A hand arose yesterday playing in a regional Swiss, where I was able to put down exceptional trump support. It sometimes happens that due to some conventional sequence, dummy comes down with a really good suit "in support" of declarer. But it's unusual to put down a dummy with quite this good support for a suit bid naturally, albeit in response to a takeout double, by partner.
My hand was ♠AJ ♥AKQT862 ♦64
♣J3 (spots approximate). LHO bid 1♣ and there were two passes to me. I doubled. LHO bid 2♣ and partner surprised me by bidding 2♥. I raised to 4♥ and partner made it exactly.
I expected a push, but strange things can happen. At the other table, LHO redoubled after the double and our counterparts also bid to 4♥. However, our teammates sacrificed in 4♠ and pushed their opponents to 5♥ which was doubled. The defense went a little differently (partner's ♣Q got ruffed and was therefore unavailable for a discard). The result was down two, giving us a 15 IMP swing. Partner's hand was ♠J73 ♥J974 ♦K52
♣Q93.
Tomorrow, I will again address the concept of fit-showing jumps in a blog whose length will be in proportion to my heart support on this hand.
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This story reminds me of the time I was playing in a mixed doubles club championship with the wife of one of my regular partners. We'd had some success in the past and would win this night despite the following trust-crushing event.
ReplyDeleteMy partner opened a heart and this came around to me. I had ace-seventh in support, plus an assorment of side quacks in an evenly-distributed hand [G]. So, I bid 1NT. She responded with 2D showing at least three and it covered the only side suit I didn't have a quack in. So I bid the obvious 3NT. Which made on the nose. With four top losers in 4H.
The only other time the rest of the night I raised her, she alerted. When asked to explain, she told our opponents, in a most sorrowful voice, "Promises eight-card support."
Since then, I've almost always raised with seven-card support.
2H reopening in passout seat? That would be my choice.
Delete... of course, that would limit us to nine tricks, I suppose, (or even eight tricks), via four top minor suit losers and a club ruff? My Jeff-with-Jeff result would have been +110 or +140, for a big loss against your game making.
DeleteI think Jeff-with-Jeff would have bid a little conservatively (in my opinion of course). How good a hand/suit would you need to reopen with a double planning to correct to hearts as I did?
ReplyDelete