All News

 Jan Cormack.

The “Joys” of Pre-emption.

Pre-emptive bids not only describe a particular hand shape very well (that is most people’s pre-empts do!) but they can make the bidding extremely difficult for the opposition: very little room to judge whether they should stop in part-score, settle in game or try for a slam. However, there is occasionally a down-side when the player “fixed” by the pre-empt is the pre-emptor’s partner.

Over then to Jan.

Jan’s Day: Whose Side are you on, partner?

“Pre-emptive bidding at a high level is designed to make life difficult for the opponents by denying them valuable bidding space to find their best spot.

However, there are times when these pre-emptive tactics can backfire by making life difficult for partner! How would you feel holding the following two-suited blockbuster hearing your partner open 3 first in hand?

 

What action would you take? Partner does not really need much to make a small slam in hearts or even clubs. A or Q or Q or just Qxx and a singleton/doubleton club. On the other hand, 4 may be the only making game. For those cowardly souls who opted for 4, this was the full deal:

 

6 just cannot be defeated.  Even after the best lead of a trump, declarer plays K. If the ace is taken and a heart continued, declarer simply wins with Q in dummy, cashes QJ throwing two clubs and is now obliged to take the winning club finesse for 12 tricks.

Then there was the following deal, also from the Australian Open Teams. Second in hand, your partner opens 3D. You hold:

 

What is your choice of bid? Did you bid 4? Bad luck!

 

 

As you can see, 3NT is the winning bid with 9 tricks unstoppable. The likely lead against 4 is a club. The defence can take AK and then switch to a spade through K97 to score four tricks and defeat 4 by one trick.”

Brave, foolhardy, or just plain lucky. You be the judge!

 

  Aim for making Game.. for less experienced players and others

That’s normally the case when you are in 3NT.

 

 

2 was natural and game-forcing. South ended the auction quickly! West led 6.

Plan the play.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items