Splinters and Voids and The Rabbi, Oh My! Part 2

The hands are rotated from Part 1 so that South is Declarer.

Matchpoints, both sides vulnerable.

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

West	North	East	You
	1 ♦	1 ♠	Dbl
Pass	3 ♠	Pass	4 NT
Pass	5 NT	Pass	6 ♥
All pass

 You had a lovely auction to reach 6 ♥. West led the ♠ 2. Let's start with Declarer's ARCH:

• ANALYZE the lead: East bid spades, it looks like West is leading low from a three-card holding. If it was a singleton, that would mean that east bid only 1 ♠ with a seven-card suit? Seems unlikely. If West had a doubleton spade, she would have led the higher of the two cards. So East has five spades.
• REVIEW the auction: East overcalled spades at the one-level. There aren't many high cards left out there, it seems that East is a favorite to have all the missing kings.
• COUNT your tricks: Two spades, given the opening lead (yay!) and a spade ruff in the North hand. Three top clubs. Two diamonds and a diamond ruff in the South hand, playing East for the ♦ K. Three top heart tricks, expecting to lose one heart to the ♥ K on your right. That adds up to twelve tricks, losing only one trick to the ♥ K, making your contract.
• HOW to play: Always make a plan before playing.
  .. Win the opening spade lead as cheaply as possible (East will probably play the ♠ K)
  .. Unblock the ♦ A, so that you can take a ruffing finesse against East.
  .. Ruff a spade in dummy before drawing trump, just in case the hearts split 4-0.
  .. Take the ruffing finesse in diamonds: lead the ♦ Q, playing East for the ♦ K.
  .. Draw trump, expecting to lose a heart to East's king.
  And play the hand out, making six hearts.

Wonderful, a small slam nicely bid and made. BUT this is matchpoints; can you make seven?

ANSWER: It seems most likely that East has the ♥ K, so the heart finesse is destined to lose. What if the ♥ K is singleton? If you play the ♥ A immediately and East has the guarded king, well, East is always going to score the king. You have all the other high hearts. But on a good day, East's ♥ K will be a singleton. It costs you nothing to start with the ♥ A, and you win big if you drop the singleton king. And dropping a singleton king always feels great! 

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

West	North	East	You
	1 ♦	1 ♠	Dbl
Pass	3 ♠	Pass	4 NT
Pass	5 NT	Pass	6 ♥
All pass

In a really strong field -- say, the Blue Ribbon Pairs -- 6 ♥ making seven will be an average or maybe average-plus result. But in our typical club game or a typical BBO online game, 6 ♥ making seven will be a cold top board. And it doesn't require anything flashy or complicated, just a series of solid intermediate-level skills that you've already learned. Nothing to be afraid of here!

• Negative double
• Splinter raise
• Void-showing responses to 4 NT
• Declarer's ARCH
• Room Measurements
• The Rabbi's Rule: When the king is singleton, play the ace!

-- Ray

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

Splinters and Voids and The Rabbi, Oh My! -- Part 1

Here is a hand from a recent online game that I thought was a lot of fun. It brings together a half-dozen themes that we've discussed in the past. Both vulnerable at matchpoints, you are the dealer. You hold:

♠ -- ♥ A Q 7 6 ♦ Q J 8 6 3 ♣ A K Q 4

Of course you make a plan before making your first call. What is your plan for this auction?

You'll open 1 ♦, and if partner peeps you'll almost certainly want to be in game. If partner bids hearts, diamonds, or clubs, you will definitely get excited and force to game. But if partner bids spades, you might want to allow for the possibility of partner having a bare minimum hand with only a couple of spade honors. Over a 1 ♠ call from partner, you can reverse to 2 ♥, forcing one round and almost-but-not-quite forcing to game, to allow partner to sign off with a weak spade hand.

West	Partner	East	You
			1 ♦
1 ♠	Dbl	Pass	?

Good news! Partner's negative double shows at least four hearts, and at least 6-7 points. You definitely want to be in game. Partner could even have a good hand -- negative does not mean nothing -- slam is not out of the question. Your call?

ANSWER: Get the tweezers, you have a splinter! Bid 3 ♠, a splinter bid showing four-card heart support, game-forcing values, and a singleton or void in spades. It's true that partner didn't actually bid hearts, but her bid showed hearts and she'll know that you are supporting hearts. And in the event that she thinks you might be asking for a spade stopper and bids 3 NT, you'll correct to 4 ♥ and she'll get the message.

You hold: ♠ -- ♥ A Q 7 6 ♦ Q J 8 6 3 ♣ A K Q 4

West	Partner	East	You
			1 ♦
1 ♠	Dbl	Pass	3 ♠
Pass	4 NT	Pass	?

Well! Partner definitely likes the slam idea; 4 NT is a keycard-ask with hearts as trump. Don't worry, one of us will get around to bidding hearts eventually... You play 1430 responses to keycard-asking bids. Your call?

ANSWER: You could bid 5 ♠, showing two keycards and the trump queen. That will commit us to at least a small slam. But there is a much better call available. Bid 5 NT, showing an even number of keycards and a useful void. A void in the opponent's suit is always useful. If partner is only worried about a spade loser, knowing that you are void will make it easy for her to bid a grand slam.

West	Partner	East	You
			1 ♦
1 ♠	Dbl	Pass	3 ♠
Pass	4 NT	Pass	5 NT
Pass	6 ♥	All pass

Partner signed off in 6 ♥. As you can see below, she knew we were missing a key card outside of spades. Fun auction, eh? A small slam and no one actually bid the trump suit until the very end!

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

It looks like a good contract. This is a robot event, so you'll have to play the hand. Stay tuned for Part 2.

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

Which Is More, 53 or 44?

Even the second-graders in the audience are saying "well, duh!" But bridge is a complex game...

♠	A Q 2
♥	A Q 5 4
♦	A J 5
♣	8 3 2

Partner deals and opens 1 ♠. Your right-hand opponent passes.. You are playing 2/1, of course. Your call?

ANSWER: 2 ♣. Not 2 ♥.  Bidding 2 ♥ right now would show a five-card suit. You don't have that, so you must bid a minor suit. Not 2 ♦. Bidding 2 ♦ would show longer diamonds than clubs. Yes, your club suit is loathsome. But your bid here is not about clubs: it is about creating a game-forcing auction. With three cards in each minor, give partner as much bidding space as possible. No matter how much enthusiasm partner might show for clubs, you will always insist on spades later. And don't worry about missing a heart fit. If partner has a four-card heart suit, she will bid it at her next opportunity.

You bid 2 ♣. Fortunately for our discussion here, partner bids 2 ♥.

West	North	East	South
	1 ♠	Pass	2 ♣
Pass	2 ♥	Pass	?

Partner shows at least four hearts here. You have an eight-card fit (or better) in both majors! Which do you choose: spades or hearts?

ANSWER: Bid 3 ♥, setting hearts as trump. Yes it is possible that partner has six spades and four hearts, in which case spades would be a better trump suit. But partner could also be five-five in the majors, making hearts a nine-card trump suit versus only eight in spades. With the information you have right now, there are two eight-card trump suits. Choose the 4-4 fit rather than the 5-3 fit.

You will easily find your way to 6 ♥ on this hand. But look what can happen if you play in spades instead of hearts:

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

If spades are trump, you must lose a spade trick due to the 4-1 split, and there is an unavoidable diamond loser. 6 ♠ is a hopeless contract here, as is 6NT. But if hearts are trump, you can ruff the fourth round of spades, and use the remaining spade to discard one of  South's minor suit losers, making 6 ♥ easily. (If both major suits were to break evenly, you would make 7 ♥ by discarding South's two diamond losers on the long spades. But 7 ♠ will never ever make, no matter how the suits split, no matter how inept the defense.)

THE PRINCIPLE: When you have a 4-4 fit and a 5-3 fit, choose the 4-4 fit. On average, making the 4-4 suit trump will yield about one trick better than the 5-3 suit. Whatever losers exist in the 4-4 suit, they always exist regardless of whether that suit is trump. If the 5-3 side suit splits evenly, there will be a place to discard two losers from the other hand. If the 5-3 side suit splits poorly, you can usually ruff at least one of the losers.

Note that after an auction 1 ♠ - 2minor - 2 ♥ - 3 ♥, hearts are trump. Period, full stop. There is no reliable way to get back to a spade contract. Any subsequent spade bids are cue bids showing either an ace or a control, per your partnership agreement. Ditto for the auction 1 ♠ - 2 ♥ - 3 ♥; opener will raise hearts with three-card support, knowing that responder has five hearts and we've found an eight-card trump suit. 

This is why responder needs five hearts to bid 2 ♥ over 1 ♠; we can always ensure that we are locating an eight-card fit. 

When we have a choice of eight-card fits, we want to be in the 4-4 fit. At the bridge table, 44 is more!

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

Who Called This Meeting?

Suggested soundtrack: Grateful Dead, "New Speedway Boogie"

	♠ A K 10 9 2 ♥ Q 10 ♦ J 2 ♣ K J 9 4

You	LHO	Partner	RHO
1 ♠	Pass	2 ♥	3 ♦
??

You were the dealer, vulnerable against not. Partner's 2 ♥ bid was game-forcing with at least five hearts. We are committed to keep the auction alive until we bid game (at least) or double the opponents.

The overcall does create a problem for you. If you bid, your options are:

• 3 ♠ now would show six or more spades. You don't have that.
• 3 ♥ now would show three or more hearts. You don't have that.
• 3 NT now would show a diamond stopper. You don't have that.
• 4 ♣ would show at least four clubs, and absolutely no tolerance for 3 NT. You don't have that. Partner might have a diamond stopper and want to play 3 NT. Your diamond jack might be a partial stopper across from queen-third or king-third in partner's hand.
• Double would be penalty, planning to give the opponents a Souvenir Minus Eight Hundred (or more!) for interfering against our presumptive vulnerable game when you have the rest of their diamonds. Nope, you don't have that either.

Anyway, it's still your call. What to do?

ANSWER: Pass. Partner called this meeting, let her run it. There's no need to be That Person in the meeting, blathering on with no useful information to contribute. We are in a game-forcing auction. RHO's 3 ♦ call ensures that partner has another call coming and the auction will continue. If you've got nothing new to say, there's no need to say anything right now. As a bonus, your Pass will tell partner that you don't have any of the hands described above.

You will be well-positioned to act after partner explains her agenda:

• She might bid 3 ♠ showing three-card support and suggesting some extra values; spades will be trump and you can proceed from there.
• She might bid 3 ♥ showing 6+ hearts; you will raise to 4 ♥ with your doubleton.
• She might bid 3 NT or 4 ♠  to play; you will Pass of course.
• She might bid 4 ♣; you'll show your honor-doubleton heart support and hope you aren't missing a club slam.
• She might bid 4 ♥ to play, showing a stand-alone suit and disavowing any slam interest. You will Pass, of course.
• She might Double, suggesting no clear direction and asking you to Do Something Intelligent. Note that it's unlikely that partner has a useful diamond stack sitting in front of the overcaller. 
• She might bid 4 ♦, suggesting a very strong hand and asking you to Do Something Intelligent but without the option of defending against 3 ♦ doubled.

THE PRINCIPLE: When you don't have anything useful to contribute to the discussion, don't say anything until you must. Partner set the agenda as a game-forcing auction, give her the floor to run the meeting.

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

Smell The Coffee

Suggested soundtrack: Mississippi John Hurt, "Coffee Blues"

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

Partner	North	You	South
2 ♦	Dbl	3 ♦	4 ♣
All pass

Partner led the ♦2. Declarer played the queen from dummy. You played the ace, of course. Now what?

Look again. Do you notice anything unusual?

Partner opened a weak-two in diamonds, usually based on a six-card suit. You play standard leads -- fourth best from length -- yet she led the deuce from a six-card suit. The  ♦2 can't possibly be her fourth-best diamond. Partner made a very strange lead. Wake up and smell the coffee! Partner knows that you know she has six diamonds. She led a card that is definitely not her fourth-best diamond.

ANSWER: Lead a spade. Give partner the spade ruff she is asking for.

THE PRINCIPLE: A very unusual carding play on defense should be regarded as an "alarm clock signal." Partner is trying to wake you up to something non-routine about the hand. Looking for a ruff in a side suit is the most common situation. But the key message is "Wake Up, Partner! Don't make the routine play here." It's up to you to figure out what unusual play partner wants.

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

BONUS QUESTION: Which spade do you lead for partner to ruff? 

ANSWER: Lead the two, your lowest spade showing suit-preference for the lower suit (diamonds). Partner almost certainly has the king; your jack is an entry to give partner a second spade ruff. Unless you tell partner, she might not know whether to return a diamond or a heart.

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

Major-Suit Shade Card

Which color for the guest bedroom: Pineapple Frappe?  Kale Bisque? Hangover Sunrise? 

When you have a long, strong major suit -- one that will definitely be trump -- there is an equivalent "shade card" for bids to match the strength of your hand. Color preferences are a matter of taste; fortunately, the major-suit shade card is pretty much standard. 

To find the right shade, you must consider high-card strength and playing strength. For an example, let's use this hand from a recent Wydaho online game:
    ♠ AKJT8432 ♥ K ♦ 76 ♣ AQ

POP QUIZ: How many tricks is that spade suit worth?

ANSWER: Eight tricks. If partner has the queen, yay! If partner has three or more spades, yay! And otherwise, the queen might still be singleton or doubleton. Feel free to do the probability calculations, or just go with your gut feel that things will probably work out. Bottom line: You have an 87% chance for eight tricks, and a miniscule chance of only six tricks with this suit.

Okay, we have eight spade tricks. Add one-and-a-half tricks in clubs (partner has the king, or the finesse works, or an opening club lead), and a half-trick in hearts (partner has the ace or queen, or the ace is on our right and isn't played to the first round). That's ten playing tricks. You definitely want to be in game; slam is a distinct possibility!

How many ways can you open with a long strong major? We'll use spades for this discussion, but the same applies to a heart suit. You intend to unequivocally set the trump suit.

Shading from weakest to strongest:

• Open 4 in first, second, or third seat. This shows 6 or 7 tricks (not vulnerable) to 7 or 8 tricks (vulnerable). Most important, this denies an opening hand. Partner will restrain her enthusiasm accordingly.
  Example: ♠ KQJTxxxx ♥ xx ♦ xx ♣ x
• Open 1, then rebid 4. This shows a full opening hand, but denies enough strength for a 2 ♣ opener. Thus a hand in the range of 11-15 HCP and about 7 or 8 playing tricks. Given your shortness in other three suits, it seems quite unlikely that 1 ♠ will be passed out.
  Example: ♠ KQJTxxxx ♥ Kx ♦ Kx ♣ x
• If your partnership plays the Namyats convention, open 4 minor showing 8 to 8.5 tricks in the corresponding major with some potential for slam if partner has useful outside cards.
  Example: ♠ AKJTxxx ♥ Kx ♦ KQ ♣ xx
• Open 4 in fourth seat. This is not a weak preempt. You intend to get a plus score; otherwise you could have passed the hand out, or bid only two or three spades. The bid shows about 8.5 or 9 playing tricks and at most a poor 15 HCP; you can count on partner to have one trick for you somewhere. This bid denies slam interest. Even if partner has a maximum for her Pass, she won't make a move at this point.
  Example: ♠ KQJTxxxx ♥ Ax ♦ Kx ♣ x
• Open 2 ♣, then rebid 4. This shows a bare minimum 2 ♣ opener, at least 14 HCP with long spades and a hand worth about nine tricks. The message here is that partner should not pursue slam without three likely honor tricks. You have completely described your hand; it's up to partner to make any further move. (Regular partnerships should have an agreement on whether 8.5 tricks is enough for a 2 ♣ opening.)
  Example: ♠ AKQTxxxx ♥ KQ ♦ xx ♣ x
• Open 2 ♣, then rebid 3. This sets trump and asks partner to start cuebidding aces (or controls, per agreement) up the line. It shows a hand that is worth ten or more tricks, with at least 14 HCP. The key message is "spades are trump, show me controls." Show me the money, partner! You are the captain in this auction.
  Example: ♠ AKJT8432 ♥ K ♦ xx ♣ AQ

Note what's missing here: There is no "open 2 ♣, then rebid two" option. When you are absolutely sure about the trump suit and don't care about finding a secondary fit, don't let partner blab about her hand to the opponents. Take charge, set the trump suit, and if slam is in the picture get busy finding out about controls in the side suits.

THE PRINCIPLE: With a one-suited hand, the playing strength of the hand -- how many tricks can you expect -- is at least as important as the number of high-card points. A 2 ♣ opener may contain as little as 14 HCP if it is within one trick of game against normal splits. Using this shade card for single-major hands, partner will have a good idea of the strength of your hand and can proceed appropriately. It's a partnership game!

BONUS MINUTE:
The ACBL Convention Charts allow a very strong artificial 2♣ opening that contains:

i. at least 20 HCP; or 

ii. at least 14 HCP and is within one trick of game assuming suits break evenly among the other hands; or

iii. at least 5 Control Points and is within one trick of game assuming suits break evenly among the other hands. 

-- Ray 

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

After Partner's Weak Two

Partner's opening typically shows a six-card suit, probably two of the top three honors, 5-10 HCP, limited defensive values, and usually no four-card major on the side. Now what?

Ground Rule #1: Partner has, on average, king-queen-sixth and an outside queen. The most you can hope for is ace-king-queen-sixth, or king-queen-sixth and an outside ace; any hand stronger than that is an opening one-level bid nowadays.

Ground Rule #2: The weak-two opener will not bid again unless forced. This applies to any preemptive opening; exceptions are rare. Responder is the captain, and is in complete control of the rest of the auction.

With that background, here is a recommended structure for responding to a weak-two opening.

• Support With Support! A raise is not invitational; a raise is simply continuing the preempt. With three-card support and no game interest, raise to three. With four-card support or more, raise to four (maybe just three at unfavorable vulnerability). Don't wait to see if the opponents will let you play at the two-level. There is no minimum point requirement for a raise. If you have no points at all, then the opponents can surely make game if not slam; take away their bidding space to make their lives more difficult. Consider raising even with honor-doubleton, particularly at favorable vulnerability and with poor defensive values.
  
• If the player to your right makes a takeout double, all the more important to show support if you have it. If you have a fit, the opponents will never let you play your two-level contract doubled.
  
• If you absolutely want to be in game across from as little as, say, king-queen-ten-sixth and out, just bid game. Note that this is indistinguishable from a weak jump to game with four-card support; make the opponents proceed at their own risk. Remember, opener is not going to bid again unless forced.
  
• A new suit by an unpassed hand is forcing for one round. It suggests no fit, and at least a six-card suit of your own. Opener will raise your suit with honor-doubleton or more. Otherwise, opener can show a lower-ranking second suit (four or more cards) or just rebid the opening suit. Responder is in charge and will place the contract. This allows for responder to "rescue" a hopeless no-fit situation by bidding a new suit (forcing), and then rebidding it to play; this should be a good seven-card suit for a rescue. Note that a new suit by a passed hand is nonforcing.
  
• If you want more information about partner's hand: Bid 2NT asking for a "feature", an outside ace or king. Opener shows an outside ace or king by bidding that suit (Alert!), or bidding 3NT with AKQTxx ("six solid tricks", Alert!). Otherwise, opener simply rebids her suit. A singleton or void is not a feature; responder might be looking for a outside entry in order to play in notrump, or a fitting honor in a suit of her own. The 2NT feature-ask does not indicate a fit for opener's suit. Responder will place the contract, not necessarily in opener's suit!
• Many pairs prefer that opener not show a feature with a minimum hand; make sure you and partner are on the same page.
• Some pairs prefer to use 2NT as the Ogust convention, asking about opener's overall strength and suit quality. Make sure you and partner are on the same page.
  
• If you have a strong notrump opener or equivalent, you probably belong in game. Consider that if you had opened 1NT, partner will bid game holding an "average" weak two hand. Use the 2NT feature-ask if you think you need more information.
  
• With no fit and no six-card suit of your own, be very cautious. Misfit hands belong in suit contracts; don't bid 3NT with no fit unless you can play all thirteen tricks from your own hand. With a very strong hand -- say, 20 HCP or more -- it's fine to put partner in game on a 6-1 fit.
  

Remember, opener will not bid again unless forced. Responder is the captain, and is in complete control of the rest of the auction. 

EXPERTS MINUTE:
If you have an exceptional hand and just want to go slamming, "Preempt Key Card" is a useful convention. It is standard practice among expert players. After an opening preempt, an immediate 4♣ bid by responder (Alert!) asks about key cards. Opener's responses are steps showing 0-1-1-2-2 as follows: 

      4♦ - no keycards
      4♥ - 1 keycard without trump queen
      4♠ - 1 keycard with trump queen
      4NT - 2 without trump queen
      5♣ - 2 with trump queen

All responses must be Alerted immediately in online play, or after the auction has ended in face-to-face play. Responder will then place the contract, not necessarily in opener's suit! 

Opener will never have three or more keycards; that would be an opening one-bid. Using Preempt Key Card the partnership can find out about keycards without ever going past five of the trump suit, and often staying at the four level with dismal hands.

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