Bridge Blog 1097: Taken to School

Airport Bridge Club manager Bill Finkelstein says he loves to teach this hand, the first one he introduced in the lesson on Wednesday, Aug. 7. It’s easy to see why. It has so many teachable moments.

East is dealer. North-South is vulnerable.

East:

Spades: A-K-6-5-4; Hearts: K-Q-9-8-7; Diamonds: None; Clubs: 7-5-4.

South:

Spades: Q-J-8-7-2; Hearts: 6-4; Diamonds: Q-7-5; Clubs: K-8-3.

West:

Spades: 3; Hearts: A-J-10; Diamonds: K-J-6-4-3-2; Clubs: Q-10-9.

North:

Spades: 10-9; Hearts: 5-3-2; Diamonds: A-10-9-8; Clubs: A-J-6-2.

The Easts have no trouble with their opening bids. All go 1 Spade. Some Wests, however, do not show their Diamonds, as they should have. Some bid 1 No Trump, seeing balance in the rest of their hand. Not a good way to show it.

Easts also have no trouble bidding Hearts properly the second time around. I was East and jumped to 3 Hearts. I want to show strength and a five-card suit, I explain. Wrong. My hand is not strong enough, Bill declares. 2 Hearts is the right overall. West has to respond to the new suit and I have a chance to rebid Hearts to show that I have five of them.

Wests then have a chance to show their six-card Diamond suits, but my partner goes to 2 NT instead. Figuring she has the two minor suits covered, I raise her to 3 NT. Also wrong. North will certainly make a Club lead and it will defeat us.

In the commentary, Bill writes: “As it happens, it matters little whether West rebids 2 NT or 3 Diamonds, as East will rebid 3 Hearts to show five Hearts. Responder revalues his hand and happily raises to game.”

Now we play the hand, with Bill suggesting that good defense will set the 4 Heart contract. Once everyone learns that the 3 of Clubs is the right lead, North-South can take three Club tricks, then lead a Heart to limit ruffs of Spades.

At my table, North wins the first trick with the Ace of Clubs and doesn’t lay down a second Club, like he should. He shifts to the Ace of Diamonds, expecting I might have a singleton. Bad assumption. I ruff, cash the two top Spades (discarding a Club from dummy), discard a Club from my hand on the King of Diamonds and keep on cross-ruffing, making an overtrick. Eight Hearts, two Spades and the Diamond.

In the first two weeks of lessons, I’ve converted all this fresh knowledge into first-place finishes in the game that follows the lesson. Not this time. Partner June Feuerstein and I get taken to school repeatedly. We’re lucky to make 40%. Not dead last (two other pairs are in the 30s), but last among the experienced players in Strat A.