Better Bridge in Barry County March 28 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South East/West 5♦

 

North   3♣ 4♣ 6NT	East   Pass Pass Pass	South 2NT 3♥ 4♠ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass Pass

Today’s column completes our discussion of Commonly Played Conventions You Should Know. Today we will look at a convention that used to be played a lot more than it is today. The Gerber Convention, created by John Gerber (1906-1981) of Houston in 1938, has fallen out of favor with many modern bridge players. However, the Gerber Convention is still a useful convention to know, and it showed up in today’s hand, so let’s take a look at the Gerber Convention.

South opened a solid 19 point hand with 2NT. While some may think that that opening bid is a bit light, South’s balanced hand describes the hand perfectly with stoppers in all four suits. The danger, of course, is that North may pass that bid as a 2NT opening bid is not a forcing bid.

This time, however, North has a fistful of points and is ready to bid. With 15 high-card points, North is determined to reach slam for the partnership. First things first, however. North starts with a 3♣ bid, the Stayman Convention after two no trump, asking for a four-card major. South responds that she does indeed have a four-card major in hearts and bids 3♥.

North next bids 4♣, an artificial bid known as the Gerber Convention. This convention is used specifically after no trump openings and is a slam-looking-way to ask for aces at a lower bid than using Blackwood. North is interested in a no trump contract as her hand is balanced with stoppers in three of the four suits. A 6NT contract would be ideal.

The Gerber Convention asks for aces just as the Blackwood Convention asks for aces. The responses are similar but at a lower bid on the bidding ladder. Use 4♣ to ask for aces. A 4♦ response shows no aces or all four aces; 4♥ shows one ace; 4♠ shows two aces, and 4NT shows three aces. On this hand, South bids 4♠ showing two aces. With one ace in her hand, North pushes the contract to 6NT despite the fact that the North/South team is missing one ace. 6NT is the final contract.

West led the fourth card down from her longest and strongest: 5♦. East immediately took the trick with the A♦. To make the contract, all the rest of the tricks would have to be taken by North/South. What was South’s plan? South could count 11 tricks without giving up the lead: A♠, K♠, Q♠; K♦, Q♦; A♥, K♥, Q♥; A♣, K♣, and Q♣. Where would the last trick come from?

After taking the first trick, East dutifully returned a diamond to partner, but South took the K♦ in her hand. Taking the A♥ next, playing the Q♣, and a heart to the K♥ in her hand, South had four tricks in so far. A heart back to the Q♥, a spade to the A♠, the K♠, and the Q♠ gave her four more tricks. With four tricks to go, South next played the good Q♦ from the board, and she led the 7♣ from the board to her K♣ in her hand. The A♣ was played next, and the final trick was the good 8♣. Six no trump bid and made.

Looking at the hand as shown in today’s column, it is easy to see that no tricks can be earned by a finesse or a long suit. South played the hand beautifully, forcing East/West to hang on to their sure winners. Sure winners don’t always materialize, as in this case. Both of their setting tricks of the 10♦ and the J♥ fell on the 13^th club.

Using the Gerber Convention after no trump opening bids may not be as popular in the bridge-playing world as it used to be, but sometimes it might just be the right convention to pull out of your sleeve and win the day. Review the Gerber Convention and keep it handy. It may show up sooner than you expected.

 

Gerald Stein

March 21, 2013

Number of words: 849

 

Local Bridge Class News: Beginning on April 9^th, 2013, the second in a series of American Contract Bridge Classes, “The Play of the Hand in the 21^st Century” will begin at the Kellogg Community College Technology Building on Hill Brady Road in Battle Creek. This class will run from 6-8 PM. on Tuesday nights for eight weeks, finishing at the end of May. Call the Life Long Learning Program at KCC for further details and enrollment.