Partner Is Buying!

NOTE: Instead of a serious bridge lesson, this one is (mostly) just for fun. Enjoy!

	♠ A 9 3 ♥ — ♦ J 10 7 6 4 ♣ A K Q 9 2
	N W E S
	♠ K J 10 5 2 ♥ K 8 7 ♦ A K 9 5 ♣ 7

Same hand as last time. You are in 6 ♠. The opening lead is the ♦ Q, around to your ace.

You cross to dummy's ♠ A, and lead the ♠ 9. Alas, your right-hand opponent shows out and you follow low losing to the queen on your left.

Lefty returns the ♥ A, you ruff in dummy. Then ♣ Q and ruff a club back to your hand to draw the last two trumps, discarding a low club and a low diamond from dummy. Here are your remaining cards (remember that the ♦ Q was played on the first trick):

	♠ — ♥ — ♦ J 10 7 ♣ A K
	N W E S
	♠ — ♥ K 8 ♦ K 9 5 ♣ —

You must cash the ♦ K before crossing to dummy. Which diamond will you play from dummy on the ♦ K? And if you cash the ♥ K too, what will you discard?

ANSWER: Do not play the ♦ 7; unblock one of dummy's high diamonds instead. If you cash the heart, you must discard one of dummy's club winners. Then cross to dummy with the ♦ 9 -- not the ♦ 5 -- and cash the remaining clubs. Finally, and most importantly, win the last trick with the ♦ 7 and proudly announce "Beer!"

THE PRINCIPLE: The ♦ 7 is informally known as the "beer card" . Per tradition, if declarer makes the contract and wins the last trick with the ♦ 7, partner must buy declarer a beer. Similarly, if the defense sets the contract and a defender wins the last trick with the ♦ 7, that defender's partner is obligated to buy.

The origins of the "beer card" are somewhat obscure. It is a popular tradition among the younger generation of bridge players; occasionally a player will take a convoluted line of play just to establish the beer card for trick thirteen.

Cheers!

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Lookin' For Trouble

Suggested soundtrack: Steve Goodman, "Lookin' for Trouble"

	♠ A 9 3 ♥ — ♦ J 10 7 6 4 ♣ A K Q 9 2
	N W E S
	♠ K J 10 5 2 ♥ K 8 7 ♦ A K 9 5 ♣ 7

You are in 6 ♠. The opponents were silent during the auction. 

The opening lead is the ♦Q, an obvious singleton. How will you play the hand? Most importantly, how will you play the spade suit?

You could play the ♠A and the ♠K, hoping for a singleton or doubleton queen in one of the opponent's hands. Alas, with an eight-card suit the queen falls only about one-third of the time whereas a finesse gives you a 50-50 chance. That's part of the basis for the adage "eight ever, nine never" when in search of a missing queen. Furthermore, if you play for the drop and the spades split badly -- queen-fourth -- it will be almost impossible to prevent the opponents from collecting a trump trick and the heart ace for down one.

So, a finesse it shall be. You can finesse against either opponent. Do you finesse against the queen on your left, or against the queen on your right? How will you play the spade suit?

ANSWER: Look before you leap; your right hand opponent is dangerous! You can't afford to lose a finesse to your right-hand opponent, lest she return a diamond for her partner to ruff. If you lose to the queen on your left, that opponent can't do any further damage; you can pull the remaining trumps before cashing out in clubs and diamonds.

THE PRINCIPLE: In a two-way finesse situation, consider which hand might be more likely to hold the missing card, and also what might happen if you guess wrong. Keeping the dangerous hand off lead is known as an avoidance play:

BONUS MOMENT: When finessing against a queen, it is usually best to cash one of the high honors first. There is about a 6% chance that the queen is singleton, saving you the trouble of finessing.

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

Phone A Friend

Both sides vulnerable, you are the dealer.
♠ 10 3 ♥ A K 9 8 3 ♦ J 9 8 ♣ A 10 2

You	LHO	Partner	RHO
1 ♥	Pass	2 ♦	4 ♠
?

Partner's 2 ♦ bid is natural and forcing to game (2/1 Game Force). What now?

ANSWER: Phone a friend; Pass. This leaves it for partner to decide. You thus create a "forcing pass" auction, partner must either bid or double at her turn.

A minimum opening bid, marginal support for partner's diamonds, two fast spade losers... you have no particular reason to think that your side can make eleven tricks. And with at most three defensive tricks, doubling does not appeal either. Fortunately, partner has another bid coming. She could have a wide range of hands for her 2 ♦ bid. If the right action is not clear from your side of the table, force partner to decide.

THE PRINCIPLE: When your side is in a game-forcing auction, or has bid game freely, the opponents do not get to buy the contract undoubled. Either your side bids one more, or you double the opponents' contract. If you have a clear preference for bidding or doubling, go ahead and do so; otherwise let partner make the decision. Your Pass -- a "forcing pass" -- forces partner to either bid or double at her turn. If partner is bidding another suit, your pass implies at least some tolerance for that suit.

MORE PRINCIPLE: "Pass and pull" shows extra values. That is, if you Pass now and then bid on after partner's penalty double -- "pulling" the double -- you indicate that your hand is even stronger than needed to simply bid.

When partner makes a forcing pass: Pass is just as forcing as if she had bid a new suit as responder, or made a jump-shift rebid as opener, or cue-bid the opponents' suit. She is counting on you to either bid or double. She is fine with your decision either way; just do not Pass and let the opponents steal the hand undoubled.

Forcing pass auctions as described here are considered standard bidding; these bids and passes should not be Alerted. 

Want to read more? Here are two previous posts about forcing passes.

-- Ray 

Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)