The Public Responds:
The panel had little difficulty with this case. Our judges all
conclude that North and South could have made their bid if they hadn't been
so miserly with their spades. North had the first opportunity.
Phlexicon: They got outplayed! On Trick 6 [South's third club
lead], N/S already have three tricks. If East has a club the contract is
safe. Since North's spade holding is not worth much except to promote his
partner's hand, she's got nothing to lose by going up with the Queen.
Obviously South could have made it easier by leading a low club, having seen
his pard's hi/lo signal. So I deem South to be equally at fault. Elementary
my dear Watson. A safety play.
After North blows the first chance, it is South's turn to rise to the
occasion.
Purple Cow:
N/S were in fact outplayed, barely. This set could have been avoided.
At Trick 7, South need simply trump the diamond with the  9. This
promotes a spade winner for N/S.
A pair of sharp-eyed panelists saw both opportunities.
Winger:
Given that N/S are in this mess, there is still a possible way out if they
play trump aggressively in round 6 or 7, forcing either East or West to
overtrump high, thus promoting a spade honor for N/S. Instead they both
duck, each presumably afraid to 'waste' their spade honor. So much for team
play.
Brandon:
The important rounds were 6 and 7. North might have considered
trumping because that trick would have made their bid. Trump with the
Queen. If East was out of clubs he could overtrump but would be less
likely to be able to do so on a Queen.
Round 7 - why didn't South trump? East and West had each shown a count card.
They have spades, West plays after South so he can play higher spades. If
South waits till spades are played he will lose them. Use them or lose
them.
But how should each player know to do this? Can North or South be
certain of Pard's spade honor? Phlexicon already mentioned that North
has nothing to lose. The other panelists support this notion.
Winger:
It's true they can't know each is holding a spade honor or that ops A/KS are
split, but why not assume it, since it's the only thing that will pull them
through? They're dead by then anyway, so what's the risk? You can only
play what you've got, but you do have to play it.
This is a great example of the importance of viewing your cards not as
precious commodities in themselves, but as tools to use -- as ruthlessly as
possible.
Purple Cow:
Ok, these are easy when you see all 4 hands, but at the table....you can in
a way!
There is no clear way for South to know that North holds a spade honor.
However, he should trump anyway. Not because he knows it's the right thing
to do, just the opposite in fact. He knows that it cannot be wrong!
When East leads the  10 at Trick 7, South knows one thing for
certain about the spade position. From the bidding it is clear that neither
he nor partner hold any natural spade winners. N/S have 4 count cards, the
 AK, the A, and the  K, and they've all been shown. South
lost his K, so the priority for N/S at this stage is to make up that
lost count card. At Trick 7, south is uncertain of the diamond position.
Could partner hold the Q? In fact he does, but it doesn't matter since
West is now void. Trumping here is the better play because it gives away
nothing. South does not have a natural spade winner, so there is no harm. If
his ruff holds the trick, the bid is fulfilled. If he is overruffed, there
is a chance that he is promoting a spade for their side (which in fact he
is). Since N/S are looking to scramble simply to save their bid, trumping at
Trick 7 is the only reasonable play.
Brandon:
From the bidding, North realizes his Q probably will be swallowed by
the K and A. Thus to gain tricks from spades he needs to cut before
spades are led.
The loss of the K was a blow to South, but he still had an outside
chance of winning three clubs or of a 3rd-round cut of diamonds. By Trick 2
South realizes that E/W have a ton of spades because North bid 1 and already
played his ace. Since E/W have spades, a cut is vital if spades are to be of
use.
We might mention that North and South were experienced players. North
was reluctant to trump his partner's winner, and South thought it correct
not to trump in second position. Our judges have showed them they are not as
good as they thought they were. The court sentences both players to a week's
play in Yahoo's Beginner's Room.
Exhibit #6b. The Sandbag Trap
(E/W have 8 bags)
The Play:
1. South leads 7: K, A, 10. West wins.
2. West leads A: Q, 9, Q. West wins.
3. West leads 5: 7, 4, J. North wins.
4. North leads 6: 9, 8, K: West wins.
5. West leads 8: J, 7, K. South wins.
6. South leads 9. 3, A, 6. North wins.
7. North leads 3. Q, 10, 4. East wins.
8. East leads A: 5, Q, 2. East wins.
9-12. East/West win the next four tricks.
13. North wins his J at the finish.
North/South have made their 4-bid exactly and East/West have
been "bagged" against their will, incurring the 100-point penalty.
So why is one player furious with his idiot partner?
Submit your comments to:
You Be the Judge
|
| Score |
|
|
N/S: 241
E/W: 388
Dlr: East |
J7632
--
A83
AQJ42 |
K4
AK865
Q52
1083 |
![[ ]](table.gif) |
AQ9
10943
KJ10
765 |
|
|
1085
QJ72
9764
K9 |
|
South West North East
1
3
3
4
|
|
The Public Responds:
The next case showed a sharp difference of opinion. Our first
panelist saw nothing wrong with North/South's actions, and thought East/West
might have played their cards better.
Brandon:
The first priority is to make your bid, not to worry about bags.
North underbid by 1, East overbid by 1, which he could do as the last
bidder in an otherwise 10-bid hand.
When North sloughed the A and Q and South sloughed the Q,
E/W should have been happy and smelled a possible set. I too would
keep playing the hearts. 11-Bids are not hands to dump winners early. The
key for E/W is to quickly make their bid.
Once N/S won two clubs they were unlikely to be set, and at that point
(after round 6) the set was lost.
The only mistake I see is West taking round 4 with his King. Let
East win the trick. East's Q is now 2nd high and will probably
take a trick.
It takes all kinds to make a Spades game. This is how we sort them
out. And now for something completely different...
Phlexicon:
It's totally ridiculous to try to bag out E/W. It will occur naturally.
And N/S need a set or all the tricks they can muster. They're essentially only 50 points down but still need to
be playing aggressively. If North's conservative 3-bid has any merit, it's
in the opportunity it affords them for a possible set! When the bid goes to
11 they must go for it. Even if it's only a 10-bid, you have to be sniffing
for the set!
Winger:
North panics and makes the unforgivable error of playing for bags from the
gate. Especially when such a sweet set is in the air, with two rounds of
heart cuts and three club honors for N/S before opps even get into the game.
This hand practically plays itself. "If you can't set 'em, bag em," not the
other way around.
This is not team play. North decides 'his' strategy with the bidding
and just starts tossing honors, regardless of p's needs. They are locked
into bagging tactics from the first trick. North also doesn't grasp that
one of the best ways to bag is to play all out from the start and then sit
back with empty hands while ops scramble. That approach also gives you (and
your p) a chance to decide a strategy midhand based on more than the score
and a feeling of panic. South, on the other hand, goes with p's choice. At
least somebody knows how to team.
Purple Cow:
The pitch of the A on Trick 1, and I stopped reading the play. I already
know how it ends. I pity poor South. I've sat in his seat many times, and
I know what it feels like. Especially when North starts celebrating at the
end of the hand because E/W took the bag penalty. Agony!
There are however two tidbits of constructive material I can salvage from
this disaster:
A. North's underbid of 3 is, in fact, an excellent bid! It's the play that
ruins it. It's only an excellent bid if you intend to SET the opponents!
The idea behind 3rd-seat underbids is normally to keep LHO from getting
suspicious and reducing his bid in 4th seat when you hold a particularly
powerful hand. It works here too. East was not content to allow a 10-bid,
and increased his bid to bring the total to 11. With proper defense, E/W
cannot make their contract. They should be limited to 3 spade winners, and
at best 3 side suit winners in hearts and diamonds. I may be wrong, but
from a casual glance (this hand pains me to look at closely), I do not
believe there is any defense that E/W can come up with to prevent a set if
N/S play properly.
B. Bad strategy. It is clear, based on the score, that what N/S need to
get into this game is a set. NOT bags. E/W are favorites to bag out before
500 anyway. Let that take care of itself. But a set? Now the score would
be 284 to 318! A much better result than the 281 to 360 that resulted
as shown! Always play for the set!
Well! How much more do we need? Even before all of the testimony is heard, the judges, joined
by several spectators, pounce on North and beat him to a pulp. Spades
players are an opinionated lot, aren't they? When order is restored, the
court declares that "Justice has been done. Everyone may take the weekend
off."
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All members of the public are invited to submit their comments
for this week's cases. Go to You Be the Judge.
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