Better Bridge in Barry County October 3 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Both 6♠

 

North   1D 4NT 6♣	East   Pass Pass Pass	South 1♣ 1NT 5♦ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass Pass

Unlike last week’s slam bidder, this time the North/South team had all of the right ingredients to make a small slam, including the right number of points, enough aces, and plenty of trumps as well as a precious singleton in the North hand. How well did the East/West defenders do against a 6♣ small slam? Not very well. Let’s take a look at today’s hand from a local duplicate bridge club where this hand was played recently eight times during an afternoon session. Out of those eight leads, six of the eight led a small spade against the 6♣ slam. Only two picked another lead. What was the other lead? Pick it if you can.

South opened the bidding with a 1♣ bid, promising at least three clubs, and opening count of twelve or thirteen high card points. In this case, South had fourteen high card points and a long but puny-looking club suit. No one was more surprised than North when he heard his partner bid her club suit. Look at those clubs in the North hand. North’s mind was already racing to slam-heaven in the club suit.

Bidding cautiously, North elected to bid up-the-line and bid his diamonds first. South further described her hand by bidding 1NT, letting her partner know that she had no four-card majors and that her hand was limited to an opening count of twelve to fourteen points. Satisfied with that information, North bid the Blackwood Convention, asking South if she had any aces. When South responded five diamonds, North knew she had one ace, but did not know which ace. Undeterred, North placed the contract at 6♣, and all passed.

Once again, it is the defense that has that all-important first lead of the hand. In this case, West led the small spade, fourth down from her longest and strongest. While not a bad lead, in this case, it proved to be the wrong lead. Did you select another lead? As soon as she saw the dummy, West regretted her lead. Instead of having North/South just make their 6♣ contract, West, by not playing her A♥, allowed the North/South pair to not only make their contract but to use the spades to dispose of the heart on the board. With trumps drawn, it was easy for South to take her winning spade tricks, discard the heart in the dummy, and claim all thirteen tricks for a fine score of 1390.

While four contracts of the eight total were played in six clubs, three make an overtrick because of the lead. The one slam where the A♥ was led was held to the six clubs for a 1370 score. An overtrick does not sound like much, but in a competitive game like bridge, every point extra helps your team. The question then arises: should I lead the ace when I have it, or try and save it to set the contract? While six defenders led the small spade as an opening lead, only two led the A♥ and held the contract to the bid made. Draw your own conclusions, and listen to the bidding. In today’s hand, there was no bid from East or West, so that would suggest that neither one had much. The one advantage of leading the A♥ as an opening lead against a small slam is that you not only get to see the dummy, but you may receive a signal card from your partner encouraging you to lead another heart. Isn’t bridge a fun game?

 

Gerald Stein

Number of words: 837

September 26, 2013

 

Bridge Notes: “Defense in the 21^st Century” bridge class has started in Battle Creek at the Kellogg Community College Technology Center. Beginners to bridge or those who wish to refresh their bridge skills are invited to join “Bidding in the 21^st Century” beginning on the last Monday morning of October for eight weeks. Call the Institute for Learning in Retirement office at KCC at 269-965-4134 to enroll.

Bridge Notes Two: The “Learn Bridge in a Day” program has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 20^th, 2013 at the Kalamazoo Bridge Center. For a bargain of $19.95, you will receive basic bridge instruction, a lunch, handouts, and a chance to begin playing bridge. Visit the Kalamazoo Bridge Center website www.kzoobridge.com for required reservations. Take a youngster along and learn together. In five hours, you will be playing a wonderful card game.

 

 

 

Better Bridge in Barry County September 26 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South East/West J♠

 

North   2♥ 5♦ Pass	East   Pass Pass Pass	South 1♥ 4NT 6♥	West Pass Pass Pass

Last week we looked at bidding and making a slam hand with fewer than the requisite points for a small slam. This hand came up this week at a local bridge club, and once again it illustrated the point that a small slam can be made on fewer than thirty-three points. In this case, however, it was not the skill of the declarer but the poor defense of the defenders that allowed this slam to be made. Let’s take a look.

South opened this hand with twenty high card points, a strong heart suit and side aces. His opening bid was 1♥. West passed, and North supported the heart suit with a 2♥ bid promising at least three hearts and 6-9 high card points. With a pass from East, South leapt to 4NT, the Blackwood Convention, asking for aces. Needing only the one ace could propel South to a 6♥ slam contract. When North bid 5♦, signifying the missing ace, South placed the contract at 6♥.

Defenders always have the daunting challenge of picking the right lead and hoping to set the contract. In this case, West started out fine with the J♠ as the opening lead, the top of a sequence. South stopped long enough to thank his partner and look at the board, planning on twelve tricks. A missing K♥ and a missing K♣ did not look very promising for this hand. It appeared that South with twenty high card points in his hand and nine high card points in his partner’s hand had definitely overbid. A 4♥ contract would have been safe and proper. Alas, it was too late for that action.

South’s first move was to win the spade lead with the Q♠ on the board. That should have alerted the West defender immediately. East played the 9♠, another strong indicator for the West defender to continue that suit. Winning the spade trick on the board allowed North to lead the 10♥ hoping that East would have the K♥ and would cover the honor or let it ride through winning the trick. No such luck here. The finesse lost to the K♥ in the West hand. Winning that trick should have meant the doom for the North/South slam contract. Here, however, is where the defense broke down and allowed the North/South team to make an undeserved small slam.

What happened next? With all of the signals out there, the Q♠ winning suggesting that South had both the K♠ and the A♠, the high 9♠ card from partner East, and the opportunity to set the contract on the next lead, what did West fail to do? She failed to continue the spade suit that she had started with on the opening lead. That continuation would have meant that East with no more spades would have trumped with her remaining heart, for down one trick and a bottom board for the North/South pair.

Instead, West tried to make something happen by leading a new suit, in this case, a small club instead of the setting spade lead that partner East so desperately wanted. North put into a quandary for a moment realized that the only way to make this contract was to let the small club lead come all away around to his Q♣. When East put up the J♣, South was able to win the trick with the Q♣, paving the way to making the small slam contract.

Drawing trumps next pulled the trumps from both East and West, and with two good diamonds, the K♦ and the A♦, the A♣ to cover the lone club left in the South hand, South was able to claim and receive a 980 point score that was totally undeserved. In this case, misdefending this hand allowed the North/South pair to make a slam that had no business being bid or being made. Bridge is funny like that. You can have 21 high card points and fail to make one no trump.

It appears that South, enamored with his hand and his twenty high card points, did not take the time to count the points between the two hands. With twenty in his hand, and his partner’s bid informing him that she had 6-9 high card points, South should have been content to play at a 4♥contract and not take the unnecessary risk of bidding a faulty small slam. Bidding by the numbers is still the way to do well at bridge. Once in a while, you might get away with a risky bid. You cannot count on the defenders to misdefend. You can count on your points and your partner’s points. That definitely is the point of today’s hand.

 

Gerald Stein

September 18, 2013

Number of words: 960

 

Bridge Notes: A class in Bridge defense has currently started at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek through the Life Long Learning program. To enroll, call today at 269-965-4134 to see if there is still room for you.

Bridge Notes Two Correction: The “Learn Bridge in a Day” program will be held on Sunday, October 20^th, 2013 at the Kalamazoo Bridge Club in Kalamazoo. Contact them through their website: www.kzoobridge.com.

Better Bridge in Barry County September 19 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

West None K♣

 

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

 

Today’s column takes a look at one of the hands that was a part of the recent Petoskey/Kalamazoo Split Regional Bridge Tournament. There is old saying about a regional bridge tournament with the numerous opportunities for bridge enthusiasts to play their favorite game: “Seven days of playing bridge makes one weak.” In this case, early in the week, this hand appeared at one of the evening sessions. How would you have bid and played this hand?

Counting points in bridge has always been a major consideration for reaching the proper contract whether that contract is a part score, a game, or a slam. The bridge books and bridge teachers recommend certain numbers as guidelines for reaching the desired contract. Normally, twenty-five or twenty-six high card points will allow you to make a game in one of the majors or in no trump. Normally, thirty-three high card points of the forty high card points are required for a small slam. Yet we all know that even with thirty-one high card points, a three no trump contract can and has been defeated. Today’s hand goes in the opposite direction. Did you count the high card points in the North/South hands?

North had a reasonable opening bid with fourteen high card points, a solid heart suit, and several side aces. South, her partner, with a long diamond suit and eleven high card points, bid the diamond suit at her first opportunity. A side ace in her partner’s suit could prove to be helpful, but South knew she did not want her partnership to play in hearts when diamonds might provide a better fit. Adding together the two sets of high card points, we can reach only 25, a far cry from the 33 needed for a small slam and even a bit of a jump to the 29 needed for game in a minor suit.

With support for diamonds and hearing no support for hearts, North raised the diamonds to the three level. That was all the incentive South needed to test the possibility of a slam or at least a game in diamonds. Using the Blackwood Convention, South bid 4NT asking for the number of aces in the North hand. North responded with 5♥, indicating two aces. South knew where the A♥ was, so the partnership was missing one ace. Evidently, South was in a daring mood during this regional tournament and also because North’s bid had gone past game in diamonds, there was only one bid left. The contract was 6♦ in the South hand.

With the K♣ as the opening lead, the top of a sequence, South surveyed the dummy, thanked her partner, and made her plan. Counting the winners and losers, it was easy to see that there was one spade loser for sure. Hearts appeared to be solid without a losing trick there. Diamonds as well appeared solid with only three out against her. There could be some trouble if all three diamonds were in the same hand, but the likelihood of that was slim. Most often, there would be a 2-1 split with three cards out.  The real trouble appeared to be the clubs with only one winner and two potential losers. How could South make those two club losers go away?

With her plan ready, South called for the A♣ on the first trick, played a small diamond from the board to the K♦ in her hand and kept the A♦ as an entry back to the hearts later on. With the diamonds dividing as expected, South first needed to play the A♥ from her hand unblocking the heart suit before drawing the last trump. When the A♥ made it through, then and only then did South play a small diamond from her hand to the A♦ on the board. With the A♥ gone and the heart suit unblocked, it was easy for South to play the hearts from the top down, starting with the K♥, the Q♥, the 9♥, and the 5♥ discarding those losing clubs as she played the winning heart tricks. A small club from the board was then played and trumped in her hand. Playing three more rounds of diamonds brought her total number of tricks to twelve with one trick to go. The opponents were ready to take the last spade trick for their only trick of the hand.

Six diamonds bid and made on 25 high card points does not happen very often. This, however, is the kind of hand that you will see and experience at a major bridge tournament. “To the victor belong the spoils.” Bidding and making six diamonds produced a fine score and a top board for those fortunate bridge players who realize that sometimes you can make a slam on a whole lot fewer points than the bridge books say. Keep bidding and keep playing!

 

Gerald Stein

September 11, 2013

Number of words: 1018

 

Bridge Notes: Did you notice that a 6♥ slam can be made as well? Highly unlikely that anyone would bid it when the diamonds provide a solid attempt at a small slam.

Bridge Notes Two: “Defense in the 21^st Century” bridge class starts next week Wednesday in Battle Creek. Call the ILR or Life Long Learning office for enrollment at 269-965-4134. The “Learn Bridge in a Day” seminar has been set for Sunday, October 13^th from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Kalamazoo at the Kalamazoo Bridge Club. Check out the website at www.kzoobridge.com.

 

Better Bridge in Barry County September 12 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East North/South 4♦

 

North   2♣ 3♥ 4NT 7♥	East Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 1NT 2♠ 3NT 5♠ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

 

Today’s hand came up recently in a local duplicate bridge club competition. Played twelve times by the North/South pair, only one pair found the ultimate contract of seven hearts in the North. With the lead from East of the small diamond, North took the time to count the winning tricks in her hand. All in all, there were seven heart tricks, three club tricks, one diamond trick, and one spade trick. That only accounted for twelve tricks, not the thirteen tricks needed to make a grand slam. How does North know how to play the spades for the thirteenth trick?

While neither East nor West had bid to give any clues to help North decide on the correct play of the hand, it basically came down to the playing of all of the winning tricks except for the spades, saving them for the final two tricks of the hand. This strategy put East in a difficult position. She must decide to save either the K♠ or the K♦. East needed to guard the K♠ with another spade so near the end of the play of this hand, East must pitch the K♦ and hold the K♠ and another small spade. This in effect forced North to take a finesse with the J♠. North could hope that East will cover the J♠ with the K♠, but a smooth play of the small spade by East will cause North to be unsure of the play. At this point, however, when East smoothly ducked the J♠, North must overtake the J♠ with the Q♠ on the board.  When the Q♠ won that trick, then North played the final spade, the A♠, from the board, making the 7♥ contract.

Making six hearts on this hand was very easy with all of the tricks present for the declarer at trick one. Seldom is it that easy for a Grand Slam bid-and-make. Of the twelve pairs who played the exact same cards, six of those twelve pairs bid only to 4♥, making seven hearts for a score of 710. Four pairs bid 6♥ and made an overtrick for a score of 1460. One pair bid 6NT, but failed to take the finesse fearing that a finesse, should it lose, would result in losing the contract and be down one trick instead of making the 6NT bid. That pair earned a 1440 for their 6NT bid-and-made. The final team of the twelve went all the way to seven hearts, making seven and earning an impressive score of 2210 for their keen bidding and smart play of the hand.

It is impressive to think that this one hand of bridge was played twelve times, and the final contracts varied in four different ways: four hearts making seven; six hearts making seven; six no trump making six no trump; and seven hearts making seven hearts. Each pair hoped to make a winning score on this hand, but it was ultimately the pair that used their experience and partnership trust to bid and make the Grand Slam contract in hearts. Well done, N. and M. on your bid and play of this hand.

 

Gerald Stein

September 8, 2013

Number of words: 751

 

Bridge Notes: Bridge classes are being offered again this fall through Life Long Learning and Institute for Learning in Retirement Programs through Kellogg Community College. A class in basic bridge defense is scheduled to begin on the last Wednesday in September, September 25, 2013 from 4-6 PM at the Hill Brady Road campus in Battle Creek. Call the KCC office at 269-965-4134 to enroll in “Defense in the 21^st Century.”

Bridge Notes Two: A class for beginners in bridge will begin at the end of October. Ask about that class as well. The “Learn Bridge in a Day” seminar has been tentatively set for October in Kalamazoo. Watch for more details.