Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The law of total tricks is not really a law

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the law of total tricks is not really a law.  Unlike, say, Newton's second law of motion, the law of total tricks is rather empirical.

Playing Precision and rather weak openings, I pick up this hand as dealer (red against white):
W
Me
AJ9xx
xx
xx
KQxx
What do you bid?

I am rather proud of myself, because I passed. I didn't talk myself into opening the balanced 10 point hand.

Lefty opened 1D and partner overcalled 1S.  Righty passed.  What do you bid now?

Well, we do have 10 trumps. But on the other hand, I have a balanced hand. I decided to be disciplined (I still can't believe it!) and bid only 2D.  We play the cuebid as a limit raise of spades.  Partner bid 2S and I passed.
W
West
AJ9xx
xx
xx
KQxx
Lead: K
E
East
KQxxx
xxx
Axx
Jx

"My good decision of the day," I joked to my partner, when he made 3S.  "Well don't stop now," he replied. My optimism about this board was well placed -- 2S making 3 was worth almost all of the match-points since the field was in 4S. One pair of defenders forgot to cash their heart tricks, so we didn't get a cold top.

Unfortunately, we couldn't sort out the law and the defensive potential of the hand properly on this very similar 10-trump hand.  This time, right-hand opponent dealt and opened 1D.  What do you with my hand (as West, white on red)?
W
Me
Q9xxx
Jxx
Jxx
AK
Lead: 3
E
Pard
A10xxx
Kx
xx
J987

I decided to overcall 1S.  This is probably not the best decision, since I don't really want spades led. But the vulnerability is favorable and the boss suit beckoned. I gave in to the temptation.

Partner raised me to 4S.  How do you play this thing on the lead of a low diamond?  South takes the top two diamonds and leads back a low club.  I played a low spade to the Ace.  Both opponents followed, but the king did not drop.  I cashed the club Ace, ruffed a diamond on the board. then played a club and South's  queen dropped. I then played a spade to South's king, but he was now endplayed -- all he could get was his ace of hearts. So, 4S was down 1.  A lot of work for an average board!

2 comments:

  1. On the second deal, your partner should have taken a lesson from your bid on the first.

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    Replies
    1. I think there is enough blame to go around on the second deal.

      My overcall was not great. Consider a hand I could have held:
      KQxxx xxx Axx Qx
      i.e. pretty much what partner had for his overcall on the first. Then, they are likely to make 4H and partner needs to jack up the auction.

      But perhaps 3S would have been enough to cram the auction; after all, North had passed.

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