Better Bridge in Barry County October 25 2012

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

	North ♠  8 7 ♥  9 ♦  A K Q 9 3 2 ♣  K Q J 10
West ♠  Q J 5 4 ♥  Q 8 7 4 2   ♦  8   ♣  8 7 5		East ♠  9 6 3 2 ♥  K 5 ♦  6 5   ♣  9 6 4 3 2
	South ♠  A K 10 ♥  A J 10 6 3   ♦  J 10 7 4 ♣  A

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

North None Q♠

 

North 1♦ 3♦ 5♦ 6♥ Pass	East Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 1♥ 4NT 5NT 7NT	West Pass Pass Pass Pass

 

Every bridge player’s dream is bidding, playing and making a grand slam contract. While it is often possible to take all 13 tricks in the play of the hand, it is not so easy to reach that milestone of bridge nirvana by actually bidding and making the grand slam. When this feat happens so seldom in a bridge player’s life, it is worthy of note when the opportunity shows up. It is akin to a golfer getting a hole in one at the age of 75. Today’s hand illustrates the wonderful feeling of bidding, playing, and making the coveted 7NT contract, the highest level of bidding that a bridge player can attain.

First, the bidding by the opener North was a standard opening bid of 1♦. Everyone at the table knew that North had an opening hand of 13 total points and at least three diamonds. East and West are out of the loop on this hand. Between them, they have a total of eight high card points, but they are distributed equally between them. East and West pass each time that North and South bid to their ultimate goal.

South has heard the opening bid of partner North, and with deliberate slowness, as there is no big hurry here, South bid 1♥, promising, on this first round of bidding, at least four hearts, and at least six points. South was simply bidding up the line to see what more information she could gain from her partner North. The 1♥ bid was a forcing bid as it was a new suit, and South was an unpassed hand. North must bid again.

With West passing, North bid the diamond suit again, promising five or six diamonds and extra values. North bid 3♦, showing 15-17 points with a strong diamond suit. South bid strongly this time using the Blackwood Convention to ask for aces. This was a partnership agreement that 4NT would ask for aces. South bid 4NT, and North responded with 5♦, showing one ace. South knew from her hand that her partner had the A♦ since she had the other three aces in her hand. So far so good.

Not content with just an ordinary small slam, and with all four aces together, South next asked for kings from North by bidding 5NT. To bid and ask for kings, it is important that the partnership have the four aces first. North knew that her spades, heart, and clubs would be covered by South’s aces. North bid 6♥, promising two kings. What South did not know was which kings her partner had. South did know that the partnership was missing one king, but which king was the missing one?

At this point, South had to make a serious deliberate decision. South knew the following information: a small slam usually needs 33 points to make and take 12 tricks. A grand slam usually needs 37 points to make and take all 13 tricks. How close were they to the needed numbers? South recalculated her hand and counted 17 high card points and one length point in hearts for an estimated 18 total points. Trusting her partner to have what she said she had, South calculated that North had 15-17 total points, one ace, two kings, and a long diamond suit. South deliberated between bidding the almost sure small slam with 33 points between them, or going for the ultimate goal in a bridge player’s life: the grand slam. What would you have done?

South reasoned this way: a grand slam opportunity does not come up that often. When it does, the need to bid it and play it and claim the highest prize in bridgedom is a rush of adrenaline. Bid the 7NT. That is exactly what South did. She bid 7NT and all passed.

When South saw the dummy come down after the lead of the Q♠, South thanked her partner for such excellent bidding. The plan was easily understood. There were six diamond tricks, four club tricks, two spade tricks, and one heart trick for a grand total of 13 tricks and the coveted 7NT award. The only danger seen here was the play of the hand, and it was imperative that South take the A♣ first to unblock the club suit, and then all the cards were set for South to claim the rest. The need to play the A♣ from the short side first was soon apparent as it might be impossible to get back to the good clubs. With a feeling of giddiness and pleasure, North/South had reached that state in the bridge world that eludes many players. May you reach 7NT soon in your bidding world.

 

Gerald Stein

October 19, 2012

Number of words: 974

 

Answer to last week’s bridge question: What is the Law of Total Tricks? Whole books have been written on this topic, but, basically, the idea is that the number of trump in both hands should equal the number of tricks able to be taken. For example, if you and your partner have nine hearts between you, you should be able to take at least nine tricks with hearts as trump. Try it and see if it works.