When to stop?
How far do you go in a competitive auction? Here's a deal where each player has to make that judgment. Let's see how it goes.
South 1NT Yeah, I know. With 6-3-3-2 you should be opening 1♣. But do you really want to have to rebid 2♣ (and possibly 3♣) with such an empty suit? With a poor 6-card minor and the points spread around the other suits, a lot of players prefer to open 1NT. Gets the whole hand over in just one bid.
West PASS Not a difficult decision.
North 2♦ The start of a transfer into hearts.
East 2♠ Just what you need for an overcall at the 2-level after partner's passed: a really good suit and an outside Ace.
South PASS You've already bid your hand and you have no great liking for partner's hearts. With a maximum (which you have) and 3 or 4 hearts (which you don't have) you might have bid 3♥.
West PASS Again, an easy decision, especially with your holding in North's hearts.
North 3♥ Only 7 points but a 6-card heart suit, so you have a known major fit. You have no reason to suppose that their 2♠ is going off and you can expect to make 8 tricks in hearts. You're not vulnerable, so going one off in hearts (even if you're doubled) is still cheaper than giving them 110 for 2♠ making.
East 3♠ Same argument. You have no reason to think that 3♥ will go off, but you have 7 tricks in your own hand: if partner can come up with just one trick, you're only one off, which is a great sacrifice if 3♥ is making. And on a good day, 3♠ might even make!
South PASS Difficult. Can you make 4♥? Say your partner has absolutely solid hearts. That's 6 tricks plus your two outside aces. Eight. Two more needed. If partner were strong enough to provide them as well, she would surely have bid to game on her own. Could be a level too high ... On the other hand, you have 3 defensive tricks against 3♠ and partner could well provide a couple more. So pass and take the money.
West PASS Yawn. Haven't got much of a dummy for you, partner.
North PASS You've certainly bid your hand to the full and partner wasn't interested. To go on now would be to invite a penalty double.
So how does it go? East turns out to be doubly unlucky: her partner does have a trick (the ♣K) but it's impossible to get over to dummy to cash it. The result is a heart and a spade loser and FOUR losers in diamonds, for 2 off. Which would be fine if 3♥ is making: apparently it can make but it's not easy: everyone who was in hearts in Box and Bath only made 8 tricks.
But it's still the best place to be. In a just world, 3♥ would make without a care in the world, and 3♠ would go just one off.
In Box & Bath
Half the EW pairs in Box ended up in 3♠, two of them getting a bit of help from the opposition, because they made 8 and 9 (!) tricks.
In Bath, all the pairs bar one bid to game, mostly in spades, and only two got the penalty double they deserved, going 2 off for -300. Ouch! Which just goes to show that in Bath they simply don't know when to stop ...
|