Misadventures In Manhattan

I remain fascinated with slam hands. I personally think that IMP teams of four is the best game, and slam bidding is critical at that form of scoring. Very big swings arise if you bid the wrong slam. At matchpoints, it’s only one hand, but there are still plenty of points to pick up if you are accurate, so it’s certainly worth trying to be so.

Game all, dlr S, matchpoint pairs

♠ A J 9 6 3
♥ K 10
♦ K 8 3
♣ 10 8 2

[ ]

♠ K 8
♥ A 5 4
♦ A Q 6 5
♣ A K Q J

People seemed to make heavy weather of this hand, but I’m really not sure why. We reached par in two rounds.

2♣  Pass 2♠  Pass
2NT Pass 6NT All Pass

J♦ led.

I would hazard a guess that some people didn’t make the natural positive response on the North hand, since they apply very strict standards for the quality of the suit. I think that is a bit ridiculous. If I can’t make a positive response on that hand, I have to feel that I’m never going to have a positive response to 2♣. And if you get the hand off your chest with the first bid, it is easy to see that fishing for seven (in either notrump or a minor, if opener has a 5-card suit) is a waste of time at the score. At matchpoints, 6NT is where you want to be. If partner is well up on his quantitative raises, and depending on the range for the 2NT rebid, I might venture 5NT on the second round - forcing to 6NT and invitational to 7NT. I wouldn't try it if I thought partner might pass, though.

This one was tough for the opponents; unfortunately, not for the ones at our table.

E-W Game, dlr N

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

1♠   2♦
2♠   3♣
4♣   4♥
4NT  5♠
5NT  6♦
7♣   Pass

Generally speaking, unless you have top-class players around, any time that your opponents bid and make a grand slam you are getting a bottom. This time, we had at least a little company – 7♣ was bid and made three times. I think I like the sequence our opponents put together.

There is an interesting point if you happen to finish in NT. If East is declarer, an opening heart lead seems to give 6NT no chance at all. You only have 10 top tricks, with a spade finesse for 11. But if you cash the club suit first, North has to find a discard – and he can’t afford one. Throwing a spade or a diamond concedes 13 tricks, so the K♥ has to go. But now the spade finesse gains one trick, and you can now cash the Q♥ discarding dummy's second spade. North is squeezed again, so you finish up making 13. People did go down in 6NT, so they didn’t think of this squeeze. I don’t know if I would have, either.

This one was amusing.

EW vul, dlr W


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

Pass  1♣  1♥     5♦
Pass  6♦  Pass   Pass
Dble All pass

10♥ led.

We were the only pair to bid and make 6♦ doubled, and that surprised me a little. The culprit is that heart overcall, of course. If E-W keep quiet, will N-S bash 6♦? It doesn’t seem likely, but then, how are you supposed to bid that monstrosity of a South hand? If you jump to 5♦ at some point, I really can’t blame partner for bidding 6.

And I blame both East and West for the double. Having overcalled on such a pathetic suit, East must double 6♦ as a Lightner double. Left to his own devices, West is almost certainly leading a heart. After a double, he may or may not find a spade lead, but any chance is better than no chance. And if East passes, West has no business doubling. On the bidding, there are at least 8, maybe more, diamonds in the South hand. At the table, West said he felt that since he held spades and clubs, and East had bid hearts, declarer would have nowhere to go for tricks. But if declarer has 8 or 9 or 10 trump tricks, a couple of aces and the odd king will do nicely for 12 tricks.