Target audience: Intermediate or advanced players

N-S vul at Matchpoints, as south you hold: ♠KQ96 ♥A542 ♦3 ♣AK86

What do you bid?

Here is a hand that took place during place in the World Championship quarter final match between Canada and USA I. It is an exercise in constructive bidding, trying to investigate slam.

A couple of observations that should be noted. First the vulnerability. Sometimes players open the bidding not vul with lighter than normal values, even as dealer. Also, partner is vulnerable which should indicate solid overcalling values.

But it is still a one level overcall. And could be made with 7 HCPs, as long as their suit is good.

Still with 18 points (16 HCP and 2 for singleton) is enough to force to game.

The choices are:

1. A cuebid

2. A splinter

3. A natural and forcing 2♣ or 2♥.

First a splinter is wrong. Why? Because although descriptive it won’t help you. The goal is to find out about partner’s hand.

The problem is partner with a minimum type overcall will not cooperate with the right type of hand. This is true also for the cue bid. Both of these bids were chosen at the table, unsuccessfully. A better call is a suit.

2♣, in my opinion, is the right bid. 2♥ is wrong as it should be reserved for a five card suit, and like the splinter, it uses up more space. Partner held ♠AJ10843 ♥3 ♦75 ♣QJ75. The bidding should continue then:

¹Game forcing

²Ihave six spades, (and by inference four clubs, otherwise north would simply have bid 2♠ over 2♣).

³Cue bid

⁴Cue bid

⁵Surprise!

The other option for South is to simply ask for key cards after the club raise.

Lessons to Learn

1)It is usually better for the stronger hand to elicit information from partner, than try to show extra strength.

2)It is best to play a new suit forcing by an unpassed hand.

3)Remember that constructive bidding over a one overcall is much different than a one level opening bid, and allowance must be made for the difference in strength.

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Test Your Lead Defence

Column 10

N-S vul, Playing Teams as South you hold: ♠8765 ♥106 ♦J1086 ♣KJ3. The bidding:

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                       1♦                   Pass               

1♥                   Pass                2NT                 Pass               

3NT                 All Pass         

What do you lead? At Matchpoints?

So we know that East has 18-19 HCPs, denies 4 hearts and diamonds is his better minor. West has exactly 4 hearts, enough points for game, but not enough to try for slam. Not a lot there to go on, but we still need to lead. The spade is the obvious choice. It is one of the unbid suits and you have four of them. The other three suits, though, do have their allure.

A lead through dummy’s 1^st suit where we know partner has at least four may be right. But partner could have doubled asking for a heart lead, and declarer may play on hearts himself, losing to partner’s honours behind dummy.

You have a good diamond holding to lead from. However we know East has at least four (did you figure that out?) it is unlikely to be very successful.Clubs you need the least from partner for this to be successful. And we know it is East’s shorter minor. However if partner has only small cards, it will kick at least one trick. However since we are playing teams it is not an important factor. A club is by far the best lead. Why?

1. Usually partner will have at least four clubs on this auction.

2. You need the least from partner for a club lead to be successful.

3.You have only 5 high card points so partner rates to have entries, so you want to set up his suit, if has one.

Another way to look at it, if partner has AQxx in a black suit, if it is clubs you have four tricks. If it spades, you may only have one if East has ♠KJx(x)!

The full deal from a CBF Online Championship match held last week:

I led the ♣J and we beat 3NT. Either the ♣J or ♣K has merits, but not the ♣3. The reason is when setting up partner’s suit you need to unblock your honours, just the way you do when declaring 3NT.

Notice that E-W are in the wrong game. West suppressed his weak 5 card heart suit, not a good idea. Had you led a heart the contract would have made, and you would have egg on your face. Just because it wouldn’t work on this deal, don’t let it deter you from considering it next time.

Should you lead a club playing matchpoints?

The answer depends on your risk tolerance. It is still a very logical alternative, and I would still lead a club. But 14 out of the 16 other souths would likely lead a safe spade.

Lessons to Learn

1.  Even the best logical lead will not work on every deal. Try to make the lead that will on average be the best.

2. You want to try and go with the field playing pairs, but don’t stop thinking and playing bridge.

Opening Lead Quiz:

Notrump Contracts

1.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠Q1053 ♥KQ63 ♦1076 ♣63

West               North             East                South

  -                     1♣                   Pass                1♥

Pass                1♠                   Pass                1NT

All Pass                     

What do you lead? At IMPs?

2.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠1053 ♥KQ63 ♦10976 ♣63

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                       -                       1♦

Pass                1♥                   Pass                1NT

Pass                3NT                 All Pass                     

What do you lead? At IMPs?

3.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠J853 ♥A3 ♦109764 ♣Q8

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                     Pass                2NT

Pass                3♠¹                 Pass                3NT

All Pass                     

¹Slam ty with 6 clubs

What do you lead? At IMPs?

4.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠853 ♥Q1092 ♦AJ76 ♣J3

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                   Pass                1NT

Pass                2♣                 Pass                2♥

Pass                2NT              Pass                3NT

All Pass                                 

What do you lead? At IMPs?

Opening Lead Quiz:

Notrump Contracts

Solutions

1.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠Q1053 ♥KQ63 ♦1076 ♣63

West               North              East                South

  -                     1♣                  Pass                1♥

Pass                1♠                   Pass                1NT

All Pass                     

What do you lead? At IMPs?

Solution 1

When leading against 1NT contracts, safety is a good policy. This is especially true when the opponents have bid both your suits. They opened a club, so that leaves a diamond. When leading from a three card suit with three small, some people believe that attitude is the most important message and would lead the 10 from this diamond holding (or the 8 from 853).

I disagree, and believe count is more important, and would lead the 6. Also at teams. The full deal:

2.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠1053 ♥KQ63 ♦10976 ♣63

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                       -                       1♦

Pass                1♥                   Pass                1NT

Pass                3NT                 All Pass                     

What do you lead? At IMPs?

Solution 2

Again, the opponents have bid your two suits. A diamond may be safe, but easily could cost a trick. Here are two examples where you would regret leading the ♦10:

                      A83

10976                             Q

                      KJ542

                       QJ3

10976                            A

                       K8542

Anyways, back to the problem at hand, the best lead is the 6 of clubs. Why not a spade? Partner had a chance to overcall 1♠, but didn’t. Ergo, he denies 5 spades with some values. Better chance to hit a club suit in his hand. The full deal:

3.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠J853 ♥A3 ♦10796 ♣Q82

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                    Pass                2NT

Pass                3♠¹                 Pass                3NT

All Pass                     

¹Slam ty with 6 clubs

What do you lead? At IMPs?

Solution 3

Here, the best lead at teams and matchpoints is the same, but for different reasons, the ♥A. You know that the club position is favourable. And that N-S have between 28-32 HCPs. They are going to take a lot of tricks when they get in. A heart lead holds them to 11 tricks and an above average score.

At Teams you are hoping to run a suit. It is unlikely, but hearts is the only chance. Why? Partner has at most 5 HCPs. The only holding in a suit where this can defeat this contract is ♥KQxxx. Looking at the full deal, imagine East and South switching their major suit queens.

4.     Both vul, Pair scoring you hold as West: ♠853 ♥Q1092 ♦AJ76 ♣J3

West               North               East                 South

  -                     -                      Pass                1NT

Pass                2♣                   Pass                 2♥

Pass                2NT                 Pass                3NT

All Pass                     

What do you lead? At IMPs?

Solution 4

How come they keep bidding you suits!! Here the opponents took an invitational auction to game. In close games it pays to lead conservatively, regardless the form of scoring. Here a diamond is too risky, a heart is riskier, and a club, who knows??

A spade though dummy’s length is a standout. Again the three is the better lead, so partner can distinguish if you ae leading from xx or xxx. The full deal:

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Test Your Lead Defence

1, 2, 3

Playing Match Points as North you hold: ♠Q76532 ♥5 ♦AK ♣K952.

The bidding:

West               North             East                South

  -                     -                       2♦¹                 Pass               

4♥²                 Pass                5♣                   Pass               

5♥                   All Pass         

1.     Flannery, 5 hearts and four spades, 11-16 HCPs.

2.     Long hesitation.

What do you lead?

A way to break down deciding on a lead can be broken down into 3 separate parts:

1. Give the opponents likely hands based on the bidding.

2. Visualize how the play will go, or what will be declarer’s strategy, based on these reconstructions.

3. Picking a lead.

Here, your opponents have told you a lot of information. North has shown 4-5-0-4 shape with a good 15-16 HCPs. Why? Because East’s 4♥ bid denied slam interest, but North forced his side up to the five level anyways. What about South?

South hesitated then bid game in hearts, but signed off in 5♥ in tempo. You can make inferences about the opponents’ hesitations, but you do so at your own risk. Here you know South is usually a quick bidder. What does he have?

He bid game in hearts, so he has 3 or 4 hearts, maybe five. Probably not a lot of points, but hoped to scored enough trumps separately to make game. But he was not excited about the slam try. He has diamonds, likely lots of them. This is the only thing that makes sense.

So part 1 is over. Next what will declarer want to do? South may have 10 or more red cards. In all likelihood they will try a cross ruff of some sort, South ruffing clubs and spades and North’s hand ruffing diamonds.

If you got this far part 3 is easy breezy – lead a trump! The full deal:

This hand took place at the Dec 30^th Pairs game at the Tuxedo Bridge Club. If you are like 90% of players you look at AK and lead a diamond.  ILove leading from this combo as much as the next person. But this is a thinking game. If you play rotely you get what you deserve.

A very good player did just that and I made 7!! I ruffed with 4, playing 3 rounds of trumps, winning the third round with the Queen. I then played ♦J, ♦K, ruff with the last trump in dummy, ruff a club and ran the diamonds. I scored 5 hearts, 6 diamonds, and 2 aces. A trump lead deprives me of the needed extra entry to set up the diamonds.

Lessons to Learn

1.  You can never take advantage of your partner’s hesitations during the bidding and play, only the opponents.

2. It is unethical to hesitate when you know what you will bid or play to the trick. A bad habit of some players is they hold their card in the air, or just hesitate, but are actually thinking about the next trick(s).

3. It is a good habit to visualize hands and holdings as the bidding is going on. At first this may be difficult, but, like most things in life, it gets easier with practice. If someone opens a spade they have five of them.

Examples:

• If an opponent opens 1♠ and then bids 2 it shows 5-4 and usually an unbalanced hand. It also denies 4 hearts.
• If the responder bids 1♠ over partner’s 1♦ opener, he denies 4 hearts, unless he has five or more spades.

In this way you will be able to do the three part analysis much quicker at the end of the bidding.