ING Bank Pro Tour Final 2000

Hoofddorp, Hotel Schiphol A4

June 10 - Session 02

Boards 01-05

Recommended bidding sequence:

South opens 4©, for with an 8-card suit, an ace and a singleton he needs little ©-support to take at least 8. East keeps the auction going, for west lamost for sure possesses a hand he wanted to open with at the 1-level. Of course, 4NT has nothing to do with asking for aces. It forces west to chose one of the lower unbid suits. After 5§ north bids 5© expecting this stands a fair chance. Indeed, south makes 11 tricks just like that. 5§ goes for only 300 against the best defense: ¨A, ªK, ¨ ruffed, and ©A.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1NT goes off one, when south, after a ª-lead for the ace, and on back for the queen, shifts to a © against some dogma's. That way, he develops 2 ©-tricks for north, no matter what west does in trick 2. After §A, defense quickly cashes the setting trick.

Alternative bidding sequence:

1 = Negative, 4-card ª-suit or opening strength.
2 = Jump cue is limit raise or better.
3 = South has just too little to go on, although that would not be a mortal sin at this type game.

West can beat the ª-game right from the beginning by leading ¨K, or to shift to ¨ after ©A, so that he can ruff the third round of diamonds. Even a §-lead will do it: §A, 3 rounds of trumps, ©A, §B ruffed in dummy, ©K, ©Q, ¨J for the king, § forced to ruff in hand, and east still gets ¨A and §T.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1 = If south can hold a hand like this, e.g., without a 4-card major, this should be alerted and called Stayman rélay.

East leads a ª against this close game. North ducks twice and brings east in again with §A. East takes his fourth ª mee and shifts a small ©. Unfortunately, even a north that misreads the ©-position, still makes 9 tricks, thanks to the coming down of §J and ¨J.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1 = Our variation of Multi 2¨ contains a NT-hand with 26-27 hcp.
2 = Weak relay.
3 = NT-hand, 26-27 hp.
4 = Puppet Stayman.
5 = 5©332.
6 = Roman Key Card Blackwood for ©.
7 = (2 or) 5 out of 5 aces plus ©Q.
8 = Asks for kings.
9 = Promises ¨K (or else, in the variation of Jan Jansma, Frans Jeunen and Rob van Wel, ªK and §K). We thought to have found the solution for this hand by bidding 7¨ right here. Indeed that can only be understood than possession of both ¨K and ¨Q, but 7¨ works out badly, if east holds for example the 5-card suit §. Conventions and gadgets are nice, but don't give your partner the hand that will make them work. It should always be the other way around.
10 = East does not know that west also has ¨Q has. West at his turn does not know east holds a 5-card suit ¨. That ends the story.

There is nothing to the play; everybody makes 13 tricks.

Recommended bidding sequence:

1 = Whoever passes with this 4-count, is more of a believer than teh pope himself. Walsh-adepts must alert, for north virtually denies a 4-card major.
2 = If all of the sudden, south shows up with 19 hcp: too bad!

East starts ªA and shifts ¨ for the king. West returns ª to the ten, so east can play another small trump. Now north knocks out ©A, but west prevents the overtrick by insisting in ª. Dummy must ruff with the ace, so east will get ¨Q. If north goes after ¨Q first, east will make ªQ instead.

The way cards are, north can still make an overtrick by rising with ¨A in trick 2, and knock out ©A next.

At matchpoints west will make a re-opening double, though his pattern is far from ideal for such action, but at imps, he should allow 2¨ to be played. ING finalists get far better defense than declarers at the local club, but that does not keep one west from giving up on this batle for partscore.

East makes 3ª easily. After §A, § ruffed, ¨A, another § ruffed, and © for the ace, defensive trick taking is over with. East draws two rounds of trumps, dumps ©-losers on §KQ, en makes four more tricks in a crossruff.

Three tables develop a sequence like this:

1NT promises a balanced hand with 11-14 hp, but east does not have to have a §-stopper. It takes a ©-lead to beat this game contract.

Go to June 10, Session 02, Boards 06-10

Copyright © 2000 by Michel Franssen