a day at the club #3

[Zelandakh]

In round 2 you play against a pair of LOLs that you expect to see towards the tail end of the field. On the first hand you reach a nice 3♠ contract. Sadly, I misplayed this one - can you do better?

 

[hv=pc=n&w=sj632hq982d7cj872&e=saq95haj5dkt864ct&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1c(2+%20clubs)d2c2sp3sppp]400|300|North leads CA (South gives the 4) and switches to the H3[/hv]

 

Comments on the bidding welcome but we were happy with our auction. The focus of this is the play. I expect everyone here to get full marks to show me just how bad my line was.

[CamHenry]

Problem looks like dummy entries; if I can keep S on lead I'll do OK. I put in the ♥Q and win the trick in one hand or the other; I then lead the relevant hand's smallest diamond. What return do I get (and from whom?)

[Zelandakh]

Problem looks like dummy entries; if I can keep S on lead I'll do OK. I put in the ♥Q and win the trick in one hand or the other; I then lead the relevant hand's smallest diamond. What return do I get (and from whom?)

You are West and the lead is coming from North.

[CamHenry]

You are West and the lead is coming from North.

 

Argh, good point. Well, I'm playing the 5 here - I really want to lead that ♦7 from hand, and this seems the best way to do it. If I lose this trick, I have set up 3 ♥ tricks, and can probably get away with losing 1 in each suit (S can't lead trumps "safely", and weak oppo lead trumps insufficiently frequently). I don't expect S to have a long major or she'd have bid them, so I don't worry about an imminent heart ruff.

[32519]

In round 2 you play against a pair of LOLs that you expect to see towards the tail end of the field.

North leads CA (South gives the 4) and switches to the H3

You problem is entries into declarer's hand. If the LOL bit is accurate, chances are they underled the ♥K. Let it run to declarer's queen. Should south actually hold the ♥K, at least you have created an entry into the west hand. Additionally whatever west leads (excluding ♣) will help declarer. At whatever point declarer gets in, run the ♦ to the king, take the remaining ♥ tricks and cross-ruff the hand out. Don't even bother to draw trumps.

[Codo]

I would let the heart run too and try a small diamond from hand. If lefty does not play the ace, she does not hold it, so I would play a medium diamond.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Why no classic Responsive DBL by West ( instead of 2S ) ?

[Zelandakh]

A low heart from table gets the ten from South to your queen. If you play a diamond up now, LHO plays small. Roland's medium diamond gets the jack (on the ten) or the 9 (on the 8) and RHO returns ♥7.

[Zelandakh]

Why no classic Responsive DBL by West ( instead of 2S ) ?

My partner and I play a simple system so if I have the possibility of keeping it simple I usually do (aside from situations we have agreeed/discussed). A double from me would probably have drawn 2♦ from her, and after that we get into something a little murky.

[CamHenry]

Putting the K on the ♦; I have no objection to S being on lead. If she returns a trump, she takes the finesse; if a ♣, I ruff in dummy then start ruffing ♦; if a ♥, she picks the K for me.

 

Of course, if the ♦K holds, I ruff a ♦ back to hand then take the ♥ finesse for the K. The risk is that N is 3415 or similar, but I find that out early enough to recover on this line.

[Zelandakh]

The ♦K loses to the ace and the ♥7 still comes back, to North's king.

[CamHenry]

The ♦K loses to the ace and the ♥7 still comes back, to North's king.

 

I win the ace and ruff a diamond, ruff a club, ruff a second diamond, ruff a second club, then try cashing dummy's ♥J. If this holds, I play a diamond pitching a ♣.

[32519]

What led you to bid 2♠ anyway, versus 2♥ which has more texture?

[Zelandakh]

I win the ace and ruff a diamond, ruff a club, ruff a second diamond, ruff a second club, then try cashing dummy's ♥J. If this holds, I play a diamond pitching a ♣.

Everything goes according to plan until you try to cash the ♥J. South ruffs in with the 8 and (I guess) will play the ♠T into dummy's AQ. You have ♠J /♥9/ ♦- /♣J in hand and ♠A/ ♥- /♦T8 /♣- left with ♠K7/ ♥6/ ♦J /♣K9 left in the defenders' hands and 3 tricks lost. I think you are probably home now.

 

Making 3♠ would have been worth a cool 12/14 MPs, only losing to the North player who managed to go down 3 in 2NT. Even 3♠-1 was not too bad, scoring 8/12, much more than I felt I deserved.

[Zelandakh]

What led you to bid 2♠ anyway, versus 2♥ which has more texture?

As a general rule you respond to a takeout double down the line, so as to allow you to show the second suit later if the opportunity arises.

[32519]

As a general rule you respond to a takeout double down the line, so as to allow you to show the second suit later if the opportunity arises.

Never heard of this before. To me it was always bid up the line. If you bypass anything then you don't have it. Bidding ♥ first would still allow east to bid ♠ and you have the strong hand as declarer.

 

Bidding your way would imply a stronger hand by west.

[32519]

Aren't you from Acol-land? What system was N/S playing anyway?

[manudude03]

No, if East bids 2S over 2H, he's showing a hand too strong to overcall in spades. At least if you bid 2S first, you can bid 3H if the opponents compete in clubs.

[kuhchung]

I never know what to do with these sorts of hands. I just futz around and hope something good happens.

 

I let the heart run around and if I'm lucky enough to win HQ, I would just play a diamond up.

 

Hopefully someone will comment on the play and not the auction anymore.

[32519]

As a general rule you respond to a takeout double down the line, so as to allow you to show the second suit later if the opportunity arises.

What system do you play? By bidding ♠ first and then ♥ the natural conclusion would be that you have 5X♠ and 4X♥.

[Fluffy]

What system do you play? By bidding ♠ first and then ♥ the natural conclusion would be that you have 5X♠ and 4X♥.

 

I think the question you should ask yourself is... what system do I play?, because what Zel plays is universal. Introducing new suits up the line is fine for forcing sequences, here we are raising partner's suits in a non forcing sequence.

[Finch]

Rather than bid 2H, 2S or make a responsive double I would pass on the West cards. BIdding over 2C should show more than this.

On the auction hand, East will double again and maybe you'll get to play at the 2-level.

[Finch]

What system do you play? By bidding ♠ first and then ♥ the natural conclusion would be that you have 5X♠ and 4X♥.

 

You are confusing two different auctions.

If partner opens 1C and you respond 1S, then bid 2H on the next round, you are showing 5 spades and 4 hearts (and a weak hand if partner's rebid was 1NT, say). That allows partner to pass 2H, or give preference to spades.

If you respond 1H on a 4-4, then partner can bid spades if he has them (unless you play a 1NT rebid is made on all balanced hands; then if responder is weak you miss your 4-4 fit anyway).

If you are weak and 4-4, you expect to pass partner's rebid.

 

The difference is that a 1M response to an opening bid is forcing; you bid your longest suit first to allow partner to pass your second suit or give preference.

 

After the auction starts 1C dbl 2C ? or 1C dbl P ? then, if you don't have enough to cue bid (to create a forcing auction), there are two differences: your 1-level or 2-level bids are non-forcing, and your partner has (in theory) shown support for both majors.

With partner implying support, you are now happy to bid both your 4-card suits if the opportunity arises. For example,

 

1C dbl P 1S;

2C P P 2H

 

this shows 4-4 in the majors. It allows partner to choose which major to play in at the 2-level.

If you bid 1H on the first round, and bid 2S on the next round then partner would have to give preference to 3H with, say, a 3-4-4-2 12-count which is not what you want.

[Free]

Yes I can do better because I'd play 2♠.