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                    That many!

 Not just another flat 4333 hand!

Naturally, there were some interesting deals in the week of Bridge during the National Congress. We look at an oddity today, a very pleasant oddity because the 25% of players who held this hand, had just one initial problem, point counting.

A third recheck would confirm that they held three quarters of the high card points..a mere 30!

 

So, as 30 hcp hands go, this is not that great a one….3343 shape and unless partner can provide an entry which is by no means certain…one or two certain losers. Perhaps that is why several auctions did not progress beyond game.

Let’s look at a few auctions and see how players coped without and with interference. There was also one other factor: the 30 count’s partner did have a chance to speak first. Indeed, East who held the monster was last to speak.

 

I am sure Mindy Wu would have been just a little nervous awaiting dummy after she had opened the West hand  below with a Multi 2. Her partner, Mariusz Tumilowicz, asked Mindy where her Weak 2 was and that left Mindy declarer in 7 with no further questions. Mindy received a small club lead and took the finesse at trick 1 to feel a whole lot better! Playing for doubleton or tripleton Q is not better than an immediate finesse: even with no opposition bidding..but more of that shortly.

Some pairs had uninterrupted sequences, one interesting one coming from Tom Jacob and Brian Mace.

 

3H promised 6+ spades and 0-6 hcp. 5C showe

3H promised 6+ spades and 0-6 hcp. 5 showed no key cards and 6 the Q or extra length. Brian received the strange 10 singleton lead against 7 (do you really think your partner holds the ace?) and all Brian's problems were over.

At many tables, the opposition tried to interfere but ultimately, the interference should have worked against them, especially if they started with a 3 pre-empt:

 

Brad Johnston would have been very impressed by his partnerBrad Johnston would have been very impressed by his partner’s jump to 4. When Sam Coutts owned up to the Q with the jump to 6 (great partnership trust, Sam), Brad made Michael Whibley pay for his opening bid. Next time one pre-empts in third seat, do so without the king!

"Don't Mess with me, Michael"

 
Brad was heard to say!

At another table, the opening bid was even higher, 4! Now, East could not be sure how many spades their partner held with the auction subsiding at the 6 level.

Two of our top players both used a little bit of licence for their opening bids with the more obscure getting the better result.

GeO Tislevoll’s third seat opening in the North seat was an out and out psyche, 1. East doubled. GeO might have started reaching for a life jacket when his partner, Geeske Joel, raised to 3 though the belt was not needed when West’s 4 ended the auction.

You do not win the New Zealand Pairs by passing that North hand in third seat with the vulnerability favourable. So says Michael Cornell. With his hand not complying to the Rule of 10 (if there is one!) and certainly well short of the Rule of 20, he opened 1. The auction proceeded:

West              North            East                South

Lazer              Cornell           Gumby          Bach

                                                                     Pass

Pass                1                   x                  1  (4+ hearts)

1                   Pass                ?

Pauline Gumby had heard enough and jumped immediately to 6NT for a well above average result.

In need of an abacus

That's Brian Mace..and he's counting on it!

We like the technical deals but such ones as this one brings a lot of excitement to our game. Brian Mace claimed he did not as East count the high-cards he held but the ones which were missing…. far quicker!

Note that all 4 players had their fair share of high cards, the points being divided as evenly as possible once East had claimed their 30! So, you have a system for a 30 hcp hand? Good on you if you have. Let me know when you next get to use it!

Richard Solomon

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