March Hand of the Month 

By Joel Hoersch 
Editor, District 22 Forum 

North-South only are vulnerable. 
What is the “Par” contract? 

        Í 103 
        Ì A52 
        Ë KJ9864 
        Ê Q6 

Í J9742               Í AKQ865 
Ì Q98           Ì J6 
Ë ----            Ë 73 
Ê AK973            Ê 1042 

Í ---- 
Ì K10743 
Ë AQ1052 
Ê J85 

In competitive bidding situations, bridge analysts often speak of determining the “Par” result of a hand. This simply means that - if both sides bid to the full potential of their cards - the side which is destined to go minus on the deal sometimes has a sacrifice which would cost less than the enemy’s makeable contract. This side should therefore bid on to that contract, get doubled and pay the penalty rather than allow the opponents to score a game bonus. 

Determining a par contract is especially useful when students are learning about the “Law” of Total Tricks ... the idea that the number of trump cards N/S holds in its best fit, when added to the number of trump cards E-W holds in its best fit, will be equal to the total number of tricks available to both sides played in their best contracts in some form or another. (For example, a “Lawful” hand with 10 trumps for one side and 9 for the other, might break down as 10 to the lucky side and 9 to the other, or 11 to the luckier side and only eight to the other, etc. 

Incidentally, on the hand above you will notice that each of the four hands holds precisely one ace, one king, one queen and one jack. This was a deliberate instruction to the dealing computer, to ensure that each hand held 10 HCP for the purpose of determining how distributional quirks influenced the number of potential tricks each side would be able to make. 

Your job, therefore, is to look closely at all four hands and then answer the following questions: 

(1) What is the number of total trumps? 

(2) What is the highest possible makeable contract? (Specify the declaring seat, if it matters.) 

(3) What is the “Par” contract? (Specify the declaring seat, if it matters.) 

(4) What are the best defensive lines to both of the reasonable contracts for both sides? 

(5) Is the Law of Total Tricks accurate on this deal? 

Okay, you armchair analysts: get cracking! And don’t look at the solution  until you’ve worked out your own variation!