TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS III
Lately I had the nagging feeling that my bridge instincts were getting rusty, my once sharp mind was not so sharp any longer, in short - that I was simply getting old, at least bridgewise. I even refrained from playing bridge using any conceivable excuse, I mean I simply panicked! But last night, after several weeks of avoiding my bridge buddies and hiding behind my answering machine, I got invited to a tournament by an old and dear friend of mine and this time I simply couldn't refuse.
Then the unbelievable happened: all of the sudden, without any reason at all, I felt like my old and almost forgotten self again! Why? There were many good reasons, two of them you'll find below, another and even better one is here.
Deal no. 1:
AQ1086 J963 S W N E
75 N AK864 ----------------------------
J1097 W E 53 1C p 1D p
62 S A7 2C 2S 3C 4S
p p p
It was the first deal of the night, nobody vulnerable. I (East) decided to check my luck, not to bid anything in the first round and let the opponents show their hands. Lucky decision! Why? Because I saw my partner bid 2S in the second round. Then it was really easy: I knew he couldn't have more than 7-8 points and he probably had only 5 spades, otherwise he could have bid 2S (weak) in the first round. Bidding like this with 7 or 8 points and only five card suit, even non vulnerable, promised something more if I assumed my partner was sane (which he was), something like 54 and a good suit, let's say AQ10xx or AK10xx. Most likely he had either two or four hearts, and judging from the bidding the missing spade honor was on side. What else did I need? If my partner had two hearts, 10 tricks seemed very likely. If he had four hearts I needed 2-2 split in hearts. And I bid 4S! South had Kx in spades, hearts were 4-2, the lead was extremely friendly (heart), 4S just made.
Deal no. 2:
5 984 E S W N
93 N AKQJ10 ----------------------------
A1073 W E 8 1H 1S 2C 2S
AKQ852 S 10943 4D p 6C p
p p
I opened the bidding simply because I always do with a major suit that strong, even with a 5332 distribution. 2C as we play it promised at least five card suit and some 9+ points.
When I was to bid for the second time I had an additional information: the opponents had 8, and even more likely 9 spades. And it meant my partner had probably only a singleton! If this was the case, all I needed in order to make 11 tricks in clubs was that his clubs were very good, even without one additional point outside the club suit. But his hand didn't have to be weak at all, it even could look like this: -, xxx, Axxx, AKQxx and we had one beautiful grand slam to make! So I decided to bid as aggressively as I only could, my 4D was a splinter bid and promised exactly one diamond and a good fit (at least four cards) in clubs. Of course I should have had more points, but as I saw it my heart suit made up for the difference. My partner correctly assessed the situation and bid the slam.
Deal no. 3:
Q10xx
Axxxx
x S W N E
109x ------------------------------
1D p 1H p
N 1S p 3S p
W E 4C p 4H p
S 6S p p p
AJ9x
J
AQxxx
AKJ
Well, I couldn't simply have bid less than 3S (limit bid), could I? To say the truth I loved my hand so much that I was seriously tempted to bid 4D instead (splinter, what in our case means exactly singleton diamond, 1-2 Aces, 4+ fit and some 9-12 playing high card points) but after a deep consideration I decided not to mislead my partner.
Then it was easy. His 4C was a que-bid (strictly first round control) as well as my 4H. Then he bid 6S having rightly decided not to try to reach 7S after my not-so-strong limit raise.
After a heart lead I put my cards on the table and one of my opponents asked me why, after such an overbid, I still showed my Ace as if I really had my 3S bid. Well, what could I say but that in my opinion I had at least 3S and maybe more and that once I bid something, even by mistake, I never try to correct it because usually it leads to a disaster...
Now to the bussiness at hand: seven made, since everything was on side and nicely divided.
Deal no. 4:
I know only too well I used to scare potential partners off, I know why and how, I know and have always known how to avoid it but never acted upon this knowledge. Why? Well, I guess a part of me has always been self-destructive, another part liked fun and thrills, and loved to walk on the edge.
This hand is a perfect example how not to bid if you want your partner to trust you. Yes, you guessed correctly, I was East in this hand.
 K x x x x
 -
 Q x x
 K x x x x
|
|
A Q x
J 10 x
A K 10 x x x
x
|
| West | | | East |
|---|
pass
1
3 (2)
3NT (4)
??? (6)
| | |
1
2 (1)
3 (3)
4 (5)
|
(1) - I wanted to play a game here, whatever his hand. Is it that far-fetched, if he has 5 or more spades? I lied, well, rather upgraded (!) my hand a bit.
(2) - Usually 5+ spades and a good hand.
(3) - 6+ diamonds
(4) - The only bid even a beginner should not say with this hand!!! A total disaster. But maybe I deserved it?
(5) - 3-4 spades. In short, I showed something like 3460, 4360 or 3361 with a very strong hand, like another Ace or KQ.
(6) - Should you pass or finally show your diamond fit, or maybe try to reach a slam?
My partner passed (I think he panicked after his own 3NT), 12 tricks, 6 made. And the question is: should I have bid my 2H? At the end it did not pay off, and maybe, just maybe, had I bid more conservatively we would have reached a slam, which by the way was not certain at all... I don't know. You tell me.
Mind you, my instincts were definitely right, but should I have acted upon them? Should we ever, in a successful partnership?
