Grand or Not? Results 8/26

To Grand or Not to Grand - 8/26 Results

This was Board 8 on Tuesday 8/26 in Vineyard Haven. Dealer West. Neither side vulnerable.  As East you pick up:

            ♠ AJ9    ♥ AQJT86    ♦ A6     ♣A9

Here’s the way the bidding might go:

            North               East                  South               West
                                                                                     Pass
            Pass                 2♣                  Pass                  2NT*
            Pass                  3♥                  Pass                   4♥
            Pass                  4NT               Pass                   5♦**
            Pass                   ?
                         * (alerted) three controls - A & K or 3 Kings
                         ** one key card (30-14)

            You know that West has three kings, one of which is the ♥K, and at least three hearts. You can count six heart tricks plus three outside aces and two kings. 6♥ seems almost sure. Do you try 6NT? How about 7♥ or 7NT?

            NOW . . . .how do you bid if your partner opens?

            North               East                  South               West
                                                                                      1♠
            Pass                 2♥                   Pass                   3♥
            Pass                  4NT                Pass                   5♦*
            Pass                  5NT**            Pass                   6♥***
            Pass                    ?
                       * one key card
                       ** asks for outside kings
                       *** two other kings

            As this East, you know a bit more. West has an opening bid (perhaps light) with five spades and at least three hearts including the ♥K, and two other kings. If West’s opening includes both the ♠K and ♠Q, you can count six heart tricks, five spade tricks, and the two minor-suit aces. If he doesn’t have the ♠K, he has both minor suit kings. He probably has at least one queen to make an opening bid, but where is it? Do you try 7♥? 7NT? or do you play it safe and pass 6♥?

            The results were that one pair bid 7NT, three pairs bid 7♥, six pairs bid 6♥, and one pair bid 4♥. All took 13 tricks. Here’s the whole hand:

                                           ♠ 53
                                           ♥ 932
                                           ♦ Q742
                                           ♣ QT64
                                              N
              ♠ KQ872                                    ♠ AJ9
              ♥ K754                                      ♥ AQJT86
              ♦ JT              W                  E      ♦ A6
              ♣ K5                                          ♣ A9
                                              S
                                         ♠ T64                   
                                         ♥ –
                                         ♦  K9853
                                         ♣ J8732

Results 8/26 in VH. 10.5 tables in play (three-quarter movement). 1 Hugh Knipmeyer & Bill Blakesley. 2 Miles Jaffe & Jim Kaplan. 3. Berkeley Johnson & Bob Iadicicco. 4 Rosalee Cohen & Rosemary Taylor. 5 Dan & Nancy Cabot. 6 David Donald & Michele Riel.

            Good luck in Nashua to the Vineyard Duplicate Team.