The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 27th, 2015
Bobbing and weaving are methods and maneuvers by which we bend ethics, water down morals, and parse down values to serve our agendas.
Craig D. Lounsbrough
| N | North |
|---|---|
| N-S | ♠ A K 9 8 6 4 ♥ A ♦ Q 8 2 ♣ Q 10 4 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ Q J 7 ♥ K 9 2 ♦ A 9 4 3 ♣ K J 5 |
♠ 5 3 ♥ 8 7 5 3 ♦ K J 10 7 5 ♣ 9 2 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ 10 2 ♥ Q J 10 6 4 ♦ 6 ♣ A 8 7 6 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♠ | Pass | ||
| 1 NT | Pass | 2 ♠ | Pass |
| 3 ♣ | Pass | 4 ♣ | Pass |
| 4 ♦ | Pass | 4 ♥ | Pass |
| 5 ♣ | All pass |
♦A
Today’s deal comes to me in the form of an ethical question. What should you do if you believe partner has forgotten the system?
Declarer, a top professional was using a complex system of transfers after the one no-trump response, but was aware that her partner did not know it as well as she would have liked. The deal came up in a club duplicate, with North’s two spade call a transfer to clubs!
South correctly alerted it, but was fairly sure that her partner had forgotten. She felt her hand was so suitable for a club slam that she could not ethically try to get back to spades – even though they were playing matchpoints. After she raised clubs, she landed in what she fully expected to be an unappetizing spot.
When West led the diamond ace and switched to a heart, South won the ace, ruffed a diamond and ran the heart queen. When it held, she played a club to the 10, a club to the ace and took another ruffing heart finesse. West covered, so declarer ruffed, trumped a diamond, and all West could make was his trump trick.
South opened the travelling score slip with little confidence, but to her surprise the rest of the field were making just nine tricks in spade games or partscores. The hand doesn’t play so well in spades by North. After a club lead and continuation, the defenders will surely come to four tricks whatever declarer tries. A trump lead will also leave declarer with an impossible task.
As a passed hand you should have no concern about driving to game – your partner will not play you for the earth. But you have too much side-suit shape for a jump to four hearts. Depending on partnership style, a jump to four diamonds is either a splinter or a fit-jump by a passed hand. If you play the latter style, then bid four clubs, to help partner decide what to do over the opponents’ bid of four spades.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ 10 2 ♥ Q J 10 6 4 ♦ 6 ♣ A 8 7 6 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 1 ♥ | 2 ♠ |
| ? |
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That’s music to my ears, Bateer. But, this is not a concert.
Hi Bobby, Judy,
Proof that virtue can be rewarded although my bad habit of forgetting modified Ghestem (3C over 1D, H, S shows either C&H or D&S, whichever opener hasn’t bid) keeps on happening when I have clubs and doze off. Partner blasts off in one of the suits so I refuse to run back to clubs and pay the drinks bill. More worryingly, the curse of the 14th diamond struck again tonight as I dropped a few % in an OK spot by counting diamonds as 7-2-1-4. It isn’t TOCM but I’m getting nervous.
regards,
Iain