March 2025 - 64

Advanced Players
My Bridge and Yours
BY FRANK STEWART
frs1016@centurylink.net
A
friend of mine vacationed in
Vermont, where the people
are reputed to be taciturn.
After trying unsuccessfully to converse
with some of the locals, he muttered,
" You folks don't have much to
say, do you? "
" We have a rule, " one Vermonter
drawled, " that nobody talks unless he
can improve on silence. "
Bridge players might do well to
adopt that approach. I often hear
players make hasty and ill-considered
comments; for instance, being
critical of their partner when a poor
result was their own fault. Bridge is
You Play, We Pay
an ego-driven game, and a player's
ego can eclipse his good judgment.
In a local club game, neither side is
vulnerable, and as South, the dealer,
I hold:
sQ 3 hJ 6 5 dA K 4 2 cA K Q 6.
I wouldn't quarrel with opening
1d, but my style is to start with 1c
on most hands with four cards in
each minor, and here my clubs are
stronger anyway. I know inveterate
optimists who would open 2NT, but
I see no reason to upgrade this hand,
and I am never eager to open 2NT;
it's a space-consuming call that can
impede game and slam investigation.
As Edgar Kaplan noted, there are few
hands on which partner will respond
to 2NT but pass 1c.
Partner responds 1h. Because my
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spade stopper is dubious, I could
reverse with 2d and show the heart
support next, but that sequence
would show longer clubs and would
suggest spade shortness. Instead, I
jump to 2NT. If we don't belong in
notrump, maybe partner will bid
something else. If his spades are
J-x-x, notrump may be best, and if
they are A-x-x, we may need to play
at notrump from my side.
Partner huddles and jumps to 6NT.
All pass, and West leads the s9.
Dlr: South s K J 10
Vul: None h A K Q 7
d J 7 6
c 5 4 3
s Q 3
h J 6 5
d A K 4 2
c A K Q 6
Call
844-974-0558 Email info@hellogrouper.com
Formerly Element3 Health
64 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2025
West North East
Pass 1h Pass
Pass 6NT
All Pass
When I play dummy's sJ, East takes
the ace and shifts to the d9. I cash the
A-K, but no queen appears. Next, I
take the cA K. Then I run four heart
tricks, discarding a diamond, and take
two spades, pitching my last diamond.
As it happens, the full deal is:
s K J 10
h A K Q 7
d J 7 6
c 5 4 3
s 9 8 7
h 10 8 2
d Q 10 3
c J 10 8 7
s Q 3
h J 6 5
d A K 4 2
c A K Q 6
With two tricks to go, dummy has
a club and the dJ, and I have the
cQ 6, West can't hold the fort, and I
make the slam.
" Just great, partner, " West growls.
" Duck your sA twice. When you took
the ace, you rectified the count for
the squeeze. "
" You'll have to forgive my partner, "
East told me. " He only opens his
mouth to change feet. "
If East ducks two spades, I can -
and I hope I would - continue with
four heart tricks, pitching a diamond.
West has room for seven cards and
will keep four clubs and the dQ 10 3.
Then I can take the top clubs and exit
with the fourth club to endplay him.
The less you say, the less you have
to take back. 2
s A 6 5 4 2
h 9 4 3
d 9 8 5
c 9 2
South
1c
2NT
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March 2025

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