“Wow, this has been the most boring day. I’ve held no cards at all.” How many times have we heard that statement from partners, opponents or even ourselves? One of my favorite partners and mentors was Charlie Wiley. A St. Louis Hall of Fame bridge player, Charlie was wont to say, “A good player plays bad cards good.” Can you make these bad cards good in this month’s hand?
vul: None
dealer: South
the bidding
S: 1 ♥
W: DBL
N Pass
E: 2 ♦
S: Pass
W: 2 ♠
N: Pass
E: 4 ♠
S: Pass
W: Pass
N: Pass
Bidding Commentary: West doubled and bid his suit. East decided three trumps and four possible ♦ tricks were enough to bid game.
opening lead: ♥ 9
North
♠ J 7 4
♥ 9 2
♦ 9 7 3 2
♣ 9 7 4 2
West
♠ A K Q 9 2
♥ J 10 6
♦ Q 6
♣ A K 6
East
♠ 10 8 6
♥ 7 5 3
♦ A K J 10
♣ 8 5 3
South
♠ 5 3
♥ A K Q 8 4
♦ 8 54
♣ Q J 10
the play
1. North led the ♥ 9, 3 from East, South the Queen, and West (Declarer) the 6.
2. South led the ♥ Ace, North completing his high-low, confirming a doubleton.
3. South continued the ♥ King. North needed South to continue ♥s to promote his trump Jack.
4. North knew South would never lead a ♦, so he had to make sure his partner led the fourth ♥.
5. North discarded the ♣ deuce, discouraging South from leading that suit.
6. South got the message and continued ♥s, promoting North’s trump Jack for the setting trick.
Bad hand played good.
Note: Staying with the hand and thinking through the bidding and play make defense much easier.
tip of the day
My partner and I have been holding hands that are just too good to overcall. How can we describe our good hand when opponents open the bidding?
The accepted method is to double and then after your partner’s response, bid your suit. Hint: When you double and bid your suit, the more cards you have in your opponent’s suit, the more high-card points you should hold (reference the hand above).
big games & scores
Nov. 30
Peggy Karner/Bradley Karner
72.62%
St. Louis Bridge Center
Dec. 5
Linda and Paul Lee
73.61%
Jay’s Bridge Pad
Dec. 6
Paul Lee/John Carr
70.71%
Jay’s Bridge Pad
Dec. 7
Liz Teasdale/Ann Wilkerson
78.29%
St. Louis Bridge Center
Dec. 9
Delaine Boyd/C. Lee Hastings
70.83%
Lee’s West County Bridge
Do you have a good bridge tip? Email kennethmbland@yahoo.com.