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Review – Losing Trick Count and Cover Cards
– Prerequisite: 8+ card trump fit or self-sustaining suit
– Ace-King-Queen are not losers in 3+ card suits
– Generally, fourth card and beyond are not losers
– LTC – CC equals losers, as 6 LTC – 3 CC = 3 losers (major suit game)
– Extras: 5+4 trump, working Queens and Jacks, shortness
Review of LTC and Cover Card (prior lesson) – Help Suit Game Try
A 2
K Q 4 3 2
K 2
9 8 3 2
K 5
6 5 4
6 5 4
A Q 10 5 4
1H – 2H;
3C – 4H;
Despite responder signing off with around 2 cover cards, opener counts 6 losing trick count and makes a game try in Clubs with 3 losers. With 1-2 Club losers, responder accepts partner’s game try.
Review – Counter Suit Game Try
A
A K Q 4 3
4 3 2
9 8 3 2
6 5 4 3
J 6 5 4
A K
6 5 4
1H – 2H;
3C – 3D;
4H;
Responder shows a Heart fit with minimum values, generally 2 cover card. Opener re-evaluates, counting 6 LTC and bids 3 Clubs with 3 losers. Responder cannot help in Clubs yet certainly has the Diamond suit covered with 2.5+ covers in that suit. With 3 Diamond losers as well, opener is happy to accept the counter suit game try.
Trump Fit or Self-Sustaining Suit
- LTC is normally a 5-3 or longer major suit fit
- Occasionally one player has a long, strong suit
- We need an independent method to determine the suit quality and LTC when one player has a long, strong suit
- When evaluating Suit Quality, we generally assume partner may hold a singleton to ascertain the losers (LTC) in a long suit
- Adjust the above when partner bids Notrump, indicating 2+ card support
Self-Sustaining Suit and Suit Quality
- Limited to 1 loser when partner holds a singleton
- Reserved for situations when a player holds a long, strong suit
- Suit Quality equals the number of useful honors plus the suit length
- Self-Sustaining Suit usually equals a Suit Quality of 10 or more, lose 0-1 tricks
- Semi Self-Sustaining Suit equals a Suit Quality of 9, lose 1-2 tricks
Self-Sustaining Suits – Examples where SQ = 10
A K Q x x x x = 3+ honors + 7 length = 10+
A Q x x x x x x = 2 honors = 8 length = 10
A K Q J x = 4+ honors + 5 length = 9+
K Q J 10 x x = 4 honors (without Ace) + 6 length = 10
Q J 10 9 x x x = 3 honors + 7 length = 10ish (discount 1 missing Ace and King)
J 10 9 8 x x x x = No! Inadequate with primary honors and Queen
Semi Self-Sustaining Suits – Examples where SQ = 9
A Q x x x x x = 2 honors + 7 length = 9
K Q J x x x = 3 honors + 6 length = 9
Q J 10 9 x x = 3 honors + 6 length = 9ish (body card 9 is helpful)
A K Q x x x = 3+ honors + 6 length = 9+ (count extra for top 3 honors in long suit)
Self-Sustaining Suit Scenarios:
2
K Q J 5 4 3 2
3 2
6 5 4
The Heart Suit Quality = 3 honors + 7 cards length = 10, a self-sustaining suit that should not lose more than 1 trick (even when partner holds a singleton).
3 2
A 6 5 4 3
3 2
6 5 4 3
After partner opens 1 Heart, according to “The Law Of Total Tricks” with a combined length of 10 trump responder jumps to 4 Heart (10 cards = 4 level major suit game), according to the principle “slow shows extras, fast denies”.
A K Q J 5 4 3 2
2
2
6 5 4
After Right Hand Opponent opens 1 Diamond, jump to 4 Spades with a solid 8 card self-sustaining suit and little else. Here the Suit Quality = 4 ++ 8 = 12+, more than the 10 required for run the suit.
Q J 9 8 5 4 3 2
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2
J 5 4 3
Partner opens 1 Club. With less than 6 High Card Points and less than a King in responder’s long suit, responder makes a 4 Spade shutout bid with a reasonable 8 card suit including a supporting intermediate body cards (9-8 spots). While the Suit Quality = 2 honors + 8 long, missing the Ace and King downgrade around 1 trick to consider the suit a semi self-sustaining holding.
Hand 1 – East
A 5
K Q J 6 5 4
5
7 6 5 4
SQ = 3 + 6 = 9, semi self-sustaining suit
LTC = 1 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 6
Hand 1 – South
8 7 6
9 8 7
A K Q 7 6 4
9
SQ = 3 ++ 6 = 9+, consider 10 and self-sustaining with 3 toppers
LTC = 3 + 3 + 1 = 7
Hand 1 – West
10 9
10
J 10 9 8
A K Q J 10 8
SQ = 5 ++ 6 = 11+, beyond self-sustaining
LTC = 1 + 2 + 3 = 6
Hand 1 – North
K Q J 4 3 2
A 3 2
3 2
3 2
SQ = 3 + 6 = 9, semi self-sustaining suit
LTC = 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 7
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Polling You #77-78, Hand 1 East preemptively opens 2 Hearts – favorable vulnerability, 6412 shape in first seat; some would prefer to open 1 Heart with 10 High Card Points plus 2 distribution points for the great 6 card Heart suit. Indeed, East has a fine Heart suit with a Suit Quality of 9 (3 honors + 6 long = semi self-sustaining suit). South has an even better Diamond suit and was previously considering making a preempt. But not now since preempts never mix. Surprisingly, West has the best suit honors of all – too bad it’s the “paupers” Club suit. Still, with 150 honors and 6 cards (SQ = 5 + 6 = 11) West bids 3 Clubs, forcing. North’s hand comes close to mirroring East but should not enter the auction at the 3 level with 7 losers. East has an easy 4 Club rebid, leaving West with a tough choice. Bidding 5 Clubs is not reasonable with 6 losers – certainly East cannot have 4 cover cards. Yet an honor is an honor so hopefully the Heart 10 will help make a major suit game on a good day. So prudent contract Bridge players will settle for a 4 Club contract, with aggressive duplicate players shooting to make a 4 Heart vulnerable game for 620 points. It’s all up to a lucky lead by South to set the contract! Only a Spade lead sets the contract – not a likely suspect with South’s Diamond holding. Ah, the thrills of Bridge, sometimes a science, often an art. For those who logically choose to lead the opposite major rather than play the protected Diamond Ace and peek at the dummy, this time you have made a wise choice. |
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Polling You #77-78, Hand 1b With the same hands as 1a, this time North deals and preemptively opens 2 Spades (some might open 1 Spade with 7 LTC based on the Spade SQ = 9). South queries partner bidding 2 Notrump with 3 card Spade support and not wanting to disclose the long Diamond suit to the opponents. Some might consider responding with a 3 Diamond query yet our only interest in a 4 Spade game so avoid “advertising” the long Diamond suit to the opponents. North cooperates with partner, responding 3 Hearts to show an outside Ace. With North showing extras, South jumps to 4 Spades. On lead, East begins with the Heart King, immediately won by declarer North holding 6 combined Hearts, reducing risk of ruffing (leading a Heart or Club sets contract). North deceptively leads the Spade Jack, inhibiting East from playing an Ace that might crash with a singleton King from partner West. East wins the second Spade and returns a second Heart, West loudly discarding an encouraging Club Ace. “Not yet” figures East, knowing to first leading the Heart Jack (holding 6, partner 1 and 3 in dummy, North must also hold 3). East comes through with flying colors, next switching to a Club to avoid a ruff-and-sluff by declarer. With the correct defense, declarer North comes up one trick short. |
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Polling You #77-78, Hand 1c Moving several cards from hand 1a/b, this time South bids first making a preemptive 2 Diamond call on a great suit. North queries 2 Notrump (forcing) with South responding 3 Notrump – promising a solid suit heading by Ace-King-Queen that closes the contract. East leads the Heart King and North ducks one time with 6 combined Hearts (Rule of 7, 7 – 6 = duck 1 time to possibly disrupt communications). Declarer North wins the second Heart and runs 6 Diamond tricks. Carefully watching opponent discards, North notices East eventually pitches 2 Hearts (down to 2 Heart in hand). So rather than cashing out 2 black Aces to eke out 9 tricks, North finesses up to Spade Queen that holds. Now winning the Spade and Club Ace, North makes an overtrick taking home 10 tricks. |
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In our continuing preemptive bidding quest, in Polling You #78 will get into the nitty-gritty of weak 2 bids along with many other shapely scenarios, including how to cope with the opponents preemptive bids. BridgeHands members may download the entire Polling You #77-78 combined documentation (Day 3, Parts 1-4) either here (above) on Part #77, or from our follow-up episode #78.
We hope you are enjoying our Bridge instruction videos, online write-ups and downloadable documents plus hand diagrams and more. Warm wishes improving your Bridge acumen and many thanks for your continued support!
Happy Bridge Trails,
BridgeHands
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