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Test your flaps


luis

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A bidding problem (Matchpoints)

 

Non vul Vrs Vul

Opener:

xxx, AJTxxx, AJx, Q

Pd:

KQxxx, QTxxx, -, AKx

 

1) What contract would you like to play on these hands?

2) How would you bid it with your pd?

 

A play problem (Matchpoints of course)

 

Dummy: (North)

xx, KQxx, Txx, AJxx

 

Your hand (South)

xx, xxx, AQJ432, KQ

 

The bidding:

West North East South

1d

1s x 2s p

p 3c p 3d

p p p

 

LHO leads the sK RHO playing an ecnouraging 7 and switches to the c9. Std carding.

 

Plan the play

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I want to play in 4H. 1H-4D-4H. The chances that spades is a better strain that hearts is very low, and this is MPs.

 

What is the composition of the teams on Friday?

 

How can you stop at 4h after your pd opens 1h and you have

KQxxx, QTxxx, -, AKx ?

Do you really have those flaps?

 

At my table we bid:

 

1h 2nt (9+ 4+h)

3h (submin) 3s (slam try, spade control)

4c (control) 4d (cue)

4h (no Sp ctrl) 5h (asking for 2 honors to play 6)

6h (oh well)

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Not sure what flaps are, but I am reasonable certain I don't have them ;) - I make these posts so that I may someday acquire them, whatever they are.

 

But note that I wouldn't be the one stopping in 4H - partner would bid 4H with a dead minimum opener, a poor suit for slam, 3 spade losers, and his outside ace in my short suit.

 

I'm not saying this is good bidding (I doubt that it is), but it's what I'd do.

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Not sure what flaps are, but I am reasonable certain I don't have them ;) - I make these posts so that I may someday acquire them, whatever they are.

 

But note that I wouldn't be the one stopping in 4H - partner would bid 4H with a dead minimum opener, a poor suit for slam, 3 spade losers, and his outside ace in my short suit.

 

I'm not saying this is good bidding (I doubt that it is), but it's what I'd do.

 

Flaps are used to provide sustentation to planes when they are landing or taking off.... If opener has AK of hearts and a yarborough you win 6h, in the worst scenario -worst, worst worst- you are on a finesse. I believe all good pairs should bid to 6h on this board.

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Many might choose to open north hand 2HEARTS. I wouldn't, but many. This is a full opener by my standards.

 

I am not fond of your 2NT bid (we discussed this a little in private chat the other day) holding five spades. I would bid a forcing 1S. My auction, not much better than yours, however ...

 

1H 1S (1S=4+ cards, forcing 1 round)

2H 4D (if 4D not available then forcing 3C)

4H ? (4H=1or4 key cards)

 

(Full credit to anyone who rebids 2D over 1S with north hand). At this point you know you are missing at least two of the following 3 cards... H-AK and S-A. If partner has the heart king, you are off two aces. If he has the Spade Ace, you are off the AK of trumps (not very likely). You know about the 6 trumps, outside chance for 7 trumps (thus dropping stiff king if partner has the ACE).

 

But now you can make an informed decision. ~50% slam if partner has the heart ACE and they can't find a spade ruff.... Here, if you wanted, you could ASK for good hearts (don't ask for the trump queen)... by raising to 5HEARTS if your partner with six to the ace will bid the slam but six to the king would not.

 

If you made me bid 2NT with this hand, over 3H I would not bid 3S (yes, this despite the fact that I cue-bid kings or ACES up the line so that 3S would be my normal bid). Instead, I would bid 4C (slam try, obstensively, no spade control). If partner shows spade control, I will trot out some fancy GSF try of 5NT. Partner without a spade control would retreat to 4H's. With one, I think a LTTC 4D would be appropriate. So my bidding using 2NT the way you advise would be...

 

1H 2N

3H 4C

4H 5C (4H = no spade control, 5C=absolute C )

5D 5H (5D=control, 5H=I must have spade c too)

?

 

Now, once again, the shoe is on your partner's foot. He knows you have spades controlled, AK of clubs, but can't bid the slam by yourself. He can make an intellegent decision. If he is thinking, he can maybe even figure out why you failed to bid 3S.... you were highly interested in the spade ACE and were going to whip out GSF if he showed a spade control.

 

Six hearts in not at all a bad contract.

 

However, imagine an auction where partner bids 4D over 4C's (LTTC showing spade control)? Now you can jump to 5NT... and find the magic grand when he holds S-Ax H-AKxxxx D-xxx C-xx. But ok... enough dreaming...

 

Ben

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Not sure what flaps are, but I am reasonable certain I don't have them ;) - I make these posts so that I may someday acquire them, whatever they are.

 

But note that I wouldn't be the one stopping in 4H - partner would bid 4H with a dead minimum opener, a poor suit for slam, 3 spade losers, and his outside ace in my short suit.

 

I'm not saying this is good bidding (I doubt that it is), but it's what I'd do.

 

Flaps are used to provide sustentation to planes when they are landing or taking off.... If opener has AK of hearts and a yarborough you win 6h, in the worst scenario -worst, worst worst- you are on a finesse. I believe all good pairs should bid to 6h on this board.

 

Opener

 

S-xxx

H-AKJT9

D-KJ

C-QJT

 

Off two spades when ACE is behind the KQxxx....

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Opener

 

S-xxx

H-AKJT9

D-KJ

C-QJT

Off two spades when ACE is behind the KQxxx....

 

No, because 4c showed a club singleton so the thirs spade is either the J or is discarded on the cK :-)

Remember I started

1h-2n; 3h-3s; 4c

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"Flaps are used to provide sustentation to planes when they are landing or taking off.... If opener has AK of hearts and a yarborough you win 6h, in the worst scenario -worst, worst worst- you are on a finesse. I believe all good pairs should bid to 6h on this board."

 

I took this to be a statement from BEFORE you made your first bid, not as a result of later bids.... thus, no 4Club to consider. ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...

bidding problem:

1H - 4D (void)

4H - 4NT (RKC without D)

5D (1/4) - 5H (2 keycards missing)

 

I'd like to play 6H, but I'm not sure you'll make that...

 

play problem:

play small spade to destroy the communication between them and later play small diamond to the 10. Worst case is Kxxx of diamonds behind you. W normally has 2 clubs (otherwise he started with C9) so your contract is made: 4 tricks to lose in the worst case (2S, 1H, 1D)...

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bidding problem:

1H - 4D (void)

4H - 4NT (RKC without D)

5D (1/4) - 5H (2 keycards missing)

 

I'd like to play 6H, but I'm not sure you'll make that...

 

play problem:

play small spade to destroy the communication between them and later play small diamond to the 10. Worst case is Kxxx of diamonds behind you. W normally has 2 clubs (otherwise he started with C9) so your contract is made: 4 tricks to lose in the worst case (2S, 1H, 1D)...

 

I think that understates the problem on the hand. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. For example: Suppose West wins and puts a heart through dummy. Now you are in danger of losing two heart tricks - assuming West has a doubleton club for his switch, you cannot get a quick pitch on dummy's clubs because West will ruff with a small trump.

 

Or suppose East wins the spade and simply returns another club. Now if your lead of a small trump to the 10 loses, back comes a third club (yes, you will probably survive by ruffing high). One thing for sure, attempting to get to dummy to finesse trumps is fraught with danger.

 

I haven't tried to work everything out, but I'd be tempted to win the club, in my hand of course, cash the Ace of diamonds and then try overtaking my remaining club honour and pitching my remaining spade on dummy's remaining club honour. That gives me various extra chances - I'm trading a spade loser for a trump (but West might have doubleton King of diamonds, I might catch the stiff King of diamonds and then be able to pull trump and get rid of both my losing spade and extra small heart, I can still try leading up to the heart honours, with a club ruff return to my hand to do it twice, who knows?).

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