Free Weekly Instant Tournament - July 25 - Board 8

Board 8
Neither side vulnerable

♠ K 7 2  ♥ A K 9  ♦ A K 6  ♣ K 9 4 3

If you prefer, you can watch Alex describes the bidding and play on my YouTube channel:

Three passes to me. I have 23 casino points, so I'm not passing it out. I open with two notrump. Partner bids three hearts, a transfer to spades. I bid three spades, and partner bids three notrump.

When you open one notrump, you should pass this auction with a 4-3-3-3 pattern. When partner transfers and bids three notrump, he shows a balanced hand, since he would bid a second suit if he had one. After a two-notrump opening, however, partner doesn't have room to show a second suit unless he's willing to bid past three notrump. He could have a singleton. He could even be five-five. So declining to correct to four spades is dangerous.

Even if you knew partner was balanced, it still might be right to correct. When your high cards are concentrated in one hand, you often have communication problems in notrump.

Consider this: Partner has no slam interest, so the opponents, on balance, have more HCP than partner does. They also have the same number of spades. So the opponents are more likely to hold the spade ace than partner. If they can hold up twice, they may disconnect you from dummy. In spades, you can reach dummy with ruffs.

So, in my view, passing three notrump would be a mistake. I correct to four spades, and everyone passes. LHO leads the deuce of diamonds.

	NORTH Robot ♠ J 9 6 5 4 ♥ 6 5 ♦ Q J ♣ A 10 7 5
	♦ 2
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ K 7 2 ♥ A K 9 ♦ A K 6 ♣ K 9 4 3

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
Pass	Pass	Pass	2 NT
Pass	3 ♥	Pass	3 ♠
Pass	3 NT	Pass	4 ♠
(All pass)

I probably have a club loser. So I'll need to hold my trump losers to two to make this. I can lead toward my spade king. If that loses to the ace, I can lead a spade from my hand and guess whether to play the nine or jack from dummy. Actually, it's not much of a guess. If West started with three spades, it's even money. But if he started with four, I must play the nine.

I win with the queen of diamond in dummy. East follows with the three. I play a low spade. East rises with the ace; West plays the three. That's a good start toward losing only two trump tricks.

East shifts to the ten of hearts--ace--seven--five.

If I had the eight of spades, I could consider protecting against a four-one break by going to dummy with the club ace and leading low to the eight. That gives up on an overtrick if West started with queen doubleton. But that's unlikely, since East probably wouldn't have hopped with ace third. Since I don't have the eight, it's moot. There is nothing I can do about four spades in East. I might as well cash the king of spades. I do. West plays the ten; East, the eight.

Now my only problem is the club suit. I could strip the red suits, then throw them in. Unfortunately, the only thing I have to throw them in with is a trump. With no trumps in my hand, they can then exit safely with a red card. Still, stripping the hand is worthwhile. In fact, it's worthwhile for two reasons.

I cash the king of hearts--eight--six--four, then ruff a heart in dummy. West plays the jack; East, the queen. Now ace and king of diamonds, pitching a club from dummy. I exit with a spade. West takes the queen, and East pitches the three of hearts. We're down to this position with West on lead:

	NORTH Robot ♠ J ♥ -- ♦ -- ♣ A 10 7
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ -- ♦ -- ♣ K 9 4 3

Reason one to strip the hand: If West began with four clubs, he's now endplayed. That reason doesn't pan out. He exits with a diamond. I ruff in dummy and East follows.

What's reason two? I now know no one started with four clubs. If I cashed a high club without stripping the hand and fourth hand dropped an honor, it would be right, by restricted choice, for me to finesse against the other honor. But now that I know no one has four clubs, no one can have a singleton honor. If an honor drops, I know to play for queen-jack doubleton.

So no more 20% boards for doing the right thing. By tightening up the position, we've found a way to outsmart restricted choice.

I plays a club to the king. Sadly, no honor drops. So I make only four.

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

Plus 420 is worth 62%. That's surprising. It looks as if anyone who chooses to pass three notrump should luck out and score 430. Say West finds his best lead of a heart. You duck. They continue hearts. You win, lead a diamond to the queen and a spade up. East takes his ace--either on this trick or the next--and continues hearts. Now you drive the spade queen. West is out of hearts, so you take ten tricks.

I still think passing is right. Partner might have had a stiff heart instead of two small. Hearts might have been four-four. Or the late spade entry might have been in the hand with long hearts. It seems you need quite a bit of luck for three notrump to be right. You also need a modicum of skill. Two of the three players who played three notrump went down, which is why I scored above average for making four spades.

Be sure to play in this week's Free Weekly Instant Tournament on BBO. Then we can compare results over the next eight weeks. See you then.