TIPS FOR IMPROVERS BY MICHAEL NEWMAN
Points of interest from the December 2013 duplicates
1 Upgrade essential
Board 21 Ben Franks Session 2 – Vulnerability North South – Dealer North
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Jxx
98xxx
KQ
xxx
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KQxx
Jxx
10xx
Q9x
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A109x
AK
AJx
J10xx
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xx
Q10x
98xxx
AKx
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The majority of pairs failed to reach game on the above hand. This was generally because several East’s woodenly added up their points and failed to appreciate that although it is 17 points the intermediates in Spades A109x and Clubs J10xx make it simply too strong for a 15 to 17 strong no trump. At pairs it was clearcut for West to pass 1NT with a 4-3-3-3 eight count and on a Diamond lead the result was an embarrassing 1NT +3 for 180 to East West.
If playing 4 card majors the correct auction is 1 Spade - 2 Spades – 2NT – 3NT which is the best game as 4 Spades might go down if a Club ruff were available to the defenders.
If playing 5 card majors the auction would be 1 Club – 1 Spade – 3 Spades. I now have sympathy with those West’s who chose to pass 3 Spades as it is not automatic to accept the invitation at pairs with a flat eight count. (Note that it is only the presence of the 10 of Diamonds in the West hand which makes game a good bet if a Club ruff is not available to the Defence).
A couple of West’s wrongly invited game over a 15-17 no trump opener and got lucky on this occasion but especially at pairs it is wrong to invite on poor eight counts particularly as a point should always be deducted for the sterile 4-3-3-3 shape.
So the moral is always be alert to those hands where it is clearcut to upgrade a 17 count and treat it as 18 to 19. Equally there are some 15 counts which should be devalued to a weak no trump.
2 Two Routes to Slam
Board 2 Tuesday 17 December – Vulnerability North South – Dealer East
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North
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East
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South
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West
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Double
3 Hearts
4 Diamonds
6 Diamonds
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Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
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Pass
3 Diamonds1
3 NT
4 Spades2
Pass
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2 Hearts
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
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North
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East
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South
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West
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1 Club
3 Hearts3
4 Clubs
6 Diamonds
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Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
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Pass
1 Diamond
3 NT
4 Spades2
Pass
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Pass
1 Heart
Pass
Pass
Pass
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Axx
x
AKxx
AKJxx
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1098x
AJ109xx
None
xxx
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QJxxx
xx
J9xx
Qx
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K
KQxx
Q10xxx
10xx
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1 Showing 8 to 11 points playing Lebensohl after a weak two opener
2 Cue-bidding the King of Spades
3 Splinter bid agreeing Diamonds and showing singleton or void Heart
I have given two possible auctions for the above hand, depending on whether West opens with a weak two in Hearts. The author is of the school who tend not to open a weak two in Hearts when holding four cards in Spades while others have no objection to so doing.
In Auction 1 after the weak two and a double from North then South bids 3 Diamonds showing 8 to 11 points (if he had fewer than eight points he would start off with a Lebensohl 2NT). North asks if South has a Heart stop and over 3NT from South decides quite correctly that having a magnificent eight controls (Ace = 2 controls and King = 1 control) that he is worth another move towards a Diamond slam. South having initially signed off in 3NT is now happy to co-operate as he has a fifth trump and the King of Spades. Accordingly he cue-bids 4 Spades showing the King (or a singleton) which is enough for North to jump to 6 Diamonds.
In Auction 2 where West passes initially then North’s 3 Heart bid is a Splinter bid agreeing Diamonds. South signs off in 3NT but now North shows an interest in a Diamond slam by cue-bidding 4 Clubs. Again as in Auction 1 South now co-operates by cue-bidding 4 Spades and North jumps to slam.
The play to 6 Diamonds is extremely instructive. West should open with the 10 of Spades (note that the Ace of Hearts lead would make the contract extremely easy to make). Declarer wins with the King and plays a low Diamond to the King discovering the 4-nil break. A low Heart to the Queen and Ace follows at trick three. West continues with a second Spade won with the Ace in the Dummy as Declarer discards a Club. A low Diamond to the 10 follows at trick five. A low Heart is trumped in the Dummy at trick six. The Ace of Diamonds is cashed at trick seven followed by the Ace of Clubs at trick eight. Now the third round of Spades is ruffed at trick nine and at trick ten Declarer draws the last trump in the following position:-
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None
None
None
KJxx
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None
J10
None
xx
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QJ
None
J
Q
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None
Kx
Q
10
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West is forced to keep two Hearts otherwise Declarer’s small Heart is established. Thus he discards a Club. At trick eleven Declarer cashes the King of Hearts. At trick twelve Declarer plays the ten of Clubs and when West follows small he plays the King knowing that the Queen will drop from East. (I have deliberately changed the position of the Queen of Clubs from that which existed at the table to illustrate what is known as a show up squeeze). The beauty is that once the trumps were known to be 4-nil then West’s shape was certain to be either 4=6=0=3 or 3=6=0=4 and therefore on the above line of play it was irrelevant where the Queen of Clubs lay since West would be squeezed down to a singleton Club at trick ten enabling the show up squeeze to take effect.
3 Is my suit quality good enough for a weak two?
Board 5 Monday 23 December – Vulnerability North South – Dealer North
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x
AK97
Q10643
Jxx
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x
Jx
AJ972
K109xx
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xxx
Q8xxxx
8
AQx
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AKQJ1098x
10
K5
xx
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I was puzzled when I looked at the scores for the above board and saw that not a single East West had defeated the contract of 4 Spades by South. I then realized that this must have been because East opened a weak two in Hearts and after South overcalled 4 Spades West would then make the disastrous opening lead of the Jack of Hearts resulting in eleven tricks being made as one of Declarer’s two Club losers is immediately discarded on the second Heart winner.
While it might appear tempting to open 2 Hearts at the Green vulnerability a second in hand pre-empt should have reasonable suit quality and note that if East is more disciplined and passes then South will open 4 Spades third in hand since a slam is extremely unlikely after North’s initial pass. Now the textbook lead is the 10 of Clubs. East will win with the Ace and immediately return the 8 of Diamonds. South should play the King but West should not be distracted by this falsecard and give East a Diamond ruff which together with the second Club trick will defeat the contract by one trick. Thus the weak two in the bidding costs two tricks in the play.
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