One hand, many options

[kenberg]

Jack posted a couple of interesting hands and we discussed the many roads not taken. Here is a recent example of my own.

Matchpoints, everyone is vulnerable. Partner deals and passes, Rho opens 1NT,  the opponents reach 3NT on the following uncontested auction:
1NT-2 (trf)- 2 - 2NT -3NT.

Your hand:

: 95
: K862
: 73
: Q7643

A club seems like the natural lead, we are playing 4th best so I lead the 4.

                    Q62
                    JT943
                    A2
                    J95



: 95
: K862
: 73
: Q7643


The 9 is played from dummy: 4-9-T-8
Partner continues with the K and declarer produces the A.
I suppose this could be a suit preference situation since pard might well have been dealt a doubleton. That didn't occur to me. My thinking was "No point in blabbing about how many clubs I have" so I followed with the 6.
declarer now led the Q. Hopefully I am not crashing anything, pard presumably has two hearts, so I took my K and ann my clubs. That sets the contract. Now what? On the run of the clubs, pard followed one and then tossed the Q and a small . Declarer tossed a couple of small and small .

So I should lead a to my partner's A, right? But I didn't, so declarer took the rest for down 1.

Remarkably, we got 87% for that. But down 2 was 96%. my error.


Other roads not taken: Declarer has a 5=2=4=2 shape. Opening 1NT would not have been my choice, but they could have recovered. After 1NT-2 - 2 - 2NT, I think a bid of 3 accepts the invitation and shows five spades. Not passable, simply an offer to play in 4 instead of 3NT.

Ok, if I held the 5=2=4=2 hand I would have opened 1 . Let's see how that goes. Again, the auction is uncontested. I give you their hands, try to forget that you know just what I have.

: Q62
: JT943
: A2
: J95


: AKJT3
: Q7
: K864
: A8

You hold the spade hand, everyone vul, mps, Rho deals and passes, and you start with 1 . It seems pard bids 2 . Where do you end up? Some ended in 4 , some in 3. Do you expect to take ten tricks on the lead of the 7? How?

Many were in a partscore making, you have a pretty good shot at making 4 without that lead, and for that matter, you perhaps can make 4 with the lead, so that's why we got a good score just by setting 3NT one trick. one of those gift things.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

[blubayou]

First,  opening 1NT with 5M+4 any marks him as a menace to society.  Second, I avoid burying any 5 card major anytime having a doubleton in the other one if possible, in fear of North transferring us to the 2-5 fit instead of raising the 5-3 fit.  I guess I never thought of the checkback you mentioned above (assuming I have top half of range of bidding 3S over 2NT.   Old dog learns new trick.
   P.S.  speaking of bridge 'menaces'  you were lucky this guy wasn't of of the army of this ilk that remained in notrump in spite of having Qxx in  .  They prosper in matchpoints more than they should anyway,  but let us not crash our top hearts to make SURE he prospers on this deal

[kenberg]

First,  opening 1NT with 5M+4 any marks him as a menace to society.  Second, I avoid burying any 5 card major anytime having a doubleton in the other one if possible, in fear of North transferring us to the 2-5 fit instead of raising the 5-3 fit.  I guess I never thought of the checkback you mentioned above (assuming I have top half of range of bidding 3S over 2NT.   Old dog learns new trick.
   P.S.  speaking of bridge 'menaces'  you were lucky this guy wasn't of of the army of this ilk that remained in notrump in spite of having Qxx in  .  They prosper in matchpoints more than they should anyway,  but let us not crash our top hearts to make SURE he prospers on this deal

Yes, I agree that there was some danger in putting the K on the Q. And really no reason to do so. If I had just played low then even I could have figured I should cash my K after taking my clubs. But a to pard's A is obvious anyway.

Declarer really should have taken his 8 tricks after winning the A. He can see that we, the opponents, have 2 top hearts and at least four club tricks. And a fair chance we have five club tricks. So he isn't making this. It's true that settling for 8 gets him a bad board, but we should have set him 2 and that would be an even worse board.

So we do not want to be in 3NT on these cards. Do we want to be in 4 ?

: Q62
: JT943
: A2
: J95


: AKJT3
: Q7
: K864
: A8


On a club lead, which is what I did lead against 3NT and would probably lead against  4 , it's easy enough with spades being 3'2. Win the , play the Q. They win. Presumably they take the and perhaps play another, forcing a ruff in hand. Fine, play another . The suit is established. Even if hearts are 4-2 and they play a , it's no problem. Ruff high, take three rounds of trump, ending on board, and claim.

Oddly, it might appear that a lead is favorable. Two fuffs, draw trump and claim. But s are 5-2, a doubleton on the left. So if you start by taking the A and K of and lead a third , Lho ruffs with the 9, forcing you to overruff with the Q.

Most fortunately, the 9 is the only spade Lho has that beats the board's 6. So 4 is on ice, even if it is thin ice. And 3HT is hopeless. Hence our good result for 3NT off 1. But really I was just careless after running the clubs. This was acbl and the rounds are 18 minutes for three boards. I prefer 21 minutes. People who like to play fast should play 500. Or crazy eights.
 

[wackojack]

Thanks for the philosophical poetry Ken relavent to life decisions as well as bridge.  Sometimes for me on off-road biking too. 

Opening 1N on a 5M+4 is certainly not taboo for me, so am I a menace to society? However, I would not open this particulay hand.  With this type of hand you have to consider what you would rebid if partner responds 1NT.  With

: AKJT3
: Q7
: K864
: A8

I have 17HCP worth 18 with that spade suit and although  Qx is not good it is worth raising partner's 1NT response to 2NT showing 18-19HCP. 

 However make the hand 
: AJT83
: K7
: K864
: A8
and I would open this hand 1NT on the basis that after 1 -1NT -2 partner would sign off in 2 with

  92
  QJ32
  A32
  K432
When 3N is a very good contract. 
Even if you play Gazzilli  the opening hand is to weak to make a gazzilli 2 rebid.  So you are stuck with opening some 5M+4 with 15-16 HCP.

[jcreech]

First,  opening 1NT with 5M+4 any marks him as a menace to society.  Second, I avoid burying any 5 card major anytime having a doubleton in the other one if possible, in fear of North transferring us to the 2-5 fit instead of raising the 5-3 fit.  I guess I never thought of the checkback you mentioned above (assuming I have top half of range of bidding 3S over 2NT.   Old dog learns new trick.
   P.S.  speaking of bridge 'menaces'  you were lucky this guy wasn't of of the army of this ilk that remained in notrump in spite of having Qxx in  .  They prosper in matchpoints more than they should anyway,  but let us not crash our top hearts to make SURE he prospers on this deal

I am with Ken and Jack that opening a 5M-4m-2-2 1NT does not make you a menace.  Nonetheless, I tend to be selective when I do.  Other factors need to be whispering notrump to me as well - concentration of values in the short suits, tenaces, weak 5-card major.  Bridge is a game of choices; what you do with your choices can lead to success or failure.  When you choose to move off of your general approach to bidding, there should be a good reason.  Unfortunately, sometimes the good reason doesn't become apparent until after you do something else - see for example, problem D of the new (April 2022) MSC; it is an overcall situation with 4M-5m, so it is very different, but here is the similarity - on the previous round, you could have overcalled 2NT with a single stop, but chose to double, now you have a problem, where if you overcalled 2NT, you would not.  Sometimes when you choose to open 1NT with the 5M-4m-2-2 you have a problem later, sometimes when you open the major, you have the problem later, all you can do is try to minimize when you will have the later problem to maximize your results.

Jock said "opening 1NT with 5M+4 any marks him as a menace to society."  I consider this as a black and white view of the situation, but feel that bridge is more nuanced.  That is why I look for other elements about the hand before I make a choice.  In hindsight, I may wish that I made a different decision, but I always try to find a well-reasoned decision from the start, so I realize that my regrets are purely based on results, not bad choices.

[kenberg]

Yes, bridge is often a "Maybe this, maybe that" game. Here is one from the Di tourney yesterday:

: QJ63
: QJ2
: A73
: A54

Mps, they are vul, we are not. The deal is on my left and the auction begins with three passes to me.

Pass-Pass-Pass-1!C
Pass-2NT -Pass-?
Ok I am just shy of an opening NT call so I suppose I raise to 3NT. Or do I? The hand is flat andafter the 14 highs no card is higher than a 7. So I thought about it. Finally I decided to raise to 3NT, thinking maybe right, maybe wrong.

: QJ63
: QJ2
: A73
: A54

: K92
: K94
: KQT5
: T72

Yep, definitely a maybe hand. On a lead they take three clubs and two aces. But Lho is 3=3=4=3 and I opened the bidding with 1 , so a !c was not led. The first trick is : 6-3-J-K. We still need to find four tricks in the majors before they establish clubs. Fortunately, the defense kept working on diamonds and ten tricks came in.

We have 25 highs between us but double dummy the contract is absolutely hopeless. Playing Smith Echoes ( https://www.bridgebum.com/smith_echo.php) might have saved the day for the opponents but not that many play this anymore.  At any rate, Pat had her 2NT bid, I think my raise to 3 NT was on the edge but probably right, the hand made, but needn't have. I think my caution based on flatness and lack of 9s and Ts makes sense but still I do have 14 highs.. 3NT might be right, night be wrong, and as often is the case it could be set but wasn't.

Back to the issue of opening 1NT on 5=2=4=2.  Another could be right, could be wrong. I tend not to.

With the particular hand I posted above from the tourney, I definitely would not open 1NT


: AKJT3
: Q7
: K864
: A8

It's a 17 count, but AKJTx should count for extra. this hand is too strong for a 1NT opening. So definitely 1 . Make it

: AKJT3
: Q7
: J864
: A8

Now it is not too strong for 1NT but I probably still go with 1 . But I can understand 1NT, I just wouldn't do it. Does it depend on matchpoints or imps? Oh maybe, but I still open 1 .