Better Bridge in Barry County January 1 2015

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

North East/West 10♥

 

North 1♣ 2♥ ?	East Pass Pass Pass	South 1♥ 3♣ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass

In today’s hand, let’s continue the idea of counting to reach the very best contract we can with the cards that we have been dealt. Today’s North opened the bidding with a 1♣, promising as usual at least three clubs and an opening count of at least 12 high card points. With no interference from East/West, South bid 1♥, promising at least four hearts and at least 6 high card points. That is a long way from a game, however, where the partnership needs 25-26 total points to make a game in the majors or in no trump. Today, let’s look at a way that partnerships can work together to give more information and arrive at that ideal contract.

North knew from South’s bid that she had at least 4 hearts and at least 6 high card points. With her 13 high card points, it did not appear to North that there were enough points to arrive at a game contract in the heart suit. North bid a conservative 2♥ and awaited South’s response.

With extras, however, South bid 3♣. She was not trying to find a different trump suit. That had already been established with the support by North that hearts would be the trump suit. Instead, through their partnership agreement, South used a strategy to inform North that she had help in the club suit. Called “Help Suit Game Try,” South informed North that while the trump suit would be hearts, would it be 3♥ or 4♥? Help Suit Game Try works like this: South bid 3♣ to inform North that she had support for clubs as well as the heart suit. Two suits are better than one.

South’s 3♣ bid was a forcing bid to 3♥ at least. With extras, North was to take the partnership to game in 4♥. With 13 high card points, and at least 2-3 points for the singleton diamond, North saw the light and bid the 4♥ contract. All passed, and South prepared to play the 4♥ contract.

West saw little hope in her lead and chose a trump lead, the 10♥. South drew the trumps in three rounds, and ended up in her hand. Playing the Q♣ produced the K♣, and three rounds of clubs were played in succession all winning for South. South next played the A♦, trumped a diamond in the dummy and then played the spade suit. East/West won the A♠ and K♠ for their two tricks while North/South made game with eleven tricks and a 450 point score.

The key to this hand was the Help Suit Game Try employed by the partnership. This kind of bidding is important to add to your bridge bag of conventions as it helps to remove the doubts of whether you go on to game in a major or stop at the 3♥ level. Many who played this hand were able to make use of the Help Suit Game Try, and the partners confidently moved to the 4♥ level. Those who did not have the Help Suit Game Try as part of their bidding agreement were left to guess whether to go on or to stop at a part score.

Bridge is a game of conversations. In this way, North and South were able to relay information that was important to reach the major game contract. For their efforts, they ended up in a solid game in the major suit even though their high card points only added up to 24. They were able to use the second suit as a support suit to take additional tricks and make the contract. Without the club support and the information relayed about the clubs, it is doubtful whether North/South would have been able to bid 4♥ confidently. True, they might have gotten there by guess-and-by-golly, but isn’t it reassuring to know that there is a way to convey important information to your partner? Give Help Suit Game Try a chance in the New Year. You will have fun letting your partner know that you have extras in partner’s bid suit. Reaching game is always a lot more fun than playing in a part score and then realizing at the end of the hand that a game was there all along. Best wishes in 2015. Happy New Year to all Barry County bridge players and their families.

 

Gerald Stein

December 19, 2014

Number of words: 834

Better Bridge in Barry County December 25 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East North/South 2♥

 

North   2♦ 3♣ 4♠	East Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 2♣ 2NT 3♠ Pass	West Pass Pass Pass Pass

In today’s hand the need for counting was never more evident. Look at South’s whopper hand. Now look at North’s hand. What a contrast in the two hands! South has 24 high card points in her hand with almost game there. North has two points with the Q♥. Together, however, they have the magic number of 26, the number of points needed for a game in a major or in no trump. How did North and South arrive at the optimum contract of 4♠? Let’s take a look.

After a pass by dealer East, South looked carefully at her hand. What a beautiful Christmas present! All those points and what-to-bid ran through her mind like sugar plums dancing there. South wisely chose the forcing strong club opening bid of 2♣, promising a strong hand of 22 plus points, but more importantly, a forcing bid for partner North. The advantage of opening 2♣ is that partner is forced to take the partnership to game by keeping the bidding open even with as weak a hand as North has.

After South’s opening bid of 2♣, North offered the usual 2♦ waiting bid for South to further describe her hand to North. With a stopper in all suits, South chose the 2NT bid to suggest no trump in the event that North had a good heart suit. North chose to use the Stayman convention of 3♣ after the 2NT bid to ask for a four-card major in the South hand. North complied with a bid of 3♠ and four of that suit. North finished the bidding by taking South to game in spades at 4♠, and all passed.

The 2♥ was the lead from West, and South looked at a grim board. True, there were the four spades as promised, but there was little more that South could use. With 26 points between them, South was unsure how the remaining 14 high card points would split in the East/West hands. South would have to do her best to bring home the Christmas presents today.

With the heart lead, South had no choice but to win the trick in her hand with the A♥. What was the plan now? With short clubs in the North hand, South started with the K♣ and played a club from the board. She played the A♣ and another club from the board. Hoping that the clubs would be split enough to get in a club ruff, South led the 2♣ and exhaled softly when West showed up with the Q♣. South ruffed the club with the 2♠ and won the trick.

Next South led a small spade from the board, saw the J♠ emerge from the East hand, put up the Q♠, and lost to the K♠ in the West hand. West continued with a small heart all the way to the South hand where South trumped low to win the trick. Even though she knew that there was one more club out, it was bigger than her 10♣ and was therefore another losing trick that needed to go away. South led the 10♣ and watched as West trumped with the 10♠ winning the trick. South was not too unhappy as that eliminated another trump from West. South pitched a small diamond from the board.

West persisted by leading yet another heart, and South trumped with the 7♠. South had kept count of the trumps, and used the A♠ to pull another spade from West with East showing out. West had another trump, and there was another one on the board but smaller that West’s. South had to keep the lead to force West to trump and then the last trump would be good on the board. South led the A♦, the K♦, and a small diamond. West followed suit to the first two diamonds and discarded her last heart. When West discarded a heart on the small diamond, South trumped with the 8♠, and the last trick went to West with the last spade trump.

North/South had made the 4♠ contract despite the fact that the trump split was 4-1, a rather unpleasant piece of coal in her stocking. However, with all of those points in the South hand, South was able to wrap up her Christmas present with a fine 620 point score and a 4♠ contract.

How did others manage on this hand? Some South players opted to open 2NT on this hand, but were sorely disappointed when their partner passed the bid. 2NT is not a forcing bid, and South was unhappy with her choice of bids. Others were even more disappointed when they opened with a minor suit of 1♣ or 1♦ planning to jump on their second bid. They never received a second bid but only a pass from North. Here you are with a fistful of high card points playing a 1♣ or 1♦. How disappointing. Others went to the other extreme and bid up past 4♠, trying for a slam in spades, and ending up in defeat.

What is the takeaway present for today? With a big hand, with 22 plus points, open a forcing 2♣ bid and work with your partner to get to the best game. Despite the meager showing from North, yet the total count was 26 high card points and the good play by South brought home the contract. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Barry County bridge players and their families!

 

Gerald Stein

December 20, 2014

Number of words: 1022

 

 

Better Bridge in Barry County December 18 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

East North/South 2♣

 

North   1NT 3♥ Pass	East Pass Pass Pass Pass	South 1♥ 2♦ 4♥	West Pass Pass Pass

In today’s hand, we continue our look at counting bridge hands to arrive at not only the right contract but also to take all the available tricks. It is often not enough just to make a contract, especially in duplicate tournaments and competitions where every overtrick is valuable, but to reach the point where a count of the points and the suits can help you to reach that overtrick status and a winning success. Let’s take a look today at the count in the North/South hands to figure out how to play the hand and be successful and to receive a top board.

After East’s pass with only six high card points, South opened with the five-card major heart suit. South had five hearts, fourteen high card points, and a four-card backup suit in diamonds for her second bid. South bid 1♥. After a pass by West with eight high card points, North responded to the heart suit, first with a forcing 1NT bid. This is a common bid that the North/South players have developed. Called Two-Over-One, it is the practice to bid 1NT, when the responder does not have 13+ points and a forcing-to-game bid. Instead, North/South have agreed that 1NT now has a new meaning for their partnership. Instead of the traditional 6-9 high card points that most bridge players use for a 1NT response, the Two-Over-One system expands the count to 6-12 high card points. While that is quite a range, it is also a forcing bid for one round for opener to rebid again. In today’s hand that is what happened. North did not have enough to go to the two-level for a force to game bid, but she was very close with twelve high card points. Accordingly, North bid a forcing 1NT, knowing that South would further describe her hand.

South responded with two diamonds, showing a new suit of at least three diamonds and five hearts and at least 12 high card points. At this point, North opted to jump in the heart suit, promising three hearts and 10-12 high card points. That was good enough for South to count the points between them and put the contract at 4♥.

West chose a passive lead with the 2♣, avoiding the suits bid by the opponents, and not wanting to lead away from the spade suit. North tabled her hand, and South thanked her, and she began the plan as always. With fourteen high card points in her hand and twelve in the North hand, South knew she had the requisite 26 points needed. There would be 14 high cards out between East and West. If all went right, the points would be divided evenly between the East/West pair. If you look at the East/West pair, you can see that was pretty good reasoning with six in one hand and eight in the other.

With the club suit solid, the heart suit looked strong if the suit broke 3-2 as it does over fifty percent of the time. The diamond suit looked precarious especially if East could lead through the diamond king. Spades were okay if a finesse worked on West. Knowing that 14 high card points were out, South elected to win the club lead into the short side and took it in her hand.

Three rounds of drawing trump produced the 3-2 split. South shrewdly let the J♠ next, hoping that West would have the A♠. As it turned out, West took the A♠ immediately and returned another club. South won that club return in the South hand, and returned the 6♣ to the K♣ and then played the A♣ as well discarding a diamond loser. South played the good K♠ and discarded another diamond loser. South was ready to try her second finesse having seen four points from West with the A♠, and one point from East with the J♥. With five high card points accounted for, South led a small diamond past East who, in second position, played the common Second Hand Low strategy. South promptly put up the K♦ winning in the South hand. Two finesses in the same hand do not happen very often, and most of the time, one of them will fail as, after all, a finesse will win only 50% of the time. This time South was very lucky as both of her finesses won. She played the final two hearts from her hand, and she conceded the last trick to East with the A♦.

With excellent bidding and card play, South scored well for the partnership with eleven tricks taken, a score of 650 points, and a very good score in competition. While you may not be competing in a competition or tournament, still the thrill of going for overtricks is part of the challenge in bridge. Counting can help you figure out where the opponents’ high cards are. Being aware of the count, both in numbers of cards out and number of points in the deck is a challenging part of the bridge game. Give it a chance. Start with just you and your partner’s points and begin to take a moment before you plunk down that first trick. “How many points do we have as a partnership? How many points are out against us? How are they divided? Did the opponents bid to give us a clue where the points are?” Using your logical inner self will help you grow and develop into a Count or a Countess. Good luck, Your Majesty.

 

Gerald Stein

December 14, 2015

Number of words: 1031

Better Bridge in Barry County December 11 2014

Better Bridge in Barry County

By Gerald Stein

 

 

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

 

 

Dealer: Vulnerable: Lead:

West North/South K♠

 

North   Dbl 5♣ Pass	East   4♠ Pass Pass	South   Pass 6♥!	West 2♠ Pass Pass

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