Better Bridge in Barry County July 25 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South North/South 4♣

 

North   2♣! Pass	East   Pass Pass	South 1NT 2♥	West Pass Pass

In last week’s column, we looked at one no trump bids that are passed out and declarer ends up  playing 1NT. Usually, it is a struggle to make the one no trump bid as the defenders know that the partner does not have much, or else she would have answered her partner. If you are in the situation where your partner opens, and you know that a one no trump bid is not a good fit for your team, sometimes there is an opportunity for you to put out a special bid just for this occasion.

Called Garbage Stayman, this bid occasionally saves the day for the declarer and her partner. How does it work? After South opened today’s hand with the balanced 4-4-3-2 distribution, the right number of high card points, in this case 15, and no voids, no singletons, and just the one doubleton, North with six high-card points had a chance to help the partnership on this hand. With a shortage in clubs, the key ingredient for this convention, North was able to employ the Garbage Stayman convention on this hand. It works like this: Short in clubs, and knowing that a no trump bid is destined for failure, North bid as if she had a legitimate Stayman bid, asking for a four-card major.

This time, however, North did not care what the response was from her partner South. North planned to pass whatever South bid. With North’s distribution of four diamonds, three hearts, and four spades, North/South would certainly be in a better position with a trump suit than in no trump. Accordingly, South dutifully bid 2♥ after the 2♣, and all passed.

One look at the dummy and South knew what North had done. With the obvious shortage in both hands in the club suit, it looked like North had made a good choice to use the Garbage Stayman Convention on this hand. While the spades would have been a better trump suit, still South could hope for a three-three split in hearts and bring home a 2♥ contract.

With five clubs and an honor, West led the 4♣, fourth down, and South looked for a way to take eight tricks needed to make this contract. Ducking the first club, South saw East put up the Q♣ and win the first trick. Back came a club, and the A♣ took the first trick for North/South. South’s plan was to lose no more than two trump tricks. South led the 10♥ at the third trick and East, hoping to win two trump tricks, ducked smoothly. South played low from her hand, and West won the trick with the K♥.

Back came the 8♥ from West, small from the dummy, and East gathered in the A♥, winning. Seeing the advantage of taking trumps from the declarer and the dummy, East led the J♥, and it was won by South with the Q♥. So far, South’s plan had worked. She had lost only the two trump tricks that she knew were out against her. If, on the third trick, when South led the 10♥ from the board, East had covered with the J♥, there would have been a different ending to today’s column. But this time, things went the right way for the declarer and her partner.

South took four more tricks in spades, along with two trump tricks, one club trick, and one diamond trick with the A♦. Eight tricks were claimed and a positive score of 120 for the North/South team. In the match where this hand was played, no other teams chose to use the Garbage Stayman Convention. All other teams played in one no trump and went down one trick for a minus 100 score. This North/South team, using a seldom-needed but useful convention, ended up the top board winners on this hand. What a useful way to make something grow out of garbage!

 

Gerald Stein

July 16, 2013

Number of words: 838

Bridge Notes: A beginning bridge class will start in the fall at Kellogg Community College on Monday, October 28, 2013 at the Technology Center on Hill Brady Road in Battle Creek. This eight week class will be an introduction to bidding and is a perfect choice for beginners as well as those who want a refresher class or who want to see what is new, including Garbage Stayman! Call the Institute for Learning in Retirement Office at KCC for more information.