Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - March 6, 2023 -2nd Bid

 

Question:  Should West go to game on second bid or should West bid diamonds and get a response from East before deciding to go to game in hearts or no trump?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - March 6, 2023 - Game or no game

 

Question:  East passes the first round. West opens with 14 HCPs.  Should West pass after East's 3 heart bid or was it reasonable for West to go to game in hearts?

Glenna:

To really know what should happen I would have to know their agreements let’s talk about two different possibilities. 

E was right to pass the 1st time but if 2 ♥️ showed a weak 6-card suit, W must pass and NOT bid 2 ♠️  and must pass. That’s the main reason for using weak jumps!!!

  If they are NOT playing weak jump shifts, E must bid only 1 ♥️ which promises 6+ points and 4 ♥️.  Now W can bid 1 ♠️ and E can bid 2 ♥️ and the bidding is finished. But let’s say the bidding was a little crazy and W must decide what to do when E bids 3 ♥️ :  N made an overcall so he has points, E passed  originally AND  W has only 14 points so it’s doubtful there is a game. 

Bidding makes our hands an open book for deciding when, what and how to bid or not. Successful players listen and absorb all those telltale signs and make good decision. There is no game West so pass 3 ♥️!

Hope this helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - March 6, 2023 - Only five spades

 

Question:  East has only five spades.  Should East make 2 diamonds the second bid and then return to spades depending on what West does?

Mark:

The question last week focused on West's action in the first round of bidding. Now it's East's turn. At the first turn, East, after a routine pass by N, has a decision between two logical alternatives. An expert panel is likely to divide about 50-50 between them, namely 1NT and 1 Spade. 

Why 1NT? 

You have 17 HCP, good honors in all 4 suits and a good possibility of difficulty describing the hand at the second turn if you open the "obvious" 1 Spade. If you open the hand 1NT, you increase the chance you will become declarer, and that works in your favor, since you are guaranteed a stopper in the suits headed by only the king. The negatives about 1 NT is that you are a little more likely to miss an 8 card spade fit, especially if you buy the hand at 1NT with partner too weak to do something constructive; also, you are close to being too strong for 1NT. It's not just 17 points, it's the kind of hand you might re-evaluate to 18 or even 19. This is the reason I agree with the opening bid of 1 Spade. However, having decided on 1 Spade, you want to be sure to follow through in treating this as significantly more than just an opening hand with 5 spades. So now, when the 2H overcall comes back to you, you have 3 reasonable choices, none of them being 2 Spades. 2 Spades shows a MINIMUM opening and generally 6 decent spades. That's not your actual hand! 

The 3 better choices are Double, 2NT and 3 Diamonds, the first 2 being much better in my opinion. 

The reopening Double suggests short hearts, better than a minimum hand, not necessarily this much better, and a desire to compete further without a clear idea in what suit. A big benefit of the reopening Double is that it gives partner a chance to pass for penalties with long hearts and a decent hand. Remember that if partner Doubled 2 hearts in this auction it wouldn't show a desire to defend 2 hearts, it would show both minors (Negative Double). The way to penalize 2 hearts when  playing Negative Doubles is to pass 2 H then pass the reopening D. 

That brings us to what might East do at the 2nd turn. The choice is close between 2NT, which really describes the hand fairly well, showing 18 or 19 points( remember the re-evaluation) and a heart stopper and a reopening double. The only downside I see to 2NT is that it gives up on the possibility of defending 2 hearts Doubled if that's what partner was hoping for. The more you have in hearts, the less likely that is. In this case, the Double gives W a close decision between several good options: Pass for penalties is a bit aggressive but could strike gold and I kind of like it. 2 NT is inviting, not forcing, and promises a good H stopper, which you certainly have. In this case, partner is likely to put you in 3NT, which can always be made as the cards, even after the scariest lead by N, the 3 of clubs. You would have to play exceptionally well at trick 1, meaning you avoid winning it if given that chance. 

As this is a bidding question, I leave the play discussion up to the most ambitious readers who might want to lay out the hand and play it trick by trick. You'll be rewarded by learning a great advanced lesson in this case. Skip this play discussion if you don't feel ready to wade into the deep end. 

  Passing to reopening D on some days could risk the embarrassing result of -470, but more often, as on this hand, will show a nice profit. Depending on how well S plays, the profit could even exceed the 400 or more you make at 3NT. If E bid 2NT at the 2nd turn, W should go to 3NT. The play is much less challenging when 3NT is played by E. 

  In summary, either of East's 2 top choices after opening 1 Spade will lead to a nice plus and an excellent match point (or IMP) result as long as you didn't give in to the "safe" rebid of 2 Spades. Opening 1 NT, which I think undervalues the hand, could end the bidding when game is likely despite the big misfit in spades. The kind of re- evaluation of points I'm suggesting is pretty advanced for this discussion, so don't despair if it seems a bit esoteric.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - February 27, 2023 - Overcall cue bid

 

Question:  The 2H bid by South could be considered a Michaels cuebid and is probably incorrect for South's 19 HCP hand.  What is South's correct overcall?

Glenna:

  You are correct in that we do not cuebid the opponent’s suit without a specific holding and this hand is totally wrong for a cuebid. South should make a takeout double (TOX) to show shortness in opener’s suit and support for the other 3 suits.  BUT when S has 18 or more points, the rule changes. Now S can make a takeout double with any shape and then a bid of a new suit shows 18 or more points.

  Since most hands we are dealt do not follow all our rules or guidelines, we have to be flexible in our bidding. With ♥️ stopped twice and shortness in ♦️, I would have overcalled 1NT which shows 15-18 even though I have 19 points. One point is not going to make a great difference in the final result, we often have to be off in our bidding by a point in ORDER to make a bid that BEST DESCRIBES our hand. Players must remember that when we open 1 NT, we usually have only 3 suits stopped and when we overcall NT, we have the opponent’s suit stopped but can have no stopper in the 4th suit. The LHO (left hand opponent) is going to lead his partner’s suit—♥️ and you have 2 stoppers.

  Competitive Bidding is what makes bridge so challenging and so much fun, but you need to learn the rules or you end up with very bad boards. Worst yet, you end up with very unhappy partners.

Hope this helps,

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - February 27, 2023 - 5D or 3NT

 

Question:  This hand went down in 5D and so 3NT was a better bid.  How should West make the decision to go to 3NT?

Vic:

West does not have a heart stopper. That means West should NOT make the decision to go to 3NT. Unless, that is, West is a believer in "Ho Chunk Bridge". Going to 3NT would be rolling the dice (gambling) big time, plain & simple. 

If West does go to 3NT, that would put North on lead. Focusing just on the North hand, hearts would be a no-brainer opening lead. And if North leads hearts, NS deserve the first five tricks. That would put West down one before West even got the lead. 

It is interesting, however, that South made a questionable overcall of 1S. Does South really want partner to lead to their very weak spade suit should the two of them end up defending? I would certainly not want partner to lead spades if I was South. 

If North does decide to trust their partner in the hand above & lead a spade, rather than leading their own heart suit, declarer deserves to make their contract. Should that happen, the questionable 1S overcall will have cost NS dearly. 

My suggestion is that West should bid 3S subsequent to partner's raise to 3D. That would promises a spade stopper ("two suits tells") & imply that East should go to 3NT holding a heart stopper. Lacking a heart stopper, East should take the contract back to diamonds. At that point it would not be unreasonable, especially playing duplicate bridge, for West to raise to 5D. 

If the club King had been either in the North hand or in the East hand, West deserves to make 5D. The bridge Gods were not kind to West on this hand. 

Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - February 27, 2023 - Void

 

Question: West is void in Spades and South has taken a possible bid away from West.  Should West bid 2D to prevent East from going to 2 Spades?

Mark:

Interesting hand! 

East has several difficult decisions to make, starting with the opening bid. Anticipating a difficult rebid problem, many experts, but not most, would open 1NT holding 17HCP and good honors in all suits. I would open 1S just as East did, but I would not consider rebidding 2 spades. My choice would be between a reopening double and 3 diamonds. I think that an expert panel would lean heavily to the double. You might think that E should be promising good support for both minors, but we are not always dealt hands that lend themselves to perfect descriptions. The extra strength allows E to correct to 3 diamonds if W does bid 3 clubs. 

  Back to West's decision in the first round. I would not consider 3 diamonds because it is game forcing even when you are not playing "2/1 Game Force." 

Imagine what East will be thinking after W bids 3 diamonds and believes the bid means what it says. East is now thinking at least 5 diamonds, more likely 6. As the cards lie, you are more likely to end with a plus score at 2 spades than 5 diamonds (Not that I recommend 2 spades). 

Looking at all 4 hands, and even just looking at E-W, the best contract is 3 NT, ideally by E. The easiest way to get there is if E makes the 2nd best call in round 2, which is 2NT, technically promising 18 or 19 points, but shading by just 1 point with such a nice hand is not a crime. 3N can be made by W with excellent play if N leads the J of clubs, but W must take care not to win the first trick in hand. Either playing the king from dummy at trick 1 or ducking in both hands. That's really pretty advanced for this discussion, but if you can see the point, even after some prompting, you are advancing your declarer play to the next level. 

There's another good reason for E to make a reopening double at the first opportunity. What if partner has length and strength in the overcall suit and will happily convert the reopening double to penalty? Some Wests will consider doing that and likely will be rewarded with a great score on the actual hand, possibly a score better than bidding and making game. After the obvious J of diamonds lead against 2 hearts doubled, several lines of play might be considered by S, none of them successful.

  Just to play on a frequent theme to consider. West might like to make a bid that says "I have long diamonds, no support for partner's suit and a hand not strong enough to make a forcing bid." We have no such bid available. How about taking your time, fingering the pass card a few times and placing the 3 diamond bid on the table with a trembling hand? Even if that were an ethical option, which, of course, it is not, I wouldn't do it because I really like having my opponents in hearts. Partner could have the same support for diamonds that I have for spades. 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - February 20, 2023 - 1NT response

 

Question:  What are the rules for a responder after partner starts with a 1NT bid?

Vic:

Your question seems to be asking for a comprehensive discussion of the various options available to Responder after partner Opens 1NT. I am currently half way thru Part Two of the Beginning Bridge course I teach which devotes 8 hours of formal instruction to answering that question. In my opinion it is neither feasible nor appropriate to answer that question here.  

What is appropriate is for me to critique the specific auction shown above. North has 7 HCPs of which 2 HCPs are for an unsupported "Quack". The unsupported Quack may in reality very well prove to be worthless. So I agree completely with North decision to Pass. Defending against 1NT, EW deserve to take the first seven tricks. 

I suspect North would love to be able to tell Opener about their 4 spades. But first things first. The single most important thing for North to tell Opener is that they have less than 8 HCPs. They do that by passing. 

If North had 8 or more points, I would have needed more information to critique the auction. Specifically, I would need to know whether NS had agreed to play Stayman Convention or not. If not, my advice would be they learn it. 

Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - February 20, 2023 - Take out Double response

 

Question:  All other partnerships stayed in spades.  This hand went down 2 in hearts.  Was the South bid wrong after the take out double?

Glenna:

This hand has several lessons rolled into one. 1st, we make take out doubles (TOX) ONLY when we have 13 points and at least 3-card support for the other 3 suits. N has 11 points and MUST pass—quick way to ruin partnership trust when you don’t follow the rules. South was correct to bid 3 ♥️ once E  passes—it’s 1,000 forcing.

  But, let’s go back to the East hand: You should (MUST) bid 4 ♠️. Can’t imagine your passing—you have honor (Q) doubleton and partner has 6 so you have found a Golden FIT! 

You also have very, very close to opening hand so just bid 4.  Bridge is a bidding game and you cannot win if you don’t bid when you should. 

  At a table where everyone follows the rules the bidding would go 2 ♠️ P  4 ♠️ P and everyone would get an average board. Remember we Support With Support. 

Glenna

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - February 20, 2023 - Preempt a Preempt

 

Question:  W preempts and N follows with a 3D bid which may be preempt or indication of a strong hand.  That leaves S in a quandary.  Has N preempted and has a weak hand and so S should pass or is N a strong hand and S should bid 5D?  How can S determine what to do?

Mark:

The hand is an excellent illustration of the power of preemptive bidding. As you point out, 3 diamonds has a wide range of strength both for offense and defense. Not only that, but East's raise to 4 hearts has 2 possible meanings. It could be done with a weak hand and lots of hearts, meaning it as a sacrifice, or a good enough hand to make 4 hearts a good bet to make. The South hand happens to make it a pure guess whether it's right to bid on or defend. In an expert bidding panel, I expect to get about an equal number of 5D and P. 4 Spades is an interesting and possibly successful speculation by South, but it's too wild even for me to consider.

  As it is, there are 3 possible contracts: 4H by W, 5D by N and 4S (however unlikely) by S. 4 hearts is almost sure to be defeated by the singleton club lead, whether or not N cashes a diamond to begin. West actually can create the best chance to make 4 hearts, by giving the defenders a chance to make a mistake, if they play low on the club lead. If S takes the jack and gives N a ruff, N can try to reach S with (what he hopes) the ace of spades. Curtains! W can draw trumps because N now has only 2 left and still have the necessary stuff to trap the club king with a ruffing finesse and a trump to get back to cash winning clubs. Kudos to W if 4 hearts was made that way. Extra kudos to the defenders if W played that way and they didn't fall into the trap of taking a greedy quick ruff, or if they did ruff the club at trick 3 but led a 2nd high diamond to shorten dummy's trumps and prevent declarer from scoring a 10th trick. To summarize the point of the hand, anyone who ends with a plus score of any size is likely to get a good duplicate result. Aggressive bidding coupled with very good play, as usual, gets the top score.

  Incidentally, I need to clarify a point about North's 3 D bid and the terminology of the question. There is no such thing (or there should not be) as a pre-empt over a preempt. A jump bid over an opponent's preempt always shows a very powerful hand with length and strength in the suit bid. A simple overcall at the cheapest level, as in the present case, necessarily has a wide range and can be difficult for partner to gauge. 

  Another important point: South has a very difficult decision after 4H by E. They are entitled to take some time to think it over. Part of N-S bad luck is that the information that  everyone can glean from South's long thought before passing, is "UNAUTHORIZED" information to N. N has a minimum overcall of 3 D and no reason to bid on over 4 H. Ideally the Director should be called before N has a chance to act and will instruct N to pass in this case. If the Director is not called and N bids 5D, the Director should be called, but rectification becomes messy and may deprive both sides of a chance to shine in the play or defense. Since the result of any contract is not clear, the Director will probably award average plus, average minus, no one will feel fully satisfied and feelings could be hurt.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - February 13, 2023 -Master Hand

 

Question:  Please explain the concept of Master Hand and how it applies to the play of this hand.

Vic:

What I (many others as well) refer to as the "Master Hand Method" is frequently the best way for Declarer to plan the play of a SUIT contract. It is non-functional for NO TRUMP contracts. 

North would first pick a Master Hand (their hand in this case because it has the most trump). By definition, that makes South the Ruffing Hand. 

The Ruffing Hand serves as a possible resource for fixing Master Hand losers. That is its only value. Declarer does not have to worry about Ruffing Hand losers - only whether the Ruffing Hand can help them fix the Master Hand. 

Next Declarer identifies the Master Hand losers that need fixing.  

Officially, Declarer spade suit has two losers (KQ are missing). But in reality (given that there are only 5 spades between their hand & dummy) there are three losers to fix. Declarer heart suit has one loser (A is missing - no fixing that one). Declarer diamond suit has three losers (AKQ are missing).  

The total loser count in Declarer hand is seven which would put them down four. Can the Ruffing Hand help? 

Yes, the Ruffing hand can potentially help big time. Two Master Hand losers (diamonds should be first choice) can be discarded on Ruffing Hand AK of clubs. As many as three Master Hand spade losers can be ruffed in dummy (but not if Declarer begins by pulling trump). The Ruffing Hand also poses the possibility of a successful finesse of the Diamond King (but finesses are only successful 50% of the time & should be avoided if better choices exist). 

Declarers Plan - ruff spades ASAP (before leading trump) - discard diamond losers on club AK (do this first time they get to dummy) - do not voluntarily take the diamond finesse (take it only if East gets the lead & leads diamonds - cross your fingers that West gets the lead & leads diamonds) - a silent prayer or two never hurts either. 

With all the potential fixes the Ruffing Hand can provide, it looks to me like Declarer deserves to make their contract. Ain't bridge a great game?

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - February 13, 2023 - Slam

Question: How should slam be explored with this hand?  It made 6 spades.

Glenna: 

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to talk about slams and how preempts make it difficult for the opponents. With no interference S should open with 3 ♠️ & N should bid 6 ♠️ !!!!!

N has the world’s fair and his partner has 7 ♠️ for him. If this doesn’t make 6, it would surprise everyone in the field!! After all, you only lose 1 ♥️ trick.

  Now, let’s talk about preempts: E MUST open 2 ♦️ showing 5-11 points and a 6-card ♦️ suit.  S bids 2 ♠️ and W MUST bid 3 ♦️( called furthering the preempt as it makes it harder for N to decide how high to bid). N will probably bid 4 ♠️ and not even look for slam when his 2 opponents are both bidding. 

  Preempts are out there to help you not allow the opponents a wide open field to bid whatever they want—make it difficult for them to decide what to do!!!!!

Hope this helps,

Glenna