Board 85

Board 85
Our side vulnerable

♠ 9 7 ♥ K ♦ Q 9 5 4 3 ♣ A Q 9 8 2

Two passes to me.This is a borderline opening bid. But, with shortness in both majors and a defensively oriented hand, I see no reason to open. I pass, and LHO opens one club. Partner overcalls one heart, and RHO doubles. LHO bid my best suit, and partner bid my singleton. It seems I did well to stay out of this auction, and nothing has happened to change my mind. I pass. LHO bids two spades--pass--pass back to me. I pass again, and partner leads the deuce of diamonds.

	NORTH ♠ A Q 4 2 ♥ 9 7 5 2 ♦ J 6 ♣ 7 6 4
		EAST ♠ 9 7 ♥ K ♦ Q 9 5 4 3 ♣ A Q 9 8 2

West	North	East	South
Pass	Pass	Pass	1 ♣
1 ♥	Double	Pass	2 ♠
(All pass)

I don't care for the negative double. I believe double should imply support for both unbid suits, not just for spades. If all you have is spades, why not just bid one spade? You can double without diamonds provided you have club support and a good enough hand to correct diamonds to clubs at a higher level. But that's not the case with this hand.

While we're on the subject, I don't think double promises four spades either. I would certainly double with, say

♠ K x x ♥ x x ♦ A x x x x ♣ x x x

I can't imagine what else you would do. To my mind,  a negative double is a take-out double, not a substitute for bidding the unbid major (or majors).  The main message it carries is doubt about strain. It invites partner to introduce his second suit, any second suit, if he has one.

Back to the defensive problem. It looks as if partner is 3-5-3-2, probably with the heart ace, since he didn't lead his suit. So where are we going to find six tricks? Perhaps three hearts, one diamond, and two clubs? For that, I need to find partner with the ace-jack of hearts, the king-ten of diamonds, and the jack of clubs. I don't think that hand is likely. Partner probably would not have led a diamond from king-ten third. He might have led one from king empty third, but I hope he didn't. That would mean declarer can set up his diamond ten as a pitch for dummy's third club. To beat this, I need to hope that the lead is from ten third and that partner has a card somewhere else, perhaps the club king, giving us three club tricks. What does that give declarer for his two spade bid? He would have

♠ K J x x ♥ Q x x ♦ A K x ♣ x x x

Not a hand I would bid two spades with, but who knows what Jack would do?

Declarer plays the jack of diamonds from dummy. Good. Partner didn't lead from king-empty third. I cover with the queen, and declarer wins with the ace. He plays the six of spades--three--queen--seven. He then plays the six of diamonds. I play the five; declarer, the ten; and partner, the seven. Not so good. Dummy's third club is going away.

Declarer plays the spade ten--five--deuce--nine. That looks like a finesse. It seems partner has the spade king instead of the club king, in which case declarer will make an overtrick. Declarer plays the king of diamonds, pitching dummy's four of clubs, then plays the eight of spades to the ace, as partner follows with the king.

I might as well try to develop a club trick out of thin air. I pitch the queen of clubs. If declarer happens to have king-ten third, that gives him a losing option no human would take. But Jack isn't human. He leads the six of clubs to the ten, losing to partner's jack. Partner returns the three of clubs to my ace. I cash the heart king and play a third club to declarer's king. We still have two heart tricks coming. Making two.

	NORTH ♠ A Q 4 2 ♥ 9 7 5 2 ♦ J 6 ♣ 7 6 4
WEST ♠ K 5 3 ♥ A J 10 8 6 ♦ 8 7 2 ♣ J 3		EAST ♠ 9 7 ♥ K ♦ Q 9 5 4 3 ♣ A Q 9 8 2
	SOUTH ♠ J 10 8 6 ♥ Q 4 3 ♦ A K 10 ♣ K 10 5

At the other table, my hand opens one diamond in third seat. It's strange that, since I've switched to Acol, I've twice passed a hand my counterpart chose to open. The auction proceeds as follows:

West	North	East	South
Pass	Pass	1 ♦	Double
1 ♥	1 ♠	2 ♣	2 ♠
3 ♦	(All pass)

Three diamonds went down two tricks. After the one diamond bid, no one did anything wrong in my opinion. East was right to bid two clubs, since passing would suggest a balanced hand, and, according to the Law, West was right to compete. (You should bid to the three level when both side have eight trumps provided the opponents are only at the two level.)

I think the fault lay in the opening bid. Opening worked out badly for pretty much the reasons I rejected it.

Me: -110
Jack: -200

Score on Board 85: +3 IMPs
Total: -101 IMPs