Regional

Some more hands from the regional. These two were against a pair that were just too timid.

N-S Game, dlr N

            ♠ A Q 10 9
            ♥ 10 6 4 2
            ♦ Q 4
            ♣ 6 5 4
♠ 8                    ♠ J 5
♥ A 8 5 3     [ ]      ♥ J 9
♦ 7 6                  ♦ A K 10 9 5 3 2
♣ A 10 9 8 3 2         ♣ K Q
            ♠ K 7 6 4 3 2
            ♥ K Q 7
            ♦ J 8
            ♣ J 7

N     E     S     W
Pass  1♦    2♠    3♣
pass  3♦    all pass

I just don’t understand North’s pass in the second round. Partner is pre-empting, you have a strong fit and no defence. You can’t find even a single raise? In a sense, inaction is correct, because however high N-S go, we are likely to bid one more than that and make the contract. In actuality, South decided that the ♦J looked like a good lead, and I soon wrapped up thirteen tricks: twelve tricks are available against any lead.

So how should we bid the hand (assuming N-S shut up)? Reaching even game seems to involve an optimistic view.

E-W game, dlr E

            ♠ K 8 7 2
            ♥ K 7 5 3
            ♦ A J 9 7
            ♣ 2
♠ 4                     ♠ Q J 5
♥ A 2         [ ]       ♥ Q
♦ Q 6 5 3               ♦ K 10 8 4 2
♣ A K J 10 7 4          ♣ Q 9 6 5
            ♠ A 10 9 6 3
            ♥ J 10 9 8 6 4
            ♦ -
            ♣ 8 3

E     S     W     N
Pass  pass  1♣    dble
1♦    2♦    3♦    3♠
4♣    4♠    5♣    all pass

With such prime controls and a double fit in evidence, Agent 99 didn’t have much hesitation going to 5♣. I just don’t know how either North or South could feel that it was reasonable to leave us there undoubled. Of course, if you double, North has to find a diamond lead (not difficult on the bidding). In practice, she led a spade to South’s ♠A, which killed the defence and 5♣ made. So as the old saying goes, it was only one mistake: if she was going to defend like that, failure to double was not an error. But then, knowing she was capable of such defence, South should certainly have bid 5♠. Perhaps her dummy play is equally as bad.

Now here’s a bidding problem. You hold
♠Q J 10 5 ♥6 ♦10 ♣A J 9 8 7 4 3
Nobody vulnerable, you hear 1♥ on your left and 2NT (Jacoby) on your right. Doesn’t it sound like they have at least a game, and 5♣ might well be a good sacrifice? I thought so. And yet neither side has a game double-dummy, while both sides may make game at the table.

Love all, dlr S

           ♠ 7 3
           ♥ K Q 8 7 2
           ♦ K J 4
           ♣ K 10 2
♠ 8 6 4 2             ♠ Q J 10 5
♥ A 4        [ ]      ♥ 6
♦ A 9 5 3 2           ♦ 10
♣ Q 6                 ♣ A J 9 8 7 4 3
           ♠ A K 9
           ♥ J 10 9 5 3
           ♦ Q 8 7 6
           ♣ 5

S     W     N     E
1♥    pass  2NT   5♣
pass  pass  dble  all pass

It should not be too difficult for E-W to find the diamond ruff to beat 4♥, but it’s not a sure thing. If the bidding hasn’t given too much away, and if West leads the Q♣, South may be smart enough to not cover, and that makes it very difficult. You would expect some, perhaps even most, N-S pairs to make game.

Even more so, the spade ruff to beat 5♣ looks simple. And yet our opponents, who were not idiots, had a mix-up over signals. After one top spade, South switched. I had asked about the bidding, and South could have made a penalty double. Since he clearly must have had a minimum opening, I played North for all the trumps and made 5♣ for most of the matchpoints.

The analysis software points out that 3NT is cold E-W, but it doesn’t suggest how we bid it.