Victorian Bridge Association Bulletin December 2017 Editor: Bill Jacobs THE SOAPBOX Thank you to everyone who gives – in Ben Thompson whatever way – to our community. Finally, I’d like to wish you all a joyful festive season, and a peaceful and prosperous 2018. NEWS FROM THE VBA COUNCIL VBA Council At the 2016 Annual General Meeting, the following were elected to the VBA Council for 2018: President: Ben Thompson Vice President: Christopher Leach Treasurer: Neil Ewart Secretary: Kim Frazer As we head into the festive season, I want to talk about gifts. Councillor: David Morgan Councillor: Penny Blankfield At the VBA, we are very grateful for a recent Councillor: Jenny Thompson bequest from Lilli Allgood’s estate to create an award for duplicate play at the VBA in Special Councillor: Richard Giles memory of her late husband Ray (see later in Special Councillor: Rob Quirk this bulletin for details). Lilli was a terrific character and one of Australia’s most In addition to her responsibilities as a enthusiastic and successful duplicate players councillor, Jenny Thompson will be assuming (she earned the 9th most green masterpoints the role of Chair of the Match & Tournament ever). She was always very supportive of Committee. Other M&TC committee members new players and often helped out at the VBA are Diana Smart, Michael Phillips, Jamie at our supervised sessions. Thompson and Laurie Kelso. There are all sorts of gifts, large and small, that many bridge players make to their Affiliated Clubs’ Day, 2018 bridge group. Often we don’t even think of them as gifts and yet they are so important On Saturday March 3rd, the VBA will be to the success of our game and our hosting a day for affiliated club Presidents, community. Bringing a cake for supper, Congress Organisers and other affiliated club sponsoring an event, giving a trophy for the members who may wish to attend. A key club championship, donating money for topic for the day will be Congress essential equipment, and of course donating Participation. More information about this day time as volunteer workers are just a few will be coming out soon. examples of the many ways people help out. Page 2 VBA Bulletin December 2017 FOR STARTERS retain communications with your partner’s hand. In a matchpoint duplicate, with everyone This has practically nothing to do with leading vulnerable, you pick up: to suit contracts. It’s little use to set up eventual winners in your long suit, because AQ6 K ♦ 10874 . KJ872 then declarer will trump them. Meanwhile, you run the considerable risk of giving RHO is the dealer and opens 1. declarer a ‘free’ trick in the suit led, a trick that never comes back to you. Your call. Leading the .7 here is just asking to donate a trick to declarer. If partner has the .Q or .A it might work OK, but if he doesn’t … And You have 13 HCP and a moderate 5-card club why should he have a club honour? The suit, so it’s plausible to overcall 2.. opponents have reached a game, and you “Plausible” is the kindliest adjective I could have 13 HCP. find: “distasteful” would be nearer the mark for me. A spade is also out of the question for the same reasons. And leading the K is wrong: 2. puts all your eggs into the club basket, that card might be worth a trick if declarer and it would not surprise me to be stranded finesses to it. there, going several down, vulnerable, for a similarly “distasteful” score. A diamond is the correct lead. Leading from rubbish suits is an excellent strategy against Passing is a lot wiser than a 2. overcall, but suit contracts, unless your aim is to get into did you consider making a takeout double? the newspapers. Such leads give nothing The most likely way for you to profitably win away: declarer has to do all the work. in this auction is to find a fit in spades, the highest ranking suit. Your hand meets all the You lead the 4 and see: requirements for a takeout double: 4 by J93 - Opening strength South Q1082 - At most a doubleton in their suit ♦ KQ . 9654 - At least 3 in every side suit. AQ6 N K You double, but it seems it is all in a lost W E cause, as the auction continues: ♦ 10874 . KJ872 S LHO Partner RHO You 1 D’ble Declarer wins the K (partner 2, declarer 2 Pass 4 All pass 3) and plays the Q, 3, 4 and you win your K. At least you tried. Now it’s your lead, which is? Now what? Many people tend to simply lead 4th highest It’s worth pausing at this point to think about of their longest and strongest in this declarer’s hand, based on the bidding. He situation, but it’s oh-so-wrong. clearly has the A, and no doubt the A and J. That’s 9 HCP. He jumped to 4 over his 4th best leads are a technique for leading partner’s simple raise to 2, so we need to again notrump contracts. You lead your best find a lot more. He will have the K and .A suit, because that’s the suit where you are for sure: that brings him to 16 HCP. hoping to take tricks, once declarer’s stoppers are exhausted. And you lead low to That’s still not enough. Only the .Q and J are left, and he may well have both those VBA Bulletin December 2017 Page 3 cards. That leaves for partner … well, no TEST YOUR BIDDING wonder he’s looking a bit uninterested over there! Partner’s Pre-empt is Overcalled Continue with Plan A: the thrilling do- Nil vulnerable absolutely-nothing defence. Continue with LHO Partner RHO You another diamond rather than breaking new 2 3 ? ground. The full deal: There is not a lot of high science that can be J93 applied to auctions that begin with a pre- Q1082 emptive opening bid. But there are principles ♦ KQ that should be adhered to, and room for . 9654 plenty of bidding judgment. AQ6 N 10752 K 653 W E Partner’s 2 opening shows around 6 to 10 ♦ 10874 ♦ J963 HCP, and a decent 6-card suit. That’s about . KJ872 S . 103 it: there are a number of other possible K84 restrictions (no side major, no void, not two AJ974 aces, blah, blah, blah), but they should be ♦ A52 taken with a grain of salt. AQ Clearly you might want to support spades at Declarer can flail around all he likes, but as some suitable level – no problem there. A soon as he loses a black suit finesse to you, raise to 3 is purely competitive, not you simply lead back that suit. Down one. invitational. To make a game try in spades, you basically bid 4, and try to make it. Points to remember: A new suit is natural and forcing, and similarly to if RHO had passed, you need a - Don’t overcall in a minor at the 2-level strong hand and suit to go venturing outside with a poor suit. It’s dangerous and of spades. unhelpful. (The same argument does not apply to overcalling in a ratty major at That leaves a double – what should that the 1-level, which is less dangerous, and mean? An excellent principle is that after more likely to result in your side winning partner opens with a pre-empt, your doubles the auction.) are for penalties. There is no point making a takeout, or negative double, because the - Don’t automatically lead 4th highest of pre-empt means that opener is unlikely to your longest and strongest against suit have another suit anyway. level. 4th best leads are for notrump contracts only. Repeat after me: 4th best That pre-amble should be enough to go on leads are for notrump contracts only. with. Choose your poison with: - Continuing the argument, leading from (a) 74 A983 ♦ Q82 . K1076 unprotected honours (like AQx, K, .KJxxx) is usually poor strategy against (b) Q4 A983 ♦ 872 . K1076 suit contracts, unless of course your partner has bid the suit. Leading from (c) AQ4 A3 ♦ 9872 . K1076 suits that contain no honours, or only low honours (such as the ten or the jack) are (d) 74 AJ10 ♦ Q1082 . A1076 much better, as it forces declarer to do all the work. (e) AQ4 A3 ♦ 872 . AKJ106 - When dummy appears, you can often use (f) 4 AQ3 ♦ Q82 . AKQJ76 the bidding to work out what honour cards declarer is likely to have. Solutions over page. Page 4 VBA Bulletin December 2017 TEST YOUR BIDDING - SOLUTIONS CONGRESS RESULTS LHO Partner RHO You Waverley Congress 2 3 ? Swiss Pairs (a) 74 A983 ♦ Q82 . K1076 North-South 1 G. Hill – J. Tunks Pass. With your doubleton spade, you have 2 P. Edwards – M. Decouto an 8-card fit. But that doesn’t mean you 3 S. Gluck – B. Kingham should bid 3, although it could work, if 3 were to go down 1 or 2, and 3 is making. East-West But will 3 always make? You have the 1 C. Hughes – S. Henbest makings of 3 tricks, and partner could help. 2 S. Groves – A. Lowe Try for a plus score against 3. 3 L. Robinson – C. Fernando (b) Q4 A983 ♦ 872 . K1076 Swiss Teams 1 B. Geyer, G. Lovrecz, K. Bailey, G. Bailey 3. Moving the queen from diamonds to 2 K. Frazer, J. Ebery, D. Nie, C.