This blog entry is to discuss some of the hands from Thursday afternoon. I'm making it a blog entry so that I can use the BBO Handviewer software. Where you see a hand diagram with a button for “next” at the bottom, you can click next to play the hand out and see some comments as you go. The first hand I want to discuss is board 10.
There are a couple of points in the bidding. Notice that I rebid 1NT even though my hand isn't really balanced. The hand is awkward to describe, because it isn't strong enough to reverse (by bidding 2H after your 1S), and the diamond suit is not very good (which makes rebidding 2D unattractive). I chose 1NT as the least damaging alternative, since it describes the strength well, and I have the singleton QS opposite your bid.
Also, your 2S rebid indicates a long spade suit, but indicates weakness (6-9 points) and you need to mention your hearts. Your hand is stronger than the point-count suggests, because of the extreme distribution. (Note also that you are justified in counting all the points for the singleton KD because I opened 1D, and am therefore likely to hold either the AD or QD). I think that you are worth a jump to 3H over my 1NT, and I would raise you to 4H. You should make 4H, which would score better than defending clubs.
Next up is board 17.
I don't know why you bid 2S – unless perhaps you didn't see me bid? 2S would be the correct opening bid, but responding to 1H you should start with just 1S.
Playing the hand, it was clear that you didn't have a plan. Start by counting your tricks, winners and losers. Spades should give you 4 tricks, after losing the A and K. 1 heart (A), 2 diamonds (AK) and 4 club tricks (AKQJ) brings the total to 11. That's more than enough for your contract. Looking at losers, the only problem is the spade suit – you have to lose the AK for sure, and you have to try and stop the opponents from making any other trumps. So, win the AD at trick one and lead dummy's 9S. If the opponents win this trick, that's one of the AK gone. If they both duck, cross to hand with AC and lead QS. Your plan is to drive out the AK of spades and draw trumps, then cash your winners in the other suits. When you need to draw trumps, don't be put off by not having the top ones.
Next up is board 20.
The bidding makes little sense, because South didn't know what he was doing and made completely the wrong bid. My main concern is why did you switch at trick 2? When the QS won at trick 1, you must realize that I have the AS. Perhaps you saw my 5S and thought I wanted you to switch? The problem is, I can't afford to play the S10 as an encouraging signal. If I do that, then declarer gets a trick on the third round. (If you lead the JS next, dummy covers with the K. If instead you try a small spade, dummy ducks and declarer's 9S forces me to play the AS.) After the QS, you should continue with the 2S, in case I started with A5 doubleton. I will win the AS and 10S, and play a diamond through declarer. You then make both the QD and the AD, and we still get a trump trick for 3 down and a top score. As the play went, we were lucky to beat the contract at all.
Signals are always only suggestions, not commands, and sometimes you can't make the signal you would like to give. On this hand, you have no attractive switch (your choice of the AD gave away a trick to the KD), and since I responded 1NT instead of 1S, you know I only have 2 or 3 spades including the ace. Those are good reasons to persist with spades despite my “discouraging signal”.
