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“DODGING BULLETS.”

A mild auction, at least initially but it “hots up”. Today’s deal focuses initially on what your partner might expect from support of their overcall and whether a decision to double the opponents is partly based on that.

 

 

You are playing Teams.

Would you have bid 3? And are you passing the double? If you do, what do you lead? If you choose to bid 4, predict the outcome.

So, would you have bid 3? On that, the Panel are united:

Nigel Kearney “Agree: There isn't room to cue bid. So, I might bid 3 with a better hand but with four card support and some shape, I have too much to pass.”

They all agree from the marginal:

Bruce Anderson “Agree: It is marginal but we have at least a 5/4 fit. The risk of being too high is lessened by the possibility partner could be quite good for his 2 bid, but not have a suitable hand to double, being short in hearts.”

 to the obvious:

Stephen Blackstock “Agree: Pass at that turn would be feeble.”

The others all were in favour though as you can see above, there were varying degrees of enthusiasm for the bid.

However, just when the auction appeared to be a battle of the part-score black suits, the action hotted up. Despite being what is often referred to as the “finesse position”, that is with their trumps in a position between dummy and declarer, East made a penalty double. How much emphasis would they have placed on your support bid?

Matt Brown “4: I have next to no defence and partner is strictly limited when he passed our 3 raise. I think the risk of 3 making is too great.”

However, the others were willing to try for at least five tricks in defence:

Nigel Kearney “Pass: My hand is not particularly unusual and if partner needed me to have significant defence after this auction, he would not double at Teams.”

Michael Cornell “Pass: Partner has made a penalty x. There is no reason to overrule him just because I have a 4th club.

As you will see, all the defence’s tricks came or could have come from outside the club suit.

Kris Wooles “Pass: I trust my generally very conservative partners to not double for penalties at Teams unless they have a really good hand. I would hope we can force declarer off with continual club leads. South has bid quite strongly and I guess after not passing 3, has 6 spades and 4 diamonds on this bidding. When in doubt, I trust my partner who should have a very good hand with 4 decent spades. My doubleton diamond and spade could be useful in defence if declarer doesn’t want to lead spades, being concerned about the force.

Stephen Blackstock “Pass: I don’t have any defence, but I didn’t promise any. East should have this beaten in his own hand. 3 has worked out well. East knows that few top clubs will cash but the tap is a good option. South’s auction is a puzzle. I can’t think of any consistent hand – but that’s not my problem!”

Bruce Anderson “Pass. Partner has shown a strong hand without hearts. South’s bidding suggests a good 6241 hand but I am playing partner to have 4 spades for the double. With 3 spades or less surely he/she would pass, hoping to get a plus score and not risk a disaster. This is Teams, after all.   

Your partner would not disappoint with their length in spades or what they held.

Although we did not ask them, a couple of the Panel suggested what they would lead to 3x:

Nigel Kearney “I would lead a small club. There might be layouts where I can start with a heart, get in with a club, and give partner a ruff. But it's more likely a forcing defence is needed. If declarer has four diamonds, he will be trying to establish tricks there before his trumps run out.

Stephen Blackstock “I could plausibly play for diamond tricks/ruffs (East must have something in diamonds), heart ruffs or, more likely the tap. If the tap, is king or low best? I would lead low because the only thing that makes much sense is that South was fishing for a penalty pass of 3x, likely looking at a void. If so, East must be in a position to continue the suit from his side…”

Two very good predictions with other leads certainly benefiting the declarer. However, what none of the Panel, or East-West at the table had foreseen was that they had already dodged one bullet. South had walked straight into another and if anyone was thinking 4 was to be a safe part-score, they were to be very disappointed:

 

East had an interesting choice of actions over 1. They could have passed (no way to get a plus score), called an off-beat 1NT (this normally shows less hcp in the pass-out position) or overcall their 4 -card minor. Double was a poor 4^th option.

North could/should have passed 3 x but would have been much happier doubling at the 4 level. So, not only was it right for West to pass the double of 3, it would save a disaster.

Defending the Doubled Part-score

A red suit lead to 3x gives up tempo and maybe even a heart trick. Look at the low club lead. South ruffs and perhaps starts on trumps but a third round sees East continue with a second low club….and already declarer has less trumps than East if they ruff. A and a second diamond would see a third round of clubs played. South would likely discard a small heart as West wins the K to play a fourth round of clubs. South will take five trumps, and the A though the defence will have two diamonds, maybe even three trump tricks (or two trumps and a club) and A, a certain two down, maybe even -800. That would be the score North-South would collect from 4C x.

Take it in whichever seat you are!

Would you have passed out 1…or 3 x or 3 x? If you had not passed out the second and third of those bids, you were likely to suffer a very poor result.

It looks like you “dodged another bullet” on the board below, in this case the heart lead. Had West led a heart, you would have two losers in that suit along with A and probably a trump.

 

However, West led a club to dummy’s 10 and East’s ace. Back came a second club (West who led 3 played 9 on the next round). What is your plan to make 10 tricks? Do not worry about the overtricks! Oh, trumps break 3-2.

Richard Solomon

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