Here's a couple of close 'pull or defend' situations I had recently. Many situations in bridge I have rules of thumb that guide me pretty well, but this isn't really one of them. I usually just try to apply the LAW (of total tricks) and hope for the best.
All red, 2nd
97 / J873 / Q9753 / Q3
Righty opened 2 Spades. Lefty bumped to 3. Pard cracked it.
Do I sit or bid 4 Diamonds or 4 Hearts?
White on red, 1st
T / A63 / J74 / AQ6543
I opened 1 Club (admittedly borderline.) Pard bid 1 Spade. I bid 2 Clubs. Pard bid 2 Diamonds. Righty bid 2 Hearts. I passed. Pard reopened with a double. Do you sit or do you pull to ...?
Red on white, 4th
T8654 / T3 / QJ7 / K85
Pard opened 1 Diamond in 2nd. I bid 1 Spade. He bid 1NT. Double on my right.
Sit? 2 Spades? 2 Diamonds? Redouble?
And last, (and certainly least.)
All white, 4th
843 / 843 / T7654 / 94
Pard opens 1 Spade in 2nd. Righty bids 2 Clubs. Pard reopens with a leap to 3 Hearts. Righty persists with 4 Clubs. Pard drops a red card on the table in reopening seat.
Sit? 4 Spades? 4 Diamonds? 4 Hearts? If you sit, what's your lead?
The first problem was a bit of a warm-up and I think it's the clearest pull. While it's easy to construct hands where 4 Diamonds works better, I think you've got to bid 4 Hearts. You'll feel awfully silly if you end up in a 5-2 Diamond fit instead of a 4-4 Heart fit or if partner raises you to 5 Diamonds down 1 when 4 Hearts was cold. I drifted down 2 in 4 Hearts (I could have held it to down 1 when the opponents misdefended) and might have taken 9 tricks (legitimately) in 4 Diamonds. 3 Spades was quite frigid, however.
A4 / Q96 / AKT / K9862
97 / J873 / Q9753 / Q3
http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=1572159&when_played=1191784109The second problem felt like a clear pass to me. I have a stiff in pard's suit. Axx of trumps. I've already shown my 6-bagger. They're red. This should be a nice plus and might be a huge plus.
-1070 anyone? I stabbed the obvious Spade.
Q95 / Q42 / A832 / T87 Dummy (LHO)
T / A63 / J74 / AQ6543
Declarer followed low from Dummy. Pard (Buddy) played the 3 (udca) and Declarer won the Jack. Now a heart up ... Do you pop? I didn't see any particular reason to panic, so I played low. Declarer won the Queen and played another Heart, Buddy following with the 7 and then the J. Now what?
I still wasn't too worried. It looks like Declarer's got 4 Hearts, 2 Spades and 1 Diamond. Down 1. Not the bonanza I was hoping for, but a plus is a plus. I won the Heart and played back my last trump (violating Confucius' rule.)
Did I say 4 Hearts,
2 Spades and 1 Diamond? Well, it kind of looks like a backwards 2 on a digital clock. Declarer gladly won the trump, crossed in Diamonds and then played Spades through Buddy, ending up with 4 Hearts,
5 Spades and 1 Diamond. The best we could have done was -870 if I had not played back my last trump.
Buddy held
K743 / J7 / KQ65 / KJ9
I don't think you want to leave the possibility of defending at the 2 level open when you have a 9 card fit somewhere, but it's not completely nuts at these colors. Oh well. -1070 was lose 14.47 IMPs Ouch!
http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=1649922&when_played=1191784109T8654 / T3 / QJ7 / K85
(Yeah, I know, this 'one of these things' is not like the others, in that we're the ones doubled this time.)
I've read Larry Cohen say that he used to consider these problem hands but now just always rebids the major and doesn't worry about it. I wish I'd taken his advice. I think what I'll do is rebid the major until the next time it was right to pass 1NT and then I'll pass 1NT until ..., etc.
I was always passing 1NT (I hate playing 5-3 fits with such a bad 5 card suit, and especially hate playing 5-2 or even 5-1 fits with such a bad 5 card suit) but the double made it even easier to justify (since pard was getting another chance.) I really don't like pard's decision here (though he probably thinks the same thing of mine.)
AQ7 / KJ85 / K543 / T9
T8654 / T3 / QJ7 / K85
It would have taken me about 2 seconds to find a 2 Spade raise with that over 1 Spade. It's almost textbook (yeah you'd prefer a singleton, but a worthless doubleton in an unbid suit is close enough.) I don't know how double changes the math, but Ken never did find a 2 Spade bid. 1NT doubled went down 2 (inspired declarer play holds it to down 1) whereas 2 Spades requires stellar defense to just beat it once. -500 was lose 9 (team match.) Their guys played in
3 Spades
undoubled down 1.
(2 Diamonds might have worked out too, who knows? But redouble was kind of a red herring option. Surely that's business, no?)
http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=1888483&when_played=1192499814843 / 843 / T7654 / 94
I felt totally hosed on this one. I have a partial fit for both of partner's suits. I have 2 rags in their suit. And I have a virtual yarborough. Usually with a balanced hand you sit for high level doubles, but doesn't pard have the right to expect SOMETHING if I choose to defend, even if it's just a third trump or a doubleton in one of his suits?
I bid 4 Spades. That drifted down 3 (double dummy down 1.) -150 The kamikaze triumph goes to those who chose to pass and lead a pointed suit. +100 Declarer is void in Hearts, and has ruffing finesses up the ying-yang through partner, so the lead of either round suit leads to -610 (yes, an uptrick.) Which explains why -150 won us 9 IMPs (5 Clubs doubled making on a trump lead from the other side.)
Buddy had
AKJ72 / AT765 / AK / T
http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=2112778&when_played=1192585889
