October 2004

GAMBLING NOTRUMP

You are South, not vulnerable, and draw this hand:

S) 4
H) Q J 3
D) Q 5
C) A K Q 10 6 3 2

You have a near-solid seven club tricks but nothing else unless partner has help. You would open 1C but East gets in first with a 1H opener, thus:

WEST     NORTH      EAST     SOUTH (you)
pass          pass           1 Heart       ??

What to do now?   A common choice would be a 2C overcall, but this lacks imagination.   This deal was played in the 1995 world championship between USA and Canada.   Canada's Joey Silver was South.   Silver reasoned that, while 2C would be a reasonable contract, it is unlikely that the opponents would let him have it.   On the other hand, in a notrump contract, West would lead hearts to his partner (don’t we always lead partner’s suit?) so Silver could likely win an eighth trick with the heart queen.   Silver jumped to 3 NT, hoping North would produce one trick for him, but if not, he was willing to go down one.

Sitting West was USA's formidable Eric Rodwell.   Rodwell was so certain that Silver would have a heart stopper that he decided to lead the diamond three.   Here is what Silver had to work with:

  NORTH  (Dummy)      SOUTH  (Silver)
  S) K 10 5 3 2               S) 4
  H) 6 4                          H) Q J 3
  D) A J 10                     D) Q 5
  C) 9 5 4                       C) A K Q 10 6 3 2

Silver was very fortunate that dummy had some values, especially these good diamonds.   Even so, he could only count eight tricks unless Rodwell was leading away from the diamond king.   Does anyone lead away from a king if it can be avoided?

Silver could take the ace of diamonds, run clubs, then hope for a heart or spade trick at the end.   Or he could finesse diamonds immediately, running the risk of losing a diamond, two hearts and some number of spades.   Silver decided that Rodwell just might lead from the diamond king, so he played low and his queen won.   Next he ran seven clubs and successfully finessed diamonds again to take 10 tricks in all.

Such is the anatomy of the gambling 3 NT.

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

Drawing on psychology, the novice bridge teacher said, “anyone who feels stupid, please stand up.”   After a few seconds, one gentleman stood up.   The teacher asked, “do you think you’re stupid, sir?”   “No ma’am”, he said, “I just hate to see you standing there all by yourself”.

BridgeSnaps newsletter is produced by John S. Thomas, author of Standard American 21.