Better Bridge in Barry County January 31 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East East/West K♣

 

North   3♥ (1) 3NT Pass	East Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 2NT 3♠ 4♠	West Pass Pass Pass

(1)   Jacoby Transfer

 

Last week we looked at the first of the Eight Conventions of the Modern Bridge World: The Stayman Convention. This week, we shall look at the second of the eight wonders. The Jacoby Transfer was named after Oswald Jacoby, one of the great players of all time. He popularized this convention as well as many others. A most useful convention, the Jacoby Transfer has a place in every bridge player’s repertoire of conventions. How does it work?

In today’s hand, South had the big balanced hand with twenty high card points, a 4-4-3-3 distribution, and stoppers in three of the four suits. Opening two no trump as South did promised twenty points, a balanced hand, and interest in game if North had anything. North would need just 5-6 points to reach a game either in no trump or in a major suit.

Looking at West’s hand, it would seem that West was itching to bid those long clubs. With seven clubs and nothing more, however, Vulnerable West wisely kept silent and passed. North looked at her hand, and with seven high-card points in diamonds, a singleton J♣, North thought that three no trump would be a dangerous bid. Knowing what we know about West’s hand, that was definitely a smart choice.

North looked at her five spades, and while they were nothing to write home about, still there were five of them, and South should be told about them. But how is North to convey that information to South? Enter the Jacoby Transfer Convention. It works like this: North will bid one suit below the suit she really wants to bid in the bidding scale. In this case, hearts is one suit below spades, and North bid 3♥, promising a minimum of five spades. There is no limit to the points that North may have. The fun thing about the Jacoby Transfer is that the bidder may have zero points to bid the transfer. While North on this hand has more than zero, it is a convenient way for the South hand to bid the transfer suit, in this case spades, and to see if there is a eight-card fit in the major suit.

Once North has bid the 3♥, South must announce to the table that the North/South team uses a transfer bid as part of their partnership agreement. This is done by South announcing aloud the term “Transfer.” If the East/West team wishes to know what a transfer is, they may indeed ask as they are entitled to know this convention that North/South are using. South completes the transfer by bidding 3♠, and the bidding continues.

While North does not know completely what is in the South hand, yet, because of the opening bid, she is assured that South has at least two spades in her hand. South would never open a no trump hand without a balanced hand, and a balanced hand has at most only one doubleton. Even if it were in the spade suit, North would know that they have seven spades between them and maybe eight or more. North offered South a choice of game in no trump by bidding 3NT or a chance for South to place the contract in 4♠ if she had three spades. South placed the contract at 4♠ because of the three spades in her hand. All pass and the contract is set.

West had the lead, and with a long suit, there was hope that partner East would be short in clubs, and perhaps East/West could gain a ruff or two. No such luck. It was North who had the singleton club, and South took the first trick with the A♣.

As South surveyed the dummy and the opening lead of the K♣, she was not too surprised at her partner’s cards. The diamonds looked particularly useful, and the five spades were there as promised.

Wanting to set up the diamonds for later, South at trick two led a small diamond from her hand to the A♦ on the board. A small spade came from the dummy with East playing low. South played the Q♠, winning the finesse. She went back to the K♦ and again led a small spade. East played the 10♠, and South took the A♠. With a club discard from West, South knew the trump split was four-one, not a fun way to make a major game contract.

Next, South led a small losing club from her hand, and she ruffed it on the board with one of the remaining spades. South led a small diamond from the board, knowing that it would lose to the Q♦, but that it would set up the remaining J♦ for later use.

East won with the Q♦ and took the next two tricks with the J♠ and the K♠ wiping out all of the trump for South in both hands. With no clubs to lead to partner, East has been end-played, and had to lead a heart to South. South took the three heart tricks and the set-up J♦ for a total of ten tricks and a 4♠ contract bid and made.

Use the Jacoby Transfer Convention after a no trump opening bid of 1NT, 2NT, or 3NT. It is an effective bid and can make finding the right contract easier. One major advantage of the Jacoby Transfer is that the opener with the big hand is the closed hand. No one at the table is able to see the high cards that otherwise might be on display. Five hearts or five spades, zero points!  What is there not to like about the Jacoby Transfer?

 

Gerald Stein

January 22, 2013

Number of words: 1103

 

On Monday, February 4^th, 2013, basic instruction and review of the Jacoby Transfer Convention will begin the four-week bridge series at KCC’s Institute for Learning in Retirement’s program at the Battle Creek Hill Brady Road campus. If interested in learning the Jacoby Transfer Convention, call the ILR for details.