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The Happiest Conversation
That is the happiest conversation where there is no competition, no vanity, but a calm quiet interchange of sentiments. Ever been in one of those conversations where the other guy just won't shut up? Gee is South today. The auction gets off to a fine start, as Gee, with too good a hand for 1NT, opens 1D and rebids 2NT over North's 1S reply. North replies 3H, showing either a highly distributional or very good hand with at least 5-4 in the majors. (If North were 4-4 he would bid the hearts first.) Gee has several possible rebids. 3S would show 3-card spade support. 4D would show his powerful five-bagger. And then there is 3NT, his actual choice, which shows what 2NT showed, plus an ardent desire to play the hand. 4D, by North, completes the description of his hand: he is either 5-4-3-1 or 5-5-3-0 (conceivably 6-4-3-0), with power and slam interest. Gee cues the CA, and North signs off in 6S.
Gee, as he did over 3H, has two choices. He has promised North no more than two spades, perhaps even one, yet North is willing to play in 6S. If North has solid spades then there are 13 tricks in diamonds, provided they break 3-2 or North holds the DJ. 7D is the bold bid. On the other hand North may hold something like AKJ9xx Kxxx xxx void. In this case 6S is pretty cold but 7D depends on picking up the queen. Passing 6S is the conservative bid. Gee chooses the third alternative: 7S. Down 1. The hand is followed by a calm quiet interchange of sentiments: Spec #1: ambitious
Again blaming partner when he is not at fault --
dlaul bid his hand like a bridge player would.
dlaul did bid his hand rather well, but in my
opinion 6C is a better bid over Gee's 5C Q-bid, as it shows a second
round C control, therefore a stiff on the auction, invites a grand,
since it forces a small, and more importantly, offers Gee a choice
of contracts in either pointed suit at either level. It is now easy,
at least for those able to count, to see that a second round C ruff
in dummy in a D contract is a thirteenth trick, whereas nothing is to
be gained in a S contract. Of course, offering Gee a choice is equivalent
to a finesse, being a 50% shot, and offering a choice of levels a further
50%, for a net chance of 25% of attaining the optimum final landing spot.
Some would argue that the percentages are a bit lower, since there is the
possibility of playing in 6C, but an expert of Gee's experience would
hardly be likely to consider that an option.
© 2002-2003 by Aaron Haspel. All rights reserved. |
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