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.