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.