22 yards in cricket is often more than you think, especially if you are trying to run a quick single. 22 points in bridge is more than the minimum to make a slam, but not usually enough. On the above hand the two major suit fits provide 12 tricks but only if both of them behave. Spades are about 50% to come in and hearts are about 68%, so the overall chances are not great, about 35%. Ryan Stephenson and Ken
Barnett reached slam in hearts, the auction beginning 1S-(2NT)-3D* showing a game force with hearts. West's 2NT was particularly unusual! South raised 3H to 4H and North bid RKCB despite the void. Ed Sanders led the ace of clubs and continued clubs and Ryan ruffed, cashed the heart queen, ruffed a diamond and drew trumps. One of the problems with Bridgebase is that it times you out after 8 minutes. This is normally enough, but here it was not, and the software awarded an average, leaving the TD to decide if that was fair. In the seven-card ending, having drawn trumps, declarer should lead the eight of spades, to avoid the suit being blocked. This caters for a singleton queen of spades or spades 2-2 and brings home the slam. The TD decided that this line would be chosen by a competent declarer, and awarded the slam.
I will take the ruling a a compliment Paul :). As it happens I had noticed the potential spade blockage prior to the time out. Although on the bidding I was convinced the spades were 0-4!
ReplyDeleteYes, at the time I missed that. I thought on the bidding Ryan would almost certainly take a finesse. But that leaves no way to make the contract unless I throw a C, which I wasn't going to. Since there is in fact a way for the spades to run, South has to play for it, and it works. I'm glad I didn't X with 2 aces (I had too much respect for Ken's bidding for that), though it would simply have made the zero a shade rounder.
ReplyDeleteYes 2NT was unusually 'unusual' (though I've seen others do such bids 5-4 and occasionally 4-4 before). We were white against red, and I paid these opps the compliment that if they had the points I'd have to do something against the room to get a good score. It failed, c'est la vie
I am strongly of the view that two suited overcalls, UNT and Michaels, should never be made without at least 5-5 distribution. On this hand, 5 diamonds would have probably been 4 down, leading to a poor result against a major suit game even at favourable vulnerability.
ReplyDeleteI share Andy's view but Ed admits to sometimes going his own way which will work some of the time. A more adventurous player than Mary Rutter (East) would have bid at least 5D on the first round which does look like 4 off doubled.
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