#3 - Hugh's 'Hand of the Week' - Tuesday 14 June 2022

8 members convened after bridge to discuss a number of hands, and we also discussed rescue bids after 1NT doubled….

1. Particularly after a weak Acol 1NT opening, a rescue plan is important in the event you are doubled. A common method discussed suggests responder redoubles to shops weakness and a 5-card suit (opener bids 2C, pass or correct; 2 of a suit shows the lower of 2 4-card suits and weak, and opener either passes with 3 or 4 or bids their lowest 4 card suit; pass by responder shows either comfort in playing 1NTX, or else a 4,3,3,3 hand with nowhere to go (the pass puts pressure on LHO who might bid if nervous).
   
   
2. The Law of Total Tricks (LOTT) says that in a competitive bidding situation, a partnership is unlikely to suffer on the scoreboard if they bid to the “level of their fit” (i.e. total number of trumps…..if you have 8 between you, bid to the 2 level, if 9 bid to the 3 level, etc.). This is a very useful guide in competitive bidding, and was seen to good effect in hands #21 (EW bid to 3D, sacrificing against NS bidding 3H); #22 (EW bidding to 3H, over NS’s 3D…actually makes 4 but hard to bid); and #11 (see below).
   
   
3. Preempts featured again - #23 (N bids 3S over W’s 3H opener, S does well to pass); #24 (N opens 1D, E bids 4C, EW compete to 5C, but not over S’s 5D, a good decision.)
   
   
4. The only slams were hard to bid…#1 (a misfit, hard to bid and harder to make) and #6 (should be in game, either 5D or 3NT, but 6D very hard to bid).

Hand of the Week  #11

S opens 1S, W overcalls 2H. N does well to jump to 4S (LOTT, above, if opening 5 card majors), and E tries 5H (again, as it happens, fulfils LOTT). At our table, N bid 2S, E 4H, and if S bids 4S, W has an easy 5H bid (LOTT again). The play is straightforward in 5H, losing a spade and a diamond and cross-ruffing after taking out trumps.

To review the hand records for the session on Tuesday 14 June 2022 ... click here