Better Bridge in Barry County August 8 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

	North ♠  9 6 3 ♥  K 7 2  ♦  Q10 3 ♣  K 8 5 2
West ♠  J 10 5 4 ♥  10 5 ♦  K 9 8 7 2   ♣  9 3		East ♠  A Q 8 7 ♥  Q 6 4 ♦  6 5 ♣  J 10 7 4
	South ♠  K 2 ♥  A J 9 8 3   ♦  A J 4   ♣  A Q 6

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

North Neither 4♠

 

North Pass 3NT	East Pass Pass	South 2NT Pass	West Pass Pass

Sometimes declaring bridge players are lucky. Sometimes the defense is lax in its card playing and allows a contract to be made when it really should have been set. Let’s look at what happened in today’s deal taken from a recent online tournament.

With neither side vulnerable, South opened the bidding at 2NT with 19 high-card points and one for the length in hearts. Why did South elect to ignore the five-card major as an opening bid? The most common reason is that 2NT, while not a forcing bid in most players’ agreement, tells partner a lot of information in one bid: twenty total points and a balanced hand. That is exactly what South had in her hand on this round. With a balanced hand as well as eight high-card points, North readily accepted the invitation to game in 3NT.

West led the 4♠, hoping to save the K♦ as an entry later on. Fourth card down from the spade suit seemed like a normal lead. What happened to the defense later on is suspect. Low from the dummy, Q♠ from East, and taken by South with the K♠.

South planned to take the clubs first with solid honors to see if the fourth club on the board would set up. Unfortunately, that line of action did not work, and South took three club tricks in a row, ending up on the board with the K♣. South next began to work on the diamonds leading the Q♦ from the board and letting it ride to West’s K♦. Here was the crucial point for the defense, and it appeared that the first part went according to their defensive plan: West led the J♠ winning, but East played the 7♠ on the J♠. What difference would that make? It made all of the difference in the world to the contract. Playing the 8♠ would have been an attitude signal card saying, “Lead another spade. I can take it.” Instead, West feared that the A♠ was in the South hand and shifted to the 9♦. South drew a sigh of relief as the defense failed to take the setting trick.

With the spades out of the way, the diamonds set up, it remained for South to get lucky again. South took the two diamond tricks, the J♦ and then the A♦, in her hand. East had failed again throwing away a small heart, leaving the Q♥ exposed to falling to a happy South. South took the K♥ on the board, and West threw the Q♥ on the K♥. Leading a heart back to her hand, South took the last four tricks with the J♥, the A♥, and the 9♥ and the 8♥. South took eleven tricks for two over, and a top score of plus 460.

Giving away a top board to North/South with a 93.5% was criminal. East/West failed in their defense in a number of ways, but most of the blame can be placed on East for failing to use proper defensive signals. Playing the 8♠ instead of the 7♠, while it seems rather insignificant, would have given West an inclination to continue the spade suit. The attitude card indicated an interest in continuing the spades instead of a shift to the diamonds. A return of the spade suit with encouragement from East would have resulted in three spade tricks for East/West, one diamond trick, and one club trick, the J♣. East must take the J♣ first, however, after winning a spade return as it is the last club out. Then East can lead her last spade. In addition, East must try not to throw away a heart on a discard. Instead, she should pitch a diamond, and save the three hearts to make it tough for South to know where the Q♥ is. On this hand, that may have been impossible once the spades were not led again. Sometimes, the declarer is lucky, and sometimes the defense is poor. In today’s hand, it appears that East/West need to review their defensive signaling to help them avoid a disastrous score on what should have been a top score for them.

 

Gerald Stein

August 1, 2013

Number of words: 866

Bridge Notes: Good news for those bridge players who wish to brush up or learn new skills in the defensive part of bridge. An American Contract Bridge League class on defensive signals, both attitude and counting signals, will be offered at Kellogg Community College this fall. Call the Life Long Learning office at KCC for information regarding “Defense in the 21^st Century.” Bring your partner and work on defensive skills together.

 

Better Bridge in Barry County August 1 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Both 6♣

 

North   2♣ 4♥	East   Dbl Pass	South 1NT 2♥ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass

In a local duplicate pairs game, today’s hand was played nine times. Eight of the nine pairs ended up in the sensible and proper major suit game with 4♥. Four of those eight who played in the game suit in hearts, however, failed to make the contract while the other four made the contact easily. What was the difference between those who failed and those who made the contract? Let’s take a look.

In all of the hands played that reached 4♥, South opened 1NT with the right number of high-card points with 15. North responded with 2♣, using the Stayman Convention to inform partner that she had at least eight points and a four-card major. East threw in a double following the 2♣ bid. While this could have been construed as a take-out bid, most players knew that with 15 points in the South hand and at least eight points in the North hand, that a take-out double was not realistic. No, there was another message with the double: it is called a Lead-directing Double informing West, if she got the lead to lead a club for an opening lead as East had a strong holding in clubs.

South ignored the double, but perhaps she should have paid more attention to it. South bid her four-card heart suit, and North raised to 4♥. This happened in eight out of the nine hands played for this round. West, with the lead, led the higher of her two clubs, the 6♣. Had South been paying closer attention, she would have picked up on the lead and played the hand differently. Instead, South saw the strong hearts, the club suit from North, and not much more. Four hearts looked to make easily, thought South. How wrong she was!

Picking either the K♣ or the J♣ made no difference on the first trick. East would take the first trick with the A♣ if the K♣ was played, or the Q♣ if the J♣ was played. The lead-directing double had done its work properly, and East played and won the first two club tricks. West played the 5♣ on the second trick, and an observant South should have picked up on the high-low discard, suggesting that West had only two clubs. Playing the higher card first and then the lower card the next time is a standard way of giving a count signal. Poor South missed the signal and when East played a third round of clubs, South trumped low. West overtrumped, and immediately West played the A♠ taking the first four tricks. The North/South 4♥ contract was quickly set one trick for a minus 100 for North/South instead of the plus 620 they should have earned.

What should South have done to preserve the victory for her team? South should have won the third trick high with the K♥! That will safeguard a West opponent overtrumping and setting the contract. True, it will still not be easy to make the rest of the tricks with the J♥ in the West hand, but a lead of the 10♥ from South should result in gathering in all of the trumps without endangering the contract. Not taking care of business that was there for the taking resulted in four teams receiving poor scores for not making a makeable game. The other four teams who listened to the bidding, knowing that the double was a Lead-directing Double and knowing that to make that kind of bid, East would need at least five good clubs in her hand, made the contract and a plus score. Additionally, watching the lead and the second card played from West should also have been a tipoff that West had only two clubs as well.

Hindsight is always a wonderful thing to talk about, especially in a post mortem discussion in bridge. Today’s hand was interesting because four pairs were able to read the signs and take advantage of them while the other four pairs failed to see or understand the signs right there in front of them. In the future, watch the bidding more closely. Watch the leads and the subsequent play of cards to see if you can read the defense’s mind. Doing that will help you end up on the plus side of the score sheet instead of on the minus side.

 

Gerald Stein

July 27, 2013

Number of words: 832

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.

Better Bridge in Barry County July 18 2013

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Both J♣

 

North   Pass	East   Pass	South 1NT	West Pass

Today’s column looks at a perennial problem in the bridge world. What do you do when you have a solid no trump opening hand, and everyone passes, and you are stuck with a one no trump contract? The question often arises about the change in the number of points needed for a one no trump opening bid. Most modern players have gone to the 15-17 high card points, no voids or singletons, and only one doubleton. A number of players ask why there is a change from the long-established 16-18 high card range. The response is often given this way: with the lower point range, there is the opportunity to bid more often as well as to more accurately describe your hand and your point count to your partner. Why not take the opportunity to bid and bid often? The dilemma then occurs if the one no trump bid is passed out. Then it becomes a battle between the defenders planning to set the contract, and the declarer hoping that his partner has something to help make the contract. Look and see what happened in today’s hand found at a local game recently.

South with a balanced hand and the right range of 15 high card points elected to open with a 1NT bid. South’s partner had big help in clubs but not enough to go higher. North accordingly and rightly passed as did the defenders East and West.

West with the lead chose the top of the club sequence hoping to make something happen in that suit. West chose the J♣ for her lead. South surveyed the lead and the dummy making a plan after thanking her partner, especially when she saw the strong clubs on the board. South could count four sure tricks: The A♣, the K♣, the Q♣, and the A♥. The other three tricks would have to come from cards held in the South hand. It would not be an easy contract to make.

Wanting to keep an entry in her hand, South called for the A♣ on the first trick, winning that first trick as planned. Next came a heart leading toward her hand, and she put up the J♥, losing to the K♥ in the West hand. West returned the 10♣ driving out the K♣ on the board. South again kept the Q♣ in her hand as an entry. East showed out on the second club, however, sending out an 8♦ as an attitude signal card.

South chose a small diamond, and here East wisely played low in second position. The adage of “Second hand low” had proven its worth again. South put in the J♦, and it lost to the singleton Q♦ in the West hand. West had been counting clubs and knew that the Q♣ was in the South hand. Here West led the 6♣ and even though the clubs on the board look like they could win the trick, South was caught with the Q♣ in her hand. There was nothing more to be gained from the board.

South had won the three club tricks so far, and she had two hearts ready to cash. South cashed the A♥ and the Q♥ winning two more tricks. Five tricks in so far, but South still needed two more tricks to make her contract. South led the 4♠ hoping to make something happen. Something happened all right. West grabbed the A♠, took the good 9♣ and the good 10♥ and exited with a small spade. East took the K♠ and the A♦. North/South ended up a trick short for down 100 points. East/West with good defense together managed to take the necessary seven tricks to earn a positive score of 100 points.

Could South have done something better to prevent the poor score for their side? Perhaps South could have taken the first club trick in her hand and taking the club lead into consideration might realize that West was leading from the top of a sequence of three touching cards. Leading a small club back toward the Ace and King of Clubs, West might have played low, and South could have chosen the 7♣ or the 8♣ for a cheap finesse. Those are post-mortem thoughts, and in the play of the hand, there is little time to consider each and every alternative to making a good play. Sitting back and looking at four hands at once is a great advantage for a reader, but for the player, the plan you make at the beginning of the hand is the plan that you stick with during the rest of the play. Make a good plan at the beginning and plan out the way to get those seven tricks if you end up in a one no trump contract.

 

Gerald Stein

July 13, 2013

Number of words: 995

Bridge notes: “Learn Bridge in a Day” will be offered again in our area for those who want to learn a lot of bridge in one day. While no substitute for taking additional bridge classes, still it is an easy way to learn about bridge in one afternoon. The next class will be held at the Kalamazoo Bridge Center just off West Main in Kalamazoo on September 15, 2013. Consider alerting your friends who have always wanted to learn how to play bridge to take this opportunity. You will have new bridge partners before you know it.