Better Bridge in Barry County May 23 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East Both A♥

 

North   2♠ 5♦ Pass	East Pass 3♣ Pass Pass	South 1♥ 4♦ 6♦	West 2♣ Pass Pass

Today’s column looks at the same hand played at least twice recently in an online game. One North/South team bid and bid and bid and found a small slam in diamonds. The other North/South team bid as far as they thought they dared and let their East/West opponents have the bid for 3♣. Who was smiling after the second team finished? What happened to the second North/South team?

In the first match, with eleven high-card points and extra points for length, South opened the bidding with one heart promising at least five hearts and opening count. West overcalled with a questionable club suit, missing both the A♣ and the K♣ for a second bid on this auction. North with eleven high points but a singleton in hearts mentioned the spades at the two level. This free bid promised at least ten points and a five-card spade suit. Looking at the two hands, it is easy to see that there was certainly a mismatch in the major suits. Perhaps that is why the second North/South team was frightened off by the time the bidding reached the three level. Being vulnerable may have contributed to that decision as well.

At any rate, East joined the bidding party with a support of 3♣ with meager cards, but she had five spades to counter North’s bid in case North foolishly bid again. In the second match of team play, the contract was passed out at this point, and East/West had stolen a 3♣ bid and suffered a minus 200 point loss. Of course, when they heard what the other North/South team had done with exactly the same cards, they were thrilled beyond belief to lose only 200 points instead of 1370.

The first North/South team kept bidding with this same hand. After the 3♣ bid, South jumped to 4♦ to let North know that her hand was distributional and that she had length and quality in two suits: the hearts and the diamonds. North was delighted to hear the diamond bid with four strong diamonds and a singleton in hearts. North raised the diamonds to five diamonds, and South pushed on to six diamonds for an attempt at a small slam.

What a difference in bidding! One North/South team was defending at 3♣ setting East/West by two tricks for a paltry 200 points. In the other hand, the North/South team was playing in six diamonds. With the A♥ as the lead from West, it was clear that six diamonds was cold for a 1370 high score. Even with a club shift, South took the K♣, the K♥, trumped a heart, led the A♣, a small diamond to the A♦, trumped another heart, trumped a spade in hand, and trumped the last heart. A final spade was trumped in hand and the final three tricks were all diamonds for a small slam bid, made, and scored.

What was the biggest difference here? With a mismatch in the majors, one North/South team abandoned all attempts to find a workable contract despite the fact that they had the majority of points. In other words, they merely rolled over and were satisfied to defend. Surely taking two tricks at vulnerable status is noteworthy, but if there is more to be earned in a bridge hand, then surely you ought to seek it out.

The successful North/South team recognized the mismatch immediately and made good use of that bidding information. They knew that making a slam in a minor suit is no disgrace. With support from partner in diamonds, South knew that five diamonds was a strong possibility but that six would be frosting on the cake. South took the risk and the North/South partnership was rewarded with a top score for their efforts.

The message seems clear here: when there appears to be a mismatch in the major suits, prepare to investigate the minor suits. Playing in no trump here is very risky with the known club suit being bid and supported by the East/West pair. While 3NT can make with faulty defense, it is a contract that good bridge players will want to avoid most of the time, primarily because of the voids and singletons. With transportation problems in the mismatched suits, it could be a long difficult hand for the North/South team. Look at the minor suits as an alternative when there is no match in the majors.

 

Gerald Stein

May 10, 2013

Number of words: 915

Bridge Notes: While some of you may wish to see what happens when this hand is played in 3NT, one result came in at 3NT doubled and redoubled and made for a fantastic score of plus 1000. However, it appears that the defense was a little lax on this hand. The result should have been down at least two or three tricks for a great score for the East/West pair.