| A. Opening Leads (Variations)
After the bidding is complete, the first card of the hand is led. This is referred to as "the opening lead." This protocol will vary depending on which site or "live group" is running the event/game. Many players prefer to have the first bid originate from the person to the left of the dealer, and first lead come from the partner of the dealer. Bridge players are used to having the opening bid and lead coming from the person to the left of the dealer. Some European sites allow the dealer to bid last and then play first. The game of Bid Whist follows this rule. Thus, it is all about getting used to whatever rule applies to the tournament or the site in which you are a participant. For the record, I have a preference for the Bridge style (Left, Left). My live events and Complete Win at Spades book reflect this.
B. Strategies and Techniques -- Signals for Nil Bids -- Part II
Let's look at the sample hand from the last column: You are dealing and sitting in the South seat.
 6 2
 A 8 5 3 2
 10 4 3
 J 6 3
The score is tied at 247-all. You are the dealer with last bid. The auction is as follows: 5, 3, 3. Now you must make a call. Your Nil bid is certainly justified. West, your left-hand opponent, opens with the four Clubs, and your partner inserts the Queen. Each drops the 10, and you let the Jack go. Partner now plays the King of Hearts, which walks, as everyone follows. Now partner proceeds with the Queen of Hearts.
This question was presented: "What do you discard under each of your partner's high Heart leads?” The answer is the DEUCE and then the EIGHT! These discards alert your partner that you are perfectly SAFE in Hearts, and signals him or her not to waste a trump later in the hand if a low Heart is led -- especially by the West player. You will retain the 5 and 3 of Hearts, and your Ace will never take a trick (if everyone followed to the first two rounds of this suit).
Herm Carney and Roger DeNino are the originators of the "Nil Reverse" Signal, and introduced this convention at the first Indianapolis live Spades event back in 1998. They were acknowledged in my first Spades Book. Whenever the Nil bidder plays a lower card in a plain (side) suit that is in play followed by a higher card, it alerts their partner that the Nil hand has enough low cards in this particular suit to duck ANY lead -- and thus, partner does not have to waste a trump to protect him. Thus, if the partner chooses to TRUMP a future lead of this suit, it is indicative of a desire to go for a SET of the defender's bid. Often, the Nil's partner may opt to get rid of a dangerous card in another side suit, and thus increase the chance of a successful cover.
This is not to be confused with "Walking a Suit," which will be reviewed in the next column.
C. An Interesting Hand
This delightful hand was submitted by one of my friends in the "Aces" area of the Zone. She said that it was played at a live game, utilizing the "left, left" bid and lead rule. I suppose that some hands leaving very lasting impressions -- this one certainly did!
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| The score: E/W - 454 N/S - 436
The bidding:
Before we look at the play, there must be some commentary here. West's bid was very borderline. He was obviously banking on a successful Club finesse, or perhaps two tricks with his Aces, and a Diamond ruff. (If the Club finesse failed, the Ace would be a very dubious trick.) North had a miserable hand. However, a Nil bid was just too risky with those rotten Hearts, shaky Diamonds, and no distributional features. East's hand was kindred to West's -- without the decent trump suit. His bid of 2 was also speculative, and was based on the same ambition -- a successful finesse or a ruff.
South did some quick math, and immediately saw that the opponents were threatening to win the game. Was a set possible? Perhaps a combined bid of SEVEN with partner was a better choice. That would win the game by at least 2 points. South was banking on his five decent trump and solid Heart suit, as well as partner's one bid, to bring home the bacon. East and West were very seasoned partners who employed all of the Bridge-related gadgets. Watch what happened!
West opened with his Nibs, the top of his Doubleton Diamond. North hesitated slightly, and ducked with the five-spot. East signaled high with the 10, as South let go of the 4. West completed his Diamond echo with his Deuce, as North dropped the 7, and East's 9 won. (It was obvious that North held his royal majesty the King.) East longingly thought about the Diamond Ace as the next play, but feared setting up the Diamond King in the North hand (see note below). Instead, he shifted to the 10 of Clubs, as South played low. West was thrilled to win the Queen (North dropped the Deuce). The Ace of Clubs fetched the 7, 8 (another "high-low" count signal), and the King. Two successful finesses were already in the bank!
East had already taken his two tricks. Hearts offered little hope, but Clubs might be a good force on the South hand. After all, East had shown a count of two Clubs with his "high-low" signal. West played a small Club, and North inserted the Jack. East decided to use his biggest trump, the 9, rather than make the wimpy play of Spade 4. (This technique is summed up in the old adage "Never send a boy to do a man's work.") The 9 worked just fine, as South now overruffed with the Jack. Desperately, South attacked the trump with the King. West pounced on this like a snow leopard with his big Kahuna (East ditched the lowly Spade four-spot here) and then West brutally persisted with Clubs. The 7 of Spades by East shattered the bid, as North had to follow with his last Club. If South discarded, then West was still sure to win his ten-spot. If South ruffed with the Spade Queen, West's 10 AND 8 of trump would be winners. Three trump tricks, and four tricks in the Club and Diamond suits -- a tidy total of seven, and enough to win the game!
When I first looked at this hand, I saw another interesting line of play. Can East create the same result by leading the Ace of Diamonds (instead of making the shift to the 10 of Clubs?) Does this work? Send your analysis to me at this address: heartsmoon@aol.com Actually, this hand has a third line of play as well. Check out next month's column!
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