Bob Mackinnon

When Silence is Golden

Recently my wife has been experiencing times when she can’t find her glasses, or forgets where she parked her car, or even why she has wandered into the bedroom in the middle of the afternoon.
 ‘What can I do to slow the aging process?’ she asked her doctor.
’Take up bridge,’ was the quick answer.
‘Oh, no! I won’t do that,’ she replied, ‘my husband has been complaining to me about bridge for 30 years and I don’t think it is something I would like to do.’

Fortunately there are many older ladies who have heeded their doctor’s advice and play a remedial game in the afternoons. Their participation has kept the game alive in my area. Naturally the best strategy against a pair of forgetful foes is not the same strategy one would employ against Meckwell. Mostly it pays to follow Jeff Rubens’ advice to try not to lose and leave it to others to hand over top scores. The pairs with the most plus scores have a good chance of coming out on top. Here is hand where my partner of the day scored a top by passing throughout where others found a bid or two along the way.

 

Dealer: West
Vul: EW
Bonnie
  KJ54
  KT8643
  T
  94
 
Me
  AT962
  Q
  AQ2
  QJT8
Eustace
  3
  AJ95
  9643
  K532
  Clyde
  Q87
  72
  KJ875
  A76
 

 

Me

Bonnie

Eustace

Clyde

1

Pass

Pass

2

Dbl

 2

Pass

Pass

Dbl

All Pass

 

 

The reader may criticize my doubles, but one must make an extra effort to prod a partner who occupies a warm seat beside the window on a sunny afternoon. I don’t make excuses, but note that EW can make 3NT. However, it is not about me but about Eustace who was the main architect of our top score of 12 out of 12. The opponents voiced their indignation at the result (-300), but as Eustace explained, ‘what was I supposed to do with 4-4-4-1 and no fit for spades?’ If a good result is proof of wisdom, he was wise.
That being said, there are players, who want to bid on every hand regardless of the merits of their holdings. They imitate today’s experts, and do especially well when timid opponents do not take advantage of the information on offer for free. There are women, grandmothers all, amongst the crowd who are willing by nature to risk everything on one call; these are the Lady Macbeths of our club. One is led to wonder how they spent their youth. The trick is not to give their bidding too much credence; they are not bidding as you or I or Stephen Hawking would have bid the hands, but they are not totally insane, either. Here are 2 hands from the local club where bad bidding gave declarer the clues needed to score tops. We shall present them in the form of a short quiz. Here is Problem 1. The lead is 2 to the K. Do you see a reasonable approach to scoring 13 tricks?

Bob

  Eustace

South

West

North

East

AJT9

  —  

1

Pass

  KQ86

T72

  1

Dbl

2

2

AQ875

KJ62

  3NT

Pass

4

Pass

KQJT76

  4

Pass

5

Pass

 

 

  6

Pass

Pass

Pass

Problem 2   Assume you open 1 playing Precision and reach 3NT as shown.

Bob

  John

West

North

East

South

KQ753

T6

1*  

2

3**

Pass

  AQ43

  76

3NT

Pass

Pass

Pass

J93

AT2

 

 

**GF

 

A

KQJ73

 

 

 

 

Many players are taught to preempt wildly over a Precision 1, but the attempt often backfires, as it did on this occasion. A low heart was led to my Q, the RHO following disgustedly with the 8. You have been forced into 3NT when the field is most likely to be playing in 4. Hearts are split 6-1, so 4 may be defeated, but your aim is to make 10 tricks to beat any who score 420. Can you see a reasonable way to make 10 tricks? Hint: the preemptress is expected to hold the A.

Problem 1 The bidding has marked the RHO with 5 spades and an ace; otherwise he hasn’t got a raise to 2. Because the LHO doubled for the majors, it is reasonable to assume she holds the A and is short in diamonds. It is safe to get rid of the hearts in dummy by taking a ruffing finesse in spades, then drawing a round of trumps with theK and passing the K for a ruffing finesse in the other direction. Fun!

I played the hand in a desultory fashion and took just 12 tricks, but then I was in 4 only.
Eustace broke his customary silence by opening 1 in first seat, and then fell into his old ways by passing with KJxx in support. I suppose he was worried that if he bid 5, I would be sure to bid 6, and I would have done so, as taking 3NT out to 5 is not good matchpoint strategy. This is another case where if one opens light, one has to keep the faith that the hand is worthy of that initial assessment. By the way, only 1 pair out of 13 reached slam, 3NT being the contract of choice despite the 2 voids shown below.

 

Dealer: North
Vul: None
Eustace
  —
  T72
  KJ62
  KQJT76
 
Lady M
  Q762
  AJ95
  3
  9432
Banquo
  K8543
  43
  T94
  A85
  Bob
  AJT9
  KQ86
  AQ875
  —
 

 

Problem 2 The opening lead away from the KJ indicates that the LHO has an entry just in case partner comes up with the Q. It appears most likely she holds the A, but she could hold the K. To be safe, declarer can play the Q hoping for a duck, but the LHO grabs her ace and continues with a second heart on which the now gloomy deuterogamist discards a club. Declarer clears away the A and finesses in diamonds losing to the K. A club comes back and the clubs are played to the following ending:

 

Dealer: South
Vul: NS
Dummy
  T6
  —
  A9
  —
 
Kate
  —
  95
  32
  —
Petruchio
  J8
  —
  K8
  —
  Bob
  K7
  —
  T3
  —
 

 

A spade to the K and a spade exit assures 10 tricks even if ‘Kate’ has been very naughty and holds the Q as well. All other pairs were in 4, and more than half were going down, so once more a bad preempt led to a bad result. Yes, an opening diamond lead would have been best, but wild bidders are usually not great guesses: their minds don’t adapt well to the requirements of a passive defense.

Finally a problem for a defender who is in desperate straits when an Iron Lady stretches to a game that must be defeated. It is a situation where the matchpoint strategy matches the IMP strategy since letting declarer make her game results in a bottom score.

West

  South

West

North

East

South

AK8

  2*  

Pass

Pass

Dbl

  QT3

AK82

Pass

2

Pass

3

K732

QJ6

Pass

4

Pass

Pass

AQT973

J64

Pass

 

 

 

Problem 3 The 2 bid was 11-15 HCP with a club suit, The 2 is led and West (you) go up with the A, dropping the K from declarer. Partner can’t have much in the way of high card controls, but he might have 5 spades. Which free finesse do you choose to provide? A low club won’t fool her as that is one of her favorite ploys, a diamond looks equally dangerous, and a low heart risks losing to the J in declarer’s hand.

Thinking of the problem in another way, how might West promote an extra trick in trumps? A tentative count of declarer’s hand places her with 5 spades, 3 hearts, 4 diamonds to the A, and a singleton K. (With 5-4 in the majors she might have given South a choice.) It may appear strange at first glace, but the only return to defeat 4 is a diamond. The J wins, declarer cashes the A getting the bad news, then leads the J. West ducks this allowing partner to ruff the third round of diamonds and to return a club forcing declarer to shorten her trumps to the same length. The full deal is shown below.

 

Dealer: West
Vul: EW
Iron Lady
  J9764
  J65
  AT94
  K
 
John
  —
  QT3
  K732
  AQT973
Bob
  QT532
  974
  85
  852
  Denis
  AK8
  AK82
  QJ6
  J64
 

 


1 Comment

MichaelJanuary 21st, 2012 at 2:58 am

Nice write up.

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