Playing with trumps 5-5

[661_Pete]

Fine and dandy, you'll probably say....

 

....except that the 5-5 fit was held by the defence! How often does that happen?

 

Not wishing to embarrass, I won't post the whole deal, just my not-very-interesting holding (game all, dealer W, pairs MPs):

[hv=pc=n&w=s7hjt742da873cj75]133|100[/hv]

North opened 1♣ and it went 1♣ - 1♠ - 3♥ - pass (?!)

I was certainly perplexed by this but I wasn't about to double or anything, of course. Once my partner tabled her opening lead, I was ready with all sorts of questions for declarer, but he forestalled me by speaking his mind rather forcefully! It emerged that his 3♥ was showing shortage in ♥ and support for partner's suit - a sort of splinter I suppose though I don't recognise that sequence. What responder was thinking, I still don't know...

 

It was a great shame because they had a cold 6♠ or 6NT - and even worse for them, no other table bid it! How did he do, you will ask? Well, not too bad: declarer had stiff A♥ and dummy held ♥Kx, so they had two trump tricks and were able to cash five top winners in the other suits before we came in with the trumps. 2 down was fairly face-saving in the circumstance - albeit a bottom for them. I don't like benefiting from opponents' screw-ups, I get no satisfaction from it - but it sometimes happens.

 

I'll bet others can come up with even worse bidding disasters!

[Cyberyeti]

A friend who was a decent player, playing with a friend of his who was less good, opened 1♠, his partner responded 4♥. Was this a splinter ? had she ever heard of splinters ? Did she have 9 to the QJ and out ?

 

He looked at his heart void and suspected the heart suit, passed and this is how they played in a 1-0 fit.

 

I have team mates who managed to play in 2♣xx after a 1Nx auction with opening leader holding AKQJxxxx.

 

In a fairly high level competition, I've defended 5♥ where declarer's trump suit was Jxxxx/void after a cue bid was taken as to play and a grand was on elsewhere.

[Tramticket]

Of course 2♥ is a reverse, so 3♥ is not needed as a natural strong bid. Many play 3♥ as a splinter - but I wouldn't do this undiscussed.

[ggwhiz]

I was directing at the club and called to a table where north pointed to a score of 2♦ down 3 and said "That's impossible we have a 2-1 diamond fit". I took the traveller to the suspect table and returned to tell her it's all true.

 

Went to enter her score for her and asked "What were you in?" She said "2♦ but I went down 5".

[The_Badger]

The best examples are probably when you are playing an artificial system/convention and partner forgets what the bid means, and then passes, and - and this is a classic - when partner forgets the actual system you are playing.

 

Playing Precision - in the days when convention cards weren't so de rigueur - with a partner who thought we were playing Acol, I was left in a 1♣ contract with something like ♠AKQJxx ♥AKQx ♦Kx ♣x Needless to say 6♠ was cold.

 

After I had bid, I wondered why he hadn't alerted, and then the panic set in when he looked at his cards and passed, and then the fourth player took an eternity to pass too. I felt a right wally!

[DozyDom]

I played in 2S at the Summer Festival Teams this year with 30 points and a 4-card fit. I don't recall whether the grand was on in our 10-card club fit, but they made all 13 tricks at the other table... in 4C. Needless to say, our teammates were surprised to find that as a loss.

[Cyberyeti]

I played in 2S at the Summer Festival Teams this year with 30 points and a 4-card fit. I don't recall whether the grand was on in our 10-card club fit, but they made all 13 tricks at the other table... in 4C. Needless to say, our teammates were surprised to find that as a loss.

 

Probably got what I deserved when playing 4♥ in a 3-3 fit which I scrambled home, at the other table they were in a slam that depended on a finesse that was irrelevant to me, unfortunately it worked.

[rmnka447]

A friend who was a decent player, playing with a friend of his who was less good, opened 1♠, his partner responded 4♥. Was this a splinter ? had she ever heard of splinters ? Did she have 9 to the QJ and out ?

 

He looked at his heart void and suspected the heart suit, passed and this is how they played in a 1-0 fit.

 

I have team mates who managed to play in 2♣xx after a 1Nx auction with opening leader holding AKQJxxxx.

 

In a fairly high level competition, I've defended 5♥ where declarer's trump suit was Jxxxx/void after a cue bid was taken as to play and a grand was on elsewhere.

 

I've had a couple hands come up similar to the AKQJxxx hand you mentioned. Both happened to come up versus strong 1 NT openers when we were playing Capelleti where doubles are for penalty. Both occurred in KO events.

 

The first was holding ♥ AKQJxxx and I doubled RHO's 1 NT opener. LHO had an 8 count and elected to sit, so we were +200 for a nice gain.

 

The second occurred in a regional KO semifinal, this time against a team with 30,000+ masterpoints. Both Vul RHO opponent opened a strong 1 NT and I doubled with ♥ AKQ10xxx. LHO Redoubled and my partner ran to 2 ♠ on K10xxx and out. I corrected to 3 ♥ which was doubled and was down 1 for a -200. At the other table, our teammates were playing weak NTs, so our teammate with RHO's hand opened 1 ♣ (3+). The expert opponent holding my hand bid 4 ♥ and our other teammate found no problem bidding 5 ♣ which was lay down. It proved to be a decisive Vul game swing.

[neilkaz]

My advice here likely belongs in the N/B forum. When it doesn't sound like you should pass...DON'T PASS, and then try to bid something non-committal if possible to give PD options so that he may further clarify what he's trying to do or show and so that maybe you'll understand it after his next bid.

 

Passing 3♥ on this sequence is totally unthinkable! 2♥ is a reverse and forcing, so even if you don't understand what 3♥ meant it has to be forcing! It certainly cannot be to play after PD opens 1♣. Note that with only Kx in ♥ PD certainly isn't going to be happy playing 3♥.

 

About 5 years ago I got fixed up with a new PD at a nearby club. She had 600 mp and also plays on BBO so she has experience. We discussed system for a bit. 2/1 UDCA etc. As we were walking towards the 1st table, she said, "Splinters?" and I said, "Of course!" So the uncontested bidding went with her dealing Pass, (me) 1♣, 1♠, then 4♦ by me (really I should've splintered 3♦, but certainly she'd know 4♦ was a splinter.)

 

She thought about 30 seconds and passed! I said that we'd just agreed splinters and she replied that she doesn't play them as a passed hand to which I replied that everyone else does. She shrugged her shoulders and said that she doesn't. I then asked,"Just what do you think 4♦ meant?" She replied,"Lots of diamonds." To which I replied,"Then why did I open 1♣?"

She had no answer to that, having left me in a 2-1 fit!

 

The point of my story is that if it doesn't sound like you should pass, DON'T !!

[gszes]

My advice here likely belongs in the N/B forum. When it doesn't sound like you should pass...DON'T PASS, and then try to bid something non-committal if possible to give PD options so that he may further clarify what he's trying to do or show and so that maybe you'll understand it after his next bid.

 

Passing 3♥ on this sequence is totally unthinkable! 2♥ is a reverse and forcing, so even if you don't understand what 3♥ meant it has to be forcing! It certainly cannot be to play after PD opens 1♣. Note that with only Kx in ♥ PD certainly isn't going to be happy playing 3♥.

 

About 5 years ago I got fixed up with a new PD at a nearby club. She had 600 mp and also plays on BBO so she has experience. We discussed system for a bit. 2/1 UDCA etc. As we were walking towards the 1st table, she said, "Splinters?" and I said, "Of course!" So the uncontested bidding went with her dealing Pass, (me) 1♣, 1♠, then 4♦ by me (really I should've splinters 3♦, but certainly she'd know 4♦ was a splinter.)

 

She thought about 30 seconds and passed! I said that we'd just agreed splinters and she replied that she doesn't play them as a passed hand to which I replied that everyone else does. She shrugged her shoulders and said that she doesn't. I then asked,"Just what do you think 4♦ meant?" She replied,"Lots of diamonds." To which I replied,"Then why did I open 1♣?"

She had no answer to that, having left me in a 2-1 fit!

 

The point of my story is that if it doesn't sound like you should pass, DON'T !!

an addition to ALL conventions cards should be AVBAF All Vague Bids Are Forcing:))))

[Cyberyeti]

I've had a couple hands come up similar to the AKQJxxx hand you mentioned. Both happened to come up versus strong 1 NT openers when we were playing Capelleti where doubles are for penalty. Both occurred in KO events.

 

The first was holding ♥ AKQJxxx and I doubled RHO's 1 NT opener. LHO had an 8 count and elected to sit, so we were +200 for a nice gain.

 

The second occurred in a regional KO semifinal, this time against a team with 30,000+ masterpoints. Both Vul RHO opponent opened a strong 1 NT and I doubled with ♥ AKQ10xxx. LHO Redoubled and my partner ran to 2 ♠ on K10xxx and out. I corrected to 3 ♥ which was doubled and was down 1 for a -200. At the other table, our teammates were playing weak NTs, so our teammate with RHO's hand opened 1 ♣ (3+). The expert opponent holding my hand bid 4 ♥ and our other teammate found no problem bidding 5 ♣ which was lay down. It proved to be a decisive Vul game swing.

 

I have also had the reverse, there was an auction with various hesitations from the opps where the auction went 1♠-(P)-1N-(X)-2♣-(X)-P-P-P

 

Anyway, I am in the process of calling the director when partner says "you might want to see dummy first", I said "why ? have you got 7 of them", no he had 8, 2♣x+1 on a combined 16 count with opps cold for 4♥.

[ahydra]

After 1H-4C; all pass, I made it :), but 7H was cold. Also had the classic 1S-4H, I think that was a 2-1 fit.

 

I also played in opponents' 10-card fit after partner had a brain fart and passed my response to RKC rather than correcting to our trump suit. They were kind enough to not lead trumps so I only went 6 off.

 

Yesterday we had 2D (multi) - 4C (transfer to your major); 4D (no aces) - 4H. Of course, partner had spades. Apparently every player in NZ thinks 4C is always asking for aces. I really want to kill whoever taught them.

 

As for the OP, responder just needs to switch his brain on. 2H is a reverse, forcing. 3H is therefore a splinter. Even if not, 3H should be GF just by analogy to things like 1C-1D; 2S

 

ahydra

[manudude03]

I was once playing in a competition with Helene, got to 6H off 2 cashing aces. The opponents got the defense wrong and allowed me to make it. It wasn't a top, someone played in 2Hx the other way with the opening leader sitting with AKQJxxxx in trumps.

[msjennifer]

My Grand daddy, playing, in a team event way back in 1968, with a palooka partner and against experts, held a 7-6 two suited hand in Spades and Clubs.He lost 4600 points on the deal,Surprised ?.His RHO opened 1D and Grand Dad overcalled 1S as they had no gadgets then and never made a TOD with double suited hands.His LHO bid 2H ,partner passed and RHO bid 4NT(Simple Blackwood).Grand Dad bid 5NT

suggesting a sacrifice in S/C.His LHO doubled and Partner and RHO both passed. Grand Dad REDOUBLED,in order to wake up his partner.To his utter dismay this went ALL PASS. Partner held Jxxx of Club and 7C would have been an excellent sacrifice against 6H which the counterparts bid and made .(7H would have been one short).So much so for gadgets !

[maartenxq]

I don't like benefiting from opponents' screw-ups, I get no satisfaction from it - but it sometimes happens.

 

 

But nevertheless you like gloating about it in this chat.

 

Maarten Baltussen

[johnu]

I have a series of system books available for sale to arrive at less than Moysian fits. The book to find 0-0 fits costs the most because it takes sophisticated bidding machinery to locate a double void.

[pescetom]

I also played in opponents' 10-card fit after partner had a brain fart and passed my response to RKC rather than correcting to our trump suit.

That's a relatively noble brain fart, or at least it occasionally happened to me B-)

Although at least once, I did have some justification - my brain was struggling in vain to imagine how he could have that number of keycards, turned out of course that his reply was wrong.

[GrahamJson]

I’m reminded of the time John Collings made 7H with a trump suit of AJ986432 opposite a void. The defence was not the best.

 

http://csbnews.org/bridge-humor-the-unpredictable-john-collings/?lang=en

[ggwhiz]

Mark Molson and Boris Baran had a 12 bid auction to 7 notrump and got a small ♥ lead out of turn. Mark sid "It doesn't matter" and tabled the dummy.

 

Hearts split............ 7-6.

[apollo1201]

I can’t recall which great player (also gifted with a sense of humor) said that splinters were the most efficient known method to play in a 1-1 fit at the 4 level.

 

It reminds me of the already quoted and infamous 1S-4H sequence that my opponents had, I have to lead from the very unappealing following collection x xxxx xxxx xxxx and decide to go for my singleton that partner surprisingly ruffs. Dummy was 51(43) and his partner 71(23)!

[barmar]

But nevertheless you like gloating about it in this chat.

It's not gloating, just passing on an amusing incident. We all do it, sometimes about our own screw-ups, sometimes about the opponents'. It's inappropriate to accuse him of anything more than this.

 

OTOH, there isn't really anything "interesting" about this, so the whole thread is a bit unnecessary. People have bidding misunderstandings all the time, and sometimes they're disastrous. This week at the club I got a score I don't think I've seen before, -770, when I mistook my partner's takeout double for penalty: 3♣X making 6 when we could have made 3♥. We could have held them to 5, but it would still have been the same bottom.

 

Every time I make a splinter bid, especially with a new partner, there's that naggling worry in the back of my mind that partner will take it as natural.

[661_Pete]

Just to set the record straight, the 'situation' I referred to in my OP happened in live bridge - I only rarely play online nowadays. Of course we commiserated with declarer and his partner, after the hand. What could we say? It's amusing only in retrospect - not at the time.