Festive Pairs

Anna and I started rather slowly, as is often our way. On Board 1 Anna missed my encouraging signal of the Seven of Hearts (we play reverse attitude but the 2,3,4,5,6 were all visible so the 7 was actually an encouraging low card). It's quite understandable that she missed this, as she was upstairs seeing Zoe who had lost Mini-Monkey. On Board 2 I could have been more competitive in the auction, but was helping Alex who had dropped Bunny over the side of the cot.

At the half way stage we had only two positive boards, one of which was when everyone passed and that gave us +1.1 IMPs.

Things picked up a bit after that, but mostly through the good fortune of the opponents underbidding. They played 3♦+2 (giving us +4.8 IMPs), 4♠+2 (+7.8) and 3♠+1 (+4.9). So our good scores were mostly lucky, our bad scores self-inflicted.

This was a very strange board:

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Anna opened 1♥ and after the double I have a fairly automatic 4♥ bid. I don't really like it, but it's got to be done. When that got passed around to East he doubled, with four tricks in his own hand, probably expecting his partner to pass. West had four Spades he hadn't mentioned though and removed the double to 4♠.

I thought about doubling this - I do have quite good Spades, but for all I know Anna has ♥AKQJxx and not much else and 4♠ is making with an overtrick. I passed, but with expectation of beating it.

In fact, we have four trump tricks. Declarer drew these, played some Clubs and finally lead a Diamond up. This finesse was bound to win, but as a bonus for declarer both Anna and I were hanging on to a Heart for some reason so came down to a doubleton Diamond, meaning declarer won the last trick with dummy's ♦5.

Our score of 4♠-1 was worth -2.4 IMPs, 4♠-2 would have been about 0. The reason we don't do better is that, rather surprisingly, 4♥ actually makes. With East on lead declarer can discard two Diamonds from hand on dummy's Spades.

The good thing about doing quite poorly at the start of the evening is that it takes the pressure off. On the last board I decided to try a manoeuvre I've read about in a book by Ely Culbertson. You overcall in your second best suit, get doubled, then remove to your best suit. The opponents of course double you again, but now you go ahead and make the contract.

When East opened 2NT (20-22) I decided not to be put off and swung into action, "Six-five, come alive".

I overcalled 3♣, and West doubled. I wasn't not sure what his double showed, and I'm not sure him or his partner did either. When it came back round I duly bid 3♥, doubled again. I was praying that Anna wouldn't have the sort of hand to correct me back to Clubs (that is the flaw in Culbertson's plan), but luckily it was passed out.

3♥x has at least five losers: one Heart, two Spades, two Clubs. So there's a chance of off one. As it happens Clubs are 4-2 and Hearts 3-1 so I can do no better than two down, still a good saving (-300) to their making game (4♠+1 for -450). My antics gained us 1.4 IMPs. Needless to say we were the only North-South pair declaring the contract.

Overall our IMP score of +6.95 was good enough for 15th out of 36.

Unpopular bidding

Here's another hand from the aggregate pairs at St. Andrews last Monday. I faced two tough dilemmas. Not ethical dilemmas this time though, just straight up bidding decisions.

Here's my big hand:

♠A3 ♥74 ♦AKQT8 ♣AT84

Lovely. At favourable vulnerability, my right hand opponent dealt and opened 1♠. This was a five card major. I've got three options now:

• Double - it's a 17 point hand
• 1NT - it's a semi-balanced 15-17, with a Spade stop
• 2♦ - a maximum overcall with a good suit
• 2NT - Showing minors

I think the modern style is to go for 2♦, as it makes things easier in later rounds. I didn't like that as it doesn't get across the strength of the hand, and we might easily miss a game. I didn't even consider 1NT, but maybe I should have. It's maybe too strong for that though. In the end I doubled, planning on bidding Diamonds on the next round.

Double might not be the best, but me and partner have agreed that doubling then bidding a suit shows 16-18 and a good suit, so at least we'd know where we stood. In fact, later in the night we had that auction, when the opponents opened 1♦ and I had ♠AQ ♥AQ82 ♦T2 ♣AQT72 I doubled then bid 2♣.

Over my double though things took an unexpected turn. Left hand opponent bid 2♥ and opener raised to 4♥. Here's my hand and the auction so far:

♠A3 ♥74 ♦AKQT8 ♣AT84

Danny Anna W N E S 1♠ x 2♥ - 4♥

Now I have another dilemma. I'd originally doubled because I have such a good hand. Am I going to go quietly now, or will I bid again? Here's the options:

• Double. Two ways to win. It might be going down, or if partner has a really distributional they might sacrifice.
• Pass - They're probably going to make it.
• 4NT - for minors.

I think bidding 4NT is definitely wrong, as for all you know 4♥ is going down. It's better to involve partner. The problem with doubling is, partner might still think that you have Hearts for your first takeout double. I thought 4♥ was probably going down, but I convinced myself to pass. This was the full deal:

NS vul S deal ♠ K ♥ K J T 3 2 ♦ J 6 3 ♣ K J 9 2 ♠ A 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ A K Q T 8 ♣ A T 8 4 12 17 4 7 ♠ Q 9 8 7 ♥ 5 ♦ 9 5 2 ♣ Q 7 6 5 3 ♠ J T 6 5 4 2 ♥ A Q 9 8 5 ♦ 7 4 ♣ -

Danny Anna W N E S 1♠ x 2♥ - 4♥ - - -

So 4♥ was passed out. When dummy (South) came down we were all a bit surprised. Not wanting to open a hand with such good majors he's opened a cheeky seven point hand! Risky, but hit the jackpot when partner bid Hearts. Anna, sitting East, lead a Club. Rather than ruffing, declarer discarded a losing Diamond from dummy, and let me win the trick in West. I cashed a top Diamond then played Hearts. When declarer lead a Spade from dummy I ducked my ♠A, as I thought that maybe if he had something like ♠K9 he might have a guess, and could go down if he got it wrong. As it happened he had singleton ♠K, which won the trick for 4♥+1.

There were eight tables altogether. The others had North-South in 3♥+1, 4♥=, 4♥x= and 5♥x=-1. On the other three tables EW played, and scored 5♣-2, 5♦x-2 and 5♣x=.

According to the hand records, there are nine tricks available in Diamonds and ten in Clubs. But you could get more if they defence fails to take their Heart, or less if you don't drop the singleton ♠K. But it looks like it's a good sacrifice against 4♥. The problem is, if I double on the second round, will partner pass or bid? Anna was coy about this, and said she might have bid 5♣.

I posted the problem of what to do on the second round on the Bridge Base Forums. Most people ignored my question about what to do on the second round, and just commented on how much they hated my first double. As for the second double 5/7 people favoured Pass, and 2/7 Double, so I feel vindicated.

Bridge Base Forums comments here.

Dodgy ethics

Me and Anna played at St. Andrew's Bridge Club on Monday. I've been on holiday quite a while now, and have slightly lost track of time. "Is it normally aggregate scoring on a Saturday?" I asked irrelevantly. I'd forgotten that it was Monday. It was indeed aggregate scoring though.

Me and Anna played well, with no mistakes. We bid and made all of the games we were dealt, and did well in the partscores. We were even lucky the opponents missed a slam against us, but unlucky that they made a lot of games too. In the end we finished 3rd overall.

In my featured hand we got a very good result, making a part score our way when everyone else went minus. But it came at quite a price, as I made a dubiously ethical bid. I didn't know at the time what the law was, and bid it because I wanted to, but now I know that I was very wrong.

Here's my West hand and auction, leading up to my crucial decision. No one vulnerable:

♠ K 7 6 5 2 ♥ 8 4 ♦ K 6 3 ♣ Q 8 3

Danny Anna W N E S - - 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ - - ?

North opened a 12-14 no trump. Anna sitting East paused for quite a while, then passed. South transferred with 2♦, and North completed the transfer. Anna paused again over 2♥, and it was passed round to me.

Even though it's aggregate scoring, I'd like to bid 2♠ here. After they pass out 2♥, partner rates to have some points (at least 8 or so), and we've probably got a Spade fit. It's a risky bid, but it's what I want to do. But after partner's two big pauses, it's sort of clear she's got a decent hand.

Ethically, I have to pass. Even though I think I would have bid 2♠ even without the help of partner's pauses, that's not good enough. I think the law is that I have to be actively ethical. I can only bid 2♠, if it's really the only sensible bid. Here that's not the case, as pass is certainly a logical alternative. I wasn't sure on this, but have since got some expert help (more on that later). In a tournament if the director was called, he would probably rule that my 2♠ bid was suggested by partner's hesitation, and rule the score back to 2♥ their way, making.

In the end though I did bid 2♠. Here's the full hand and auction:

No one vul s deal ♠ A Q 4 ♥ K T 9 ♦ J T 8 5 4 ♣ A 6 ♠ K 7 6 5 2 ♥ 8 4 ♦ K 6 3 ♣ Q 8 3 14 8 10 8 ♠ J T 9 3 ♥ A J 2 ♦ - ♣ K J T 9 5 4 ♠ 8 ♥ Q 7 6 5 3 ♦ A Q 9 7 2 ♣ 7 2

Danny Anna W N E S - - 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ - - 2♠ - - -

After I did bid 2♠, it was passed out. South had a good think about this, and I would certainly have bid 3♦ with his hand, as you've got a 5-5 hand with short Spades so don't want to defend. If you do bid Diamonds, it works out great as partner has five of them, and three card Heart support too.

I get a great dummy in 2♠, and it looks like I could make loads of tricks. Actually though it was hard going. Both Spade honours offisde, repeated Diamond leads, and forgetting how many trumps were left, meant I made just eight tricks. Still, 2♠= was a very good score. On the other tables North-South were playing in Diamonds or Hearts making overtricks. North-South have such a good fit in fact I think you can make 4♥, but the analysis sheet says you can only make nine tricks (why is this?).

Here's the results of the deal on the St Andrew's website.

Finally, as mentioned above, before writing this I wanted some expert advice. So I wrote a poll about what I should do on the Bridge Base Forums. You can see the results (and vote if you want) here. Almost everyone thought that I should pass out 2♥, most because I'm ethically barred from bidding, and some because they wouldn't bid anyway.