April 2023 - 68

Advanced Players
My Bridge and Yours
I
n a regional compact knockout,
I have a capable partner and
opponents who, as Terence Reese
would have written, will not miss any
chances. On an early deal, only our
side is vulnerable, and as South, the
dealer, I hold:
K 2 kK Q 10 9 8 2 l K 7 4 ' A J.
I open 1k, and my partner raises to
2k. The opponents are silent.
I know about one theory in this
situation: When your partner raises
your major-suit opening to two, you
bid game on almost any hand with
a six-card suit. I could understand
that approach better at matchpoints:
A leap to game might work as an
" anticipatory sacrifice. " Still, we are
vulnerable, and I do have more to gain
by bidding game.
Suppose we stop at 3k, making
three, and at the other table they go
down one at 4k. We would be +100
and +140, a gain of 6 IMPs. But if we
are +620 at 4k, and they are +170
in the replay, we gain 10 IMPs. So,
the odds favor bidding a speculative
game when vulnerable. (Those odds
assume we won't go down more than
one and won't be doubled. They also
assume a long match; in a one-board
match, they wouldn't apply at all.)
In fact, my hand is strong enough
to attempt a game under any circumstance,
so I jump to 4k. All pass, and
West leads the Q.
BY FRANK STEWART
frs1016@centurylink.net
 A 7 3
k A J 7 4
l 6 3 2
' 10 9 2
 K 2
k K Q 10 9 8 2
l K 7 4
' A J
West North East
Pass 2k Pass
South
1k
4k
All Pass
That's a maximum of a dummy; if I
go down, I will have to explain why.
It looks as if I need either the lA
with East or a fortunate lie of the
clubs. I can take the A and lead a
club to my jack, gaining if East has
doubleton honor. A loser-on-loser
endplay is also possible if West has
the 'K Q, though then he might have
led the 'K.
Come to think of it, I see an extra
chance if East has the 'K Q, and I
think that is quite possible. I am at
risk only if West has the lA, but if he
held a hand such as:
Q J 1 0 x kx x lA Q x x 'K x x,
he would have doubled 1k. So, at the
first trick, I let West's Q win. It's a
break-even play: I'm trading my club
loser for a spade loser. I win the next
spade with the king, lead a trump to
dummy and return the '2.
East plays the king, and I take the
ace, draw trumps with the K-A, discard
my 'J on the A and lead the
'10. If East plays low, I will discard
a diamond - another loser on a loser
- but he puts up the queen. I ruff,
lead a trump to dummy and discard a
diamond on the '9. I lead a diamond
to my king next and am happy to see
West take the A-Q, holding me to 10
tricks. The full deal:
Dlr: South  A 7 3
Vul: N-S k A J 7 4
l 6 3 2
' 10 9 2
 Q J 10 8
k 6 3
l A Q 8
' 8 6 4 3
 9 6 5 4
k 5
l J 10 9 5
' K Q 7 5
 K 2
k K Q 10 9 8 2
l K 7 4
' A J
Our result of +620 gained us 1 IMP,
but I wasn't sure we deserved it. At
the other table, North-South began
with 1k-2k again, but then South
jumped to 3NT, a call that didn't
cross my mind but maybe should
have. North passed with his balanced
hand and aces, and the notrump game
proved to be a snap. West led the Q,
and South won in dummy and led a
club. East split his honors, so South
took the ace and cashed his nine
tricks for +600.
68 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2023
April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023
