TIPS FOR IMPROVERS
Points of interest from the September 2016 duplicates
1 Upgrade to 2 Club opener on 22 points
Board 4 Monday 12 September – Vulnerability Amber – Dealer West
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xxxx
xxx
Kx
K109x
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Ax
AK10xx
AQx
AJx
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x
QJxx
J10xxxx
Qx
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KQJxxx
x
xx
xxxx
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North
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East
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South
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West
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Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
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2 Diamonds
3 Spades
4 Hearts
Pass
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2 Spades
Pass
Pass
Pass
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2 Clubs
3 Hearts
3NT
6 Hearts
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This is the identical title as I used for Tip 3 in August but the same principle is at stake and allows a laydown slam in Hearts to be bid with just 28 points between the two hands. The slam was missed at all eight tables.
As in Tip 3 from August while West does have 22 points his hand is simply too powerful for an opening 2NT bid. Holding a huge nine controls (Ace = two, King = one) plus a very strong five card suit this is a further example of a 22 point hand which must be upgraded to a 2 Club opener.
East responds 2 Diamonds. Let us assume in the first instance that South passes. In that case slam is very easy to reach. West rebids 2 Hearts and East now makes a splinter bid of 3 Spades showing four card Heart support and a singleton (or void) Spade. This is enough for West to drive straight to slam. If instead South bids 2 Spades then West bids 3 Hearts. (Note that as West has only one Spade stop that 3 Hearts is a better choice than 2NT). East might be reluctant to splinter at the four level although this is a possibility. Instead he might just bid 3 Spades to say “tell me more”. When West then converts to 3NT then now East can bid 4 Hearts to suggest having a hand which was too strong to just raise 3 Hearts to game. Again this is all the encouragement which West needs to go to slam.
Note that in the play of 6 Hearts on a Spade lead after drawing three rounds of trumps ending in the Dummy that Declarer should play a low Diamond to the Queen and not run the Jack. This is because if the Jack loses to the King and a second Spade comes back that with the Diamonds blocked it would not be possible to enjoy five Diamond tricks. Indeed two of the eight pairs who played in game in Hearts failed to appreciate this danger and thus only made 11 tricks when the Jack of Diamonds lost to the King.
2 Worth a slam invitation
Board 11 Thursday 15 September – Vulnerability White – Dealer South
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K
AQ98xxx
xxx
xx
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xx
x
AK10xx
AQJ10x
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AQ9x
KJ10x
Q
K9xx
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J108xxx
x
Jxxx
xx
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North
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East
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South
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West
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3 Hearts
Pass
Pass
Pass
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3NT
4 Spades
5 Hearts
Pass
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Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
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1 Diamond
4 Clubs
4NT
6 Clubs
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Not a single one of the six East West pairs managed to reach the excellent contract of 6 Clubs on the above hand.
While East would ideally like to defend 3 Hearts doubled it is more practical for him to bid 3NT after the pre-emptive overcall from North since West may not co-operate with a takeout double if he passes.
The spotlight now turns to West. While he may have only 14 points he does have only a 5 loser hand and should make a suggestion of a slam contract by bidding 4 Clubs. If East does not wish to co-operate then East can sign off in 4NT which is unlikely to be at risk given West’s playing strength in the minors. Here East is delighted to cue-bid 4 Spades which agrees Clubs as trumps. West wheels out RKCB for Clubs and there are no problems in the play. (The only time there might be a problem would be if South held the King of Spades and a Spade was the opening lead from North at trick one).
3 Fit Jump – the essential tool in a competitive auction
Board 22 Monday 26 September – Vulnerability East West – Dealer East
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None
K109xx
xx
AJxxxx
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J10xxxx
x
KQ109x
x
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AK9xx
xxx
AJxxx
None
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Qx
AQJx
x
KQ10xxx
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From studying the results of the above hand I noted that not a single East West pair bid to 6 Spades and indeed two East West pairs defended 6 Clubs making for North South. This can only mean that none of the East West pairs were playing FIT JUMPS.
A fit jump is an extremely important bidding tool to have in your armoury and is a single jump in a new suit which in one bid shows four card support for partner’s suit and a good five card side suit. It can be made in any of the following circumstances:-
a) After the opposition double the opening bid
b) After the opposition overcall the opening bid
c) In response to partner’s overcall
d) Any jump in a new suit by a passed hand is a fit jump even with no intervention from the opposition thus Pass – Pass – 1 Heart – Pass – 3 Clubs would show five Clubs and four Hearts and a raise to at least 3 Hearts.
There are various ways in which the bidding might go but the start should be 1 Spade by East, an overcall of 2 Clubs by South and now despite the low point count West should jump to 3 Diamonds which is a Fit Jump showing at least four Spades and five Diamonds. It would usually imply at least nine points but where there is exceptional distribution this figure can be lowered provided that the quality of the side suit is good. (In other words if West had J10 to six Diamonds and KQ to five Spades he would not make a Fit Jump because the quality of the side suit Diamonds is too poor). North’s best bid after this start is to jump to 4 Spades as a splinter bid agreeing South’s Clubs. At this point East should realise that not only do his side possess a huge double fit in Diamonds and Spades but the opposition almost certainly have a huge double fit in Clubs and Hearts. East should cuebid 5 Clubs and now West can cue-bid 5 Hearts allowing East to bid 6 Spades over North’s 6 Club bid. (East should not in any way be tempted to double 6 Clubs because it is highly likely that one of his Aces will be ruffed as he knows that his side possess a minimum of 10 Diamonds.
Note that the absolute par on the hand is for North South to sacrifice in 7 Clubs against the making 6 Spades. Against 7 Clubs West has to lead the King of Diamonds (the only sensible choice since he knows that his side have at least eleven Spades) to defeat the contract.
Please also refer to July 2016 Tip No 3 for a similar example of a Fit Jump and to June 2013 Tip No 3 titled “Fit Jump by Advancer” which is an example of circumstance c) described above.
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