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SUGGESTIONS INVITED FOR A CLUB LUNCH IN JUNE

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?

 

 

2nd June 2016
Board 3: 3NT or 4 Hearts?

Pairs is a fickle game. Scoring just 10 points more than the rest of the field, say by making 3NT+1 instead of 4  can improve your score on a hand from 50% to 100%.

Most of us would prefer to play in a 5-3 Heart fit than in No-Trumps but often, as on this hand, we do ourselves a disservice by doing so.

With a 4-4 fit you usually make more tricks in the Suit than in No Trumps because you can draw Trumps in three rounds and then make your last two trumps separately. You also retain Trump control in both hands after drawing Trumps

With a 5-3 fit you will probably make the same number of tricks in No Trumps because drawing Trumps will exhaust dummy's supply. So think twice (or even three times) before playing in a 5-3 Major Fit at Pairs instead of No Trumps.

The second interesting point is how to bid a 5-4 hand in the Majors with game values opposite 1NT.

Playing Transfers as in the bidding given 2 should be your first bid telling partner you have five Hearts. After the automatic 2 response your next bid is 3♠ which tells partner you have values for Game (otherwise you would just bid 2♠) and that you also have four Spades. Partner can now choose the best game which, at Pairs, is 3NT for the reasons given above.

If you are not playing transfers then you should bid 2♣ (Stayman) and over a 2  response you should bid 3 . This means the same as if you had bid 1NT - 3 which if you are not playing transfers tells partner you have exactly five Hearts and the values for Game. It tells Partner to choose between 3NT and 4 but never, repeat never, to Pass.

Board 12: Entries, Precious Entries

Most Pairs should play this in 3NT. A 2♣ Game Force followed by a 2 (Negative or Relay) then 2NT showing 23-24 balanced after which South can show five Hearts but North should settle for 3NT.

A Club lead is to be expected, to West's ♣ Q and Declarer's ♣ A.

Counting (well you always do, don't you) shows you 6 Top Tricks ( A K Q J;  A; ♣ A) and three slow tricks (one each from ♠ K Q;  Q J; ♣ J 10)

The challenge is to reach the  Q J in Dummy. Can you see how to do it?

You must play off the  A K to unblock before you do anything else.

Then you could play off the  A, followed by the  Q and hope the defence take it with the  K. But that relies on them making a mistake.

Better to hope for a 3-2 Spade split and play the ♠ K then the ♠ Q then the ♠ 8 leaving the ♠ 6 in Dummy as your vital entry to the Hearts.