January 24, 2014

In our match play on Sunday, there were four double-digit swing boards, out of twelve hands.  That is quite a bundle of IMPs.  However, two of those swings came about when we bid to normal, cold games, with the wrong game bid at the other table.  The third came when North, at the other table, holding a 1-4-4-4 near Yarborough, with only the club queen, guessed to lead a club against 3NT, rather than partner’s spade suit.  That was the killer.  The fourth swing came on the last board, and that was earned.  Our declarer found a great line of play in four spades to net 10 IMPs.  I love seeing beautiful bridge.  Nicely done.  I’ll look at that hand later.
First, though, I am going to put in my views on preempting, and preempting styles.  To me, it is crucial to preempt frequently, and accurately.  What does that mean?  Preempts often backfire, but they gain more often than they lose.  So, we should be preempting as often as possible.  But, preempts also need to involve your partner, particularly when partner is not a passed hand.  You want partner to increase the level, when appropriate.  You also want partner to bid game, when game will make.  So,

   Partner must have a rough picture of your hand type when you preempt.

For example, suppose you like to open 3C in first seat on

and also on

How is partner supposed to judge?  There has to be limits.  So, you need to adopt a style that clues partner in on the joke.  Some pairs will preempt on the first hand, at favorable, but pass the second (figuring it is too good).  That is acceptable, but not practical.  After all, if you hold a very long suit, the odds are quite high that you will hold several of the big honors.  If you have to wait for the first hand to preempt, you won’t be preempting often enough! 

Choose a style that lets you preempt frequently, but also lets partner join in on the fun.  The most common hands with a long suit are those where the suit is reasonable, and where you have a little on the side.  To me, that is the perfect preempt, and partner will figure me for that type of hand.  It comes up a lot, and partner can picture my hand.

Level is also quite relevant.  Three-level preempts are very powerful.  They suck up most of the bidding room for the opponents, and let partner bid a game, including 3NT.  Four-level preempts aren’t nearly as good.  These too often force the opposition to double, and defend, and bypass 3NT, my favorite contract.  Five-level?  Forget about it.  I absolutely abhor opening five clubs or five diamonds.  Why?  Usually, the opponents will defend.  For a five club opening to work out well, that has to be the right contract, and a contract you wouldn’t have reached with a lower opening bid.  Think how often you have seen a team match where the bidding went 5C X all pass at one table, and 4C 4S X all pass at the other table.  If you really, really feel the urge to open five clubs, then open four, and let partner raise when that is right, and defend when defending is best. 

OK, quiz time.

 

1.   Favorable vulnerability, first seat:  9  KQJ10753 AK10 74.  Do you preempt?
2.  Favorable vulnerability, third seat.  9 KQJ10753 AK10 74.  Do you preempt?
3. No one vulnerable, first seat.  J54 1072 8 KQ9732.  Do you?
4. No one vulnerable, third seat.  K2 A AJ1097654 J8.  Do you?

The first hand is clearly way too good for a three heart call.  Four is acceptable.  It feels a bit too good, and could easily miss a slam.  I would open 1H in first seat, but happily bid four hearts facing a passed hand.  The third hand looks like a wonderful three club opening to me.  Decent suit, a little on the side.  Partner will play me for close to this.  If partner bids 3NT, great.  If partner raises, great.  If partner judges to defend, great.  If we missed a major suit game, not so great.  On hand four, 1D is automatic.  I wouldn’t dream of any other opening. 

Here was hand 11, with South the dealer, no one vulnerable:

 
Our bidding?  Pass Pass Five Diamonds Double, all out.  Yuck!  Down two against 110 or 140. 

Sorry about the rant.  Here was board 3, with East-West vulnerable:

  
The bidding started with a pass from South, and a one spade opening.  North bid four hearts, good bid!  This put pressure on both players.  East raised to four spades, an overbid, and West tried for a slam, finishing in five spades, down one.  I tend to agree with both choices.  The four heart call did its work.  However, the story is not over.  Let’s follow the play.  North started with the diamond ace, and king, as South played three, eight (upside down count and attitude), then shifted to the heart king.  Declarer turned to clubs, club ace, club ruff, heart ruff, club ruff, as North discarded.  You can follow the play below by hitting the next button: 

 

These cards were left:

  
Declarer ran the spade jack, then tried the diamond queen, as South discarded a club!
Repeat after me,

             COUNT, COUNT, COUNT, COUNT, COUNT, COUNT.

South, alas, did not count.  West was marked with a club loser, so trumping that diamond meant a sure set.  When South discarded, West pitched the club eight, happily trumped a heart to hand, to draw trumps and claim.  But trumps didn’t split.  Unlucky.

West, alas, did not count.  North had shown up with three diamonds, two clubs, one spade, and, apparently seven hearts.  Trumps could not possibly split.  Instead, declarer should have continued diamonds, throwing the club winner if South refused to ruff, to stay in dummy for a trump coup. 

Let’s back up the play to trick three.  At that point, declarer had a pretty good idea that North held seven or eight hearts, and three diamonds.  Setting up clubs was futile.  At least one of the black suits was going to split badly.  I see only one hope for declarer – the spade queen would drop.  Declarer should play North for a hand like Q KQJ10753 AK10 74 or Q2 KQJ10753 AK10 4.  At trick four, I would play a spade to the ace.  If the queen drops, spade to the eight, good diamonds.  If not, I’d try the spade king next, and wind up three down.  (Maybe my advice isn’t so hot after all). 

Finally, the good stuff, the beautifully played hand 12:  At favorable vulnerability, you arrive in a poor four spade contract:

   
Here was the auction:

   
It is going to be a real struggle to make even three spades on this layout, with diamonds badly placed, but the defense  gets off to a very friendly start.  West leads the club ace, and continues the suit.  So, our club king is now a winner, and it looks as though clubs are 2-5.  We still have another club loser, and two likely diamond losers.  Do you see any way to collapse these to only two losers?  Plan your play.

The best hope for the contract is that West started with four hearts (and only two clubs).  In that case, you can maneuver to throw West in on the fourth heart, to lead to your diamond king.  This should work if West is either 2-4-5-2 or 1-4-6-2.  Start with a high trump from hand, then three rounds of hearts, trumping.  Now, spade queen, spade to dummy.  Here will be the ending:

 

Lead dummy’s heart.  If East discards, throw your club.  If East follows, are you dead?

Not quite.  I’ll leave it to you to construct 1-3-7-2 hands for West where you can still make the contract. 

Here was the actual hand:

  
So, the ending was:

West had to win the heart and concede trick ten to the diamond king.  Nicely played!  West, at the other table, also started with the club ace, but declarer did not find this endplay.

Let’s close with something really tricky.  Could the hand still make if West were, say, 2-3-6-2?  Perhaps:

Yes!  We start out planning for the heart throw in. 

Win the club, high trump, three rounds of hearts, and the spade queen.  When West follows with the jack, there is still hope that West was 2-4-5-2.  In any event, we overtake with the trump ace, and lead dummy’s last heart, in this position:

 

When East turns up with the last heart, things look pretty hopeless, but there is still a way home.  Do you see how?

Trump the heart and play two more trumps, discarding your club.  That will leave both you and West with three diamonds.  If West keeps the diamond AQJ, duck a diamond, and you’ll score trick ten with your diamond king.  More likely, West will keep something like AJ6, hoping for better spots from partner.  You lead a diamond from dummy and cover East’s ten, to score your game-going trick thanks to the diamond nine.

Admit it – when dummy came down, you said to yourself, “Boy am I glad I have the diamond nine.  Couldn’t make this hand otherwise.”