It is a foggy, rainy and grey day, perfect weather to play bridge in the old farmhouse that Hans Melchers turned into a bridge home. Despite or maybe because of the weather, it looks quite nice as long as your are inside. We don’t get to see much though, this is 2nd division, round 2 and 3 of 13, 24 board matches and you better pay attention.
From the first match this hand. When you hear both pairs announce 650, one usually thinks that the hand is a boring wash. Not today:
At our table, I started with 1♦ (11-17, 4+♦ and always unbalanced, possibly with 4♦-5♣), 1♥ overcall, X from partner. We play that as 4+♠ and 1♦-(1♥)-1♠ as 6-9 with no other bid. This is a method favored by the Dutch team after analyzing the standard approach of 1♦-(1♥)-X as 4♠ and 1♦-(1♥)-1♠ as 5+. They feel that the new approach is much more flexible. The method didn’t work out that well here when west raised to 4♥. I cannot do anything else but pass. Partner did bid 4♠ but without any confidence that this was the right call. All passed, west led a heart. The hand is easy to play, making an overtrick when somebody ducked the ♣A in an attempt to defeat the contract, NS +650.
After a similar start, our teammates did not follow the rule that the 5 level belongs to the opponents and bid 5♥, duly doubled by NS. Now the spotlight turned on south. The hand can be defeated on a club lead or switch in time but that was not found. 5♥X making means EW +650, and, no, dear opponents, you don’t score those 650 and 650 as a wash. That was about the difference in the match, 18-12 in VP’s for us.
After lunch, 24 more boards, against a new team in this event. This was the most interesting hand of the day:
At our table, the action started pass on your right and you open 1♦, 11-17, 4+ and always unbalanced. Pass, 1♥ from partner and 2♠ on your right. This is not a support double situation and your options are double (strong hand) or 3♣ (natural, typically 5-5). 3♣ is a good hand, as you play good-bad 2NT and competitive hands with 5-5 in the minors are bid through 2NT.
You bid 3♣. Next hand passes and partner raises to 4♣. That is good news but what next? I tried 4♥ as a cuebid and partner... passed. Partner did make 4♥ with 3 overtricks, for a 3 imp pickup against 5♣ at the other table but this didn’t feel right. Should I have bid something else? 4♦ (kickback RKC) didn’t sound right on this hand and 4♠ basically endplays partner into bidding 5♣ regardless of his hand. That is one for discussion later.
The hand was too difficult for the whole group anyway, as nobody managed to reach slam. Of course, when analyzing the hands, I’m surprised that the opponents didn’t bid much more than a simple 2♠. After 2♠-something-4♠ or similar, it is almost impossible to get this right.
The opponents didn’t put is much in our way on the other hands either and we won the match easily by some 50 imp’s or 24-6. 61 VP from 3 matches, a good start of the season.