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Signalling to Success.

Playing Teams, scoring +300 even +500 when most of the room achieves +650 is not that good a score. Should you accept +500 or risk only 300 in search of +800? That’s accepting a loss of 4 imps or try for a 4-imp gain and risk an 8-imp loss?  What about if you were playing Pairs?

These are the kind of questions a West player might be asking themselves on our problem hand from yesterday. Firstly, though, we must look at the problem given from East’s point of view:

 

You are playing Pairs. (yes, I know we said Teams above. We will return to that later.)You only bid 3 as you were pretty sure that 4 would get 4 from one of your opponents. Maybe, you could buy it in 4 if you get to bid one more over 3?

No such luck. South knew where they were going. Much to your surprise, your partner bid 5 opposite what could only be three card support from you. South was not to be denied and you ended up trusting your partner’s penalty double. You could hardly underwrite slam!

 Partner leads the A. Which card do you play to trick 1?

What’s going on? Has partner AK? It seems a little strange when they have most of the top hearts. Partner does not know that we have so many hearts. You may want to discourage a diamond continuation but surely whatever partner holds, continuing that suit would seem not worthwhile. Just take a look at dummy!

 

So, we know that partner needs to switch and your card now should tell him to which suit. If you did not hold the A, you might have a problem with a suggestion though:

• You do have that card…and
• You did make a free bid!

So, you play your lowest diamond, suggesting the lower of the other two suits. Remember your partner may not be looking at both AK. Partner switches to 8. What is that about? It looks like they do not hold the K or if they do, they certainly do not want you to continue the suit (a lower club..surely, they have one…would promise an honour). So, switch you do, and remembering the opening lead, you return a diamond. Play 8 as you know a third round of clubs would not help your side. You do not have doubleton club. You might not think it matters which diamond you play but it might help partner just a little.

 

Had partner led from Ax, then you will probably be recording a pretty poor score…maybe -650! Yet, we should trust that initial lead. Remember, partner could have started with a high heart, even if he held only 2 of the top three honours.

You return 8 which partner ruffs. The spotlight switches to West. They cash K. The contract is already 2 down.

Playing Pairs, you need another two tricks to beat the +650’s that 5 is sure to bring (East just cannot have more than one spade). At Pairs, it is certainly worth playing East for the J and you will record a handsome +800. An unkind North might tell their partner in the post mortem that the 5 level belongs to the opposition! True but slightly unlucky on this occasion.

Yet, at Teams?

+300, South holds J,     (or no hearts)                                                  -8 imps                    

+500 if you cash a high heart                                                                 - 4 imps

+800 you lead a low heart and partner remembers to put up the jack.   +4 imps.

The calculation is complicated by the fact that your teammates could also be playing some number of spades. +500 might yet still be a good score, especially when you look at the chart of results below. Accepting a 4-imp loss seems a reasonable result though the post mortem would be all much sweeter this time had West been brave.

In a Swiss Pairs style competition, 15 pairs defended spade game contracts, while 22 unsuccessfully, of course, defended 4 or 5. Of the 15,

0 took 6 tricks (2 ruffs, 2 clubs, A, J)

2 took 5 tricks (presumably no under-lead of AKQ)

11 took 4 tricks (no ruffs)

2 took 3 tricks (no good as both defended 4!)

We can only hope the penalty extracted would have been greater playing Pairs.

Plenty of scope for improved signalling. Hope you would have done better.

A slightly different type of question for Saturday:

  

What bid would you make with the South hand and what comment would you make to your partner (you are playing on BBO…so, it’s OK, they will not hear you!) as you make your bid?

See you for a more light-hearted article tomorrow.

Richard Solomon

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