Bridge: Jan. 22, 2023

Recently I gave a talk on bidding to some club players, and I was surprised — dismayed, really — that many of them had adopted weak jump-shifts. Players often use the WJS, like many non-standard treatments, because “everybody plays them,” not because they have carefully examined the results they achieve.

I can see using the WJS at matchpoint duplicate, but at IMP scoring or Chicago, accuracy on game and slam hands is vital, and treating a jump-shift as strong will facilitate slam investigation.

In today’s deal from a team match, one South responded one diamond to North’s one club, and North bid one heart next. Then North-South misjudged by landing at six hearts, a losing contract as the cards lay.

In the replay, South jumped to two diamonds at his first turn, and North-South bid intelligently to six diamonds. (To play at a 4-4 trump fit is correct if you need the ruffing trick or tricks it will provide; that was not so here.) West led the jack of clubs.

How should South play for 12 tricks?

South played low from dummy and ruffed in his hand. He drew trumps with the A-J and next led a low heart from dummy: ten, queen, king. West led another club, and declarer discarded a heart on the ace and cashed the ace of hearts: nine, five, jack. He threw his last heart on the king of clubs and ruffed a heart. South could then return a trump to dummy and discard his ten of spades on the good heart.

Well bid, I think, and nicely played also.

North dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S Q 6 2

H A 7 4 3

D J 10 6

C A K 2

WEST

S J 9 8 7

H K J 8

D 3

C J 10 9 7 4

EAST

S K 5 4 3

H 10 9

D 8 2

C Q 8 6 5 3

SOUTH

S A 10

H Q 6 5 2

D A K Q 9 7 5 4

C None

North East South West
1 C Pass 2 D Pass
2 NT Pass 3 D Pass
4 C Pass 4 S Pass
6 D All Pass
Opening lead — C J

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