By far the most unusual feat occurred quite early for me. On the very first hand (#3) I was dealt the following spades and diamonds: ♠A K 10 9 8 2 ♦K J 7 4. On the next hand I held ♠A K 10 9 8 3 ♦K J 4. It took me at least a minute to convince myself that the two hands were not the same. On the third hand (#15) I once again was dealt six spades that included the K 9 8 along with the ♦K J 7. After that everything seemed random.
I chose #18 as hand of the week because it exemplified in a strange way a situation that is not uncommon when playing against teams with elaborate or unusual methods. The issue was whether to ask questions during the auction.
Board #18
East dealer
North-South vulnerable
| | North
♠ A K 9 8 4
♥ 6
♦ 10 6 5
♣ A K J 4
| | West
♠ 2
♥ J 9 4 2
♦ 9 3 2
♣ 7 6 5 3 2
| | East
♠ 6 5
♥ 8 7 5 3
♦ A K J 8 7
♣ 10 8
| | | South
♠ Q J 10 7 3
♥ A K Q 10
♦ Q 4
♣ Q 9
| |
|
| | | | |
| South | West | North | East |
| | | P |
| 1NT | P | 2♠ | P |
| 3♥ | P | 4NT | P |
| 5♦ | P | 6NT | P |
| P | P | | |
I was sitting East. Ken, my partner, was tasked with finding the killing opening lead after the above auction. Neither of us understood North-South's bids, but we did not interrupt the opponents' drive to slam.
Before leading, Ken asked South what North's 4NT bid was. He was told that it was Gerber! He then asked North about the 5♦ reply. That bid reportedly showed one ace.
The bids in hearts and spades were apparently natural. Ken spent at least a minute deciding whether to lead a club or a diamond. Unfortunately, he chose a club. I would have taken the first five tricks if he had selected a diamond. The play was painfully slow. Perhaps declarer was hoping for a squeeze. If so, it did not work. Ken saved his only honor, and I took the last trick with the ♦A. We still got a 0.
Was there anything that could have been done to prevent this fiasco? If I had been bidding after the 5♦ bid, I could have made a lead-directing double. However, by the time that the auction got around to me, they were already at 6NT. Doubling at that point would have asked for a spade lead, which would have been equally disastrous.
So the only way that I could have asked for a diamond lead was to bid the suit. I had two chances to do this. The first chance would have been with my very first bid. My hand is obviously too weak for a 1♦ bid, but I could have ventured 2♦. Our card states that we sometimes preempt with one less card than expected. I have on rare occasions preempted in the first seat with worse hands at favorable vulnerability. This time I did not because doing so would have prevented us from finding a four-four heart fit, which, in fact, we actually had.
I had one other chance. North's 2♠ bid was not alerted. I had played with South just a couple of weeks earlier. I knew that he was familiar with only a few conventions. Should I have asked him about the bid? I did not because of the bridge maxim that advises not to ask questions during the auction if you have no intention of bidding. I would not ordinarily consider bidding a five-card suit in a weak hand at the three level.
I just assumed that either the bid was a shutout, or it had something to do with the minors. Since South had not alerted the bid, I expected him to pass.
In the immortal words of Georg Festrunk, "I blame-uh myself." I should have asked South whether North's 2♠ bid was forcing. That would have given nothing away. If he answered in the affirmative, I could have bid 3♦ without too much danger.
If he denied that it was forcing, I could pass. There was a pretty good chance that we would get a good board since the strong hand would be exposed, and I would have the opening lead.
Afterwards Ken and I wondered what North would have bid, if anything, if she had held a weak hand with five or six spades. Apparently she would have had to pass.