We are in the semi finals of one of the very biggest events of the calendar (only takes place once every 4 years) — with a world class field.
Two semi finals, each played over four sets of fourteen boards in Katowice. Fleisher beat Deep Finesse 116–88, and Rosenthal beat Group One 118–77. Every hand below comes from Deep Finesse against Fleisher.
Deep Finesse: William Bailey, Alon Birman, Joshua Donn, Daniel Korbel, Roger Lee, Dror Padon.
Fleisher: Thomas Bessis, Sjoert Brink, Bas Drijver, Martin Fleisher, Cedric Lorenzini, Chip Martel.
Simple system
As mentioned this is the top tier of bridge — both tables bid this the same way, playing simple stayman over 2NT.
There is a tendency to play puppet stayman, extended stayman, etc etc. The top level is going the other way in so many areas.
Don't over complicate your system unnecessarily — there are countless advantages of simple methods.
Standards
You can do a Michaels cue bid by bidding 2♥, showing 5+ spades and 5+ of a minor. Alternatively you can just bid 1♠, which do you choose?
Vulnerable Michael's cue bid should be a high quality hand. As a rough guide, you should have opening values in the two suits you are bidding — the long suits should be good. (As a general rule, the quality of your hand often depends on the quality of your long suits).
For that reason, both tables just overcalled 1♠. This would be an example of an acceptable Michael's cue bid:
As you can see the suits are robust — that is what you are advertising to partner.
There are two key reasons why.
1. Partner needs to be able to rely on you having a decent hand so can bid game — relying on you having good suits. (Vulnerable games are typically the target!)
2. Remember you are forcing your side onto the 2 or 3 level, be ready to play in a 5-2 if needed — you better have a good suit to do so, otherwise -800 or -1100 is in the air. We don't gamble and "hope" that partner always has a fit with us!
If you never play dummy's long suit again, it's still too soon
You are North. You have led the King of hearts against 5♠ doubled.
Please check the above play —
1. What do you lead at trick 2?
2. If I told you that Partner certainly has the Ace of diamonds — is it a good idea to lead your diamond and get ruffs?
"If you never play dummy's 5 card (or longer) suit again, it's still too soon". These were the words of perhaps the most talented bridge player I have ever met.
I have written about this idea before: Dummy Play Secrets - Part 2 - Long Suits and Dummy Play Secrets - Part 3 - Long suits defence.
I sound like a broken record repeating this from other areas around the site (see the links just above) but its a fundamental idea — and as you can see world champions still get it wrong.
Declarer wants to setup their long suits, that is declarer's job. As defence it is almost never correct to play declarer's long suit. At one table the player — the multi time world champion put trust in it, at the other they did not. The result is big.
Mexican 2D opening
As mentioned earlier in the article, I have a preference for simplicity when it comes to bridge, so when I recommend a convention you can trust that it is worthwhile.
Recommendation: Mexican 2D. It is incredibly popular at the highest level, take this hand as an example. On the hand 4♥ is declared by the strong hand which made the critical difference.
There are so many benefits of the 2♦ opening as I have written in the article, please consider it! It is hard to dismiss too quickly since so many of the top performing pairs in the world are using it!
Do more or less?
On this hand, lets say you decide to bid Hearts. Should you bid 3♥, or just go for it and bid 4♥ — after all, you aren't vulnerable..?
With 7222 or 6322 shape, do less. They are balanced and bad.
More on this: 6322 and 7222 (quick tip).
Again I am repeating ideas that I keep emphasising, because they matter. I am going through these hands without bias, and the same ideas keep deciding them.
At one table the player bid 3♥, at the other they bid 4♥. Bidding 4♥ was doubled for 3 off, 8 imps.
Is 8 imps a big deal or not? A winning margin is often about 1-25 imps. 8 Imps is very significant. It just takes 1 or 2 hands like that to be the difference between being the winners or the losers — it makes the world of difference..
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