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                             Insurance?

It’s not my favourite industry. It must have cost me a lot of money over the years and insurance agents will tell me how much it has saved me, too! Fortunately, it is not money we are talking about today but imps or match-points. How many have you lost when you were not sure whether the opponents could make their contract and failed in yours when theirs too was a non-make? Is that to be the case, today?

 

It’s Teams and 2 is 5 spades and 4+ of a minor suit, less than an opening hand. East is persistent. What now?

So, you thought you could buy the contract against vulnerable opponents at the 4-level? Dream on. It seems you could not even get doubled at the 5-level. So, what now? East has taken the push to 6, or were they going to bid it without your partner’s intervention?

One interesting aspect is that the 2 bidder is the one who bid 5. For one of our Panel at least, this was just not a happening event:

Pam Livingston “Abstain: I wouldn't bid 4 on this hand against good opponents.  It calls for some muddying of the waters at this vulnerability and when we know they have game points.  If you weren't the psyching type, then bidding 5 first up will at least make them start guessing at the 6 level.

And even if I did bid 4, my partner would pretty much never bid 5. The 2 bid is a one stop shop.  So, impossible to answer the question of when it comes back to me at 6

 

Life..well certainly bridge, is not that simple! It seems by bidding an initial 5, you are forcing them to slam and then you will force yourself to defend. Why not see how high they want to go by bidding more slowly?

 

However, the 2 opener which is pretty popular around the country these days came in for some savage criticism:

 Stephen Blackstock “Pass: Pretty much a guess, with a big price for being wrong whatever we do. As I do the maths (likely wrongly), 6 needs to make roughly 60+% of the time for the save in 6 to show a profit, and what we know makes me reluctant to conclude it is as good as that: they are guessing too! I don’t expect the A to cash (otherwise forcing pass from East), but the K is a favourite. Perhaps we have a second trick in North’s presumed clubs, or perhaps a deep diamond trick?

Note that this idiotic convention can only help declarer to play clubs without loss. Is it really right to advertise a weak hand and offer fielder’s choice in the auction or provide a good declarer with a road map for the play?"

 

Others were more accepting of the conditions and were less happy about defending:

 

Kris Wooles “6: insurance even if 6 is going down. I suspect North is void in hearts and East void in spades. I remember that the Italian Blue team way back would bid one more even if wrong as often the damage at Teams was not too great. Yet if 6 makes!

A mention of the “I” word. Kris is referring here to the opponents bidding slam in case it makes and we bidding on in case their contract makes. When will the pendulum stop?

 

Bruce Anderson “6: East has bid 6 to make, which suggests a void in spades. We will have a trump trick but it is unlikely partner has a minor suit ace. Rather, whatever minor suit cards partner has can be finessed against. So, I am making what should be a cheap sacrifice. My judgement will be questioned if we have a minor suit trick, but it is the bid I would make at the table.”

 

Kind of agreeing with Pam above is:

 

Nigel Kearney “6: This could well be wrong but is my best guess. Partner should not usually bid over 5 so I expect he has a heart void and/or 6-5 shape. That means 6 will cost less than their game. We don't know if slam is making but any minor suit finesse is likely to be working and we have no other nasty surprises for them. Perhaps we should have bid 5 immediately to give them a tougher problem.”

 

If there is a deciding factor, then it is that it was your partner who bid 5 and therefore should have extra shape. This all seems to make the sacrifice quite cheap and may diminish the chances of beating 6.

 

It was a very good idea to adopt the “I” word at the table as these were the four hands:

 

 

There was nothing to the play in 6 even after the nearly successful Q lead. Meanwhile, the insurance pay-out was good, just three minor suit losers in 6x. I would think that North’s 5Sbid pointed South in the right direction. Had North’s clubs been KJT753, the decision would be wrong but the cost would still be relatively minimal.

Maybe the insurance route is a fair one to take, after all.  

 

A goodly slam

 Or so it seems. What is the best route to 12 tricks?

 

 

2NT showed 18-19 and 3 was a check-back for 4-card majors. The opening lead was 9.

 

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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