Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - October 10, 2022 - Weak 2 bid

 

Question: 

Here’s a situation involving weak 2 bids. W has made a weak 2 opening of 2H. The E/W partnership has agreed that they will not take any action in response to a weak 2 opening with less than 16 HCP, so W passes. S has 16 HCP and 5 H should they have made a penalty double?

Mark:

Every conventional agreement has possibilities of benefits and downsides. Lacking agreement is often worse than the worst case scenario where you have two reasonable options. 

 New suits are forcing, just as in this case. I estimate that's the agreement of about 60% of expert partnerships. ACBL assumes that to be standard, so a non- forcing new suit, strongly rejecting the weak 2 suit, is Alertable. 

Partnerships that play the "standard" forcing responses usually have more conservative standards for the kind of suit you need to open a weak 2, especially when vulnerable. Some insist on 2 of the top 3 or 3 of the top 5 cards in the suit at a minimum.

At this vulnerability, I would not open 2 hearts even though we have a non- forcing escape option. As dealer, you want to be pretty conservative in preempting, as partner could have a good hand that is prevented from being shown. In 2nd seat, you want to be most conservative, only making preemptive bids that are very accurately descriptive (i.e. nearly all the points of the hand in the bid suit), for instance, if you exchanged one of the low hearts for the Ace, and the Ace of diamonds for a low one.  You have more latitude if your agreement would allow partner to make a non- forcing 2 spade bid by East. 

When I say non- forcing, I mean a hand just like that one, where you have very little likelihood of a game, just that you can't stand partner's suit. If you have a hand that might want to get to game, you have to start with a 2NT response. Now, for the possibility of South making a penalty double. The red X does not come with a modifier of "PENALTY!" In this case, it would be for takeout and you can be sure that partner would bid. The only way to penalize W with a double is if partner makes a takeout double and you pass happily, converting the takeout to penalty. Incidentally, think about what would happen even if you could make a penalty double. You give the opponents a chance to escape to the OK contract of 2 spades or the excellent contract of 3 clubs. Defending 2 hearts un- doubled is much better.

  Kudos to EW for having a definite agreement about responding to a weak 2 with a new suit. It was an unlucky hand for that agreement this time. Kudos to South for passing and probably collecting a top board.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - October 3, 2022 - Preempt

Question: 

S has made a pre-emptive bid of 3C holding a 6-card suit and 15 HCP. Partner raises bid to game with 11 HCP and 2C. The hand as played went down 1. 

Is South’s had too strong for a pre-emptive bid?

Vic:

A preemptive bid should reflect less than a standard opening hand point count. So yes, the South hand is too strong for a preemptive bid of 3C. It is also misleading, given that a three level opening bid promises exactly a 7-card (not 6-card) suit. 

I find it inconceivable that North would subsequently raise to 5C. If these two partners have an agreement that justifies either of their bids, I would be curious to know what that agreement is. And if their bids are in fact following their partnership agreement, they should have been alerted. 

It looks to me as if NS deserves to go down three.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - October 3, 2022 - Open

Question:

Here’s another reminder of looking for opportunities to open, especially if you are in 3^rd or 4^th seat.

Please note that E/W have a partnership agreement that neither partner will open on less than 13 HCP in 1^st or 2^nd seat.

In this case, S had 15 HCP and 5 H.

Glenna:

 South should open the bidding 1 ♥️ (always open with 13 points), N would bid two ♥️ and now South’s stiff ♠️ becomes another 3 points and S should invite by bidding 3 ♥️ .

This asks N to reevaluate their hand by this method: 6 - 10 is the largest range we have so N would pass with only 6 or 7, bid game with 9 or T, and evaluate if his 8 points is a good or bad 8 and bid accordingly.

   Always open with 13 points and always respond with 6!!! It’s what’s expected of you by partner and opponents!

Hope this helps,

Glenna

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - October 3, 2022 - Game

Question: 

Here is a hand where the point count says that there is a possibility of making a game. 

S has 17 HCP and opens 1C, N has 10 pts and responds with 1H which  declarer supports. 

Could this hand have been played in NT? (it made 5 H)

If so, what should the auction have looked like?

Mark:

Most N-S players will be in NT, not hearts with only 7 cards between the 2 hands. even though hearts is a safer contract. Most standard players will open the south hand 1NT and then NS will be in 3 NT after N checks for a 4 card major then bids 3NT after a denial. Even if N bids only 2 NT, invitational, which is ultra conservative but understandable with an aceless 10 points and no 5 card suit, South will bid 3 with a super maximum. Since W will lead a spade against 3NT, everyone that plays it right(Low from dummy at trick 1) will make 5. Thus, everyone who is in the excellent contract of 4 hearts, making 5 will have a bad score, slightly better than bidding only 2 hearts and making 5. So why is 4 hearts an excellent contract? Imagine flipping the positions of the spade A and Q in 3NT. Now a spade lead will go: small (by far the better play, unless you are peeking at the E-W cards), Q small. Now E returns a spade and South can only make 8 tricks, as the heart A allows W to cash the remaining spades before N-S can get even 1 heart trick. In a heart contract, the relative positions of the A and Q of spades can spell the difference between making 4 or 5, but the game is safe as long as there's no horrendous break in trumps.

  Now back to the bidding. South apparently judged the hand too good to open only 1 NT. If you stay with that judgment, when N bids 1 of a major, you should jump to 2 NT or 3 of partner's suit, so you will reach game. 

  Now, back to North's passing 2 Hearts. It's risky to bid again, as you might not make 3 of anything, but it's also quite risky to pass, as you might have a game that will be bid at other tables.  Passing this hand is exceedingly cautious. Most, not all, players will invite game. How do you invite? You already showed 4 hearts with the 1st bid, so if you now bid 3 hearts, you show a 5card suit, which is not what you have. The better way to invite is to bid 2 NT, letting partner know you have 10 points and only 4 hearts. Now you reach 3 NT from the north and probably get a diamond lead. I'd have to write 2 more pages about how that will go. Suffice it to say that most pairs that play 3 NT from the N should make 10 tricks with careful play. With careless but unlucky play they will make 8 tricks; with careless but lucky play they will take 10 or 11.

  Here's what I think is the best lesson of the bidding on this hand: Once you decide on a general strategy for the hand (i.e. this hand is too good to just open 1NT) then don't change horses in midstream. I fully support assessing this as an 18 point hand, so continue to bid it as such, jumping at round #2.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - September 26, 2022 - Jump shift

 

Question: 

This hand is presented as a reminder for players to be sure to properly evaluate their hands because N/S missed a scoring opportunity. 

S has 2 5-card suits, 18 HCP + 2pts for length and opens 1S

 Responder has 8 pts and trump support and bids 2S.

 Should S have jump-shifted into H to indicate points?

 As played, it made 5S could it have made slam?

Vic:

Absolutely, South should have bid on. A jump shift to 4H would promise a two-suited hand (probably 5-5) & 19+ points which is an excellent description of their hand. A reasonable alternative would have been for South to simply bid 4S.

 If South knew about partner's two Aces, I expect they would be salivating over a possible slam. Given the 4-3 heart split with the Jack in the 4-card holding, however, I do not believe slam deserves to make.

 If North had a 4th trump, I believe slam could make with a club lead, but does still not deserve to make with a diamond lead. Nine trump tends to be a significantly stronger playing hand than eight trump.

 Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - September 26, 2022 - Take out Double

 

Question: 

N has opened with a weak 2D bid, E has 3 4-card suits and 14 HCP and bids a T/O double. The E/W partnership has an agreement that the response to a T/O double will be passed. 

On this case, partner’s bid of 3 Clubs made 4.   

Could E have made an overcall of 2 NT instead of the T/O double?

Glenna:

 No, E should overcall 1NT. You MUST NOT make a TOX unless you have 3-card support for the other 3 suits and 13 points. I would bid 1NT every time. They’re going to lead their or their partner’s suit so a stiff ♣️ makes it easy.

  

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - September 26, 2022 - Heart Rebid

 Question: 

E has a 14 HCP and 2 5-card Major Suits. During the auction should E have rebid the Hearts? 

The 3 NT bud went down 1

Mark:

The East hand is a good example of "bidding out the pattern." Disciplined bidding should be consistent with two 5-card suits, especially if they are both majors. The first bid of (2) hearts promises 4, tentatively. It doesn't show 5 unless the suit is re- bid. West makes a nice bid of 2NT, which is not forcing and allows the auction to stop at 2 NT if E has a minimum hand (which he does) and only 4 hearts (which he does not in this case) If E now bids 3 hearts, he completes a picture perfect description of the hand, 5-5 in the majors and minimum strength. Yes, it's 14 points, but the club Q doesn't carry full weight, even in partner's long suit. There's too much possibility of entry problems. At the point where E bids 2 hearts, the hand is not yet limited. It could even be 20+ points, so W is required to bid even if she has no love for either major. The recommended 3 heart rebid by E sends a clear message. Now the hand is shown to be limited, maximum of 15 points and 5-5 in the majors. If west has a minimum hand, as in this case, and the hand is not improved by the 2nd heart bid,(i.e. 2 cards in each major), as is not the case here, then W can pass 3 hearts or correct to 3 spades. (That correction doesn't promise 3 spades. 3 spades have already been denied by the 2 NT bid) Even though the 2 hands could have a total of 25 points, misfits with 25 points are odds against making 3 NT. However, in this case, the 3 heart bid Really improves the W hand.  An 8 card major suit fit has been discovered and that makes game a significantly better bet. On these actual hands careful play will make 4 hearts. A diamond lead holds the hand to 4, but leading from K-J- 10 is risky against a suit contract and usually costs a trick. In this case, a non- diamond lead is likely to allow East's 2nd diamond to be thrown on the club K after the Ace is conceded and that results in making 5. Note that I said careful play. After the spade K is led and north takes the Ace, at the next opportunity East ruffs a little spade rather than cashing further spade winners. Otherwise, you risk the possibility that North will over- ruff and you possibly go down in a game that should make. Please note that if East happened to have been dealt only 4 hearts, even with the beautiful A-K-Q, and an extra small card in one of the minors, I would pass 2 NT. The hand has a tiny bit extra compared to a minimum opener, but the fact that after the Q and J of spades, the spot cards are puny, I think 2 NT is high enough; that is in the hypothetical case of 5 spades and 4 hearts.

  Incidentally, if we are not shown the N-S cards, 4 hearts is far from a sure thing. It's probably about 55% likely to be made. Defense is difficult, so even games that can be beaten may be allowed to make, so I like to bid it. More cautious people could end in 2 or 3 hearts and occasionally could be rewarded for their cowardice. I wouldn't let that ( going down in 4H) stop me from bidding a game next time. 

  This is a terrific hand for practicing hand play.  I suggest you lay it out with real cards and practice playing it after several possible opening leads. It doesn't get much better than this hand for strengthening your suit contract play. I recommend you pretend re- play this hand once a day for about a week. I promise it will make you a better player of suit contracts for a long time to come.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - September 12, 2022 - 2nd Bid - Responding to NT

Question: 

W opens 1S and E is holding 6 hearts with 9 HCP and bid 1 NT. 

Should E have added the extra point for the length in H and bid 2H over declarer’s 1 S bid? 

Hand made 3 D but might have done better in hearts?

Vic:

Looks to me like West has only 8 HCP, but could add 2 length points. Assuming they are playing Standard American, I would encourage them to definitely show their hearts. One option would be to bid 2H which would overvalue their hand a bit. If they are playing weak jump shifts (not in competition) they could bid 3H which would arguably undervalue their hand a bit. 

Given the choice, the better players ( with good reason) prefer overvaluing their hands to undervaluing their hands.  

As a function of evil distribution in EW hands, I do not believe NS deserve more than nine tricks in hearts. But nine tricks in hearts scores better than nine tricks in diamonds,

 

Ain't bridge a great game?

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - September 12, 2022 - Response

Question: 

This is a question about the bid after the initial bid and response were made. 

E has 10 HCP but can get to opening count based on length and when partner indicates more than 10 HCP with the 2D bid how many points could declarer add for the void? 

Should E have bid 3S instead of 2S to invite game? 

Thankfully responder bid the game in S which made 5

Glenna:

  On this hand, I would open 1 ♠️ and after partner’s 2 bid, I would rebid 2 ♥️. This hand is cold for 5 and if they don’t do their best, it will make 6. People should always try to show their hand pattern or shape so that the partnership can get to the best contract. If opener rebids 2 ♥️, partner will recognize that ♦️ suit is wonderful.

A hand like this is too powerful to just Rebid 2 ♠️! The 2 ♠️ rebid says I have a very minimum hand so don’t push me around. There’s an old saying that when you are 5-5, COME ALIVE. Can you image having this powerful hand.

Hope it helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - September 12, 2022- 3H Preempt

Question:  South opens with a 3H preempt.  You are the next bidder with a good, unbalanced hand of 16 points plus 2 length points.  What do you do?  Do you tell your partner about the clubs by going 4C or do you double even though you have a singleton diamond? Do you just pass or do you go for a penalty double? 

Mark:

Pre-emptive bids can make life difficult, which is certainly the case here. I think you have two logical alternatives, each of which risks the possibility of getting to a wrong contract. The two reasonable alternatives are double, for which the standard meaning is takeout, and 4 clubs, which is the greatest length and strength of the hand. If partner has 4 spades, or 5 and not enough strength to bid, the only way to discover the spade fit is to make the takeout double. Partner should realize that the only suit you are really promising is the other major, unless you have a powerful hand and a suit that requires little or no help from partner. If partner has 6 unexciting diamonds three little spades and one or 2 clubs, this is where the risk comes in. Partner will bid 4 diamonds, showing a suit of 5 or more, denying spades and potentially very few useful points. Another hand partner could have includes the heart king and the doubleton queen of clubs and enough diamonds to prevent the other side from cashing a bunch of those. in that case, 3 no-trump is very likely to be a great contract and, if partner is brave, they will bid it. So, if the hand belongs in 4 spades or 3 no-trump you are not likely to get there unless you make the (takeout) double. If you belong in 4, 5 or 6 clubs, the simple bid of 4 clubs describes the strength of your hand nicely and partner should have a good chance of guessing how high to go. If you double first and then, over partner's 4 diamonds you bid 5 clubs, you may be too high. If 5 clubs is your optimum contract, your partner may think you have a stronger hand and put you in 6. There's just not enough room to explore. You mention the possibility of a penalty double, but that's not an option and you wouldn't want to do that if you did have the option. Too likely that 3, or maybe 4 or more herts will be made. There's one dream scenario if you do the conservative thing and bid 4 clubs. Your left hand opponent may raise to 4 hearts and now you can bid 4 spades. The non- forcing 4 club overcall has limited your hand, so partner shouldn't get carried away. Also, you will have made it very clear that, while you have 4 spades, you have much longer and stronger clubs. Parner, holding even 1 club or 2 and 3 small spades should take you back to clubs and pray for no double.

  I wouldn't consider passing 3 hearts with that hand for two reasons. 1. Bridge is a bidder's game and you don't win much in the long run by passing hands like that, even though it is risky to enter the auction. 2. The decision of whether to bid, and what to bid if I did, is difficult and would take more than the mandatory 10 seconds to decide. It would be obvious that I'm in a real quandary. This would put pressure on my partner to pass, even with a hand that would normally call for a bid. It's better for partnership harmony not to put each other through that. Just bid (or double) and accept the fact that you might get a bad result. Congratulate South for giving you a difficult problem. That's their job.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - August 29, 2022 - Play a minor or NT?

Question:

Here’s a hand with lots of bidding that ended up at game but went down. 

While we know that the preference is to play in a major or NT, would this hand have been better in Diamonds? 5C went down 1

Vic:

I ran this hand thru my computer analysis program just to be sure. The computer tells me the hand “deserves” to make 7 Clubs or 7 Diamonds or 3 Hearts or 2 Spades or 4NT.  

“Deserves” means that the computer found a guaranteed way to make those respective contracts, regardless of the opening lead or subsequent defense. 

So to answer your question: No, it would not have been better in diamonds. It did not deserve to go down in either minor.

I would hope for inexperienced players to arrive at 3NT rather than 5C or 5D. Why inexperienced players holding long/strong minor suits are so consistently reluctant to focus on game in NT, rather than game in the minor, is one of the great mysteries of bridge. How many times do they have to be hit over the head?

 I would expect many/most experienced players would arrive at least at small slam in either clubs or diamonds. 

 I would expect the experts to find the grand slam, probably via a series of control bids.

 Ain’t bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - August 29, 2022 - Interference

 

Question:

South opens the bidding with 12 HCP and 6 C with a bid of 1C. Responder is holding 17 HCP and a void in C and bids 2S indicating at least 16 HCP. 

E tries to interfere but the Diamond holdings are not very useful. 

N bids 4 S and they wind up going down 1.

How do you think the bidding should have progressed?

Glenna:

South opened 1 ♣️ so North knows South has 13 or more points. You add 1 length point for every card over 4 in a suit so S had a full opener.

North should not have bypassed a beautiful 6-card suit. 

A pass after interference shows a bad hand. A bid, cuebid, bid of a new  suit, etc. all show good hands. Pass says maybe I shouldn’t have opened. N must recognize all the options S faced and passed. The negative inference is often just as important or MORE important than a positive inference. Bid your suits up the line except when you’re 5-5, 6-5 etc. Then you bid your longer suit first. When partner opens and then passes at his 1st opportunity, he’s showing a bad hand.

So, let's see how the bidding should have gone:

1. South opens with 1♣️
2. North responds with 1 ♥️. 
3. East bids 3 ♦️ 
4. South  rebids their ♣️ and goes to 4♣️. 
5. North knows South has the clubs covered and with North's club void, North can bid 4 ♥️ comfortably, which is a beautiful contract.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - September 5, 2022 - Responders Bidding

 

Question: 

W opens 1 D indicating 13 HCP and 4 D, E responds 1 H w/ 8 HCP.

 E bids 1 S and E bids 2 C to indicate a stopper in C.

 W bids 2 NT which E passes. With his holding of 5H should E have bid the hearts instead of the clubs?

 Should E have bid H after the 2 NT bid?

 The bid of 2 NT went down 1

Vic:

Many pairs would interpret the 2C bid by East to be "asking" about a club stopper ("A suit asks.") 

To show a club stopper East should bid 1NT which has the added advantage of better reflecting their point count (6-10).

Over 1NT, West should bid 2H to show 3-card support for hearts (searching for a possible 5-3 fit). Having found their golden fit, East should subsequently Pass 2H.

 Looks to me like EW deserve to take nine tricks in hearts.

Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - September 5, 2022 - Penalty Double

 Question: 

S has opened 1 D, W and N pass and E with 18 HCP and three 4-card suits issues a T/O double.

W has only 3 HCP and passes.

 S makes 1 Dx for 140 pts

 How do you think the bidding should have gone?

Mark:

The bidding in the diagram is very understandable, but I have a slight disagreement.

 I think most experienced players would open 1 H, not 1 D with the N hand. With any two 5 card suits, you bid the higher ranking, even when the suit is weaker. It's not just about major vs. minor, it's about the difficulty of completing the description of your hand, i.e, the dreaded rebid problem. 

When you open 1 D on the actual hand and, hypothetically, the opponents don't bail you out of the trap you've set for yourself by overcalling, if you then bid hearts, that is a reverse and shows a strong hand and doesn't promise a 5 card suit; in fact, it pretty much denies 5. If you decide not to  play reverses, you will end in many part- scores where you should be in game or slam. 

There is only one practical option if you hate talking about reverses and that's to play a strong club system where any hand that is not opened 1 club is  not powerful. Even if you play a "strong club", that north hand should be opened 1 H. If, hypothetically, the 2 suits are 5 spades headed by the jack and hearts are 5 headed by A,K,Q, you open 1 spade! It's about what you bid next to complete the description, not about the relative desirability of bidding majors or stronger suits. Trust me on this one. You will have consistently better scores at the end of your sessions if you adopt this approach. 

OK now, to the actual bidding. To bid 2 hearts after the overcall, south should promise a 5 card suit, not a 4 card suit. It was lucky that N had 5 of them, but 2 H is forcing and N is expected to raise with 3, since they expect an 8 card fit in the combined hands. 

  The decisions for both sides on the 4 and 5 level on the actual hand are difficult. No one is absolutely sure of whether they can make their bid or, if not, whether they have a good save because the other side can make theirs. That's a common dilemma. If you want a rule of thumb to follow, this is often a good one: The 5 level belongs to the opponents. The side that buys it at 5 can be too high or too low. Sometimes it's just right.

  In this case, 4 spades is unlikely to be made with good play, even though it can be made by peeking ( As the old joke goes, "A peek is worth 2 finesses.) or making a lucky anti- percentage play. Ironically, a beginner is more likely to make 4 spades than an expert. 

An expert will figure that laying down the Ace  of clubs works if either north or south have a singleton king while leading the queen from the east side only works when north, specifically, has the singleton jack. The expert line works twice as often, but not this time. Since there are exactly 3 losers outside clubs in an E-W spade contract, it all comes down to not losing a club. Taking the save against 4 spades by bidding 5 hearts is very cheap insurance, so I like the 5H bid. Also, even though 4 spades should go down when everyone plays good percentage bridge, 4 spades is great insurance because 4 hearts by N-S will surely be made. If E-W make the mistake of leading a red suit before 2 spades are cashed, 5 hearts will be made. The E-W bidding on this hand is spot on, but the double is  a little lucky. If spades break 3-1 instead of 2-2, which is close to 50%, then 5 H makes. In that case, the double makes a bad result slightly worse. I think it's worth taking a shot.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - September 5, 2022 - Overcall

 

Question: 

S has made a 1H opening bid, W overcalls with a 6 card holding in S. E bids 2 D to indicate 10+ HCP.

 W bids 2 S to indicate a 6 card suit. Should E have raised to 3 S or 4 S ?

Glenna:

W                          N                           E                            S

                                                                                          1 ♥️

1 ♠️                      P                            2NT                       P

3 ♠️                         P                            ??          

 

This is a great hand for discussion. Several important points: 

• E must bid 2NT, NOT 2 ♦️. 2 ♦️ show 11+ points and 5 or more GOOD ♦️. 
• On the other hand 2 NT shows 11 or 12 balanced. W shows a 6-card suit and NOT enough points to bid game. E has to decide if his partner is an ok declarer or a great one.

If partner plays the ♦️ Q on opening lead, S will go down. If partner plays a low ♦️ and S’s A wins the trick, S makes the bid.

So the bad news is, you have to have some good points with cards in the right places and partner to be a good declarer. We can NEVER get it all correct. But, it’s certainly fun to try to decide

Hope this helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - August 29, 2022 -Overcalling a preemptive bid

 

Question:  

N has opened with a 3 D pre-emptive bid with 7 D and 8 HCP.

W has 12 HCP and 5 C and overcalls with a bid of 4C.

 When played, the board made 6 C so obviously, E should have bid.

 Are there any “basic” guidelines for overcalling a pre-emptive bid?

Mark:

Another fascinating hand! 

Neither E nor W has a clear, safe overcall over 3 diamonds. If 3 D is left in, it should make easily, so any E-W plus should be an OK result. 

 tend to try to get in when not vulnerable, so I'd probably bid 3 spades with the east hand. Many top players would pass, so I can't argue with that. Hopefully E didn't hesitate long before passing. 4 clubs with the W. hand isn't clear-cut, as I said.

At an open tournament, NS should call the director immediately after a slow pass from E. The director call doesn't imply anyone has done anything improper. Subjectively, W is likely to be convinced that 4 clubs should be bid regardless of whether E hesitated before passing. Objectively, a director is likely to rule that W has a logical option to pass, even if 60% of players would bid in a normal tempo auction. As a director at the club level I'd let the bid stand, but in an open tournament (sectional or regional) I'd require a pass from W if E definitely broke tempo. This is assuming that I got called after the slow pass and BEFORE W acted. Once W is allowed to act, it looks like NS might want the best of both worlds, to get the better result of playing 3 D or defending the overcall. I would let the overcall stand and let the chips fall where they may. This is all hypothetical, nothing about the actual players at this table or the actual tempo of the bidding. 

After W does overcall 4 clubs, as E, I would bid 4 spades or 5 clubs. Neither contract should normally make as the cards lie. She must have played the hand magically and got some help from the defenders to make 6 clubs. The score of plus 170 should be close to a top in most duplicate games. It's tempting to want to have bid more after the play yields so many tricks. 

The ideal EW contract is 3 spades making 140. However, once spades are bid by E, it's hard to stop short of 4. With careful defense, 4S will go down, as will 5 C.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - August 22, 2022 - A 19 HCP Hand

 

Question: 

South is holding a hand with 19 HCP and a VOID and opens 1H. N responds with 2H with 10 pts and H support. 

At this point, what should S do?

The hand made 6H, however, if the SLAM is bid I would suspect that W will lead her 2 aces off the top.

Mark:

This is a bidding problem of hand evaluation. I think south was too conservative 3 times! 

Normally, you only open 1 of a suit with 19 high card points, but this hand is WAY stronger than 19, based on distribution and intermediate cards I would open 2 clubs. If partner responds 3 clubs, south bids 3 hearts. North might take the plunge to 6 hearts, and that works to perfection luckily here. If either partner bids Blackwood, they discover 2 missing aces and stay out of the good slam. 

This is a case that the actual opening bid of 1 heart could have led to slam. When north raised the opening heart bid, south knows that the hand is cold for at least game and quite likely slam. 

You definitely don't want to bid 3 hearts which is non- forcing and you could end in part score on a slam hand. This is what I would do if I opened 1 heart and was raised to 2. I bid a "game try" 3 diamonds or 2 spades. If partner declines the "game try", meaning he had a minimum for the original raise, I bid 4 hearts, which shows that I was really interested in slam, not in doubt about game. With some north hands containing 4 hearts to the king and very little else you could still get to a decent slam when north realizes the potential in diamond or spade shortness.

  Against 6 hearts, west has to choose which minor suit ace to lead. They are about equal in chance of success if he hasn't heard about the club length in the north. After a diamond ace lead, or a non- ace south makes 6 easily. After a lead of the club ace, south makes 7 without having to resort to a finesse or a ruff. 

  Back to the bidding, this is a good illustration of why you don't use Blackwood with a void. Also, as you explore game vs. slam, remember not to make any non- forcing bids along the way. 

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - August 15, 2022 - Game Bid

 

Question: 

E may have dropped the ball on this one so we will present it for analysis. 

E opens 1C and S with 14 HCP puts in a T/O Double. W, with 10 HCP bids 1 S. N passes and E thinks that game is not possible but S is a good place to be passes. 

Should E have supported partner’s suit and raised the bit to 2 S ?

Mark:

Thanks for another interesting hand. 

Let's take it in reverse this time and talk about the optimal contract. Spades may have made 4 at the table, but should be held to 9 tricks. Defenders get 2 clubs, a diamond and the spade ace. If E-W bid 3 spades, N-S have a potentially good save at 4 hearts, which is down 1 nonvul, only 100 even if doubled. You do have to guess the diamonds. If the hearts were 2-2,  or the singleton heart happens to be the J, you'd actually be able to make 4 hearts. 

Now, for the bidding: I agree with the T/O double of 1 club, having 4 cards in 1 major and 3 in the other. We always prefer to have 4 cards in both, but T/O is definitely OK with this.  W has a choice of RDBL showing 9 or more points or 1 spade, promising 5 or more. The reason you promise 5 is that S frequently has both majors well- covered for the T/O dbl. Even if you find an 8 card fit, you are likely to run into a foul break. With a 6 card suit it's definitely OK to bid it. 

You should be aware that you have a bit extra, compared with the least you could have and still bid 1 spade, but not way more. Even if N keeps quiet ( I probably wouldn't, but it's close) E should raise to 2 spades, which is no more no less than the hand contains. West now has enough to invite with 3 spades, having, as we said, a little extra, but east has no more than already promised and you make the excellent stop at 3 spades. Back to the north hand. yes, it's only 4 high card points, but you are 5-5 in 2 suits that partner probably has, and the fact that the opponents are showing spades means less likelihood that partner has wasted strength. In fact, south will usually have more strength in hearts in this auction and you might have only 1 or 2 losers in the suit. 

I would show hearts at my first chance to bid. (I might avoid doing that if partner will lead a heart against the probable E-W contract, which could easily cost a trick, but I'm on lead, so it's safer to bid the empty suit.) If E-W stop at 3 spades, I might keep quiet, not for fear being punished at 4 hearts as much as fear of pushing them to a makeable 4 spades. 

Incidentally, this is way beyond the scope of this discussion, but in advanced circles there is a concept in competitive bidding known as "The Law of Total Tricks." For anyone so inclined, Google it and this hand is a perfect illustration of how it works.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - August 22, 2022 - Opening Bid

 Question: 

 I believe this hand may be showing multiple examples of mis-interpreted (or maybe mistaken) bids. 

N opens 1 D and E overcalls with a “weak” 2 H bid. 

W has a big hand and lots of Hearts and asks for Aces to which E responds with a response of no aces

 W puts the bid at 5H which went down 2

Should E have made an opening bid and if so, what should it have been?

Glenna:

  Hand Evaluation is difficult for some people to learn so let’s start from scratch. West has only 16 points and E shows 5-10. So simple math says you do not have a slam (need 32 points)  and often times won’t even make game.  

The correct bid for W is 2NT asking partner if they have an outside A or K besides 6 good ♥️. Partner has nothing extra so if your partner is an experienced player, go for it and bid 4 ♥️! 

If partner is brand new and never studied play of the hand, bid only 3 which gives them confidence when they make their bid. When your partner opens the bidding, stop right then and ask yourself if you have values for game or  part score and bid your hand correctly.

 Don’t bid what you wish you had heard, bid what you can see and hear!

Hope this helps,

Glenna

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - August 15, 2022 - Game Bid

 

Question:  

Here’s a hand with lots of bidding that ended short of a game. Any suggestions for finding a game bid?

Glenna:

   Experienced players should know, understand and play Stayman correctly. I actually teach it in the 2nd BB1 class the same night I teach NT. Everybody MUST know Stayman and Jacoby Transfers if they want to play any level of bridge. NT is fun and challenging to play, but not always safe. To be safe is ALWAYS more fun and usually more successful. 

 I will go through Stayman for everybody to review.  

Partner open 1NT and you have 8+ points and 1 or 2 4-card Majors. The correct bid is 2 ♣️. If they respond 2 ♦️denying a Major, you bid 2NT with 8 or 9 and 3NT with 10-15.

If they respond the Major you have, you bid 3 of the Major with 8 or 9 and 4 of the Major with 10-15. If they respond with the Major you do NOT have, you bid 2NT with 8 or 9 and 3NT with 10-15. You have ALREADY told them you have a 4-card MAJOR so you don’t bid the Major you have, you tell them your points. They already know you have a 4-card Major or you would NOT have used Stayman. Your bidding the other Major only causes confusion so remember that when you bid 2 ♣️, you have told partner you have at least one and let them place the final contract.

3 NT on the hand was cold and instead you mired around in a minor suit partscore and that was NO fun for partner, Play Stayman correctly and reread Jacoby Transfers so those simple mistakes will go away.

Hope this helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - August 22, 2022 - Preempt opening

 

Question:

This hand may have needed some help with communication. 

W opens a weak 2 D bid. N overcalls with a pre-emptive 3 C bid. E has 10 HCP and raises partner’s bid to 3 D. 

S interprets N bid as an overcall (5 C and 10 HCP, not a pre-empt) and has  5 H and 18 HCP and joins in with a bid of 3 H. Which is then passed by everyone. 

During play, declarer finds he is short of Hearts and goes down 3. 

Any suggestions or was this just a “weird” hand

Vic:

South was correct to expect that North overcall was NOT preemptive. Sitting South, I would expect North to have a solid club suit of at least 6 cards & opening hand strength.   

 South was also correct to bid. My bid sitting South, however, would have been 3NT (definitely NOT 3H). I would subsequently expect 3NT to end the auction.

 I would then anticipate a diamond lead, whereupon I could take ten tricks off the top. A heart lead would give me one additional trick.

Holding the North hand, I would also have overcalled 3C. I would not, however, have expected partner to take the bid as preemptive.  And with clubs as trump, distribution does in fact make it a very strong playing hand. 

 

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - August 15, 2022 - Response

 

Question: 

This hand looks like it might have some possibilities but no one seemed to find a “fit”. 

Any ideas to help with the re-evaluation process after the initial bids? 

(FYI: the  2H bid went down 1)

Vic:

Actually, 2H appears to be a good contract. One could imagine it being defended in a number of different ways, but looks to me like it deserves to make, but not with any overtricks.

North has 19 HCPs & a good 6-card heart suit. A classic way to show this hand as Overcaller is to first DBL (Advancer should treat it as for Takeout), then on their second chance to call ignore Advancer’s response & bid their heart suit.

 Below is how I would picture the auction:

 

W                          N                           E                            S

1D                         DBL                       1S                          Pass

2D                         2H                         Pass                        Pass

Pass

 In the example shown North got to 2H by simply opening, then rebidding, their heart suit. This approach does not promise quite as strong a hand as the approach I suggested. 

Turns out, however, that Responder’s spade bid made it unlikely the spade QJ in the north hand was really worth 3 HCPs.

 Some excellent players in fact will count only 2 HCPs for a QJ doubleton right from the get go, unless partner bids spades.

 

Weekly Hand Analysis - August 8, 2022 - Mark Olsky - 1NT?

 

Question: 

E is holding 17 HCP and 3 4-card suits and opens 1 NT. W responds with a transfer to 2 H which gets a 2 NT bid from declarer. 

It did make 2 NT,  is there a better place for this hand to be played?

Mark:

  First the bidding: It is legal, though often not advisable, to open 1NT with 4:4:4:1 and 15 to 17  HCP. It's usually best to take the transfer in the singleton suit. It might be OK to play it there if partner doesn't do anything further, as would be the case here. 

A diamond lead and very careful defense thereafter will defeat 2 hearts. If a club is led, which is also reasonable, 2 hearts will probably make and 3 is possible. Declarer must lead hearts at every opportunity, which gives the defenders 3 heart tricks but no ruffs.  

Bidding 2 NT is not a good idea, even though it worked out this time. If south makes the normal lead of the 6 of spades to the Q and king, south knows that north doesn't have the spade jack, meaning that declarer has it, so when she gets in with the club king, it looks right to shift to a red suit. If the defense doesn't make the slightest mistake, 2 NT will go down. The defenders can collect 3 hearts, 2 spades and at least 1 club. 

The best contract is 2 or 3 diamonds. 2 makes for sure and 3 has decent chances. It takes very restrained bidding to end up at 2 diamonds. 

I would have opened the east hand 1 diamond, then 1 spade after a 1 heart response. If south is aggressive and puts in a 1 spade overcall, it gets interesting. West doesn't have enough to bid 2 hearts, which would show a 5 card suit, but a much stronger hand. West could pass a 1 spade overcall, make a slightly unusual negative double or bid 2 diamonds. 

All 3 options are unattractive in some ways. 3 diamonds will be the contract with sound bidding and should score +110. If east smells a misfit, especially if south gets a chance and uses it to overcall 1 spade over 1 diamond, it might help EW stay low. 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - August 8, 2022 - Passed out hand

Question:

This hand got passed out but the question here should be – who should have opened, S or N ?

Glenna:

S has 15 points counting the 3 length points in ♣️ and should open the bidding. Can’t image a pass unless it was a misclick or accident of some sort.  Some of my partners would open 1 ♣️ and then jump in ♣️ because it’s such a nice suit.

 N had a chance to save the day and failed as well. The rule for opening in 4th seat is to count your high card points and the number of ♠️. If it adds up to 15, you MUST open!!!! Brave souls as myself would have opened 1NT because it’s the perfect shape and only a point shy but I will get a lead INTO my hand and that’s an easy extra trick!

  It’s hard to imagine both N and S passi. My goodness players, open ALL 13 point and a lot of 12’s! What a sad board and so unnecessary. I am going to email Ralph a sheet on requirements for opening hands in different seats and ask him to mail it email to the Monday group. So hope everyone will read it, study it, know it and use it! It will be more than worth your time to spend on it.

Glenna

 

Glenna:

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - August 8, 2022 - Slam Captain

Question:

In this example E/W have lots of points and miss the slam opportunity. Who “carries the ball”, and takes the bid up to slam?

Vic:

Assuming the hand is well defended, looks to me like EW have a Club loser & a Spade loser. That would mean they do not deserve to make slam. Anyone who does “carry the ball” to take the bid up to slam deserves to take the blame for ruining a good hand. 

The final contract of 3NT is correct. I disagree, however with East second bid of 3D. East is strong enough to make that bid, but they do not have the two-suited hand that bid implies. They actually have what is often referred to as a semi-balanced. hand.  

A more descriptive second bid for East in my opinion would be 3C which also shows a strong hand, but with a 6-card club suit. 

Over 3C, I would expect West to make the same 3NT call they made over 3D, ending the auction.