Better Bridge in Barry County
By
Gerald Stein
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North
♠ ---
♥ Q J
♦ K Q 9 5
♣ K Q J 10 9 7 2
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West
♠ A K 7 6 3 2
♥ K 8 4
♦ 6
♣ 6 5 3
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East
♠ Q J 10 9 8 5
♥ 9 5 3
♦ A 8 7 2
♣ ---
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South
♠ 4
♥ A 10 7 6 2
♦ J 10 4 3
♣ A 8 4
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Dealer:
Vulnerable:
Lead:
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West
North/South
K♠
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North
Dbl
5♣
Pass
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East
4♠
Pass
Pass
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South
Pass
6♥!
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West
2♠
Pass
Pass
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In today’s hand, we see another common example of
highly distributional hands. Look at the East/West hands and count those
spades. There were twelve spades between the two players, and yet they did not
get the contract. Now look at the North/South hands and count the club suit. There
were ten clubs, and yet the contract was not in clubs. What happened here?
One of the most difficult skills for bridge players
to master is the ability to count. Count everything you can, but in the bidding
portion of the game, count the points between you and your partner, and see if
you can count the points in the opponents’ hands. Remember there are only forty
high card points to count, but when it comes to distribution, that creates
another problem for counters.
West opened with a Weak Two Spade bid: 6+ spades and
ten or fewer high card points. That is a given. So let’s count West’s points to
see if that was correct. Yes, West had ten high card points and a long spade
suit, just as promised. North used a take-out double for her bid. A take-out
double showed shortness in the bid suit and support for the other three suits
and usually 12+ high card points. What did North actually have? Yes, she was short
in spades with none. She had fifteen high card points and an impressive club
suit with seven. She was a little short in hearts, but a Q♥ and a J♥ might come
in handy. North was probably going to bid the clubs on the next round as her
double for take-out was a forcing bid. South would have to bid unless there was
an intervening bid.
There was an intervening bid, and East with six
spades as well used the Fast Arrival bid, jumping to 4♠. East had a useful hand
for West with a void in clubs, an A♦, and six
spades. With six high card points, it was still a useful bid for East to bid 4♠.
So far in our counting, we can count ten points for
the opener, at least twelve points for the overcaller with the take-out double,
and a minimum of six points for East. That accounts for 28 of the forty high
card points. South must have between ten and twelve to make up the forty
points, more or less. In fact, South actually had just nine high card points.
While high card points are a guide to reaching game, sometimes wild
distribution makes things challenging for both pairs.
After the 4♠ bid from East, North bid 5♣ as she had
planned. With 15 high card points, a void in spades, and strong clubs, North
expected to make a 5♣ bid. Imagine her surprise when Silent South bid a small
slam in hearts, a suit that had never been mentioned until the sixth level. All
passed, and South prepared to play a small slam in hearts.
When West led the K♠, and South saw the void in
spades, she made her plan and thanked her partner for her hand. Trumping with
the J♥ in the dummy, South next led the Q♥ letting it ride all the way to West’s K♥. West continued with the A♠, and South discarded a
small diamond and trumped in her hand with the 6♥.
She next played the A♥, the 10♥, and all of the trumps were accounted for. The A♣
was led from the South hand, and then a small club was led to the dummy, and
the dummy’s clubs were played from the top down. The last trick was the K♦ which was trumped by the last heart in the declarer’s
hand.
For their efforts, North/South were only two of 38
tables who played this hand who found the 6♥ slam.
1430 was their score for bidding and playing well. On a count of the points
between North and South, we can see only 24 high card points, yet 6♥ was bid and made on distribution. East/West had 16
points, but they could have easily made 4♠ with this hand. They would use the
void in clubs and the A♦ to create an effective
crossruff and handily win their game.
For those wondering about 5♣ which many tables chose
to play, most of them were defeated one trick by the East/West team for a paltry
score for the North/South team. East/West would probably score a trick with the
A♦, trump a diamond, and win a heart trick with
the K♥ later for down one.
For those of you who follow syndicated bridge columnist
Frank Stewart in the area papers, his advice is as follows about counting: “Counting
is not an arcane process, only a matter of focus and practice. Anyone can do
it.” You can count on it!
Gerald Stein
December 7, 2014
Number of words: 913
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