Better Bridge in Barry County
By Gerald Stein, ACBL Bridge Instructor
North
S: A Q J 8 7
H: K 9 8 6
D: K Q
C: Q J
West East
S: 5 2 S: 10 9 6
H: 10 H: Q 4
D: A J 10 9 8 7 D: 6 5 4 3 2
C: 8 7 4 2 C: K 6 5
South
S: K 4 3
H: A J 7 5 3 2
D:
C: A 10 9 3
Take a look at this hand of bridge and decide where you want to play. As I see it, you have at least three final choices, perhaps more. Where do you want to be? North is the dealer; both sides are vulnerable. Here is the bidding through the first two rounds:
West North East South
IS Pass 2H
Pass ? ? ?
North has a blockbuster hand to open the bidding at 1 Spade; South has a strong hand as well with a void in diamonds and six hearts. There is a trump fit in two suits although North does not know that yet. The trump suit must be hearts then. North bids 4 hearts, content to play at game. “Not so fast, partner,”says South silently to herself. “Let’s do some exploring. If hearts are our trump suit as you suggest, let’s see what an invitation to slam will produce.” South uses the Blackwood Convention of 4NT to ask for aces. It looks like we have skipped by our first choice: 4 Hearts is gone for a game try. Are there actually three more choices to go? Five hearts? Six hearts? Or?
What is North’s response to the Blackwood Convention asking for aces? Showing just one ace, North uses the Convention response of 5 diamonds. South silently ponders a second. “ My partner probably has the Ace of Spades for his opening bid, and with my void in Diamonds and plenty of trump (at least 10 between us!), we should make a try for slam.” Gone then is the second of the remaining three choices, with South choosing to skip 5 Hearts and go to Small Slam at 6 Hearts, or go for all the marbles with a gutsy 7 Hearts Grand Slam bid. What would you do?
As it turns out, the bidding ended up in 6 Hearts at one table, and the same hand played at another table bid the 7 Hearts. West led the 2 of Clubs (?) as the opening lead, and South surveyed the Dummy with glee. Poor East is stuck when she sees the Q J of clubs on the board and properly covers the J with her King of Clubs. Declarer South takes the Ace of Clubs, draws two rounds of trump, runs all of the spades and pitches the losing diamonds on the good clubs, making seven easily.
How did you do? Were you content to play 4 Hearts, 5 Hearts, 6 Hearts, or the incredible 7 Hearts? Would you have led the Ace of Diamonds as the opening lead? Would it have made any difference? The biggest difference in this hand is the final score: one North-South Vulnerable pair bid 6 Hearts, making 7 for a score of 1460 while the other North-South team bid 7 Hearts Vulnerable, making 7 for a score of 2210. While the Grand Slams do not come along very often in the wonderful world of Contract Bridge, when they do, you will be sure to remember them with deep satisfaction. Happy Bridge in 2012.
(Gerald Stein, an Accredited Bridge Teacher for the American Contract Bridge League, teaches bridge classes at local schools and bridge clubs.)
Gerald Stein
623 words
January 16, 2012
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