Everyone followed to the first round. So, there are four outstanding. If the diamonds split 3-3, look what happens if you go after diamonds. You lead a small diamond to the King (everyone following) and ruff a diamond back. If they split 3-3, you have two more diamonds left on dummy to ditch both of your heart losers, so you do not have to finesse hearts after all. What if diamonds split 4-2? Your concern might be this. I play diamond to the King and ruff a diamond back, leaving me with only one trump. After I hook the heart, suppose it wins. I am now on dummy and cannot hook hearts again. You then think, well, I could ruff another diamond back to repeat the heart finesse, but that removes my last trump. If RHO smoothly ducked the first heart, the second finesse might fail. However, what can he do to you? You still have the top club in hand, and all of the diamonds will have been used up. Actually, it is better, though. If RHO actually has the heart King and makes a tricky duck, you ruff a diamond back and then play the club King, pitching the heart Queen, because your last diamond is good (remember, they split 4-2 and you ruffed TWO of them). Good thing you kept that club King hidden from him way back when, eh? Now, if diamonds split 5-1, you might have a greater problem. You ruff the diamond back anyway, to hook hearts. You hook the heart and play another diamond back, ruffing. Now you play the club King, and LHO, if he has the heart King, is squeezed. If the heart ing does not show up, you don't take the repeat finesse -- RHO was trying to trick you. What if RHO has the five diamonds? You again ruff a diamond back anyway and take the heart hook. Let's say RHO makes a tricky duck of the heart. You ruff a diamond back again, play the club King (ditching a diamond) and lead a heart toward dummy. If RHO started with five diamonds, the odds are against him having the heart King. If he has the heart King, and if he has the foresight to duck the first time, and if he is smooth enough to pitch down to the stiff heart King and a winning diamond, congratulate him on great defense. So, you avoid a 50-50 heart play whenever diamonds split 3-3, at the one risk of losing an extra trick when RHO has five diamonds, the King of hearts, and some serious guts and talent. Seems like a fair trade. As it was, diamonds split 3-3, and RHO had the heart King. A well earned top. 3NT, on a club lead? Win the club, knock out the spade Ace. A club is returned. You can count two clubs, four spades, two diamonds, and the heart Ace, for 9 tricks. If the heart hook works, that's at least two more tricks, and they might split 3-3 for a 12th trick or a squeeze may develop. So, you either play safe for 9 or you take the hook, which loses. The opponents then win one spade, one heart, and hopefully not too many clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwery_hi Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Wow. Although I'm yet to read your book, this article is a great advertisement for your bridge writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeac Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 I enjoyed this analysis very much as it is very detailed and well written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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