All News

You may not associate that phrase with Whangaparaoa but one board at the Hibiscus 3A and 8B tournaments last Saturday changed all that. We are all still waiting for the “perfect” hand to be dealt but Board 2 of the second session came pretty close for the East players…though ended in disappointment for most, tragedy for at least one East player.

So, what would you open with:

 K8

 AKQJT9543

 K

 –

No-one can deny you your 10 playing tricks. You even have potential for 2 or 3 more with just a couple of good cards opposite. There is, though, a little problem of what the opposition can make if partner is not that helpful. Anyway, you start off with 2 and hear an auction like the following:

West          North         East            South

                                      2               Pass

2 ¹               2            3             3

5              5               ?

¹ the usual uninspiring answer

² You can argue 4 would be a better choice here.

The auction has not gone that well. For most, rightly or wrongly, the choice was 6, which ended the auction, sometimes doubled. Time to reveal all.

 

 

 

If you did bid 6, you made the right decision as there is no lead from your hand to defeat 5. There is a "nearly" way of defeating 5..wait a minute.. but 6 just feels safer. Against that, South would lead a spade and when North wins and tries to cash A, it becomes obvious which card South has to keep for trick 13. Even if North were to play A and a spade at trick 2, North’s first discard should indicate A, giving South a nervy but easy choice at the end of a cascade of hearts.

The opening bid caused some debate, even an appeal when the West player failed to say in his explanation to a 2 opening, the agreed possibility of a long strong suit in a weakish hand outside. At first sight, I thought 2 was a fine opening bid. At second sight, I thought it was the wrong choice. Why not try 4NT “specific ace ask” to find out all you need to know?

The answer to that is it does not. It’s fine when partner has 0 or 1 ace..well, kind of fine since if that ace is the A, the way partner tells you is 5NT… and you now have a choice of passing that most ugly contract or bidding a slam you know you cannot make. It’s also wrong if partner has two aces. Which two? Do you gamble or just settle in 6? The bid is also wrong in view of what actually happened:

West          North         East            South

                                      4NT            Pass

5 ¹                 5             ?

¹ 0 aces

You know you cannot make 6 but can they make 5? East sat it out but found few match-points when 5 could not be defeated.

(for followers of Russian Roulette, try leading 2 at trick 1 and hold your breath. West ruffs and if they do not find the club switch, there will be instant murder! Two tricks in but even if East exits with the K, to put declarer in dummy, North may be wise as to where that K is. East has either got K or started with a singleton spade. Good luck on guessing which!)

So, my “third sight” has come up with what I would have opened as East. I do not need to tell partner I have a game force hand. I’m the boss. I’m in control. Just open 1. See how often everyone wants to bid. Come on. 1 is not going to get passed out. On the actual hand, West might even bid a direct 5 over the opening bid. If not, I can bid 6 whatever North-South do…and 5 if they “don’t”! Oh, yes, 5 can be beaten because on a non- spade lead, you only have 10 tricks.

You are no worse off than the 2 or 4NT openers this time…and sometimes may get more time to see whose hand this really is.

Next time the “card god” deals a hand like that, please make the 10 card suit spades and give it to me rather than 8 miserable diamonds. Fun for all, though.

Richard Solomon

 

 

Go Back View All News Items