INSIDE A SENRYU IS A CONVENTION

Anne Maverick of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, did not enter the Christmas Competition, but she did submit several senryu. Four of these she labeled “to help remember conventions.” Let’s start this week with those.

First: Partner opened, said / One no-trump after my bid / New Minor Forcing.

New Minor Forcing is a useful tool after the start to an uncontested auction of one of a minor - one of a major - one no-trump. Then responder’s rebid of two of the unbid minor is artificial. It announces at least game-invitational values, and the responder almost always hopes opener can show three-card support for his major — as in today’s diagram.

North might have raised one heart to two hearts because of his weak diamond holding. But after he preferred one no-trump, South used New Minor Forcing to uncover the 5-3 heart fit.

Against four hearts, West leads the diamond king. How should South continue?

Note that North goes down in three no-trump if East leads a spade or a diamond.

In four hearts, there is a danger of a loser in each suit. However, declarer’s basic plan should be to discard his spade loser on dummy’s club ace. So, at trick two, declarer runs the club queen. Here, it loses to East’s king. Let’s suppose he switches to the spade jack. South wins with his ace, takes his two top trumps and cashes the club ace and jack, discarding his remaining spade, whether East ruffs in or not. Declarer loses only one heart, one diamond and one club.

Finally, note that NMF can also be employed after a two-notrump rebid.