He's BACK!! Yippee ...
From Wednesday 2/11/2016
Match point bridge is all about finding the right contract and making the most of it. And if you end up defending, it is about finding the right defence and limiting declarer to what you can. Board 11 is a good example on both counts.
Board 11 Dealer S Nil Vul
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43
963
QJ64
8743Good bidding is about proper communication, and as much communication as is needed for a good partnership to arrive at the best conclusion. Let's have a look:
West opens 1H. East now knows that they're heading for game, but there is no hurry, so East bids 1S. West rebids 2D (no, NOT 2H) and East continues the conversation by now bidding 3C. This is a new suit at the 3 level and therefore forcing to game. It is also the 'fourth suit' and everybody these days plays 'fourth suit forcing'. East might well have simply jumped to 3NT but that is not getting the most from the bidding. As a general rule, an EIGHT card fit in a major should be played in that suit at game level in preference to playing 3NT. When East bids 3C, West gives East 'secondary' support by bidding 3S. The conversation is still ongoing and East is now happy to go to game in spades rather than No Trumps.
4S is an excellent contract and, with just two trump losers, makes five comfortably. 3NT is ONLY a better game contract if the defence mis-defend, which unfortunately did happen four times. The cause was the Souths making the poor lead of the SIX of clubs and not the QUEEN. The new players simply MUST learn to make proper opening leads. I have seen so many of them lead e.g. the six from KQJ6. UGH!!
The South hand here stands to give too much away by leading the six, and the QUEEN is the proper opening lead. That is because it is guarded by the next card down, the jack, and also the NINE, also a very important card. Fortunately for the pairs that bid to 4S, two of the four declarers who got the lead of the six of clubs against 3NT nevertheless failed to make five, so there was still a lot of reward for being in 4S not in 3NT.
I hope the reader can see two things: the importance of being in the BEST contract, and the importance of being able to COMMUNICATE with partner in the bidding without the need to simply 'have a bash' at crucial stages in the bidding.
