Hand of the Week, Vol. 3 No. 1

Hand of the Week moves into its third season! I started the series with a "Christmas Slam" played in December 2007. And here we have another slam from the Friday 08 January 2010 game.

Dealer North Both vul	T J T 8 6 3 2 K J 8 7 5 2
9 6 3 K Q 9 A 6 4 A K Q 6		A K Q J 7 5 4 — 7 3 T 9 8 4
	8 2 A 7 5 4 Q T 9 5 2 J 3

Twelve easy tricks in spades. The only problem is that nobody bid it! Every East in the room got stuck in only a game. The auction at my table was 3 - Pass -4, when it should have been 4 - Pass - 6.

The problem is East's 3 opening. Yes, he has seven spades and less than 12 HCP. But if you make the same bid on KQT9xxx xxx xx x or even QJTxxxx x Qxxxx x as you do on AKQJxxx, there's no way your partner is going to know whether to raise you or not.

Preempts promise a certain number of tricks, not a certain length of suit. The standard rubber-bridge rule of thumb is the "rule of two and three," which in duplicate bridge gets updated to the "rule of two, three, and four:" if you are vulnerable and your opponents are not, a preempt shows you expect to go down two if you get no help from your partner; at equal vulnerability, down three, and at favorable vulnerability, down four.

On the hand, both sides are vulnerable, so a 3 opening promises a hand worth six tricks if spades are trump: KQJxxxx xxx xx x is the classic hand; KT9xxxx xx Kxx x or QJTxxxxx x xx xxx or even AKQxxx xxx x xxx are also good 3 openers. East has seven tricks and must open 4, not three. KQxxxxxx x xx xx or KQJxxxx x Axx x would also open 4.

West expects to win five tricks -- one heart, one diamond, and three clubs. Responding to partner's preempt is a matter of simple arithmetic: 6+5=11, so raise a 3 opening to game. But 7+5=12, so raise a 4 opening to slam.

One note about the defense. Leading a bare ace is rarely right against any contract, and is an exceptionally terrible idea against a slam. I led from my diamond sequence as south; but any lead except a heart is defensible. If you led the A you opponents deserve their top for making seven.

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