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Poor Bridge of the Week
Barrie's Poorbridge Stories III
By Barrie Partridge

Nought or Four Aces*

One of my worst ever blunders occurred on this deal one evening many years ago at Matlock Bridge Club.

E/W Vuln
Dealer E
SA 5 4 3
HA 10 5 3
DA 9
C10 6 2
SK J 9
HK J 8 4
D5
CK Q J 9 8
DIR
SQ
H7 2
DK Q J 10 8 6 4 3 2
C3
S10 8 7 6 2
HQ 9 6
D7
CA 7 5 4

I was East, dealer and vulnerable and counted eight playing tricks and so I opened 2D! Ugh!

Partner bid 4NT [Surely after a Bacon Torpedo 2S overcall by South? —Ed] and, on hearing 5C (showing nought or four aces) from me, bid 6NT. On his holding, I had to have four aces, didn 't I? North doubled and defensive error let us escape for three off, but it was still a Bottom score. Later, I recreated the board for a special segment when directing the 1985 Sheffield Bridge Marathon. The travelling score sheet read: 3D+1, 4D+1, 5DX-2, 6DX-3, 7DX-3 and 6NTX-4, all by E/W! I had found far better company!

* This story appeared in Sheffield Bridge Club Newsletter No 48, January 1988, but appears here as rewritten for and published later in an issue of Bridge Plus.

The Danger of Optional Doubles

Around 20 years ago, I held the South hand, below, at a duplicate Pairs evening at Matlock Bridge Club.


SQ 8 4 2
H9 7 5 4
D2
CA 5 3 2
SK J 7
HA 2
DA K J 10 8
CQ 10 6
DIR
SA 9 6 5 3
HJ 10 8 6
D5
CK 9 8
S10
HK Q 3
DQ 9 7 6 4 3
CJ 7 4

My partner dealt at favourable vulnerability and after two passes to me, I opened 3D, not ideal with just six grotty diamonds and a chunky trebleton heart suit, but I had a feeling that the opponents may have a game in spades.

Our opponents were an established regular partnership, and they were playing "Optional" doubles, which were popular at that time. The problem with such doubles is that partner will tend to leave in the double when you wish him to take it out and take it out when you wish him to pass! Certainly it was not suited for the above deal as West doubled. North passed and East, contemplating game in one or other major, decided to take it out with a forcing bid of 4D.

I passed and West took out into 4NT. After all, she did have a very good stop in diamonds! North passed and East responded to his partner's Blackwood asking bid by calling 5D, showing one ace.

As I passed, West was beginning to look confused. Why has her partner bid diamonds twice? If her partner had diamonds, what did the opener's bid mean? So now West launched into a cross-examination of my partner over my opening bid of 3D! Eventually, my partner was allowed off the witness stand and West settled for a final contract of 5NT, the whole thing having got totally out of hand.

North passed and East, of course, bid 6D to show one king!

I passed. West was now completely out of her depth! If her partner wanted to bid diamonds three times, he could play in them! After all, it was her best suit!

My partner was highly amused by the proceedings but kept his head and also passed. 6D did not go many off but enough for a Top score.

Have you ever pre-empted and ended up defending against a slam in your suit?

After the play of the hand, East called the Director to report my "psychic" opening bid, but he received little sympathy. The TD was witness to the whole episode — he was my partner!