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1st Mind Sports Olympiad
Singapore

Tertiary Pairs Session 2 - Part 1
by Mr I Nan Liu - Tournament Director

Board 4. W / Game all

			K 6 2
			A 10 6
			K Q 5 2
			K J 7
	A 10 5 4	N W E S			8 7 3
	J 7 5 2				9 4 3
	7 3				J 8 6
	5 3 2				Q 10 9 4
			Q J 9
			K Q 8
			A 10 9 4
			A 8 3

West passes and North opens 1NT (16-18). South has every reason to get excited here. With a combined of 32 points at least surely a slam is just around the corner. If only partner has a little extra…and so joyously South leaps to 6NT. Sadly partner does not have any extra and the slam goes down the drain.

The point is that you do not have gamble on borderline games or slams when playing matchpoint pairs. Let's say a slam has 50% chance of making. As not all the competitors will bid to the slam, if you bid and make it you will get an above-average score. If you don't make it you will get a below-average score. Even if one cancels out the other in the long run you have no profit to show for it. With the hand in question South would be wise to bid only 4NT - an invitation for partner to bid 6NT if he has something in extra.

The same lesson is driven home again on this next board:

Board 6. E / EW game

			J 3
			A 9 6 4
			9 6 5
			J 9 7 3
	K Q 10 8	N W E S			A 9 7 5
	K				Q J 10 8
	K Q 8				7 4 3
	10 8 5 4 2				K 6
			6 4 2
			7 5 3 2
			A J 10 2
			A Q

After two passes West opens 1. East responds 1 and West bids 1. East has a pretty good hand and a jump to 3 is not so outrageous. It is tempting for West to go on to 4 (which was happened on 2 tables) but West should back up and take a good look - partner is a passed hand so he wouldn't have too much in reserve.

His own hand is aceless - a major defect. His longest suit is topless - second major defect. Therefore 4 is pretty risky and therefore should be avoided. 3 of the 6 players who held West's hand wisely chose this course of action and pass, getting an above average score of 66%.