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Take a Break
... on the subject of Transfer Breaks
... on the subject of Transfer Breaks
After having read an article on “Transfer breaks” by Ed Scerri in the June edition of English bridge, we decided to modify our current methods and to incorporate the author’s recommendation of using the “break suit” to indicate a worthless doubleton.
The first opportunity to try out this newly acquired tactic arose last Tuesday night at the club on board 29 of a 30 board 5 Table Mitchell movement.
As East I opened a 12-14 NT holding ♠ xxxx
♥ AQxx
♦ AKx
♣ xx
Partner responded 2♦ (showing 5 or more hearts) and I was happy to bid 3♣ notwithstanding the great strain I was putting on my old friend’s aging memory.
Partner holding ♠ AKx
♥ KTxxx
♦ xx
♣ AKx
could see no losers or wasted values in the club suit and lost little time in bidding 4NT (Roman key card). Thereafter, on my reply of 6♦, he knew I had both red Aces, the Heart Queen, the Diamond King and the previously declared doubleton club. In a 6♥ contract 12 tricks can be counted before dummy hits the table but as there was no room numerically for an outside Queen in either spades or diamonds the otherwise attractive “pairs scoring” alternative of 6NT was not worth serious thought and we duly played and made 6♥ **.
It is tempting to take the view that we would have bid 6♥ anyway without the clear direction afforded by this transfer break, the point is however that had East’s distribution been 4333 not only is there no slam to be made but, with equal clarity this same convention would have confirmed the need to stay out of it.
Perhaps it is true to say that good guesswork is part of the Art of the game and the establishment of certainty part of the Science.
**A keen observer might note that had West also held a Queen in either Spades or Diamonds then 7♥ could have been bid with total confidence on what would be no more than a combined 32 count
Mike Crook
The first opportunity to try out this newly acquired tactic arose last Tuesday night at the club on board 29 of a 30 board 5 Table Mitchell movement.
As East I opened a 12-
♥ AQxx
♦ AKx
♣ xx
Partner responded 2♦ (showing 5 or more hearts) and I was happy to bid 3♣ notwithstanding the great strain I was putting on my old friend’s aging memory.
Partner holding ♠ AKx
♥ KTxxx
♦ xx
♣ AKx
could see no losers or wasted values in the club suit and lost little time in bidding 4NT (Roman key card). Thereafter, on my reply of 6♦, he knew I had both red Aces, the Heart Queen, the Diamond King and the previously declared doubleton club. In a 6♥ contract 12 tricks can be counted before dummy hits the table but as there was no room numerically for an outside Queen in either spades or diamonds the otherwise attractive “pairs scoring” alternative of 6NT was not worth serious thought and we duly played and made 6♥ **.
It is tempting to take the view that we would have bid 6♥ anyway without the clear direction afforded by this transfer break, the point is however that had East’s distribution been 4333 not only is there no slam to be made but, with equal clarity this same convention would have confirmed the need to stay out of it.
Perhaps it is true to say that good guesswork is part of the Art of the game and the establishment of certainty part of the Science.
**A keen observer might note that had West also held a Queen in either Spades or Diamonds then 7♥ could have been bid with total confidence on what would be no more than a combined 32 count
Mike Crook
By Mike Crook