Freak hands 4/24

Vineyard Bridge 4/24 – freak hands      ♠♥♦♣

            These are the hands that try men’s souls — and make duplicate really fun! Board 20 had everyone talking after Bill Blakesley’s game on 4/24.

            As West, you deal and pick up

                        ♠T8 ♥QJ9873 ♦J4 ♣A96.

 You’re vulnerable. Do you pass or hazard a very weak 2♥? 

            Ed Russell chose to open this West hand 2♥, as did Cecily Greenaway. Rhonda Cohen chose to pass. Nancy and I were sitting out on this fascinating deal (darn it!), but both of us would have agreed with Rhonda, though 2♥ led to a better result than pass. In first or second seat we bid a disciplined weak-two (8-11 HCP and two of the top three honors in a six-card suit).

            However, whether West passes or bids 2♥, the fun is just starting. Now let’s say you are North and hold

                        ♠KQJ9732 ♥T6 ♦93 ♣KT.

            You are also vulnerable. If West passes, what do you bid? With the two low doubletons in the red suits, many players would choose a preemptive 2♠ or 3♠. However, some players would bid 1♠, and a few might even try 4♠.  After an opening 2♥, both Norths overcalled 2♠, and after Rhonda’s pass, North bid 2♠. So on 4/24 the bid was always 2♠ going to East.

            East has a freak of his own.

                        ♠ — ♥ A42 ♦AKQT9765 ♣85

            Because their partners had opened 2♥, both Bill Blakesley and Deirdre Ling raised to 4♥ with the East cards.  After Rhonda passed and North bid 2♠, Eric Stricoff bid a conservative 3♦. Seeing nine likely tricks, and hearing a weak two to his right, some Easts might have bid 5♦ (counting on partner for a couple of tricks and preempting a possible 4♠ from South), but maybe Eric’s hand is too strong for that. The “correct” bid is probably Double, planning to insist on diamonds regardless of partner’s call. This would describe a hand of at least 17 HCP, which this hand is worth.

            All the South players raised to 4♠.

            Quite a lot of action for one round of bidding! Ed Russell bid 5♥ at his second turn, and played there. Cecily passed, and when the bid came around to Bill, he tried 5♦, intending to give Cecily a choice. She passed, which seems reasonable, since she would be bidding the same cards twice to bid again with her super-weak 2♥ opening. At Eric’s table, Rhonda passed 4♠ (having passed originally, it made no sense to bid now), and Eric, thinking he was sacrificing, bid 5♦. So Bill and Eric wound up playing 5♦ in the East, and Ed played 5♥ in the West.

 West deals   both vulnerable                

West    North   East   South                  West   North   East   South

(Ed)             (Deidre)                           (Rhonda)          (Eric)

2♥?      2♠        4♥        4♠                    Pass     2♠        3♦?      4♠

5♥        all pass                                     Pass     Pass     5♦    all pass

                        West    North   East   South

                      (Cecily)              (Bill)

                        2♥?      2♠        4♥        4♠

                        Pass     Pass     5♦? all pass

             Here’s the whole deal: 

                          ♠  KQJ9732

                          ♥  T6                         

                          ♦   93

                          ♣  KT 

                              N

        ♠ T8                           ♠  –  

        ♥QJ9873                     ♥  A42

         ♦ J4     W            E    ♦  AKQT9765

        ♣ A96                           ♣  85

                              S

                       ♠  A654                     

                      ♥  K5                       

                     ♦  2

                     ♣  QJ7432

           The opening lead was always a spade. Playing 5♥, Ed ruffed the ♠K in the dummy and immediately led a LOW heart. South must take his king or lose it, and it doesn’t much matter what he does next. He chose another spade, ruffed with the ♥A in the dummy. Ed returned to his hand with the ♣A, drew trumps, and pitched his last two clubs on the diamonds — making six for +680 and a top.            At 5♦, the play was much the same. Eric ruffed the opening ♠A lead, drew trumps, and gave up a heart — making six for +620. Bill’s play was similar, but when he led a low heart toward the dummy, South, thinking his partner might have the singleton ace, played low. Bill made seven for +640.

            As the cards lie, both 6♥ and 6♦ are easy with a spade lead. Only a club lead holds declarer to 11 tricks, and at 6♥ it isn’t likely that North would find a club lead out of king-ten. At 6♦, South might consider leading the ♣Q , and probably some expert can explain why South should do that, but on the bidding, the ♠A certainly seems reasonable, and I think ten out of ten ordinary players would agree.

            A footnote to the hand is that 5♠ is a very good contract for N-S, but nobody bid it. It should lose at most a heart, a diamond, and a club, provided that North is careful to conserve his lowest spades reach the dummy to set up and cash the clubs. So 5♠ is at worst down one and might even make if the defenders forget to cash the red aces before the clubs are set up. Even 6♠ is a very good N-S bid. At worst, doubled and down two, 6♠ is -500 and a top score.

            What a hand! North can make a game in spades, West can make a slam in hearts, and East can make a slam in diamonds.

Results on 4/24 at the Howes House: 4 ½ tables in play. 1. Rhonda Cohen and Eric Strikoff, 2. Bill Blakesley and Cecily Greenaway,  3/4 (tie).

 Sectional and Senior Regional at Falmouth next week. See you there.