Pro/Am Saturday Morn Session November 2, 2019
Scores after 6 rounds Average: 99.0 Section A B North-South
Pair Pct Score Section Rank Overall Rank MPs
A B C A B C
A 4 66.92 132.50 A 1 1 3.79(OA) John O'Brien - Cheryl Brodsky
B 4 61.36 121.50 A 2 4 1.60(OA) Neal Mazaroff - Helen Burke
A 3 57.07 113.00 A 3 0.95(SA) Joyce Hart - Diane Anderson
B 3 55.05 109.00 A 4 0.67(SA) Jo Levy - Bonnie Walsh
B 2 52.14 103.23 A 5 0.38(SA) Edwin Seputis - Patti Kogan
A 7 50.73 100.45 A 6 0.32(SA) Russ Kirschenbaum - Monica Deutsch
A 1 50.30 99.60 A David Geary - Carol Wolleson
B 8 49.61 98.23 A Herbert Chung - Sylvia Victoria
B 6 48.21 95.45 A Steven Drucker - Marcia Bohan
B 7 47.59 94.23 A Susie Chung - Vicky Chen
A 6 46.01 91.09 A Sarah Simmerman - Alison Heyman
A 5 45.98 91.05 A Sandi Davis - Helen Wren
B 5 45.84 90.77 A Joel Teller - Ruth Kleinman
A 2 44.42 87.95 A Norman Marks - Don Levine
B 1 43.07 85.27 A Shirley Rodenborn - Marilyn Chilcote
A 8 36.25 71.77 A Amy Hansell - Kathleen Matthews
Pro/Am Saturday Morn Session November 2, 2019
Scores after 6 rounds Average: 99.0 Section A B East-West
Pair Pct Score Section Rank Overall Rank MPs
A B C A B C
A 8 65.86 130.40 A 1 2 2.84(OA) Jonathan Kael - Gloria Marchick
B 4 63.02 124.77 A 2 3 2.13(OA) Kevin Schoenfeld - Mark Kogan
A 4 57.60 114.05 A 3 5 1.20(OA) Ching Chao - Carol Alliger
B 2 57.21 113.27 A 4 6 0.90(OA) Robert Johnson - Thomas Griswold
B 6 55.44 109.77 A 5 0.38(SA) Loretta Dimitruck - Robin Baker
B 3 51.52 102.00 A 6 0.32(SA) Irwin Lichtblau - Gretchen Griswold
A 5 51.26 101.50 A Philip Leung - Jennie Schacht
A 7 48.46 95.95 A Donna Wasser - Rod Goree
A 3 48.23 95.50 A Douglas Burke - Madelaine Georgette
B 5 46.21 91.50 A Barbara McKay - Marge Black
A 6 45.82 90.73 A Sherry Larsen Beville - Kennedy Richardson
B 1 45.23 89.55 A Cathleen Otvos - Gail Oraftik
A 2 42.70 84.55 A David Snyder - Barbara Eppinger
A 1 42.38 83.91 A Joye Sidoti - Irving Googins
B 7 41.53 82.23 A Sam Gurbaxani - Michael Lubin
B 8 36.98 73.23 A Robert Kaplan - Janet Middleton
Board 1 North Deals None Vul |
♠ | K | ♥ | A 6 4 3 | ♦ | K 10 9 7 5 3 | ♣ | A 2 |
|
♠ | Q 6 4 3 2 | ♥ | J 10 9 8 | ♦ | — | ♣ | 7 6 4 3 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | 9 8 5 | ♥ | Q 7 5 2 | ♦ | A J 6 4 | ♣ | Q 8 |
|
|
|
♠ | A J 10 7 | ♥ | K | ♦ | Q 8 2 | ♣ | K J 10 9 5 |
|
NS 6♦; S 6♣; NS 5N; N 5♣; NS 3♠; NS 3♥; Par +920
West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♦ | Pass | 2 ♣ |
Pass | 2 ♦ | Pass | 2 ♠ |
Pass | 2 N | Pass | 3 N |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | N | 6 | 490 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 NT | N | 5 | 460 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 NT | N | 5 | 460 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 NT | N | 5 | 460 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 NT | N | 5 | 460 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 NT | N | 4 | 430 | | 6.00 | 5.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
5 ♦ | N | 5 | 400 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
3 NT | S | 3 | 400 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 NT | N | 3 | 400 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | N | 3 | 400 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
5 ♦ | N | 5 | 400 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 ♦ | N | 5 | 150 | | 0.00 | 11.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B5-McKay-Black |
Auction: This is the likely auction if you are playing 2 over 1. If not, North
should jump to 3 NT on his third bid to express his extra values.
Lead: Leading fourth best from the unbid suit seems right. Another possible
lead is a passive spade, hoping that dummy's spades are weak.
Play: After the lead of the heart 2, West should play the heart Jack, telling
his partner that he has a sequence in hearts. East knows almost the exact
layout of the heart suit at trick 1!
The best chance to establish tricks is in the diamond suit. When declarer leads
a small diamond, he sees the bad break. East wins the Ace and clears the
hearts. Time to count your tricks again! Two tricks in each suit (including the
marked diamond finesse), so you need one more. Continuing diamonds holds you to
9 tricks. Why not switch gears and take the club finesse instead? If it works,
you might take 11 tricks (like on this hand). If it doesn't work, you still
have nine tricks.
Board 2 East Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | K 10 8 7 2 | ♥ | Q 10 | ♦ | A 9 7 | ♣ | K 9 7 |
|
♠ | A 5 | ♥ | A 9 7 | ♦ | J 6 3 2 | ♣ | 10 8 5 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | J 9 3 | ♥ | J 6 5 3 2 | ♦ | K 8 | ♣ | 6 4 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | Q 6 4 | ♥ | K 8 4 | ♦ | Q 10 5 4 | ♣ | A Q J |
|
N 4♠; NS 3N; S 3♠; NS 3♦; NS 3♣; NS 1♥; Par +620
West | North | East | South |
| | Pass | 1 ♦ |
Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass | 1 N |
Pass | 2 ♣! | Pass | 3 ♠ |
Pass | 4 ♠ | All pass | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
4 ♠ | N | 5 | 650 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A3-Burke-Georgette |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 NT | S | 3 | 600 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
3 NT | S | 3 | 600 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | S | 3 | 600 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
2 NT | S | 3 | 150 | | 6.00 | 5.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
2 NT | S | 2 | 120 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
4 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 NT | S | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
4 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 NT | S | −2 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A7-Wasser-Goree |
Auction: North bids 2C as New Minor Forcing to find out more about South's
shape and strength. South can now let his partner know if he has four hearts
(2H), three spades (2S), five diamonds (2D), or none of the above (2 NT). South
can also make a jump bid, if he has a maximum hand. Remember that South has
already limited his hand to 12-14 hcp, by not opening 1 NT. So, South's 3S bid
perfectly communicates that he has 3 spades and 14 hcp.
Play: With a loser in hearts and in diamonds (luckily declarer has only one
losing diamond on this layout), the contract lives or dies with the trump suit.
The best percentage play for one loser is small towards the Queen in dummy, and
then finessing back to the 10. Unfortunately, that leads to down 1 on this
hand. Why does the hand record show that North can make 4S? Declarer could
instead lead small to the King and then duck leading back, losing only one
spade. But don't be swayed by the hand record results - they don't always
reflect good bridge!
Board 3 South Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | Q 10 | ♥ | Q 8 | ♦ | K 10 9 7 | ♣ | A 8 7 4 3 |
|
♠ | K J 8 | ♥ | 10 9 7 5 | ♦ | Q 8 5 | ♣ | 10 9 6 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A 9 7 3 2 | ♥ | J 6 3 | ♦ | J 4 3 2 | ♣ | J |
|
|
|
♠ | 6 5 4 | ♥ | A K 4 2 | ♦ | A 6 | ♣ | K Q 5 2 |
|
NS 5♣; NS 3♥; NS 2N; NS 2♦; NS 1♠; Par +400
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 NT |
Pass | 3 NT | All pass | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | S | 5 | 460 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B5-McKay-Black |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
2 ♣ | S | 5 | 150 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 NT | S | −1 | | 50 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 NT | S | −1 | | 50 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 NT | S | −1 | | 50 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
Auction: Do you and your partner have a way to show both minors in response to
1 NT? Although this can be the right bid on some hands, the North hand has
honors in both majors with no singleton. And, it is often easier to take 9
tricks in NT than 11 tricks in a minor. We suggest just bidding 3 NT.
Lead: The only leads that will beat 3 NT are the spade King or the spade Jack.
These would be incredibly inspired/unusual leads by the West hand. The heart
ten is a normal lead.
Play: So, although 3 NT is not supposed to be a making contract looking at all
four hands, declarer will take ten tricks 99% of the time, scoring +430. 5C
will make on any defense, but scoring only +400. This is why matchpoint players
love to declare 3 NT. Even when it is the "wrong" contract, it can still be the
right contract.
Board 4 West Deals Both Vul |
♠ | 6 4 3 | ♥ | 9 2 | ♦ | A J 9 7 | ♣ | A J 10 5 |
|
♠ | A J 5 | ♥ | A 7 6 | ♦ | Q 5 3 | ♣ | Q 9 8 6 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | Q 10 9 8 | ♥ | K Q J | ♦ | 10 6 4 2 | ♣ | 4 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | K 7 2 | ♥ | 10 8 5 4 3 | ♦ | K 8 | ♣ | K 7 2 |
|
W 1N; EW 1♠; W 1♦; NS 1♣; Par −90
West | North | East | South |
1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
1 NT | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | E | −2 | 200 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
2 ♠ | E | −2 | 200 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A7-Wasser-Goree |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 6.50 | 4.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
1 NT | W | 2 | | 120 | 1.50 | 9.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
1 NT | W | 2 | | 120 | 1.50 | 9.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A4-Chao-Alliger |
1 NT | E | 2 | | 120 | 1.50 | 9.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
1 NT | W | 2 | | 120 | 1.50 | 9.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
Auction: Although North has a decent hand, he doesn't have the right shape to
double at his first or second opportunity, since he has length in both of his
opponents' suits. Were any of the South players tempted to balance with 2H on
that anemic suit? Bridge is a bidder's game, but we do not advise taking this
aggressive action when South is vulnerable. This would lead to -100 or -200.
Lead: Although North's clubs are slightly stronger than his diamonds, West
opened 1C, so we suggest that North lead the diamond 7.
Play: South wins the diamond King and could choose to continue diamonds
(although dummy's diamond 10 will always be a stopper) or switch to clubs. On
this hand, it doesn't matter. North-South can only take 3 clubs and 3 diamonds.
However, they might give up a valuable overtrick if they don't cash out these
six tricks timely.
Board 5 North Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | A K J 7 | ♥ | Q 9 | ♦ | J 9 2 | ♣ | K Q J 4 |
|
♠ | 10 9 8 6 | ♥ | K J 8 7 2 | ♦ | Q | ♣ | 9 8 3 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | Q 5 | ♥ | A 10 6 5 3 | ♦ | A 10 6 3 | ♣ | 6 2 |
|
|
|
♠ | 4 3 2 | ♥ | 4 | ♦ | K 8 7 5 4 | ♣ | A 10 7 5 |
|
NS 3♠; EW 3♥; NS 3♦; NS 3♣; NS 1N; Par +100: EW 4♥×−1
West | North | East | South |
| 1 NT | 2 ♦ | Pass |
3 ♥ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
4 ♥× | E | −2 | 300 | | 10.95 | 0.05 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
1 NT | N | 1 | 90 | | 8.77 | 2.23 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
1 NT | N | 1 | 90 | | 8.77 | 2.23 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
1 NT | N | 1 | 90 | | 8.77 | 2.23 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 NT | N | −3 | Ave+ | Ave− | 6.60 | 4.40 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
5 ♣ | N | −1 | | 100 | 6.59 | 4.41 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
2 ♥ | W | 3 | | 140 | 4.95 | 6.05 | A2-Marks-Levine | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 ♥ | W | 3 | | 140 | 4.95 | 6.05 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 NT | N | −2 | | 200 | 2.23 | 8.77 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 NT | N | −2 | | 200 | 2.23 | 8.77 | B7-Chung-Chen | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
3 NT | N | −2 | | 200 | 2.23 | 8.77 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 ♥× | W | 3 | | 530 | 0.05 | 10.95 | A5-Davis-Wren | A7-Wasser-Goree |
Auction: Even though East is only 5-4 in the red suits, he is at favorable
vulnerability. He should make whatever bid the partnership uses to show
diamonds and hearts over the opponents' 1 NT. For some, this will be 2D, showing
diamonds and a major. Despite being bereft of points, West knows that his side
has a good-to-great major suit fit. He should jump to 3H, which is pass or
correct for East's still unknown major.
In the passout seat, South has the right shape to make a delayed takeout double
of 3H, but he is vulnerable and will suspect that his diamond suit is not
entirely useful. If he opts for a takeout double, North-South will reach 3S
(which will test North's ability to play a Moysian 4-3 fit) or push East-West
into 4H down 1.
Lead: Spade Ace or club King
Play: West's play to 3H is easy. BUT, be careful to start with the heart King,
in case North has all three hearts. South can't hold all three hearts because
of North's NT opener.
Board 6 East Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | A K 10 7 3 | ♥ | 7 6 | ♦ | K 7 6 | ♣ | 10 7 6 |
|
♠ | J 8 5 | ♥ | K 10 3 | ♦ | A J 10 5 | ♣ | K 5 3 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | Q 9 4 2 | ♥ | A 2 | ♦ | Q 9 3 | ♣ | A J 9 4 |
|
|
|
♠ | 6 | ♥ | Q J 9 8 5 4 | ♦ | 8 4 2 | ♣ | Q 8 2 |
|
EW 4N; EW 3♠; EW 3♦; EW 3♣; EW 1♥; Par −630
West | North | East | South |
| | 1 ♣ | 2 ♥ |
3 NT | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 ♣ | E | −1 | 100 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
2 ♥ | S | −1 | | 50 | 10.00 | 1.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
3 ♥ | S | −2 | | 100 | 9.00 | 2.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 ♦ | W | 3 | | 110 | 8.00 | 3.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 NT | W | 3 | | 150 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
2 NT | W | 3 | | 150 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 NT | W | 3 | | 600 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 NT | E | 3 | | 600 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 NT | E | 3 | | 600 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 NT | W | 3 | | 600 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
3 NT | W | 3 | | 600 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 NT | W | 4 | | 630 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
Auction: South is at favorable vulnerability and has good texture in his suit,
both of which are far more important than his high card points. He should
definitely make a weak 2H overcall. With a balanced hand and a heart stopper,
West should bid a direct 3 NT. Note that the heart 10 means that any heart honor
in his partner's hand will probably create a second stopper.
Lead: North has two appealing leads: spade 7 or heart 7. Either could work
depending on the whole layout. On this hand, the spade 7 makes the hand easier
for declarer.
Play: Let's imagine North leads his partner's suit. Declarer needs to take
finesses in both clubs and diamonds. Which suit should he finesse first? Well,
South will become the "danger" hand once declarer's other heart stopper is
gone. So, declarer should take the club finesse first. When it loses to South's
club Queen, he will clear the heart suit. But, when declarer then takes the
diamond finesse, it loses to North who no longer holds any hearts. Declarer
will eventually take a spade trick, making his contract.
Board 7 South Deals Both Vul |
♠ | Q 7 6 | ♥ | Q 9 6 4 2 | ♦ | Q 10 9 7 6 | ♣ | — |
|
♠ | 10 8 4 | ♥ | 8 3 | ♦ | 8 2 | ♣ | Q 10 7 6 3 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | J 9 5 2 | ♥ | A K J 5 | ♦ | J 3 | ♣ | A J 4 |
|
|
|
♠ | A K 3 | ♥ | 10 7 | ♦ | A K 5 4 | ♣ | K 9 8 5 |
|
NS 3N; NS 5♦; NS 3♥; N 2♠; S 1♠; EW 1♣; Par +600
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 NT |
Pass | 2 ♦! | Pass | 2 ♥ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | S | 3 | 600 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
2 ♥ | S | 4 | 170 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 7.50 | 3.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A7-Wasser-Goree |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 7.50 | 3.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 7.50 | 3.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 7.50 | 3.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
1 NT | S | 2 | 120 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A8-Kael-Marchick |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A5-Leung-Schacht |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B5-McKay-Black |
2 ♥ | S | −2 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
Auction: After a normal transfer auction to 2H, North is too weak to introduce
his diamond suit. East would like to take some action with his 15 hcp, but
should pass when the opponents land in his best suit. If he unwisely decides to
make an offshape takeout double, he will quickly regret the action when North
is now able to bid diamonds. Be content when the opponents appear to have a
poor trump fit.
Lead: Small club
Play: Declarer has a source of tricks in diamonds, but must remove trumps first
before taking advantage of this side suit. Because of his poor trumps, he will
have to lose the lead multiple times. On the initial club lead, he cannot
afford to ruff with his long trumps. In order to keep control of the hand, he
should throw away a diamond, allowing East to win the club Ace. Declarer can
win the second club and begin playing trumps. Despite the unfortunate trump
split, declarer can make 3H if he pays careful attention to the heart spot
cards. But, we suspect down 1 will be a common result.
Board 8 West Deals None Vul |
♠ | 10 9 8 | ♥ | K 6 2 | ♦ | A 8 | ♣ | J 8 5 4 3 |
|
♠ | 7 4 | ♥ | 10 7 3 | ♦ | K J 10 2 | ♣ | Q 9 7 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | K Q 5 3 | ♥ | A Q J 8 | ♦ | 9 5 4 3 | ♣ | 6 |
|
|
|
♠ | A J 6 2 | ♥ | 9 5 4 | ♦ | Q 7 6 | ♣ | A K 10 |
|
EW 2♥; EW 3♦; EW 1N; N 1♠; Par −110
West | North | East | South |
Pass | Pass | 1 ♦ | Pass |
1 NT | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 ♥ | E | −1 | 50 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
4 ♣ | N | −1 | | 50 | 10.00 | 1.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
1 NT | W | 1 | | 90 | 8.50 | 2.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
2 ♦ | E | 2 | | 90 | 8.50 | 2.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B5-McKay-Black |
2 ♣ | N | −2 | | 100 | 6.50 | 4.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 ♣ | N | −2 | | 100 | 6.50 | 4.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 ♦ | E | 3 | | 110 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 ♦ | E | 4 | | 130 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A7-Wasser-Goree |
2 ♦ | E | 4 | | 130 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 ♦ | E | 4 | | 130 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
4 ♣ | S | −3 | | 150 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 NT | S | −4 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A5-Leung-Schacht |
Auction: A few South players may choose to double 1D with their hand. Some
partnerships have the agreement that a takeout double simply shows opening
values and at least 3 card support for all the unbid suits, but not necessarily
shortness in the opener's suit. We would prefer holding the heart Queen instead
of the diamond Queen (their suit) to take this action.
Lead: There are two attractive leads: spade 10 or club 4. The spade is more
passive and a major suit lead is often called for on this auction. But, North
does have a five-card club suit and possibly two entries to his hand. Tough
choice.
Play: With the heart King and the diamond Queen both onside, West should make
1 NT no matter what the lead is. West may make overtricks if the opponents don't
cash their tricks timely (either 3 spades, 1 diamond, and 2 clubs on a spade
lead OR 1 spade, 1 diamond, and 4 clubs on a club lead).
Board 9 North Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | Q 6 3 | ♥ | Q 9 2 | ♦ | 8 2 | ♣ | A 10 9 8 2 |
|
♠ | J 10 7 5 | ♥ | 10 5 | ♦ | A 10 7 5 | ♣ | Q J 3 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A 9 4 2 | ♥ | K 6 3 | ♦ | Q J 9 3 | ♣ | 5 4 |
|
|
|
♠ | K 8 | ♥ | A J 8 7 4 | ♦ | K 6 4 | ♣ | K 7 6 |
|
NS 3♥; NS 2N; EW 2♠; NS 3♣; EW 2♦; Par +140
West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | 1 ♥ |
Pass | 2 ♥ | Pass | Pass |
Dbl | Rdbl | 2 ♠ | 3 ♥ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 9.50 | 1.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 9.50 | 1.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
2 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 9.50 | 1.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 9.50 | 1.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B5-McKay-Black |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A7-Wasser-Goree |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A5-Leung-Schacht |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
2 ♥ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
2 ♠ | W | −1 | 100 | | 1.00 | 10.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♥ | S | −1 | | 50 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A8-Kael-Marchick |
Auction: After a normal auction to 2H, West is in balancing seat with short
hearts and 8 hcp. He should make a balancing double, which is just like a
takeout double, but with fewer points. North may redouble, which tells his
partner that he had a maximum hand for his original 2H bid. East bids 2S (which
you'll notice is a making contract, so West's balancing double was
well-judged!). With short spades and slight extras, South bids 3H knowing that
his partner also has slight extras. This is a classic matchpoint bidding
battle, where each side has a fit, and each side is trying to gauge how high to
bid.
Play: When West leads the spade Jack, East should be concerned about the long
club suit in the dummy and his vulnerable heart King. He should win the spade
Ace and return the diamond Queen. The defense will take one spade, two
diamonds, and likely one heart. The balancing double almost drove the opponents
too high.
Board 10 East Deals Both Vul |
♠ | 10 9 8 3 2 | ♥ | 4 2 | ♦ | 10 5 | ♣ | 10 8 7 3 |
|
♠ | K Q 5 4 | ♥ | K 9 7 3 | ♦ | 9 6 2 | ♣ | J 6 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A J 7 6 | ♥ | 10 8 | ♦ | Q 8 7 3 | ♣ | K Q 2 |
|
|
|
♠ | — | ♥ | A Q J 6 5 | ♦ | A K J 4 | ♣ | A 9 5 4 |
|
NS 2♥; NS 3♣; EW 1N; E 1♠; Par +110
West | North | East | South |
| | 1 ♦ | Dbl |
1 NT | Pass | Pass | 2 ♥ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 ♠× | W | −2 | 500 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
3 ♠× | E | −2 | 500 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 ♠ | W | −2 | 200 | | 9.00 | 2.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
3 ♥ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♣ | S | 4 | 130 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 ♣ | N | 3 | 110 | | 6.00 | 5.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 ♠ | W | −1 | 100 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♠ | W | −1 | 100 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 ♥ | S | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 ♥ | S | −1 | | 100 | 2.50 | 8.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♠ | W | 2 | | 110 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
2 NT | S | −2 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A8-Kael-Marchick |
Auction: South has a double-and-bid hand, too strong to just overcall 2H.
West, with stoppers in both majors, a balanced hand, and not quite enough to
redouble, should bid 1 NT. South can now complete the description of his hand by
bidding 2H. This shows 17+ hcp and at least 5 strong hearts. Unfortunately,
North is broke and can do nothing else but pass.
Lead: With four decent hearts, West should not lead his doubleton. Rather, he
should lead the spade King, hoping to tap out declarer's trumps.
Play: On a spade lead, declarer tries to cross ruff diamonds and spades as long
as he can. He eventually scores 3 top tricks in the minors, 1 diamond ruff, 2
spade ruffs in his hand, and 2 hearts perforce.
Board 11 South Deals None Vul |
♠ | 3 2 | ♥ | A J 6 | ♦ | A 10 6 5 4 | ♣ | 8 6 5 |
|
♠ | 7 5 | ♥ | 9 8 5 | ♦ | J 9 7 | ♣ | J 10 9 4 3 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A J 8 | ♥ | Q 10 7 4 | ♦ | K 8 2 | ♣ | A Q 7 |
|
|
|
♠ | K Q 10 9 6 4 | ♥ | K 3 2 | ♦ | Q 3 | ♣ | K 2 |
|
NS 4♠; NS 2N; NS 2♥; NS 3♦; EW 1♣; Par +420
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 ♠ |
Pass | 1 NT | Dbl | 2 ♠ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 ♠× | S | 4 | 670 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A4-Chao-Alliger |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
2 ♠ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♠ | S | 2 | 110 | | 4.50 | 6.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 ♣ | W | −2 | 100 | | 3.00 | 8.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 ♣ | W | −1 | 50 | | 2.00 | 9.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 ♠ | S | −1 | | 50 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
4 ♠ | S | −2 | | 100 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
Auction: Whether playing Standard American or 2 over 1, North must content
himself with a 1 NT bid on his first call. East's double is still takeout of
spades - either a classic opening hand with spade shortness, a strong balanced
hand (a hand he would have overcalled 1 NT with, but North has stolen that
bid!), or a very strong hand with any shape (double and bid hand). South should
not be deterred and make his normal 2S re-bid, which ends the auction. Note
that if East takes another call, that would show the very strong hand, with 20+
hcp.
Lead: Club Jack from a good sequence
Play: Nearly all of declarer's finesses are working, so he should make 1 or 2
overtricks. For the declarers who score +170, don't fall into the trap of
commiserating about not bidding game. You will still have a great matchpoint
score, and none of the risk of going down in a very low percentage game.
Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | K Q J 8 | ♥ | J 10 7 | ♦ | K 9 3 | ♣ | 10 5 2 |
|
♠ | — | ♥ | Q 9 5 3 2 | ♦ | A Q 10 7 5 | ♣ | Q 8 6 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A 7 5 3 2 | ♥ | 4 | ♦ | J 4 2 | ♣ | J 9 7 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | 10 9 6 4 | ♥ | A K 8 6 | ♦ | 8 6 | ♣ | A K 4 |
|
NS 2N; NS 2♠; W 2♦; NS 1♥; E 1♦; EW 1♣; Par +100: W 3♦×−1
West | North | East | South |
1 ♥ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
2 ♦ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 ♥ | W | −3 | 150 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A8-Kael-Marchick |
2 ♠ | E | −3 | 150 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
2 ♠ | N | 3 | 140 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♠ | S | 3 | 140 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
2 ♠ | E | −2 | 100 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 ♦ | W | −1 | 50 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
2 ♦ | W | −1 | 50 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
2 ♦ | W | −1 | 50 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 ♣ | N | −1 | | 100 | 2.00 | 9.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 2.00 | 9.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♠ | S | −1 | | 100 | 2.00 | 9.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 NT× | N | −1 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
Auction: West is an opening hand, using the rule of 20 (hcp + length in 2
longest suits). East gladly passes West's 2D re-bid, happy to have found a fit
with his partner. An aggressive South may double in balancing seat with a nice
hand, but lacking length in the un-bid club suit. His bidding will be rewarded
as both 2S and 2 NT make, despite the 5-0 spade break. Sometimes aggressive
actions are rewarded!
Lead: Remember the auction when deciding what to lead. Although the spade King
seems like the normal lead, the auction has marked dummy with short hearts. To
reduce declarer's heart ruffs, a thoughtful North will lead a small trump.
Play: On a trump lead, declarer can ruff only 1 heart. (Note that South must be
sure to win the first heart in order to effectively lead trumps again).
Declarer cannot recover and will go down at least 1. On the spade King lead,
declarer can cross-ruff spades and hearts to come to 8 tricks. (Note that when
South wins the first heart and returns a trump, West should NOT finesse).
Board 13 North Deals Both Vul |
♠ | 8 7 5 | ♥ | J 9 | ♦ | K Q J 7 5 4 | ♣ | A 2 |
|
♠ | 4 | ♥ | A K 5 3 2 | ♦ | A 3 2 | ♣ | K 10 9 6 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | K J 10 3 | ♥ | 10 7 6 4 | ♦ | 9 6 | ♣ | 5 4 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | A Q 9 6 2 | ♥ | Q 8 | ♦ | 10 8 | ♣ | Q J 8 7 |
|
NS 3♠; EW 3♥; NS 3♦; EW 1♣; Par +140
West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♦ | Pass | 1 ♠ |
2 ♥ | Dbl! | 3 ♥ | 3 ♠ |
4 ♥ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 NT | W | −3 | 300 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A7-Wasser-Goree |
2 ♥ | W | −2 | 200 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 ♦ | N | 3 | 110 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 ♦ | N | 3 | 110 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
4 ♥ | E | −1 | 100 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B5-McKay-Black |
3 ♠ | S | −1 | | 100 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 ♠ | S | −1 | | 100 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
2 ♥ | W | 2 | | 110 | 4.00 | 7.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♥ | W | 3 | | 140 | 2.50 | 8.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 ♥ | W | 3 | | 140 | 2.50 | 8.50 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
3 ♥ | W | 4 | | 170 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 ♠ | S | −3 | | 300 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
Auction: North has only 11 hcp, but has a great diamond suit and satisfies the
Rule of 20 to open 1D. When West butts into the auction with 2H, North can use
the popular support double convention to show exactly 3-card spade support for
his partner. East should definitely raise his partner's suit with 4-card
support and a doubleton, despite holding only 4 hcp. Points, schmoints, when
you have a good fit with your partner. South pushes on to 3S. West will
probably bid 4H with the singleton spade, especially because he doesn't know
that East strained to bid 3H. Bidding is often not an exact science.
Lead: Diamond King, despite his partner's spade bids. A strong sequence is
nearly always a good lead.
Play: West cannot avoid 4 losers (1 spade, 1 diamond, 2 clubs) to score -100.
Is this a bad score for East-West? Well, it depends on what the result would
have been in 3S. South can make 3S, but needs to maneuver the 4-1 spade break
by taking a deep finesse in the trump suit.
Board 14 East Deals None Vul |
♠ | J 8 6 | ♥ | K J 6 3 | ♦ | Q 10 5 | ♣ | A 6 5 |
|
♠ | 10 9 4 2 | ♥ | 8 7 5 4 2 | ♦ | K 8 4 | ♣ | 7 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A 3 | ♥ | A Q 10 9 | ♦ | J 9 2 | ♣ | J 8 4 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | K Q 7 5 | ♥ | — | ♦ | A 7 6 3 | ♣ | K Q 10 9 2 |
|
N 3N; N 3♠; NS 4♦; NS 4♣; S 2N; S 2♠; EW 2♥; Par +300: EW 4♥×−2
West | North | East | South |
| | 1 ♣ | Pass |
Pass | 1 NT | Pass | 2 ♣ |
Pass | 2 ♥ | Pass | 3 NT |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | N | 4 | 430 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 NT | S | 3 | 400 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A5-Leung-Schacht |
2 NT | S | 4 | 180 | | 9.00 | 2.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A7-Wasser-Goree |
2 ♠ | N | 4 | 170 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
2 ♠ | S | 2 | 110 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A4-Chao-Alliger |
1 ♦ | S | 1 | 70 | | 6.00 | 5.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
2 ♥ | W | −1 | 50 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A3-Burke-Georgette |
2 ♦ | S | −1 | | 50 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
1 NT | N | −1 | | 50 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
2 NT | S | −1 | | 50 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
5 ♦ | S | −2 | | 100 | 0.50 | 10.50 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 ♠ | S | −2 | | 100 | 0.50 | 10.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B5-McKay-Black |
Auction: South must pass when East steals his club suit, hoping to enter the
auction later. He is pleasantly surprised when his partner bids a balancing
1 NT, showing 11-14 hcp. He looks for a possible spade fit by bidding Stayman,
and then jumps to 3 NT.
Lead: Heart 10. Even though North showed a 4-card heart suit in response to
Stayman, East's hearts are so strong that he has good chances to set them up.
Play: North wins the heart Jack, and is initially worried about West obtaining
the lead to lead hearts through his vulnerable heart King. But then, North
breathes a sigh of relief as he recalls the auction. East opened and West
passed. It is very likely that East holds the spade Ace. Declarer can establish
at least 2 spades to go with his 1 heart, 1 diamond, and 5 clubs.
Board 15 South Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | 7 6 4 3 | ♥ | Q 9 | ♦ | K 10 9 | ♣ | J 10 8 7 |
|
♠ | K 10 8 | ♥ | 8 5 2 | ♦ | J 8 5 4 | ♣ | A 9 4 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A J | ♥ | J 10 7 6 4 3 | ♦ | A 7 | ♣ | Q 5 2 |
|
|
|
♠ | Q 9 5 2 | ♥ | A K | ♦ | Q 6 3 2 | ♣ | K 6 3 |
|
EW 3♥; W 2N; E 1N; NS 1♠; NS 1♦; NS 1♣; Par −140
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 ♦ |
Pass | 1 ♠ | 2 ♥ | 2 ♠ |
3 ♥ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 ♠ | N | 2 | 110 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 9.00 | 2.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 9.00 | 2.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
3 ♠ | N | −1 | | 100 | 9.00 | 2.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 ♥ | E | 4 | | 170 | 6.00 | 5.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 ♥ | E | 4 | | 170 | 6.00 | 5.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 ♥ | E | 4 | | 170 | 6.00 | 5.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 ♥ | E | 5 | | 200 | 4.00 | 7.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 ♠ | N | −3 | | 300 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
3 ♠ | N | −4 | | 400 | 2.00 | 9.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A7-Wasser-Goree |
4 ♥ | E | 4 | | 420 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♠× | S | −3 | | 800 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
Auction: Yes, North's spades are very small, but there are four of them, so he
responds 1S. After East's 2H interference, South bids 2S. If North-South have
agreed to play support doubles, then South's 2S bid promises 4-card support.
West has terrible shape, but he does have 8 hcp and three hearts. He should
raise to 3H, which ends the auction.
Lead: A small spade is normal on this auction, but South will be disappointed
to see that this creates a pitch for one of declarer's losing clubs. Another
option is to lead the heart Ace, hoping to get additional information from the
dummy and partner about what to do next.
Play: The spade lead will make it easy for declarer to score +140, losing 2
hearts, 1 diamond, and 1 club. But, if South leads the heart Ace and King,
North should play up-the-line in the trump suit, indicating that he does not
like spades. This is called trump suit preference. South then has to guess
which minor to lead. If he leads diamonds, declarer may wind up a trick short.
Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | Q 3 | ♥ | Q J 8 4 2 | ♦ | 7 4 3 2 | ♣ | K 10 |
|
♠ | A 10 9 5 | ♥ | A 6 3 | ♦ | A Q 6 5 | ♣ | A 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | K 7 6 4 2 | ♥ | 10 5 | ♦ | K J 10 9 | ♣ | J 9 |
|
|
|
♠ | J 8 | ♥ | K 9 7 | ♦ | 8 | ♣ | Q 8 7 6 5 4 3 |
|
EW 5N; EW 5♠; EW 5♦; EW 1♥; NS 1♣; Par −660
West | North | East | South |
1 ♦ | 1 ♥ | 1 ♠ | 2 ♥ |
4 ♠ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
2 ♠ | E | 5 | | 200 | 11.00 | 0.00 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A5-Leung-Schacht |
5 ♠ | W | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A4-Chao-Alliger |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
4 ♠ | E | 5 | | 650 | 5.00 | 6.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
Auction: With a balanced 18 hcp, West opens his longer minor and plans to jump
to 2 NT at his next bid. However, the opponents foil his plans by entering the
auction in hearts. North has a minimum 1H overcall. East bids 1S, showing at
least 5 spades (he would have made a negative double with only 4 spades) and at
least 6 hcp. South raises to 2H because he doesn't have the requisite points to
introduce his 7-card club suit. West jumps to game, knowing that his side has
at least nine trumps and at least 24 hcp with a possible ruffing value in
clubs. And look at those 4 aces!
Lead: Some say that if you don't lead your singleton, then you don't have a
singleton. We think that's 90% true. Occasionally, there is a better lead, but
not on this hand.
Play: Unfortunately for the defense, there is no ruff to be had on this hand,
as long as declarer removes trumps timely. We expect the results to be quite
flat on this hand - 11 tricks, no more, no less.
Board 17 North Deals None Vul |
♠ | J 4 2 | ♥ | 9 8 4 | ♦ | Q J 9 6 4 | ♣ | 8 5 |
|
♠ | Q 5 | ♥ | A J 10 5 2 | ♦ | K 10 7 | ♣ | A 6 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A 8 7 6 | ♥ | K Q 3 | ♦ | A 5 2 | ♣ | J 9 7 |
|
|
|
♠ | K 10 9 3 | ♥ | 7 6 | ♦ | 8 3 | ♣ | K Q 10 4 3 |
|
EW 4N; EW 4♥; E 3♠; W 2♠; E 2♦; EW 2♣; W 1♦; Par −430
West | North | East | South |
| Pass | 1 ♣ | Pass |
1 ♥ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
2 ♦! | Pass | 2 ♥ | Pass |
4 ♥ | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
6 ♥ | W | −3 | 150 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
4 ♥ | W | −1 | 50 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A5-Leung-Schacht |
1 NT | W | 3 | | 150 | 9.00 | 2.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
2 ♥ | W | 4 | | 170 | 8.00 | 3.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A4-Chao-Alliger |
4 ♥ | W | 4 | | 420 | 6.00 | 5.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
4 ♥ | E | 4 | | 420 | 6.00 | 5.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♥ | W | 4 | | 420 | 6.00 | 5.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
3 NT | W | 4 | | 430 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 NT | E | 4 | | 430 | 3.00 | 8.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
3 NT | W | 4 | | 430 | 3.00 | 8.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 NT | E | 5 | | 460 | 0.50 | 10.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
3 NT | E | 5 | | 460 | 0.50 | 10.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
Auction: At West's second bid, he bids 2D, which is the fourth-suit-forcing
convention. This forces the partnership to game and asks East to describe his
hand further. The first priority is to show 3-card support for West's first
suit. The second priority is to show a stopper in the fourth suit (diamonds).
So, East bids 2H, planning on bidding NT next, if there is room. But, West
jumps to 4H which ends the auction.
Play: On the diamond Queen lead, declarer is looking at four possible losers: 1
spade, 1 diamond, and 2 clubs. His best chance at eliminating a loser is to
hope the spade King is in front of his Queen. After unblocking the spade Queen,
he can then pitch a minor-suit loser on the spade Ace. But, don't take trumps
out too soon! You will need an entry to the dummy to reach the spade Ace. The
diamond Ace may be gone by this time.
Board 18 East Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | J 8 | ♥ | Q 8 | ♦ | 10 7 6 5 4 | ♣ | 8 7 6 3 |
|
♠ | A K 10 | ♥ | A K J 10 7 | ♦ | 9 8 | ♣ | K Q 5 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | Q 7 6 3 | ♥ | 9 5 3 2 | ♦ | K Q | ♣ | J 4 2 |
|
|
|
♠ | 9 5 4 2 | ♥ | 6 4 | ♦ | A J 3 2 | ♣ | A 10 9 |
|
EW 5♥; EW 4N; EW 4♠; EW 2♣; EW 1♦; Par −450
West | North | East | South |
| | Pass | Pass |
2 NT | Pass | 3 ♣ | Pass |
3 ♥ | Pass | 4 ♥ | All pass |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
5 ♥ | E | −1 | 50 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B1-Rodenborn-Chilcote | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
4 ♥ | W | 4 | | 420 | 10.00 | 1.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A1-Geary-Wolleson | A3-Burke-Georgette |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A8-Kael-Marchick |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A4-Chao-Alliger |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
4 ♥ | W | 5 | | 450 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 NT | W | 5 | | 460 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A5-Leung-Schacht |
4 ♥ | W | 6 | | 480 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
Auction: West has a balanced 20 hcp, so 2 NT is the correct bid. Do not be
deterred by the small doubleton diamond, nor the 5-card heart suit. East bids
Stayman, which leads their side to game in hearts.
Lead: Small club or small diamond
Play: There isn't much to the play of this hand, other than in the trump suit.
There is a mnemonic - "Eight ever, nine never." Holding eight cards in a suit,
missing the Queen, declarer should finesse (imagine East had only 3 hearts).
Holding nine cards in a suit, missing the Queen, declarer should not finesse.
Instead, he just plays hearts from the top. That certainly works on this hand,
leading to +450 for East-West.
But, never is a strong word in bridge. There are always exceptions to the rule.
Let's say that North made a takeout double of hearts during the auction. In
that case, North is more likely to have a singleton heart, and it would be
right for declarer to finesse despite holding nine hearts.
Board 19 South Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | 9 4 3 | ♥ | A 2 | ♦ | K 10 6 | ♣ | A 8 7 6 5 |
|
♠ | A K 8 7 6 2 | ♥ | 9 8 6 5 | ♦ | 4 3 | ♣ | 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | Q J 10 | ♥ | Q 10 7 | ♦ | J 9 8 7 5 | ♣ | Q J |
|
|
|
♠ | 5 | ♥ | K J 4 3 | ♦ | A Q 2 | ♣ | K 10 9 4 3 |
|
NS 6♣; NS 2♥; NS 1N; NS 2♦; EW 1♠; Par +920
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 ♣ |
2 ♠ | 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♦ |
Pass | 4 ♥ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
Pass | 5 ♣ | Pass | 6 ♣ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
5 ♣ | N | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A4-Chao-Alliger |
5 ♣ | S | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
5 ♣ | S | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A5-Leung-Schacht |
5 ♣ | S | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
5 ♣ | S | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
5 ♣ | S | 6 | 420 | | 8.50 | 2.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
3 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A3-Burke-Georgette |
4 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
4 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B5-McKay-Black |
3 ♣ | S | 6 | 170 | | 2.50 | 8.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
Auction: After South's 1C opening bid, West should bid a preemptive 2S. Should
you preempt with a side 4-card major? In general, the answer is no, but there
are always exceptions to the rule. On this hand, West has excellent spades and
very poor hearts, so 2S is the best description of the overall nature of his
hand - weak with long spades. North has an invitational hand with support for
his partner's opening club suit. The only way for him to show this is to bid
3S. Although South has only 13 hcp, he has an amazing hand given the auction.
He has a singleton in the opponent's spade suit, 2 more clubs than expected,
and good controls in the red suits. He would like to explore slam, but doesn't
have a strong enough hand to bid Blackwood. So, the best action for South is to
bid 4D, which shows a control (Ace or King) and lets North know that he is
interested in slam. After 2 more control bids (4H and 4S), North signs off in
5C and it's up to South to take the plunge to 6C. Most players will play this
hand in 5C.
Board 20 West Deals Both Vul |
♠ | K Q 9 6 | ♥ | A 4 | ♦ | 7 5 3 | ♣ | K 8 3 2 |
|
♠ | 10 7 | ♥ | J 9 3 | ♦ | Q 9 8 4 | ♣ | A J 9 4 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | J 2 | ♥ | Q 10 8 5 2 | ♦ | K J 6 2 | ♣ | 10 5 |
|
|
|
♠ | A 8 5 4 3 | ♥ | K 7 6 | ♦ | A 10 | ♣ | Q 7 6 |
|
NS 4♠; NS 3N; NS 3♣; NS 1♥; NS 1♦; Par +620
West | North | East | South |
Pass | 1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♠ |
Pass | 2 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
4 ♠ | S | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
4 ♠ | S | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
4 ♠ | S | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A3-Burke-Georgette |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A7-Wasser-Goree |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B5-McKay-Black |
3 ♠ | S | 5 | 200 | | 0.50 | 10.50 | A2-Marks-Levine | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 ♠ | S | 5 | 200 | | 0.50 | 10.50 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A5-Leung-Schacht |
Auction: After North raises South's spades, should South think that slam is
possible? No, because North's 2S bid communicates two things. 1) North has four
spades. 2) North has a minimum opening bid, probably 12-15 points. If North had
a stronger hand, he would jump to 3S. Given this information, South knows that
game is the limit of the hand and bids it.
Lead: This is a difficult lead for West. Any suit, except for clubs, could be
right. A trump lead is most passive. Either red suit could be right or wrong,
and given a choice, it is generally better to lead from length. So, a small
diamond might be the most popular lead. Luckily for West, any non-club lead
results in the same 10 tricks for declarer.
Play: Not much to do on this hand. The only chance for an overtrick is to play
either East or West for Ace-doubleton of clubs, by playing to one club honor.
If that holds, then duck a club to the other hand. It doesn't work on this
hand, but it might on another!
Board 21 North Deals N-S Vul |
♠ | 9 8 7 6 4 2 | ♥ | Q 7 4 | ♦ | 8 7 | ♣ | 6 5 |
|
♠ | — | ♥ | J 8 2 | ♦ | J 6 4 | ♣ | A K 10 8 7 3 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | J 5 | ♥ | K 3 | ♦ | A K Q 10 2 | ♣ | Q J 9 4 |
|
|
|
♠ | A K Q 10 3 | ♥ | A 10 9 6 5 | ♦ | 9 5 3 | ♣ | — |
|
E 6♦; EW 6♣; NS 4♠; W 5♦; NS 3♥; Par −500: NS 6♠×−2
West | North | East | South |
| Pass | 1 ♦ | 2 ♦ |
3 ♣ | 4 ♠ | 5 ♣ | 5 ♠ |
Pass | Pass | Dbl | All pass |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
5 ♠ | S | 5 | 650 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B1-Otvos-Oraftik |
3 NT | E | −2 | 100 | | 9.00 | 2.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A1-Sidoti-Googins |
3 NT | E | −2 | 100 | | 9.00 | 2.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | E | −2 | 100 | | 9.00 | 2.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♠ | W | −1 | 50 | | 7.00 | 4.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
5 ♠ | S | −1 | | 100 | 5.50 | 5.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A7-Wasser-Goree |
5 ♠ | S | −1 | | 100 | 5.50 | 5.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
5 ♣ | W | 6 | | 420 | 3.50 | 7.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A3-Burke-Georgette |
5 ♣ | W | 6 | | 420 | 3.50 | 7.50 | B2-Seputis-Kogan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
5 ♠× | S | −2 | | 500 | 2.00 | 9.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B3-Lichtblau-Griswold |
5 ♣× | W | 6 | | 650 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A2-Marks-Levine | A4-Chao-Alliger |
6 ♣ | W | 6 | | 920 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A6-Larsen Beville-Richardson |
Auction: When both sides have big trump fits and shapely hands, the auction
can be unpredictable and lively! The auction we propose above is one
possibility, but the ending contract could range anywhere from 5C undoubled to
6S doubled. It all starts with South's 2D Michaels bid, showing both majors.
West bids 3C - he has only 9 hcp, but a fabulous 7-card suit. North has a
paltry 2 hcp, but knows that his side has at least an 11-card spade fit, and
should jump to 4S. East gladly bids 5C with extra values and a good club fit.
At this point, anything could happen. Unfortunately, when both sides are taking
up a lot of bidding space, there is little science to finding the final
contract.
Play: If North-South are playing spades, they will lose 2 diamonds, and
possibly 2 hearts. The best play in the heart suit is to finesse hearts twice,
first leading the heart Queen, and then next finessing to heart ten. This works
75% of the time. If East-West are playing clubs, they will make all 13 tricks,
except on a heart lead, which holds them to 12.
Board 22 East Deals E-W Vul |
♠ | J 6 3 | ♥ | K Q J 6 | ♦ | A 5 | ♣ | K 8 4 2 |
|
♠ | Q 8 2 | ♥ | 9 7 | ♦ | 9 6 4 3 | ♣ | Q J 10 5 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | 10 9 | ♥ | 10 8 5 4 2 | ♦ | J 10 7 2 | ♣ | A 3 |
|
|
|
♠ | A K 7 5 4 | ♥ | A 3 | ♦ | K Q 8 | ♣ | 9 7 6 |
|
NS 5N; NS 4♠; NS 3♥; NS 4♣; NS 2♦; Par +460
West | North | East | South |
| | Pass | 1 NT |
Pass | 2 ♣ | Pass | 2 ♠ |
Pass | 3 NT | All pass | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | S | 6 | 490 | | 11.00 | 0.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A6-Larsen Beville-Richards |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B5-McKay-Black |
3 NT | S | 4 | 430 | | 8.00 | 3.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
4 ♠ | S | 4 | 420 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
3 NT | S | 3 | 400 | | 4.00 | 7.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A4-Chao-Alliger |
4 ♠ | S | −1 | | 50 | 2.50 | 8.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
4 ♠ | S | −1 | | 50 | 2.50 | 8.50 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
4 ♠ | S | −2 | | 100 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A8-Kael-Marchick |
6 NT | S | −3 | | 150 | 0.00 | 11.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
Auction: Players often ask whether to open 1 NT with a 5-card major. We advise
that this is a good idea at matchpoints when your hand is balanced (5-3-3-2).
It has three possible benefits. 1) It might lead to a superior contract. 2) It
is more difficult for the opponents to defend a NT contract. 3) You receive an
extra 10 points for making the same number of tricks in NT rather than a major.
Other features that make opening 1 NT with a 5-card major more appealing are if
you hold 3-cards in the other major (in case partner transfers to the other
major) and if you are on the minimum end of your NT range.
Lead: Club Queen
Play: You have nine top tricks as soon as you gain the lead. But, what do you
do at trick 1? Pay attention to your club spots. If you cover the Queen with
the King and it loses to the Ace, you can eventually set-up your club eight.
You will lose just 3 clubs, making +430 when players in 4S will score only
+420. This is sure to be a great result!
Board 23 South Deals Both Vul |
♠ | K Q J 10 6 5 4 | ♥ | 9 7 2 | ♦ | 3 | ♣ | A 6 |
|
♠ | A 3 | ♥ | K 8 6 4 | ♦ | K 9 8 | ♣ | J 8 3 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | 9 | ♥ | 5 3 | ♦ | A J 10 7 6 5 4 | ♣ | 10 9 7 |
|
|
|
♠ | 8 7 2 | ♥ | A Q J 10 | ♦ | Q 2 | ♣ | K Q 5 4 |
|
NS 4♠; EW 2N; NS 2♥; EW 3♦; NS 1♣; Par +500: EW 4N×−2; EW 5♦×−2
West | North | East | South |
| | | 1 ♣ |
Pass | 1 ♠ | 3 ♦ | Pass |
4 ♦ | 4 ♠ | Pass | Pass |
5 ♦ | Pass | Pass | Dbl |
All pass | | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
4 ♠ | S | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A7-Wasser-Goree |
4 ♠ | N | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | A5-Davis-Wren | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
5 ♠ | N | 5 | 650 | | 10.00 | 1.00 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B5-McKay-Black |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A5-Leung-Schacht |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A6-Larsen Beville-Richards |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B7-Chung-Chen | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
4 ♠ | N | 4 | 620 | | 5.00 | 6.00 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
5 ♦ | W | −2 | 200 | | 1.00 | 10.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A8-Kael-Marchick |
6 ♠ | S | −2 | | 200 | 0.00 | 11.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A4-Chao-Alliger |
Auction: Preempts can be very powerful. They interrupt the opponents' auction,
may lead to a profitable sacrifice, and can be lead-directing for your partner.
East's 3D bid accomplishes all of the above. With good 3-card support, West
raises his partner's pre-empt one level. West has enough strength that he
suspects the opponents may not have sufficient values or shape for game, so no
reason to immediately jump to 5D. However, when North bids 4S, West may choose
to take the push to 5D.
Lead: Small spade, his partner's suit. (Note that if North is allowed to play
the contract in spades, East needs to lead the diamond Ace. Otherwise, North
will throw the diamond away on a club.)
Play: Down 2 doubled is a good sacrifice against North-South's 4S.
Board 24 West Deals None Vul |
♠ | 9 8 6 5 3 | ♥ | Q 7 | ♦ | Q 6 5 4 | ♣ | K 9 |
|
♠ | K 4 | ♥ | J 6 4 | ♦ | J 10 9 8 | ♣ | 7 4 3 2 |
| |
|
|
| ♠ | A Q 2 | ♥ | 10 3 2 | ♦ | A K 2 | ♣ | A Q J 10 |
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♠ | J 10 7 | ♥ | A K 9 8 5 | ♦ | 7 3 | ♣ | 8 6 5 |
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EW 4♣; EW 2N; EW 2♠; EW 2♥; EW 3♦; Par −130
West | North | East | South |
Pass | Pass | 2 NT | Pass |
3 NT | All pass | | |
Contract | Score | Matchpoints | Pair | Pair |
| | | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W | N-S | E-W |
3 NT | E | −1 | 50 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | B3-Levy-Walsh | B5-McKay-Black |
3 NT | E | −1 | 50 | | 10.50 | 0.50 | B4-Mazaroff-Burke | B7-Gurbaxani-Lubin |
2 NT | E | 4 | | 180 | 9.00 | 2.00 | A4-O'Brien-Brodsky | A7-Wasser-Goree |
3 NT | E | 3 | | 400 | 7.50 | 3.50 | A7-Kirschenbaum-Deutsch | A6-Larsen Beville-Richards |
3 NT | E | 3 | | 400 | 7.50 | 3.50 | B8-Chung-Victoria | B8-Kaplan-Middleton |
3 NT | E | 4 | | 430 | 4.50 | 6.50 | A3-Hart-Anderson | A5-Leung-Schacht |
3 NT | E | 4 | | 430 | 4.50 | 6.50 | A5-Davis-Wren | A2-Snyder-Eppinger |
3 NT | E | 4 | | 430 | 4.50 | 6.50 | B5-Teller-Kleinman | B2-Johnson-Griswold |
3 NT | E | 4 | | 430 | 4.50 | 6.50 | B7-Chung-Chen | B6-Dimitruck-Baker |
3 NT | E | 5 | | 460 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A6-Simmerman-Heyman | A4-Chao-Alliger |
3 NT | E | 5 | | 460 | 1.00 | 10.00 | A8-Hansell-Matthews | A8-Kael-Marchick |
3 NT | E | 5 | | 460 | 1.00 | 10.00 | B6-Drucker-Bohan | B4-Schoenfeld-Kogan |
Auction: East's 2 NT bid shows 20-21 hcp, balanced. West has 5 hcp without
length in either major, so he can choose to pass or bid 3 NT. He would
definitely bid 3 NT at IMP scoring, when there is a premium for bidding game.
With good texture in the diamond suit, we would suggest bidding 3 NT with this
hand, even at matchpoints. But, the players who choose to pass 2 NT will score
well, when the opponents take the first 5 hearts tricks.
Lead: Heart 8. It is important not to lead a high heart, which would block the
suit. Fourth best from your longest suit works great on this hand!
Play: East will need to find 2 cards to pitch as South cashes his hearts. He
should throw one diamond (so that he no longer needs to take the diamond
finesse) and one club. He will use his spade King entry to the dummy to take
the club finesse, coming to 8 tricks in total.