One of the things that Larry Cohen emphasizes in his presentations is the importance of not allowing the opponents to play at the two level in a major suit with an eight-card fit. This is especially true when you are not vulnerable. Hand #22 (which was hand #23 on the printed had record and the file posted on the internet) appears to be a perfect example, but ...
Board #22
East dealer
East-West vulnerable
| | North
♠ A K J
♥ 7 3 2
♦ J 10 4 2
♣ A 9 2
| | West
♠ 8 7 6 5 2
♥ A Q
♦ K Q 6 5
♣ K 5
| | East
♠ Q 9 3
♥ 10 6 5 4
♦ A
♣ Q 10 8 6 4
| | | South
♠ 10 4
♥ K J 9 8
♦ 9 8 7 3
♣ J 7 3
| |
|
| | | | |
| South | West | North | East |
| | | P |
| P | 1♠ | P | 2♠ |
| P | P | Dbl | P |
| 3♥ | P | P | P |
I was North. West started the bidding with 1♠. East had an easy raise. After two passes, I had to decide whether to balance or not. Not balance? The police that enforce the LAW of total tricks would have arrested me before the green card hit the table. For me the question was whether to bid 2NT or to make a takaeout double and hope that my partner had a five-card suit.
I doubled. My partner bid his best suit, hearts, and the final contract was 3♥.
When the smoke cleared, my partner only managed five tricks for down four. So, our opponents got 200 points and all the matchpoints. The pain would have been less if they could have made 4♠. The only obvious losers in that contract are the two spades and a club. However, there are not enough entries To set up a third club trick, and if they ruff the diamond loser, they will lose a third spade. So, nine tricks is the limit.
It could have been worse. If we had played these cards in the correct carrier, we would have been vulnerable, which would double our loss to 400. If one of the opponents had doubled, it would have been -1100!
Of course, a zero is a zero in matchpoint scoring. Come to think of it, maybe it actually would have been better if we had been vulnerable. It wouldn't have hurt our result for the session, and the story would be more dramatic.
Is there a lesson to be learned from this horrible hand?
If I were in this position again, I would have bid 2NT. I could probably muster the same five tricks, and if East respected his partner's bid and led a low spade, I might only go down two, which would have been a pretty good score.
What is there about this hand that makes it so awful for a LAWful North-South pair? East-West has eight trumps (spades), and so does North-South (diamonds). East-West can make nine tricks in spades, but North-South can only make five in diamonds. That's sixteen trumps and only fourteen tricks. The masterpoint distribution qualifies for the LAW – 22-18.
Larry Cohen says that the most likely cause of a trick deficiency like this is that the honor holdings are "impure," which basically means that the combinations work better on defense than when declaring. South's heart suit certainly qualifies, and the fact that the only honor that East-West has in trump cannot produce a trick if it is used to ruff is strange. Nothing else really seems to stand out.
In March my wife and I plan to go on a bridge cruise that features Larry Cohen. We will be with him for nine days. I will ask him about this hand. In April I will let you know what he said.