Disaster!
Well, here it is, the most wrongheaded, convention-laden, screwed-up sequence that ever missed a cold slam. I've never seen a more flagrant misuse of conventions and doubt if you ever will. Eleven spades and six hearts and they wind up in . . . they wind up in . . . hearts?
|
 K 5 |
|
 A K 9 6 5 |
|
 A K 9 5 |
|
 A K |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J 2 |
|
Q 7 4 3 |
|
J 6 2 |
|
Q J 6 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
| Pass |
Pass |
1 * |
Pass |
| 1 * |
Pass |
1 * |
Pass |
| 2 * |
Pass |
2 * |
Pass |
| 3 * |
Pass |
3 * |
Pass |
| 3 * |
Pass |
4 * |
Pass |
4 * |
Pass |
4 NT* |
| 5 * |
Pass |
6 |
All pass |
| * Alerted |
Thirteen bids, the first twelve alerted! I thought I'd seen everything with this hand,, nine bids, eight alerted. But these fellows went that pair 4 bids more only to wind up in a decidely inferior contract that no one else was in. As for what the bids mean, I wouldn't begin to guess, except for the opening club bid, which is obviously a short club forcing bid, as in Precision, where you must have 16 hcp's to make that bid. If one heart (alerted) doesn't mean a heart suit, I guess we can understand why South didn't give an immediate raise with a good heart fit, and if 3 hearts doesn't finally mean a good heart suit, we can again understand why South didn't announce a good fit. But when do you get around to bidding a natural suit?
Actually, I've gotta suspect that 3 hearts meant a good heart suit, for you've gotta get around to bidding your good suits one of these days, but that's only a suspicion.
Oh, by the way. I don't often look at players' self-ranking. Only in the most egregious of cases do I allow myself a look, and this was one of them, and, yes, they both -- that's both -- tell us they're experts. I don't mean to ridicule them, but I have known players who put more capital in learning a lot of conventions, as if that made them sophisticated players, overlooking the more nitty-gritty matters, such as announcing a good fit and simple counting. And I can only say that nothing beats finding a good fit, particularly a major suit and cooperating with your partner by announcing it. Oh, yes, bidding isn't all that simple. But it's a good start. Anyway, they got to the right level! The hand does make 6 hearts by virtue of the A of spades being onsides.