Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - January 1, 2024 - Game Bid

 

Question: West made 5C.  How should a game bid be considered?

Mark:

Just because a given number of tricks are taken at the table, doesn't mean that is a normal, predictable result. In fact, with solid defense, which is admittedly hard, E-W should only make 10 tricks on this hand, even with the lucky 2-2 break in trumps but the unlucky position (for E-W) of the major  honors. A mistake was probably made by the defenders. All players, even world champions, make mistakes. E-W have a total of 25 points, often enough to make 9 tricks at NT and, with a good fit, 10 tricks in a suit, as here. After E makes the rather aggressive bid of 1 spade, then raises Wests non- forcing 2 clubs to 3 (This is a clear overbid) W should bid 3NT and will probably make it. I say this even though N-S can take the first 9 tricks at NT. If N leads any major suit card other than the spade ace (normally an awful lead), W can scamper home with 9 tricks. In a high level tournament, +150 for E-W is probably above average. 

  The bidding should go like this: W: 1club N: 1H E: Dbl (just about a perfect hand for negative dbl) S pass (some pesky but commonly successful S players would raise to 2H because the vulnerability is favorable.W could bid NT with the heart stopper(if hearts are going to be led from the north). Since that is likely to induce a heart lead from N, pesky South players will be punished by drawing a heart lead and a score of -150 or -600. 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - January 1 , 2024 - Forcing Bids

 

Question: Explain forcing bids.

Vic:

Ideally, forcing bids are a topic you would have time to discuss with partner prior to game time. Not all bidding systems & not all partnerships play them the same. So I suppose the most realistic answer to your question is:  It Depends. 

In pretty much all bidding systems the 1H bid by Responder (West) would be designated as forcing. Some partnerships might agree that the 1S rebid by Opener (East) is also forcing. Other partnerships would treat the 1S rebid as not forcing.  

Note that even though spades is a higher ranking suit, the fact the rebid is still at the one level means it should not be treated as a Reverse. 

East could have pretty much removed all doubt about whether their rebid was forcing or not by jumping to 2S. It would be reasonable for Responder to assume that a jump shift rebid by Opener was promising 4 spades & 19+ HCPs. Be that the case, Responder should consider it forcing to game. 

Turns out EW deserve to make 4NT. They also deserve to make 5S, courtesy of the 3-3 spade split (36%) in NS. 

Ain't bridge a great game? 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Rich Nordeng - December 25, 2023 - Potential Slam

 

Question: East and West appear to have a potential slam.  How should this have been bid?

Rich:

Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - December 25, 2023 - Lead

 

Question:  The "rules" say never under lead an Ace in a suit contract and don't lead an unsupported Ace.  What should West lead and why?

Mark:

Just to make it clear, leading any of the opening leader's 13 cards is legal within the rules. The "rules" are just suggestions, based on what usually works. It's true that underleading an ace in a non- trump suit against a trump contract is rarely a good idea and best left to the experts and they very rarely do it. Leading an unsupported ace in a side suit is usually not a good idea, though it isn't as rare as the underlead. On this hand the "rules" are right, though in practice it should make no difference. West has a safe lead of a trump. It can't cost and might help. Good players with the West hand would only lead a small spade if it fell out of their hand by accident. On a day when that happens, they should buy a lottery ticket. After a small spade lead, unless South peeked at the opponents' hands, there would be no rational reason to play the king. It's about 100 times more likely that W led from the queen. Thus, South would play small from dummy, hoping to force the ace from East, holding it to just 1 spade loser and guaranteeing the contract. As long as that unlikely lead was made, it seems like 9 tricks is the inevitable result at 3 hearts, making South's choice of opening 2 hearts more successful than the 99.9% of serious bridge players who would open that hand 4 hearts. 

  Let's look at the bidding for a moment. Several bids were made that I disagree with. An opening bid of 2 hearts should be made with 6 hearts, very rarely 7 if vulnerable. An 8 card suit, especially of that quality should be opened 4. If that suit were a minor and I'm not vulnerable I probably open 5. We tend to be justifiably a little frisky, not vulnerable in 3rd seat. Even a 5 card suit is opened with a 2 bid occasionally in that position, but never 8.

  East's takeout double in the passout seat over 2 hearts is aggressive, but I agree with it. I wouldn't fault a pass. 

  With the West hand I would overcall 2 hearts with 2NT. It's borderline and I don't fault the pass. After E doubles for takeout, even though E is an original passed hand, I would bid at least 3 spades, which, incidentally, will be made easily. 4 spades has a good chance with N unable to lead hearts and S unable to get the lead. That's why 4 hearts would have been a good opening bid for S. Yes, it's down one for -50, but you are not -620, as you would be at most tables.

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - December 18, 2023 - Overcall

 Question: Was North correct to overcall 2NT?

Vic:

Answer: No. 

Looking at the North hand, it is obvious what North was trying to tell partner. But 2NT is not the proper way to do so.  

If one of my partners made the 2NT call that North did, I would interpret it as an "Unusual NT", promising 5-5 distribution in the two minors & 10+ HCPs.  

Why would that be my interpretation? Because that is a common partnership agreement for that 2NT bid. Lacking a pre existing partnership agreement, however, I would have no way to be certain. It would simply be my best guess. 

A common agreement for the proper way for North to show that hand would be to overcall 1NT with a Double. Common agreement is that DBL would promise that Overcaller (North) also has a hand that could have opened 1NT & that West stole their bid. Would anyone like to guess how many HCPs East & South are likely to have in that scenario?  

This is an example of a scenario that does not come up very often, but that you & partner need to have discussed in advance. Your discussion needs to have included not only how partner can show a matching hand, but also the meaning of any subsequent bids by Responder and/or Advancer. 

Defying all probability, North & South seemed to have guessed right about what the other was trying to tell them. They did find a makeable 3S contract. Whodathunkit? 

And if North/South were in fact following a pre existing partnership agreement, I would suggest they scrap it ASAP. I see the thread of logic. But it was truly bizarre to have that thread of logic lead to a makeable contract. 

Their best contract, by the way, would have been 3NT (game) which also deserves to make. 

Ain't bridge a great game? 

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 25, 2023 - Spades or NT?

 

Question:  Should E/W played in NT rather than spades?

Glenna:

When we find a major suit fit, we play in that suit. NOT NT!!!!

Weekly Hand Analysis - Glenna Shannahan - December 11, 2023 - Major Suit Fit

 Question:  How could N/S indicate the good fit in clubs?

Glenna:

 North should bid 1 ♥️, not 1 NT. Most of our bidding is looking or 4-4 major suit fits and 1 NT denies having a 4-card major. S would bid 2 ♣️ and because N has 12 points, he would raise S to 3 ♣️ which S would pass. Always show a major suit fit when you have one. Why deny something good about your hand and a 4-card Major is a good thing?