Board 7
Both sides vulnerable
| ♠ A 7 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ K 9 8 ♣ A 8 2 |
You are dealer. With 17 HCP and a five-card suit, should you add a point for the five-card suit and show 18-19 or should you open with one notrump?
If the five-card suit is a minor, one notrump is probably better. It's true the fifth card may produce an extra trick. If so, it's actually worth an extra two points. But the fewer HCP you have, the more the opponents have, which increases their trick-taking potential. Also, high cards aren't useful just as winners. They are also useful as stoppers. If your missing point is a critical stopper, you may not get a chance to enjoy the extra trick that fifth card represents.
Perhaps counting the fifth card as one point balances these plusses and minuses. But there are also tactical reasons to prefer opening with one notrump. Our auctions after one notrump tend to be easy, since we have well-defined and well-thought-out methods. And the opponents' auctions tend to be hard. If the hand belongs to the opponents, or even if the hand is a partscore battle, they will have an easier time if you let them in at the one-level.
Things are different, however, when your five-card suit is a major. Your worry with opening one notrump isn't just that you might miss three notrump if partner is just short of an invitation. You must also worry about missing four of your major. And the tactical reasons don't apply to the same degree. A one-notrump opening will not necessarily produce an easier auction, since it may make it harder to find your major-suit fit. And one of a major is more pre-emptive than one of a minor, so opening one notrump to shut out the opponents is less important.
For these reasons, most partnerships specifically define one of a major followed by two notrump as showing 17 to 18 HCP. And even if you don't, this hand is too good for a one notrump opening. You have seven controls and your only minor honor is in your long suit. Calling this hand 17 HCP is slander.
I open with one heart. Partner puts a stop to my planned rebid by bidding two notrump himself (Jacoby), showing a game force with four-card heart support. I bid three hearts, showing no shortness and better than a strong notrump.
Partner continues with four notrump, Blackwood. I show my three keycards with five clubs, and partner bids five diamonds to ask about the trump queen. This is great! I get to show every card in my hand. If we get to the wrong spot now, it's not my fault. I bid six diamonds to show the trump queen and the diamond king, and partner bids six hearts.
| NORTH Robot ♠ 10 3 ♥ K J 4 3 ♦ A 2 ♣ K J 10 9 5 |
||
| SOUTH Phillip ♠ A 7 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ K 9 8 ♣ A 8 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Robot | Robot | Robot | Phillip |
| 1 ♥ | |||
| Pass | 2 NT | Pass | 3 ♥ |
| Pass | 4 NT | Pass | 5 ♣ |
| Pass | 5 ♦ | Pass | 6 ♦ |
| Pass | 6 ♥ | (All pass) |
After a lead of the eight of spades, followed by the ten, queen, and ace, I know that, if the eight is fourth best, only West can beat my seven. That could prove to be an asset.
If trumps are two-two, I have a lock. I draw trump, ruff out a diamond, and exit with a spade. West must give me a ruff-sluff or lead a club. If West shows out on the second trump, I have a partial elimination. I ruff a diamond and exit with a spade, letting East hold his last trump. Since West must win the spade, he is again endplayed. Although I must make sure to keep a high spade in dummy. If East has three diamonds, I don't want him overruffing dummy if West gives me a ruff-sluff in diamonds.
If East shows out on the second trump, I have a choice: (A) I can draw the last trump, then play East for the club queen on the basis of vacant spaces. Or (B) I can ruff out the diamond and run trumps, trying to get a count. If West has three or more clubs and I work it out, I'm cold. He must either pitch down to a doubleton club (allowing me to drop the queen, whoever has it), or hold three clubs and a high spade (allowing me to endplay him), or pitch all his high spades (setting up my seven). If I decide West has fewer than three clubs, I can revert to finessing against East, going down two if I'm wrong.
If I'm going to end up finessing East for the queen anyway, I'm better off with line (A). If East does have the club queen, I make seven. And if he doesn't, I'm down only one. Since (B) is the superior line only when West has the queen of clubs at least third and I read it, (A) looks like the better line.
As it happens, trumps are two-two.
| NORTH Robot ♠ 10 3 ♥ K J 4 3 ♦ A 2 ♣ K J 10 9 5 |
||
| WEST Robot ♠ K J 9 8 5 2 ♥ 10 8 ♦ J 7 5 ♣ 7 4 |
EAST Robot ♠ Q 6 4 ♥ 7 6 ♦ Q 10 6 4 3 ♣ Q 6 3 |
|
| SOUTH Phillip ♠ A 7 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ K 9 8 ♣ A 8 2 |
As it also happens, West doesn't lead his fourth-best spade. He chooses a passive club, letting me make seven. (I didn't actually lie. I was very careful. Read it again.)
Plus 1460 is worth 82%. Those who opened with one notrump, understandably, failed to reach slam.
Actually, I don't care for partner's Jacoby two notrump. Two notrump should deny a source of tricks. The club suit is too important a feature to keep a secret. North should start with two clubs. South will rebid two notrump, and North can then complete his description with four hearts, showing four-card support and a source of tricks in clubs.
Yes, I know some play four hearts as fast arrival. And even among those who don't--who play it as a picture bid as I do--it's common to play that four hearts denies a control in either side suit. But I don't care for either agreement. There is big difference between this hand and some 3-3-3-4. The whole reason to bid two clubs rather than Jacoby two notrump is to describe your hand, and if you don't play that a jump in hearts shows this hand, you don't get to complete your description.
Over responder's two-clubs, some would raise to three rather than bid two notrump. I'm not one of them, but it would certainly work out well on this hand. After responder's four hearts, opener can now bid Blackwood with six keycards in play. Responder will bid five clubs to show his three keycards, and opener can bid five diamonds to ask for either trump queen, reaching a grand easily if responder has the queen of clubs.
