Hand of the Week

02/16/22

I left my brain on top of the dresser at home before driving to Simsbury. Hand #2 was the first of many blunders that I committed. Since it repeated an error that I committed a few weeks back, I decided to write about it in hopes of cementing it into my memory. Fortunately, I found my brain on the dresser this morning. After Sue explained to me what it was, she helped me stuff it back into my cranial cavity.

Board #2
East dealer
North-South vulnerable

	North ♠ 10 8 4 ♥ 9 4 ♦ J 4 2 ♣ A Q J 7 6
West ♠ K Q J ♥ A 10 ♦ Q 8 7 5 3 ♣ K 9 3		East ♠ 6 5 3 ♥ J 3 2 ♦ A K 10 6 ♣ 8 5 2
	South ♠ A 9 7 2 ♥ K Q 8 7 6 5 ♦ 9 ♣ 10 4


South	West	North	East
			P
2♥	Dbl	P	3♦
P	3♥*	P	4♦
P	5♦	P	P
P

* The 3H bid was a Western Cue Bid. It asked East to bid 3NT with a heart stopper.

I was sitting East. South's decision to open 2♥ might be a little controversial because of the four-card spade suit, but I would have made the same bid. The hand record makes clear that East-West can make no contract that is above 2♥. Nevertheless, it is interesting to imagine what might have happened if she had passed.

West doubled. A double of a weak-two bid should be a little stronger than a double of a suit bid at the one level. If Ken had been dealt a third heart, he might have considered overcalling 1NT.

We play lebensohl¹ over doubles of weak-two bids. If I have a weak hand, I should bid the lower of my suit and 2NT. So, if my best suit was spades, and my hand was weak, I should bid 2♠. With a weak hand that featured a minor suit, I should bid 2NT.

What constitutes a "weak hand"? The writing that I have been able to find on this subject says that an "invitational hand" should contain 8-10 high-card points. "Weak" would then indicate 0-7 points. I would like to be able to say that I used this standard for my 3♦ bid, but it would be a lie (or "misinformation", as prevarications are now generally called). Actually I forgot (again!) that we were playing lebensohl in these situations.

In point of fact, I think that my hand should be considered weak by the standards of the convention. It does have eight points, but it has ten losers! In my opinion, there is no such thing as a ten-loser invitational hand. Most invitational hands in suit contracts have eight losers.

So, I think that I should have bid 2NT. Ken would have bid 3♣. I would have bid 3♦, and Ken would probably have passed. If the opponents used the same defensive strategy, I would have made it. We would have gotten a middling score on this board instead of a bottom. It wouldn't have helped us any in the final standings, but it would have been a morale booster.

I think that Ken also overvalued his hand a little. North-South is vulnerable. So, South probably has 8-10 points. Vulnerable weak twos with less are dangerous. If West reckons that South has about nine, sixteen are left for North and East.

Since North did not raise hearts, East almost certainly has three of them. If East has the AK of diamonds, then 3NT seems feasible if East also has a black ace or the ♥K. Ken probably thought along those lines.

The trouble is twofold. In the first place, West can't magically place the cards in East's hand. West knows that East probably has four or five diamonds and three hearts. North, therefore, probably has more black cards than West. Furthermore, South can have at most six points in hearts. There is a good chance that she has one of the critical cards.

The other problem is that by asking East to bid 3NT he cannot protect the ♣K from the opening lead. As the cards lie, North-South can take the first five tricks in clubs if East is declaring 3NT.

So, I think that we were both too optimistic and paid the price.

What if South had passed? If West were playing 15-17 1NT, that would be the bid. East would probably pass, but South should surely bid. Probably South will end up playing 2♥ or 3♥, which are good contracts.

We play 12-14 points for a 1NT. So, Ken would bid 1♦. North and South will probably both compete. If East-West prevails in the auction, they might regret it, but at least the stronger hand will be declaring.

1. The name of the convention, "lebensohl", is often not capitalized because no one seems to know whom it is named after.