CHAPTER ♣2

Making a bid without pause after a STOP from Right Hand Opponent

It was a warm and humid Summer evening. Leo and Linda had cycled to the club and, bathing in perspiration, took their seats for the first round of the weekly duplicate. They faced Gert and Gertrude, a tiny hairdresser weighing less than 60 kilos and a good-natured farmer's wife of more than 120 kilos. This was the first hand:

N/-	♠ Q 4 2 ♥ K 7 ♦ Q 9 8 5 3 ♣ Q 8 4
♠ J 10 9 5 ♥ 10 9 8 4 2 ♦ 6 ♣ J 7 3	N W         E S	♠ A K 7 6 3   ♥ A Q J 5   ♦ 4   ♣ A 10 9
	♠ 8 ♥ 6 3 ♦ A K J 10 7 2 ♣ K 6 5 2
West Gert -   3 ♠ *   pass   pass	North Linda pass   ...pass   pass   pass	East Gertrude 1 ♠   4 ♠   double	South Leo 2 ♦   5 ♦   pass
* 2-5 points, four spades

Gertrude opened 1♠, and Leo overcalled 2♦. Gert bid STOP 3♠, and Linda paused for a couple of seconds before passing. Gertrude considered her hand strong enough for game in spite of Gert's preemptive call, and Leo went into deep thought.

Linda had waited correctly after Gert's jump bid, but she normally never did this! She found all this waiting an utter waste of time and usually bid without pause after a STOP. Why had she suddenly deviated from this habit? Apparently she had something to think about, a good diamond fit and some values perhaps. Leo decided to take the plunge, and shamelessly took out Gertrude's 4♠ with 5♦! Gertrude doubled, and Gert led ♠J.

Linda put down her dummy, and Leo contented himself with his correct judgement about the big diamond fit. But it would still be a tough battle to restrict his losses to 2 down. East-West could doubtlessly make 4♠, but if he went 3 down himself he would score a bottom.

Suddenly Leo spotted a possibility to lose just one club trick! For that, he had to start by covering Gert's ♠J lead with dummy's ♠Q. Gertrude won with ♠K and continued with ♠A. Leo ruffed high, crossed to ♦9 and ruffed dummy's last spade high. He continued with ♥3 from his hand, and when Gert produced ♥8 he played low in dummy! Gertrude almost certainly had ♥A, and dummy's seemingly worthless ♥K had the noble task of making sure that East had to win the second round of hearts.

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N/-	♠ - ♥ K ♦ Q 8 5 3 ♣ Q 8 4
♠ 10 ♥ 10 9 4 2 ♦ - ♣ J 7 3	N W         E S	♠ 7 6   ♥ A Q J   ♦ -   ♣ A 10 9
	♠ - ♥ 6 ♦ J 10 2 ♣ K 6 5 2

In with the ♥8 Gert hastily switched to the ♣J, but it was too late. Leo captured the trick with ♣K and played a heart to dummy's carefully preserved ♥K. Gertrude had to win with ♥A, but then had to play a club or concede a ruff and discard. She chose eventually for ♥Q, but Leo ruffed in hand and discarded a club from dummy. He had to lose only one more trick to the ♣A, and a few moments later he was relieved to enter 5♦ doubled -2 on the score sheet.

"Nice bidding and nice play", said Linda with a subtle smile. "4♠ is on for East-West, so -300 is a good bargain. 5♦ goes 3 down on a heart or a club lead, but that is hard to find..."

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Dummy playing a card on own initiative

In the second round Leo and Linda met Beatrice-Bernadette Bryznyvkova-Bendykovska and Piotr. She was a beautiful Polish with a French mother, and had fled from Krakau to Stadskanaal during the early 80-ties because playing bridge was prohibited under the local communistic regime. She was a competent card player, but she was afraid of her own shadow due to her dominant mother and the repressive Polish authorities. No one could pronounce her name let alone remember it, so every one called her Timid Bea. Her last penalty double dated from Friday 13 May 2005...

N/all	♠ 4 ♥ 10 9 6 4 3 ♦ Q 10 5 2 ♣ 7 3 2
♠ A Q 10 ♥ A K 8 5 ♦ A K J 9 ♣ Q 10	N W         E S	♠ 9 8 6 5 3 2   ♥ 7 2   ♦ 8 6   ♣ 9 6 4
	♠ K J 7 ♥ Q J ♦ 7 4 3 ♣ A K J 8 5
West Bea -   double   pass	North   pass   redouble	East Piotr pass   pass	South   1 NT   pass

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... Playing with her husband Piotr in the teams-of-four finals of East Groningen, she had picked up a solid 23-count. Much to her surprise, her right hand opponent had opened a 15-17 NT. After some thought she had doubled, and her left hand opponent, an inexperienced substitute, had redoubled thinking that this was SOS. Piotr, a sombre Russian who was raised in strict orthodox tradition, had applied one of his many dogmas that one should always pass on a zero-count.

A few moments later Bea had had to find a lead against 1NT redoubled. She had chosen a logical ♥5, for South's ♥Q. Declarer had continued with an inspired ♣AK, followed by ♥J to Bea's ♥A. Bea had then chosen the best defensive line by playing ♦9, but South had won with dummy's ♦10 and calmly played back ♥10 (diamond away in the closed hand). Bea had had nothing better than cashing all her aces and kings, for 1NT redoubled +1 and an exotic score of +1160. When East-West in the other room had added +790 to this by making 4♠ doubled, Bea en Piotr had missed the championship by 1 IMP.

In the post mortem it had transpired that Bea could have prevented the expensive overtrick by leading ♦A or ♥A, followed by ♦9 or ♦J. In that case she would have won the first prize. No one had ever witnessed a penalty double from Bea since this traumatic experience...

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Meanwhile in the hot card room of BC The Sugar Beet, Linda had propelled herself into 3NT. Timid Bea led a dutyful heart, which ran to Piotr's ♥K and Linda's ♥A. For the moment it was unclear to Linda which minor Piotr held, but she saw that she needed to bring in dummy's diamonds for her contract. So she continued with ♦8 at trick two. Bea produced an unexpected ♦K, and Linda paused for a moment to regroup.

E/-	♠ 10 5 ♥ 9 7 6 ♦ A Q J 6 5 3 ♣ 9 3
♠ Q 9 7 6 3 ♥ 5 3 ♦ K ♣ K 7 6 4 2	N W         E S	♠ J 8   ♥ K J 10 8 4   ♦ 10 9 7 4   ♣ A 8
	♠ A K 4 2 ♥ A Q 2 ♦ 8 2 ♣ Q J 10 5
West Bea -   pass   pass	North Leo -   3 ♦   pass	East Piotr 2 ♥ *   pass   pass	South Linda double   3 NT
* Muiderberg Convention: 6-10 points, 5 hearts and 4+ of a minor

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Slick Leo meanwhile sat motionless opposite her, although he normally grabbed dummy's cards himself "to gain time". That alerted Linda, who had already stretched her left hand towards dummy's ♦A.

Suddenly she saw the light! Piotr had four diamonds for his Muiderberg, and Bea's ♦K was bare. Just in time she withdrew her hand from the dummy and, with a relieved and thankful glance at Leo, called for a small diamond.

Bea continued with a heart, but Linda won with the ♥Q and quickly wrapped up nine tricks for a good score...

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Keeping a card ready before Right Hand Opponent has played to the trick

Halfway through the sultry evening Leo and Linda took their seats opposite the mayor and the councillor of economic affairs. Despite the heat, the large pompous first citizen was sporting an impeccable dark suit with a purple shirt and tie. The councillor, a slender introvert woman, wore a neat skirt and fashionable high heeled shoes. Soon the players picked up these cards:

E/NS	♠ Q J 8 ♥ - ♦ A K Q J 7 3 ♣ J 10 9 4
♠ K 5 3 ♥ Q J 10 7 4 ♦ 9 6 ♣ 6 5 2	N W         E S	♠ 6 4   ♥ K 9 8 6 3   ♦ 5 2   ♣ A 8 7 3
	♠ A 10 9 7 2 ♥ A 5 2 ♦ 10 8 4 ♣ K Q
West Leo -   5 ♥   pass	North councillor -   6 ♠	East Linda 2 ♥ *   pass	South mayor 2 ♠   pass
* Muiderberg Convention: 6-10 points, 5 hearts and 4+ of a minor

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Linda opened a light Muiderberg 2♥ at favourable vulnerability. After 2♠ from the mayor, Leo preempted dangerously high with 5♥. Undeterred, the councillor bid a straightforward 6♠. Apparently the mayor did not have wasted heart values, and a possible club honour with East would be favourably placed. Perhaps even the grand was on, but Leo's daring 5♥ bid inhibited detailed investigations.

Leo attacked with ♥Q against 6♠, and after seeing the dummy the mayor went into a prolonged huddle. If ♠K was onside he would have an easy 13 tricks by taking one heart ruff (East could not have four spades for her Muiderberg opening). But what if West had the ♠K? He would then in any case need a heart ruff, and there was the further risk that West would play a club after scoring his ♠K...

Linda had meanwhile detached ♥6 from her hand, waiting impatiently until declarer would move into action. Eventually the mayor decided to ruff the opening lead with ♠Q. He needed that trick anyway, and it helped to conceal his ♥A. Linda played her uninformative ♥6 in agitated fashion, and saw the mayor follow suit with ♥5. The ample politician proceeded to run ♠J, smoothly ducked by Leo. The mayor expectantly repeated the spade finesse, but Leo took his ♠K and paused for thought.

The slam could only be beaten if Linda possessed ♥A or ♣A. This seemed like a guess, but Leo had spotted Linda's detachment of the ♥6 during the mayor's lengthy contemplation.

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E/NS	♠ - ♥ - ♦ A K Q J 7 3 ♣ J 10 9 4
♠ 5 ♥ J 10 7 4 ♦ 9 6 ♣ 6 5 2	N W         E S	♠ -   ♥ K 9 8 3   ♦ 5 2   ♣ A 8 7 3
	♠ A 9 7 ♥ A 2 ♦ 10 8 4 ♣ K Q

This probably implicated that she did not hold ♥A. With both the ♥AK missing the mayor would most likely not have thought for so long before ruffing the opening lead, and with only the ♥A in her hand Linda could not have known which card to play until dummy had ruffed yes or no. Therefore, Leo firmly placed ♣2 on the table. Linda took her ♣A with the speed of light, and the mayor irritably claimed 1 down.

"Wow", Linda exclaimed. "I was so afraid you would continue hearts. Let's by the way play Lavinthal in this kind of situations. I can then signal my ♣A by playing ♥3, saving you from a guess later on."
The councillor frowned and fixed Linda with a steely eye, but said nothing...

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Consulting opponent's convention card or asking questions out of turn

The evening was well through when Leo and Linda joined Daphne-Jolijn and Diederik-Jan at the table. These young twins were known as The DJs in their sixth form High School class, and they were the daughter and son of the local notary. Their authoritarian father had subscribed them as members of BC The Sugar Beet to make them stop playing poker. They had little experience at the game, but they learned quickly.

E/all	♠ A 9 4 ♥ K 6 5 ♦ J 10 9 5 3 ♣ K 7
♠ K 10 7 3 ♥ Q 4 ♦ 8 4 ♣ A 8 6 5 2	N W         E S	♠ J 6 2   ♥ A 10 9 8 3 2   ♦ Q   ♣ Q 10 4
	♠ Q 8 5 ♥ J 7 ♦ A K 7 6 2 ♣ J 9 3
West Daphne-Jolijn -   pass	North Leo -   pass	East Diederik-Jan 2 ♦ *   pass	South Linda 3 ♦
* Multi

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Diederik-Jan opened a multi 2♦, a convention which they played for the first time that evening. Daphne-Jolijn alerted, and Linda consulted their convention card. She saw Leo do the same, which surprised her somewhat. Leo normally payed scant notice to convention cards. Perhaps he had a diamond suit and some values.

Linda decided to overcall a daring 3♦ in spite of the vulnerability, and was allowed to play this. Daphne-Jolijn thought for some time, and eventually led ♦4. Linda won with ♦A and immediately played a club. For reasons only known to herself Daphne-Jolijn took her ♣A directly, and continued with a diamond to dummy's ♦J. Linda cashed ♣K, crossed to the ♦K and ruffed her last club.

Linda paused briefly to regroup, and then played a small spade to her ♠8! She placed Diederik-Jan with six hearts to the ace, and since he had shown up with ♦Q and ♣Q he could not have much beside this. Also, the inexperienced Daphne-Jolijn had thought for quite a while before leading a risk-free trump, and this rather suggested top honors in both majors with her. If she had ♠KJxx or ♠K10xx, the play of a small spade to the ♠8 even secured the contract 100% certain regardless of the position of the heart honors.

Daphne-Jolijn won Linda's ♠8 with ♠10, but then found she was endplayed in three suits. After some consideration she led a cunning ♥4, but Linda confidently played low in dummy. Diederik-Jan won with the ♥A and returned a safe heart to dummy's ♥K. Linda eventually conceded a spade but was soon entering a very satisfactory 3♦ bid and made.

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This turned out to be an excellent score, because most East-West pairs had been allowed to play 2♥ and make eight tricks.

"Crafty bidding", commented Leo. "Spot on. I considered to bid 3NT, but that has little chance. Nice dummy play too by the way, you go down easily if you're not careful!"

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Holding a hand above the bidding box while thinking

In the last round of the evening Leo and Linda went into battle with Paul and Pauline. This married couple, born and raised in the village, traded in second-hand cars and were not loth to stretch the boundaries of ethics.

W/all	♠ K 6 5 2 ♥ Q 8 6 3 ♦ 4 2 ♣ Q 10 4
♠ J 10 9 7 ♥ J 4 ♦ Q 8 7 5 3 ♣ J 3	N W         E S	♠ Q 4 3   ♥ K 10 7 5   ♦ K 9   ♣ A 9 8 6
	♠ A 8 ♥ A 9 2 ♦ A J 10 6 ♣ K 7 5 2
West Linda pass   pass   pass   pass	North Pauline pass   2 ♣ *   2 NT	East Leo 1 ♣   pass   pass	South Paul 1 NT   2 ♦   pass
* Stayman

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Leo opened 1♣ third in hand, and Paul overcalled 1NT. Linda passed and Pauline let her hand hover above the PASS cards before bidding 2♣. She really did not have the required point count for this, but the possibility of a 4-4 fit in one of the majors was too attractive to forego.
After Paul's disappointing 2♦ answer she had no option but to bid 2NT, and Paul considered advancing to game with his handsome 16-count. He had however noticed his wife's hesitation before bidding 2♣. It looked as if she had a bare minimum, and he decided to pass 2NT!

Linda led ♠J, and Paul won in his hand with ♠A. He pondered for a moment and then continued with ♥2 to dummy's ♥8! Leo was bound to have the ♥K for his opening bid, but he could still develop a heart trick by means of an intra-finesse (the Bols Tip of the Brazilian master Gabriel Chagas) if West held ♥Jx or ♥10x.

Leo captured dummy's ♥8 with ♥10 and continued with ♠Q, ducked in dummy. The next spade was taken by dummy's ♠K, while Paul discarded a diamond. The ♦2 which followed went via Leo's ♦9 and Paul's ♦J to Linda's ♦Q. Linda cashed her ♠10, on which Leo threw a heart and Paul a club.
Linda then led ♣3. Dummy played small, Leo inserted ♣8 and Paul won with ♣K. The next club went via the jack and queen to Leo's ♣A, and Leo returned a club for dummy's ♣10.

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W/all	♠ - ♥ Q 6 3 ♦ 4 ♣ -
♠ - ♥ J ♦ 8 7 3 ♣ -	N W         E S	♠ -   ♥ K 7   ♦ K   ♣ 8
	♠ - ♥ A 9 ♦ A 10 ♣ -

The moment had come for Paul to complete the intra-finesse which he had set up at trick two: ♥Q from the dummy, covered by ♥K and taken with ♥A. When the ♥J fell from west, he knocked on the table and grinned "50 run!"

This also presented him with a complete count on Leo's hand: His original shape had been 3424, and he had to have ♦K for his opening bid. So Paul continued with ♦A dropping Leo's ♦K as planned, and cashed his remaining ♦10 and ♥9.

He wiped his forehead, delighted that he had found the narrow way home to 2NT by making two tricks in each suit. Leo and Linda, who in many years had developed a sixth sense for sharp practice at the table, gave their opponents a hostile glance but otherwise could not do anything...


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