All News

Strong Jumps may not be but our National Congress is certainly here!

If you are reading this bridge column, you will surely be aware that this Saturday sees the start of the 2023 National Bridge Congress at Bay Park, Mt Maunganui. There will be 8 days of bridge and surely some wonderful deals and bridge stories. Some of them will be caught in the Daily Bulletins produced by Stephen Lester which will be available on this site both for those lucky enough to be at the Congress and for others interested to see what has been happening there.

Thus, that gives me an opportunity for a break with the Bulletins taking over from this column from tomorrow, Friday, and for all of the next week.

The Congress is about national titles but also about socialising with fellow players from all parts of the country, from Australia and maybe even further. As well as players, there are all the “behind the scenes” people who make it happen. Such people include the directing team who turn up as regularly as do many of the players.

It is thus appropriate to acknowledge one of the past National Congress directors who will not be at Bay Park, who has made his last call. Roy Ballard directed back in the days when Congress was down Fenton Street in Rotorua. He directed at every Congress from 1996 until 2007 by which time, of course, Congress was well entrenched in Te Rapa, Hamilton.

 

From an early National Congress: Richard Bland, John Eldridge, Roy Ballard, Rod Doherty and Arie Geursen. All except Rod were directing while Rod was the Congress Manager.

Roy, who was born in 1931, came from Croydon in South London and was evacuated to Wales in World War 2. He came to New Zealand in 1970 and lived in the same Remuera home from then until his passing, one week ago.  His career  was that as an electrical engineer and he probably learnt bridge during a stint as an electrical engineer in the UK Armed Forces.

Shortly after moving to Remuera, he joined the Auckland Bridge Club where he played and learnt the skill of directing. A contemporary, Graham Wakefield, described Roy as follows “Roy remained fiercely independent in his later years, never dressed down, was unflappable and fair as a director with an excellent knowledge of the Rules and was pleasant and sociable while remaining a very private person. I am sure everyone who knew him will have respected him as a gentleman.”

One aspect I remember of Roy was that he always had his bid and as such, we can dedicate today’s discussion about a hand to Roy because in past years, the term “strong jump overcall” was in fashion and might have been an appropriate action for today’s problem. We are playing Pairs.

 

In our bridge these days, Jump Overcalls have become weaker and weaker and no-one would ever consider bidding 3 with this hand. Harking back with some regret to the disappearance of this bid is:

Stephen Blackstock “ 2. This and 3NT are the only viable options, and no trumps may be better played by North. Of course, I am hoping that the auction will continue, but with this shape I don't expect that 2 will be passed out at Pairs. Those who think they can double and then bid diamonds to show a strong hand are living in the past: these days, common expert treatment of that sequence is showing a flexible hand without great liking for the suit bid by partner in the response to the double.

 

I must point out that unavailability of a strong jump overcall is perhaps a mistake. When they come up, there is no good substitute sequence, and a weak jump overcall is a feeble defensive weapon at best. While everyone likes to bid, the loss to that end of a valuable constructive call is not a great bargain.” 

and with the same two choices:

Peter Newell “Double: Two options for me, 2 and double - I lean slightly to double. 

2 keeps the bidding low and gets across the diamond suit quickly, so partner is less focused on their suits. Yes it's a gross underbid, but unless 2 is passed out, we are likely be able to describe our hand better subsequently. Often with distributional hands, the bidding doesn't die suddenly. Further, my diamond suit length means that even if 2 is passed back to East, they are likely to have a diamond shortage so are quite likely to reopen with a double. However, the high point count and the fact we have 3 cards in spades lessens the chance the opponents have significant length and this means that being passed out is possible. 

 

By doubling and then rebidding diamonds one is showing a strong jump. If partner were to bid 3, I could choose to bid 3 or possibly 3NT directly at Pairs. Double could work out badly if partner jumps in hearts or clubs, but I have such a strong hand and good suit that I can correct to diamonds which will normally show a strong jump. It’s 2 or double: no other option.”

 

 

 

 Andy’s 2 choices are not quite the same:

Andy Braithwaite “3NT: Only 2 options- double or 3NT. I just prefer 3NT as I will be looking to play there anyway and it will be hard to identify a club stopper if I double first but it is close.”

With no second option is:

Leon Meier “3NT: I'd bid 3NT as it should show this type of hand. Partner is allowed to pull it sometimes.”

Fine, Leon but when? It seems like we have cleverly passed any blame of pulling a making or passing a non-making contract to our partner.

Then we have the doublers, in the majority but certainly not as per Michael’s prediction:

Michael Cornell “Double: Surely double is the unanimous action? The problem may come on the next round but first let’s get some idea of partner’s hand. It is possible that LHO raises spades which could also help us.”

Pam Livingston “ Double: Strong jump overcalls are gone but intermediate jumps are back in vogue. However, this hand is too strong for an intermediate jump and I am starting with a double.  I have slam aspirations!  It could be right to bid 3NT, however.”

Prophetic words about slam, Pam. Slam was indeed makeable in one direction.

Nigel Kearney “Double: I don't mind a simple overcall with strong hands if there is a likely rebid problem, but here I am good enough to bid diamonds over 4 from my opponents or if partner is pushed into bidding 4 or 5. My side suit holdings make it less likely that an immediate 3NT will be necessary. If they leap in spades, often partner will have a singleton spade and we may make 6, or make 5 when 3NT fails. If they don't leap in spades, we can still get to 3NT.”

Bruce Anderson “Double: then I will bid my suit; doing so shows a hand that is too strong to simply overcall.

If West supports spades, I will bid diamonds at whatever level it takes. If West bids 4 and partner has gold such as x AQxxx Jxxxxxx and bids 5 over 4, expecting me have hearts, we would be forced into a making diamond slam! That may be dreaming but we are more likely to get to a making slam by my doubling initially, rather than overcalling 2.”

 

More talk of slam. Technically, double is correct though accepting a risk that there might be no further bidding, there are still 24 hcp out there for someone to act and then we might be better off having announced our suit and can bid again if we choose.

There was good and bad news initially for those who chose 3NT as these were the four hands:

 

 

 Where West led their partner’s suit, South was very happy to grab the first 8 tricks before giving up. More inventively, any club lead netted +400 for the defence, not a good feeling for North-South until all realised that there was a slam making…for East-West.

3NT by South, just like a strong 3 jump overcall may have done, cut West out of the bidding. Double and 2 would certainly not have done that though only three pairs in the 12 table field got to play in clubs, twice doubled at the 6-level.

While East might get to splinter with 4 after 2 from South and 3 from West, it is the huge club length in the West hand which makes slam so good.

So, while today, a jump to 3NT from South looks like being the winner, my money or vote goes to 2.

And Roy Ballard? I suspect he may have chosen 3.

Here’s hoping for many more exciting deals like this one at the National Congress.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items