Look at South's hand. North opens 1D (playing Precision, this is < 15 points and could be as short as two). What's your response?
| Dealer: N Vul: Both |
North ♠ AK10x ♥ Jxxx ♦ Ax ♣ xxx |
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| West ♠ Qxx ♥ KQx ♦ xxxxx ♣ Ax |
East ♠ xxx ♥ A10xxx ♦ Jxxx ♣ Jx |
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| Me ♠ Jxx ♥ 7 ♦ KQx ♣ KQ109876 |
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| Bidding: | 1D*-? | HTML Bridge Hand Layout Creator |
I imagine that many standard bidders would pass with the North hand, but with 12 points, partner is always going to open a precision 1D. Now what do you bid with the South hand?
| Dealer: N Vul: Both |
North ♠ AJxx ♥ KJxx ♦ xxx ♣ QJ |
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| West ♠ xx ♥ 9xx ♦ xxxx ♣ Kxxx |
East ♠ KQ10x ♥ AQ10x ♦ ♣ 10xxxx |
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| Me ♠ xxx ♥ xx ♦ AKQJxx ♣ Ax |
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| Bidding: | 1D*-? | HTML Bridge Hand Layout Creator |
I bid 2D, which is also a 2/1 response showing 12+ points and partner again puts us in 3NT. East leads her fourth highest club and partner plays low from dummy. When the king of clubs is onside and west switches accurately to the 9 of hearts (breaking up any squeeze or throw-in play), partner has only 8 tricks. This, too, turns out to be a Precision Zero. Normally, North's tenaces need to be protected, so it makes sense that he declares 3NT, but on this hand, if South plays in 3NT, west's likely lead is a club and declarer comes to 9 tricks.
I am not a Precision player, but I can see in the South hand on first board some danger signs about ending in notrump: in particular the absence of fast tricks (aces), suggesting the favoring of a suit contract, where one has more time to knock out the aces and establish the slower tricks after ruffing in on the opponents.
ReplyDeleteThat danger sign causes me to question what was the rest of the auction after the 1D-2C start? If opener next bid 2NT to show a "weak notrump" hand, did your hand repeat the clubs or raise to 3NT? Repeating the clubs seems best to me, and might clue partner in to avoid repeating his notrump message ... but I am just speculating, since I do not know the rest of the auction after you bid 2C.
The second hand, OTOH, just strikes me as bad luck.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteIt went 1D-2C-3NT. I'd stretched to bid 2C (12+ points, 6+ clubs), and partner thought he could count 9 tricks (6 clubs, 2 spades, 1 diamond), so he bid 3NT.
The auction could have gone 1D-2C-2NT-3C (all pass), but both of us were being aggressive on this board.
Lak
I don't understand the chosen 3NT call at all: if 3NT describes a weak notrump hand, then what does 2NT describe?
ReplyDeleteEven if 3C over a 2NT rebid by opener were still game forcing, I don't think North should bid 3NT at his next turn when he has no helping club card. 3D seems right to me over 3C. If you had running clubs and a minimum, you might then choose to gamble on 3NT ... but should not on the given hand, had partner given you a choice. Whether the partnership ends in 4C or 5C thereafter is an issue, but at least 3NT should be avoided.
Some players used 3C over 1D to show an invitional hand with clubs. That treatment would work well on hand No. 1. You give up a strong jump shift, but that's not a major loss imo.
ReplyDelete