ING Bank Pro Tour Final 2000

Hoofddorp, Hotel Schiphol A4

June 10 - Session 01

Boards 11-15

Recommended bidding sequence:

North has more than enough strength, but not the shape for a re-opening double.

East should lose 6 tricks: 2 in ©, 3 in §, and 1 in ¨. He can avoid the ª-loser by leading twice from dummy. If north doesn't split, he inserts the ten, and if north does split, he returns to dummy to lead to the ten once more.

Recommended bidding sequence:

After wests opening, north forgets about any slam, and just overcalls 4ª. West balances with 5§. East knows there is a 5-3 §-fit, which is always better than a 5-2 or 6-2 ¨-fit. South looks at too many losers to bid 5ª at unfavorable vulnerability.

Against proper defense, west yields a § and a ©, for example: © to ten, king and ace, §A, §K, ¨K, ¨J, and whether north ruffs or not, west will always sbe able to ruff a ¨, and set up the rest of that suit.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1: In case we don't already play 2© as forcing to game, we follow recommendation of Berry Westra in Bidding with Berry volume 1: "Play 3© as stronger than 4©. Now and then, you find yourself in game with 23 hcp between you and partner, but that's the price you are willing to pay."

West starts §A and continues ©Q for the king. A clairvoyant south ruffs a § in dummy, finesses with ¨Q and ¨T, unblocks with ¨A, ruffs another §, plays ªJ and ªQ to the ace, leads ªK, and makes the 2 more tricks he needs, no matter how EW defend. Visitors of this site do know how.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1 = Multi-colored
2 = Weak relay
3 = Strong takeout, because north has too much strength for other actions, and opponents have not yet bid a real suit he could cuebid to force the bidding.
4 = Weak-2 in ª. Partnerships who have agreed this could be done on less than 5 or more than 11 hcp, must report this on their conventions cards explicitly. If east may hold a 5- or 7-card suit, he is using a 'brown multi', which is only permitted at higher levels of competition, and then only when the opponents have been notified in writing at least 8 days in advance, according to precendents of international and national appeals committees.
5 = World convention, i.e. ¨ and a major, in this case ©. North doubled for takeout first, and therefore has a 19⁺ hand.
6 = Roman KeyCard Blackwood, 1403-variation. Designates ¨ as trump suit. 4ª would show interest in a ©-slam, but such details have to be agreed on first.
7 = 1 or 4 of 5 aces.
8 = Asks for queen of trumps, and kings in side suits at the same time.
9 = North has ¨Q and ©K, maar can't show that king without bypassing 6¨. 6¨ itself would deny ¨Q.
10 = Ultimate attempt for grand slam.
11 = Takes his new opportunity to shows ©K.
12 = In that case, 7¨ must have lots of chances.

East starts trumps. North tests © to break 4-3, or ©Q to drop. If not, he cashes all of his winners, and proceeds with a high crossruff. He runs more risks when he tests clubs to break 4-3. With his weak-2, east is more likely to be short in §, than west in ©.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1 = South forces game with this high reverse, for NS have at least 24 hcp between them.
2 = Designates ª as trump suit, and certainly stronger than 4ª, which would be fast arrival.
3 = First or second round §-control. North already knows south holds §K.
4 = Roman KeyCard Blackwood.
5 = 2 out of 5 aces, denies queen of trumps.
6 = North misses 2 of 6 keycards. He therefore stays out of slam.

If south still gets to this slam against the odds, he must play very careful: © for king and ace, © ruffed, ªJ-K-A, ª for the queen, § for the king, ª9, ¨K, ¨A, ¨ ruffed, and he crosses to his good ¨ with §A. If he crosses to §A in trick 2, east blows §Q out of dummy, such that south can no longer reach his good ¨.

Go to June 10, Session 01, Boards 16-20

Copyright © 2000 by Michel Franssen