Report – DN Mixed Pairs
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National Division Mixed Pairs.
Here you are in the seat of Irene Baroni, Italian champion and recent winner of the National Division Mixed Pairs, together with her husband Thomas Bessis.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. BESSIS | BARONI | ||
| 2♥ | Pass | ||
| 3♥ | Dble | Pass | 3♠ |
| Pass | 4♠ |
Contract: 4 Spades by South.
West leads the ♥5.
What does your problem boil down to?
You must avoid losing two trump tricks in addition to the two Clubs promised to the defense.
Where is the King of Spades?
East has opened a weak two in Hearts, it follows that he has few points and is more likely than his partner to be short in Spades, according to the theory of empty spaces. What is more, West did not lead a top Club, so he does not have Ace-King and East holds a top honor in Clubs. This further decreases the probability that he holds the King of Spades.
What distribution must you guard against?
If Spades are 3-1 or 4-0 with KJ or KJ in West’s hand, you must find a way to get to your hand to be able to play the Queen of Spades for a forcing finesse against West.
And what about communications?
The only imaginable way to enter your hand is a Club ruff.
Therefore, what do you do after the Ace of Hearts at trick one?
As unnatural as it may seem, you must, as Irene did, wisely play a small Club from dummy at trick two. The defense wins and duly plays a Diamond. You win and quickly play another Club.
The defense insists with another wicked Diamond…
Now, you ruff dummy’s third Club and triumphantly lay down the Queen of Spades. West covers with the King, so you win with the Ace and let West score his Jack of Spades, good lord, before claiming the rest of the tricks.
Could you have started by playing a small Spade from dummy towards the 10?
This approach has two pitfalls. Indeed, if West wins the 10 of Spades with the Jack and plays back a Diamond on each occasion, he may end up getting a ruff. East will win the second round of Clubs and can then give his partner a Diamond ruff.
And the second pitfall?
You are playing pairs and don’t want to miss out on eleven tricks if, by chance, East should hold the singleton Jack of Spades!
Post-mortem
Irene made her game contract and scored 74% on this deal, an excellent result that rewarded her careful play.
Variations on a hand
What is your bid as West?
♠ A843
♥ 7
♦ KQ742
♣ 942
1.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♥ | Pass | ||
| 1♠ | Pass | 2♣ | Pass |
| ? |
Pass: For want of a satisfactory alternative. Be careful, 2♦ would be fourth suit forcing. As for 2NT, that bid would require around 11HCP. The absence of an obvious fit should encourage you to be cautious.
2.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♥ | Pass | ||
| 1♠ | Pass | 2♠ | Pass |
| ? |
3♦: A legitimate trial bid with 11-12HLD. You show values in the minor you bid. This is more descriptive than 2NT, a generalized trial bid. That way, your partner will tend to slow down if he has Diamond shortness. On the other hand, if his shortness is in Clubs… banzaï for bidding game!
3.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 1♠ | Pass |
| ? |
3♦: Your initial Pass “unlocks” precise bids that otherwise would not be available to you… in particular a fit showing jump shift! This bid describes your hand accurately because it shows a four-card support in Spades and a good five-card suit in Diamonds.
4.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | Pass | ||
| 2♣ | Pass | 2♦ | Pass |
| 3♦ | Pass | 3♥ | Pass |
| ? |
3NT: Following your natural and game forcing 3♦ bid, East is supposed to show his stoppers. Since he holds a Heart stop, which is your main concern, you can now bid 3NT. Don’t say 3♠, you would give the impression of having a real problem in Clubs, like a singleton. Your partner has opened 1NT and does not have a four-card major, so he will have some Clubs for you…
5.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♥ | Pass | ||
| 1♠ | 2♣ | Dble | 3♣ |
| ? |
3♦: This competitive auction is called “Canapé” and suggests playing this contract, showing only four Spades and five or six cards in Diamonds. With a stronger hand, you would have doubled.
6.
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♣ | 2NT(*) | 3♠ | |
| ? |
4♠: Your partner has shown a beautiful two-suiter in Hearts and Diamonds. If you thought of saying 5♦, know that this is a commendable bid. But with superb five-card support, an outside Ace and a singleton, it is possible to make a cue-bid, to show your control in Spades and a good hand. If your partner says 5♦, you’ll obviously pass. If he bids 5♣ (control), you continue with 5♦, feeling you’ve done enough and giving him the opportunity to bid the slam if he so wishes.
