15thJanuary2020 - Bread&ButterBridge6 15thJanuary2020 - Bread&ButterBridge6 Board 1 ♠ 8 7 6 5 2 Board 2 ♠ K 5 North Deals ♥ A 8 7 East Deals ♥ K Q 10 9 6 None Vul ♦ 10 5 N-S Vul ♦ 2 ♣ 6 5 2 ♣ A K 10 9 5 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ Q 9 4 N A K 3 Q 9 4 3 N A J 10 8 7 2 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 10 5 WE K Q J 9 6 3 J 4 2 WE 5 3 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ 9 8 4 3 S A J 7 A J 10 S K 9 7 6 ♣ A K Q 3 ♣ 7 ♣ Q 7 2 ♣ 6 ♠ J 10 ♠ 6 ♥ 4 2 ♥ A 8 7 ♦ K Q 6 2 ♦ Q 8 5 4 3 ♣ J 10 9 8 4 ♣ J 8 4 3 EW 6 ♥; EW 5N; EW 4 ♠; EW 4 ♦; E 3 ♣; W 2 ♣; Par −980 EW 4 ♠; NS 4 ♥; NS 5 ♣; Par +100: EW 5 ♠×−1 West North East South West North East South Pass 2 ♣1 Pass 2 ♠1 Pass 2 ♦2 Pass 2 ♥ Pass 3 ♠2 Dbl3 Pass 4 ♦ 2 N Pass 3 ♥ Pass Pass 4 ♥ All pass 4 ♣3 Pass 4 N4 Pass 1. Weak2 in spades. 5-9 (or 6-10, by choice) high card points. 5 ♣5 Pass 6 ♥ All pass 2. Upping the ante. Flat hand but 4 ♠ - bidding to the level of 1. 21-22, balanced; or 8 playing tricks in an unbalanced hand. the fit - is a possibility (see text). 2. Relay. 3. Not without risk (see text). 3. Ace-showing cue bid. 4. Roman Key Card Blackwood. West's 3 ♠ sets North a problem. If he dismisses the king of spades as a useless card 5. 1 or 4 of the 5 "aces". (likely) he is looking at a 12 count and may wish to go quietly. The hand does, however, have good distribution. It is very easy to be talked out of game in this situation where an The East hand has eight playing tricks (two spades, five hearts and a diamond), the right opponent's preempt catches a raise from his partner. Looking at the hand more hand type to be treated as an "Acol 2". The heart suit quality is very good and the shape, pessimistically, the 3 ♠ hand could have good values and any action by North could lead to 6331, fine. We tend to use a compulsory 2 ♦ relay which means that responder, when a costly penalty. Here North bravely doubles, knowing a diamond response is a little holding positive values, may need to do some catching up. With three tricks in clubs, a embarrassing. Things turn out well when North corrects 4 ♦ to 4 ♥, which is a very potentially useful ♠ Q, and a known 8card heart fit (3 ♥ promises at least six cards), West playable spot. Declarer will generally take 10 tricks from a spade ruff (or ♠ K if East lays can make a 4 ♣ cue bid to give partner a chance of reaching slam. After Roman Key Card down the ace), five hearts and four clubs. Declarer is not likely to get the clubs right (i.e. Blackwood, East knows an ace is missing but, with four key cards and the queen of trumps play West for the queen) but he may avoid a loser there if, say, East cashes ♠ A and between the two hands, he jumps to the slam. switches to his singleton ♣ 6. South leads ♦ K, an obvious lead that seeks to promote ♦ Q as a defensive winner. With If West is an adherent of the school that says "bid to the level of the fit in all competitive one other trick for North South the slam will fail. This is the one lead that gives declarer a auctions" he will raise 2 ♠ to 4 ♠. The philosophy is to bid to a level that is consistent with problem. Otherwise he can count 12 tricks from three spades, five hearts, a diamond and the number of trumps the partnership holds. With East showing a 6card suit, West's 4card three clubs. If he draws trumps immediately, however, the defence will take the ace of support provide 10 trumps. That means contracting for that number of tricks. North's trumps and cash a diamond. No, before playing on hearts, declarer cashes three clubs, on problem would be solved as he would pass over 4 ♠. The good shape and fitting diamond the second and third of which he ditches two diamonds from the East hand. All is well honours in the East hand makes 4 ♠ a good spot. East would lose two hearts and a club but, when both opponents follow and, only now, does declarer play trumps. Well bid and plus if he guesses to play South for the queen of diamonds, game rolls in. 980 to East West. A couple of extra points: 1. In the given auction, West might bid 4 ♠ after North South reach 4 ♥. Generally it is better, in competitive auctions, to make just one bid quickly (4 ♠ at the first opportunity). 2. East could bid 4 ♠ over 4 ♥. That would be ill-disciplined and breaks the general rule that a preemptor makes his one bid and leaves all future decisions to partner. 15thJanuary2020 - Bread&ButterBridge6 15thJanuary2020 - Bread&ButterBridge6 Board 3 ♠ J Board 4 ♠ A K Q J 7 5 South Deals ♥ K Q J 9 7 West Deals ♥ A Q 10 6 E-W Vul ♦ 9 8 6 Both Vul ♦ 7 ♣ A 9 8 7 ♣ Q 8 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ A Q 9 6 3 N K 8 7 5 4 2 10 9 6 3 N 8 2 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 3 2 WE 6 7 4 WE K J 8 5 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ K Q S A J A J 9 5 3 S K 10 ♣ K J 6 4 ♣ Q 10 5 3 ♣ J 2 ♣ 10 9 7 6 5 ♠ 10 ♠ 4 ♥ A 10 8 5 4 ♥ 9 3 2 ♦ 10 7 5 4 3 2 ♦ Q 8 6 4 2 ♣ 2 ♣ A K 4 3 EW 4 ♠; NS 4 ♥; EW 4 ♣; NS 3 ♦; EW 1N; Par −100: NS 5 ♥×−1 NS 5 ♠; NS 4N; NS 4 ♥; NS 2 ♦; NS 2 ♣; Par +650 West North East South West North East South Pass Pass 1 ♠ Pass 1 N 1 ♠ 2 ♥1 4 ♥2 5 ♥ Pass 3 ♥1 Pass 3 N Pass Pass 5 ♠ All pass All pass 1. Meets the Suit Quality Test (honours in suit plus number of 1. Game forcing. North does not wish to risk partner passing cards sum to at least the number of tricks for which the hand 2 ♥ when game may be cold. contracts). 2. A splinter raise of spades. Game values, 4+ trumps and a North might open 2 ♣ instead though the club holding is potentially dubious. The auction shortage (void or singleton) in hearts. would be 2 ♣ - 2 ♦ (relay); 2 ♠ - 2N (waiting); 3 ♥ - 3N and the same contract is reached. In both auctions North might convert to 4 ♠ but with no known fit, and a great source of tricks There is some similarity with today's final board in that we have a high-level competitive in the spade suit, 3N is a good spot (South is marked with minor suit length/values). auction where it can be but a guess as to what the right final decisions are (for both sides). There are two statements concerning high-level auctions that can be contradictory. One West leads a 4th best ♦ 5. Presuming the spades break no worse than 4-2, declarer has 10 says "the 5level belongs to the opponents" and the second says "when in doubt, bid one top tricks when he gets in (six spades, one heart and three clubs). East plays ♦ K at Trick 1 more for the road". East takes the latter approach, bidding 5 ♠ over 5 ♥. It's difficult to and returns ♦ 10. Declarer does best to duck this. If diamonds are 4-3 he is likely to lose argue against that. He has useful minor suit values, a shortage in the opponents' suit and four tricks in the suit and if they are 5-2 it may pose a problem for the defence. West lets 6card trump support (and a likely 11card fit). It's also pertinent that East West are ♦ 10 hold and that's a decision he'll soon regret (see below). Let's say East switches to a vulnerable, and North South not. Their score from defeating North South's contract may club, won by dummy's ♣ Q. Declarer, say, cashes a couple of spades (all's good) and now not be sufficient compensation for a making 5 ♠. cashes ♥ A*. He now runs all the spades. On the last spade East has to choose between throwing ♥ K or reducing to two clubs. Either is fatal as ♥ Q is promoted in the former North leads ♥ K. All seems to be well for West. The only losers appear to be a heart and case; and ♣ 4 becomes a winner in the latter case. Yes, East has been squeezed in hearts the ace of clubs. Yes, West hopes to win Trick 2, draw trumps and knock out the top club. and clubs and declarer makes plus 660, a very fine score. Plus 650 from six spades, two diamonds and three clubs. BUT ... this South is sharp. He overtakes the king of hearts and switches to a club. North wins and may wonder why South Could the defence do better? Yes, West could have overtaken ♦ 10 and the defence would has adopted this defence. It can only be because South was dealt a singleton club (and have been able to cash three diamonds.