Better Bridge in Barry County October 2 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East Both 2♥

 

North   2♠! 4♠ 5♣	East Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 1♦ 4♣ 4NT ???	West Pass Pass Pass

What do you as a bridge player do when you know that you and your partner both have a big hand but that it appears that you do not have a fit together? In today’s hand, South has a powerful hand, and North’s first bid showed an equally big hand. How can you reach the right bid and the right contract? Let’s take a look at the bidding to see if there is a good final bid for the North/South pair. What is your thought, and what will you bid for South?

After East’s opening Pass, South began the bidding cautiously by bidding 1♦. With 19 high card points, unless North had nothing, South was assured of another bid to describe this powerhouse of a hand. When West passed, North used the Soloway jump shift bid, promising a strong suit and at least 17 total points. It did not take South long to count the points between them, adding his 19 and North’s 17 to arrive at 36 total points. Grand Slam loomed in South’s mind. But which Grand Slam?

South’s jump in another suit (4♣ bid) promised five diamonds and 19 high card points and also promised some rebiddable clubs. North reassured South that her spades were genuine, and that she had a maximum hand and six spades. South continued with Roman Key Card Blackwood, asking North for the number of key cards she held with the trump suit being spades. When North responded 5♣, South knew that she had either zero or three key cards. South was able to figure that North held the A♠, the K♠, and the A♥ for the three key cards. With stoppers in the other suits, South placed the contract at 7?

Did you guess 7♠ or 7NT? With a void in the spade suit, South was reluctant to bid 7NT because there might be a transportation problem. However, upon further consideration, the A♥ would be the entry to the dummy hand. South confidently bid 7NT, and all passed.

West tabled the 2♥, a standard lead of the fourth down from her longest and strongest suit, and North placed her mighty hand on the table. The spades were there just as promised. South beamed and thanked Partner North who graciously nodded. Even with a void in diamonds in the North hand and a void in spades in the South hand, the play of the hand looked like this was a makeable contract.

South won the trick in the South hand with the K♥. He immediately played the top four diamonds, discarding hearts and clubs from the dummy. When he saw through counting that the diamonds would not set up the 4♦, he abandoned the diamond suit, and he played the A♣, discarding a small spade.

A small heart from the South hand was won in the North hand with the A♥. The spades were played from the top down, and South claimed all thirteen tricks, making the 7NT contract and a final score of 2220 points.

Reaching a 7NT contract on this hand was not an easy choice as only eight players out of forty-five reached that contract in a recent online tournament.  For their efforts, they, of course, were rewarded with a 92% game. Interestingly, only one player chose the 7♠ contract, trusting his partner to have the solid spades. While 7♠ does indeed make a Grand Slam, the score is reduced by 10 points to 2210 and an 80% game. Again, those ten points in no trump figure to boost your score. Others who played this hand played in 6NT making an overtrick, and quite a few played it at 4♠, not realizing the importance of knowing the messages being shared between the North/South pair. Communication in bridge is, of course, the way to reach the best contracts. In today’s hand, North and South were on the right airwaves, and together they reached the best possible contract and best possible score. May you do likewise!

 

Gerald Stein

September 26, 2014

Number of words: 839

 

Bridge Notes: A Bridge class for beginners will start on Saturday, October 18^th, 2014 through the Hastings Community Education and Recreation Center. Check with them if you or ones that you know would like to “Learn Bridge in a Day?” In a five-hour seminar, you will have the basics to play and enjoy bridge for a lifetime. Sign up today.