Better Bridge in Barry County March 27 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Neither 4♥

 

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

Today’s column revisits one of my favorite bridge conventions: The Stayman Convention, one of the most popular of bridge conventions. Once you have gained mastery over this convention, you will wonder how you ever survived without it. Let’s take a look at the three parts of today’s hand: the bidding, the play of the hand, and the scoring.

South as today’s dealer counted the high card points and found that he had 17 high card points. With a balanced hand, South used the Standard American System’s range of 15-17 high-card points as his opening range for all one no trump bids. This is a slight variation from the former years of Charles Goren when most partnerships used the range of 16-18 high card points. No matter what the range, just be sure that you and your partner for today have the same understanding of what one no trump means to each of you.

With a balanced hand, no singletons and no voids, South was confident that he was providing an accurate description of his hand to partner North. West, with only four high card points, passed smoothly, and North’s bid of 2♣ was by partnership agreement the Stayman Convention. The Stayman Convention is an artificial bid and the 2♣ bid says nothing about the club suit. It basically asks South this question: “Do you have a four-card major suit? I have at least one, and I also have at least 8 total points in my hand.” Those are the two keys components for the Stayman Convention: one four-card major and at least 8 total points.

Because it is such a well-known convention, most opponents know what the 2♣ bid means. If you are not sure, you may always ask your opponents what it means. They are obliged to tell you. South has three possible choices to answer the question that North has posed. A 2♦ bid is also artificial and says this: “Partner, I do not have a four-card major. Please bid again.”

If South has a four-card major, the appropriate bid is to name the major by bidding 2♥ if you have a four-card heart suit, or 2♠ if you have a 4-card spade suit. The purpose of the Stayman Convention is straightforward: as a partnership, you are looking for a Golden Fit in a major suit. A Golden Fit is a minimum of eight cards in the trump suit. Most players prefer playing in a trump suit if they know there is an eight-card trump fit rather than in a no trump contract.

In today’s hand, the bidding was easy to see and understand: South bid the 1NT, North used the Stayman Convention to ask if South had a 4-card major. South had a four-card heart suit and bid it, and North, with plenty of points beyond the eight needed, placed the contract at 4♥.

The play of the hand was also straightforward. West’s lead of a small trump, probably not the best of leads, helped South find the Q♥ on the first trick as East played third-hand high. South won the first trick, drew two more rounds of trump, and then took the three diamond winners.

The K♣ and the A♣ came next for tricks seven and eight. The A♠ became trick number nine, and the last trump trick gave South their tenth and final trick. East/West took three tricks out of the thirteen. Scoring the hand was also straightforward with 120 points for game plus a bonus of 300 for the non-vulnerable game giving North/South a 420 point gain.

The interesting thing about this hand is that the contract plays well in No trump as well, making ten tricks and gaining an extra ten points. There is a need for caution in the spade suit, however, with South needing to holdup his A♠ for a round or two. Finding the Q♥ in the East  hand helped just as it did with the 4♥ contract.

The takeaways for today’s hand? Learn and use the Stayman Convention for finding that fit in a major following a no trump opener. Contracts in a trump suit are generally easier for those who are just learning the game of bridge. No matter your level of bridge skills, it is important to review your basic bridge conventions from time to time. You and your partner will be happy when you both play the Stayman Convention together.

 

Gerald Stein

March 23, 2014

Number of words: 905

 

Bridge Notes: Another mini-bridge class will be offered this Saturday at the Hastings Community Education building from 10 AM until noon. This class is the Jacoby Transfer Convention, another way to use a convention following no trump opening bids. Call the office and register for the class. The fee is $5.00 for handouts and lots of practice time. Call 948-4414 to register.

 

Better Bridge in Barry County March 20 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

West Both 4♠

 

North   1♥ 3NT 4NT (3) 5NT (5) 7♥ (7)	East   Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass	South   2NT (1) 4♣ (2) 5♥ (4) 6♦ (6) Pass	West Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

 

(1)   2NT: Jacoby 2NT Convention

(2)   4♣: Cue bid

(3)   4NT: Roman Key Card Blackwood: Aces?

(4)   5♥: Two key cards, no Q♥

(5)   5NT: Roman Key Card Blackwood: Kings?

(6)   6♦: King of Diamonds

(7)   7♥: Signoff

After a long and involved bidding sequence, North and South found themselves in a 7♥ Grand Slam Contract in a recent online tournament. This was a huge tournament with 58 tables playing these exact cards. How many reached the ultimate prize in a Heart Grand Slam contract? Let’s take a look at the bidding first, the play of the hand second, and the scoring last of all.

With West as the dealer and passing and both sides vulnerable, North opened the bidding with 1♥, promising at least five hearts and HCP’s between 12-21. East passed, and South with a strong hand with 17 HCP’s opted to use the 2NT Jacoby Convention. This convention is used to show four-card support for the bid suit (hearts) and at least 13 HCP’s. It is forcing to game.

North bid 3NT promising a hand in the 16-17 HCP range and balanced. South used a 4♣ cue bid to let North know that she had the A♣ and a strong hand. Again, this was a forcing bid. North bid 4NT, the Roman Key Card Blackwood Convention where the king of trump becomes the fifth key card along with the four aces. South responded with the 5♥ bid, informing North that she had two key cards, the A♥ and the A♣.

North’s next bid was an assurance that they had all five key cards between them and now asked for the number of kings in South’s hand. South responded that she had the K♦ by bidding 6♦, the cheapest bid she could bid to inform North of that king. Hearing enough information, North placed the contract at 7♥, and all passed. North would be the declarer at a 7♥ contract.

The play of the hand was straightforward. West led the 4♠, and South tabled her hand and sat back to watch the proceedings. With a thanks to South, North called for a low card from the board, and West, in third seat, had to go up with the Q♠. That, of course, set up the entire spade suit. Drawing trumps was North’s next action, and in three rounds, all trumps were accounted for.

With trumps drawn, North played the spades, the top two diamonds, and trumped the losing diamond with the Q♥. The A♣ and the K♣ were the eleventh and twelfth tricks, and the 10♥ was the thirteenth and final trick for the North/South team.

While most grand slams need 37 high card points to make a thirteen-trick contract, here it is evident that the North/South team was considerably under that amount with only 33 HCP’s. The big difference, of course, is that the North and South team together controlled all of the aces and all of the kings. They had balanced hands, and the lead of the small spade certainly helped the North/South contract by locating the Q♠ on the first trick. While East/West had seven HCP’s, the points were in three queens and one jack, hardly enough to do damage on this hand.

For their strong bidding and play of the hand, North/South were duly rewarded a top board on this hand with a fine score of 94.3%. In all, eight tables reached the 7♥ contract, while the other 50 tables ranged widely in other contracts, including 6♥ making an overtrick, and some tables even played the hand in 6♠. All in all, it was a fine performance by the North/South team to bid, play, and score a Grand Slam contract on today’s hand.

 

Gerald Stein

March 16, 2014

Number of words: 827

Bridge Notes: This Saturday at the Hastings Community Education and Recreation Center, there will be a mini-bridge class offered for those who wish to learn the Stayman Convention or who wish to review the Stayman Convention. Register at the CERC by calling their number at 948-4414. The fee is $5.00 for the two-hour class with handouts and plenty of practice time. Set aside two hours from 10:00 AM until noon and walk away with the Stayman Convention for your improved bridge-playing.

Better Bridge in Barry County March 13 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

South Neither 6♥

 

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

Slam bidding is always fun to bid and play. In today’s hand, there are two options for a small slam. Can you tell which is the better contract? Today’s South opened the bidding in first seat with a powerful hand; with 23 high card points, South opened the bidding with a 2♣ bid, a forcing bid for partner provided there is no interference from the opponents. In most cases, there is usually no reaction from the opponents except to pass quietly. Today, however, West with a seven-card heart suit and few high card points threw in a pre-emptive heart bid promising seven hearts and little more.

North, no longer forced to bid, since West had bid, with a long diamond suit, a void in hearts, and a good ace for partner, bid four diamonds, promising long diamonds and a few points. East knowing that the East/West partnership had eleven hearts between them upped the bid to 4♥. Here is where the bidding changed on a number of hands.

Some South players raised the diamond bid to 5♦, and North raised it to 6♦ for a try for a small slam in diamonds. Today’s South did not want to have his good hand exposed with all of the points showing in the dummy. South bid 4N, a good bid, inviting North to bid again. North jumped to 6♦, and today’s South raised to 6NT. The final contract was 6NT played by South as declarer.

West chose the lead, and led fourth down from his longest and strongest, as a proper no trump lead. He picked the 6♥. North tabled her hand, and South appreciating the fine bidding of his partner thanked her and prepared to make his plan. With stoppers in hearts, spades, and clubs, it was important to win the first heart lead and start on the diamond suit. Accordingly, South won the first trick with the A♥, and he promptly led the K♦ losing to the singleton A♦ in the East hand.

With the strong clubs and entries in both hands, and with the set-up diamonds, it was an easy hand to claim all the rest of the tricks, making 6NT. How well did South do against the rest of the tables who played the exact same hand? This South did very well, indeed. Most of the tables ended up in 6♦, not a bad contract, making a score of 920 including the bonus for a non-vulnerable slam. There were 32 tables that played this same hand, and 19 of them bid and made the diamond slam. Any time you bid and make a slam, you can congratulate yourself.

In today’s hand, however, South was aware of who would be the declarer, and having North bid the diamonds first would have made North the declarer, and not South. All of South’s mighty points would have been on display for the entire table to see. While it did not matter on this hand, still it is a good bridge practice to keep the big hand covered and let the opponents guess what is in your hand. South made the right choice and moved the contract from 6♦ to 6NT so that South would be the declarer. South had bid the NT first at 4NT.

This strategy paid off for the North/South team as only six of the 32 tables bid and made the 6NT contract. Each North/South team then earned a score of 990 for bidding and making the tricks in No Trump.

The takeaways for today’s hand are these two: when there is a choice to play in no trump or a minor suit, consider seriously playing in the no trump contract. There are more points available for that contract than a minor suit contract. The other takeaway is that it is important to keep the big hand hidden from the opponents. They will have to guess where the points are if they are hidden. If they are on display in the dummy, their defense plan has become that much easier.

Good bidding and play of the hand for today’s South player led to a top score of the 32 tables who played those same cards. Well done, South, bidding one extra bid by going to 6NT instead of stopping at 6♦.

 

Gerald Stein

March 5, 2014

Number of words: 892

 

Bridge Notes: Last Saturday’s Learn Bridge in a Day? Class at the Hastings Community Education location was a great success with nine students completing the class. With nine other bridge helpers, all felt that the day was fun and educational. Watch for another Learn Bridge in a Day? Program for Barry County on Saturday, May 3rd. Sign-up at the Hastings Community Education and Recreation Center at 948-4414.

 

 

 

 

Better Bridge in Barry County March 6 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

West North/South 6♣

 

North   Pass	East   Pass	South   ?	West 2♠

What happens when your left-hand opponent opens the bidding with a Weak Two spade bid? You have 15 high-card points as South, you have a solid heart suit, and you are the last to bid for the first round. You know from West’s 2♠ bid that she has six spades with most of her points in the spade suit. She has probably 5-10 high-card points in her hand, and she had hoped to disrupt your bid. She certainly has done that. What is your best bid?

You have a number of choices with the South hand: you could pass and try to set the East/West pair, but they are non-vulnerable so your gain will be minimal. You could double for take-out forcing partner to bid, but if she bids diamonds, what are you going to do? You could bid 3♥ on a wing and a prayer hoping that North has some help as you are vulnerable and at the three level. Your final option is to bid 2NT and see what happens. Which choice do you prefer?

In the actual tournament, this hand was played forty times with half of the tables making their bids and the other half not making the bids or bidding an inferior contract. Let’s look at the four options.

 Pass seems like a bad decision to use here. You would be allowing East/West to steal your chances of a good score. Scratch the Pass option.

Take-out double is choice number two: North is forced to bid, and she bids her longest suit, the ratty-looking club suit but five of them. What do you do? Pass and play in a part-score and regret it forever after? No, you must either bid three no trump or bid your five hearts at the three level. If you bid three hearts, partner will raise you to 4♥, and you will be the declarer in the South. If you bid 3NT, North will pass, and again you will be the declarer in the South. How do you like your chances in 4♥ or 3NT?

At least you have made the choice to play the hand at game level instead of playing in 3♣ which would give you a very bad score compared to the rest of the declarers. So let’s choose the 4♥ level since your partner has promised at least three-card heart support and some points. Will it be enough?

With West on lead, you are not surprised when the 6♣ is tabled from West. Knowing from experience that with a six-card weak two bid, you are bound to be short in another suit, you can almost predict that West’s lead of the 6♣ is a singleton. You win the first trick in your hand with the A♣ after East puts up the J♣. You approve of your partner’s bid by a simple thank you and prepare the rest of your plan. A small heart from your hand to the A♥ draws a trump from each opponent. The Q♥ from the board drops the J♥ from West. Now you have an accurate count of West’s hand. One club, two hearts, six spades, so West must have four diamonds as well.

After winning the Q♥ on the board, you play a small club through East and play the 10♣ winning the trick. As you had expected, West shows out of clubs and out of trump. You next play the K♣ winning that trick and then you draw the final trump from East with the K♥.

Giving up a trick now is the next part of your plan. You lead the K♠ losing, of course, to the A♠ in the West hand. Back came a small spade from West, and you let it ride all the way to your winning 8♠. You play the good Q♠ next winning that trick. Your A♦ is a winning trick as well as the two remaining tricks in trump for a total of 11 tricks in hearts. You will lose the A♠ and the K♦ for your two losers on this hand.

You have taken 11 tricks in hearts, and had you chosen 3NT, you would have been able to take 11 tricks there as well. Listening to the bidding helped you on your way to a top score in either 4♥ or 3NT. Passing or playing in 3♣ would have resulted in a bad score for your team.

The takeaways on this hand are two-fold: take the time to count the number of points in the opener’s hand. In this case, with a weak-two bid, there is a range of 5-10 high-card points. Knowing that most of the points will be in the bid suit, you can use that knowledge to successfully play the hand. With support from your partner North, you did not let the weak-two bid distract you too much. Instead, you used the knowledge gained to go on and bid the game whether that game was in hearts or in no trump. Well done, South, on your bidding and playing the hand following a disruptive pre-emptive bid from your opponents.

 

Gerald Stein

February 24, 2014

Number of words: 952