Too hard for me, continued

The question was, how to play 6NT by West on the jack of spades lead. The terrible transportation issues mean that all the good things that could happen to you, just aren’t going to.

Board 3
Dealer South
EW Vul

	NORTH J10952 1095 653 97
WEST AQ876 87 J9 A862		EAST K4 AQJ63 AQ72 KJ
	SOUTH 3 K42 K1084 Q10543

I decided to go for winning in dummy and playing another spade straight away – even one discard from RHO could be painful for him, with a bit of luck. Hooked the heart, it won, and of course that didn’t make me feel good. I almost felt more like the heart finesse was failing than if it had just failed. (Sorry, it’s 7.30 in the morning, I’m making as much sense as I can.) Diamond off the board, RHO won and exited a diamond. And? And you just don’t quite have any recourse now. RHO’s assets remain remarkably resilient, even though he has too many of them. That’s how bad your communication problems are…

In the other room, 3NT, and so a big swing out in a match we lost by a little.

On Monday, a sensational story about selection by selector that will have Peter Gill apologising to us for ever thinking of the idea!

Too hard for me.

It was supposed to be a Cayne match on BBO on Sunday, but it felt more like we’d been beamed up to some other planet that had a version of bridge I didn’t quite get.

WEST AQ876 87 J9 A862		EAST K4 AQJ63 AQ72 KJ

Yeah, sorry, you’re too high again – 6NT by West. Without communication difficulties this might not be such a bad spot. But on the SJ opening lead – that after you have opened 1S – let’s just say I didn’t get that warm and cosy feeling you like to have after dummy comes down….

What’s the best plan to make the most of it?

(Comments suppressed for now.)

Still at the six level.

I just wanted to start off by thanking the hundreds of people quietly stalking this blog. I’m sure you are there because I have such a terrific band of players involved in the commentary, so of course thanks to you all too. (Don’t feel like you can’t join in….) Hope everybody’s having fun.

Tomorrow a play hand – it’s been a while!

Yesterday was another ‘oh my God, if they’re at the six level and I have 2 aces they must be making’ sort of a hand. It’s funny, isn’t it? That we can feel so much more confident they are making if we can see actual cold hard tricks in our hand!

76
AQ87632
A764
—

All vulnerable, sitting West:

West…..North…..East…..South
……………………3S……..Dble
4S……..6C……….Pass…..Pass
?

I was with Khokan and Ben on this one, it must be cold, it must be going down. I did go with double and that was +800 along with +600 for 3NT making in the other room. Desperately needed, as you will see tomorrow when we look at a play hand.

Cayne vs Victoria
Board 10
Dealer East
All Vul

	NORTH AJ2 5 1083 AKQ543
WEST 76 AQ87632 A764 —-		EAST K109854 — 92 J10876
	SOUTH Q3 KJ1094 KQJ5 92

Strange hand, isn’t it? It seems to me like everybody pretty much has their bid and yet what a result!

Of course, I suspect that if I’d given the hand as an East bidding problem, most people, especially at the vulnerability, would not have chosen 3S. It certainly gave South a difficult decision. In the other room East began with 2S and the following peculiar auction ensued:

West…..North…..East…..South
…………………….2S…….Pass
Pass…..3C………Pass….Pass
3H…….Pass……Pass….Dble
Pass….3S………Pass…3NT – finally, we arrive!
All Pass

Deciding at the six level again….

Cayne vs Singapore
Board 5
Dealer North
NS Vul

	NORTH Q873 A4 J64 AQJ10
WEST A64 Q1032 A10872 5		EAST KJ10952 87 Q953 9
	SOUTH KJ965 K K876432

This hand is from Singapore vs Cayne on Saturday. The question was, with that West hand, after the auction 1C…3S…6C….do you bid? Bridgeboy passed but various people, whom I guess had already seen the hand, told him he should have bid on. Well, yes, I would have too if I’d seen the hands. Personally it isn’t clear to me that this save is going to be particularly cheap, especially if the club shortage is duplicated.

I thought it auto to pass. Simon same and so too the panel – even a double! – but no bidders on.

It was a big loss when this happened in the other room:

West……North…..East…..South
………….1NT……2D……..3D
Dble……Pass…….3S……..4C
4S………5C……….5S………6C
Dble……Pass……6S………Pass
Pass……Dble……All Pass

So, unlucky result, brought on by the fits of guilt of East in this room thinking he didn’t have his bid and that partner would be playing him for tricks!?

It does seem to be a theme at the moment – 6 level decisions with unlikely numbers of aces. On the weekend too came this one:

76
AQ87632
A764
—

All vulnerable, sitting West:

West…..North…..East…..South
……………………3S……..Dble
4S……..6C……….Pass…..Pass
?

Would it be the biggest surprise in the world to be making six spades opposite a vulnerable 3S bid? Especially with the heart finesse most likely to be working? Not that I’m trying to talk you into anything here….

Deciding at the six level.

I had another hand in mind for today, this is more relevant to recent discussion. It was given to me yesterday. (As usual comments are suppressed on this post for now.)

Not vul vs vul, sitting West you hold:

A64
Q1032
A10872
5

and before you know it, you are making your first call at the six level:

West….North….East….South

………..1C……..3S…….6C
?

3NT vs 5 of a minor continued

Board 6
Dealer East
EW Vul

	NORTH K7 AQ875 J95 J65
WEST 10 J32 A10742 Q932		EAST A9854 K KQ8 K1084
	SOUTH QJ632 10974 63 A7

If you hate the 1NT opening, I can’t see that opening 1S gets EW to to game:

1S…..1NT
2C…..Surely this is a routine pass. With a singleton in partner’s suit, only 4 trumps of indifferent quality, nothing in the side suits to get excited about – if I’m raising this to 3C I’ll be failing there for no good reason on lots of hands and maybe inciting partner to bid on when he shouldn’t.

And, indeed, in the other room, after a Precision spade opening, responder passed. North balanced with a double and South’s 2H ended proceedings. Yes, opener could have competed in passout, but that was hardly going to get them to 5C. Admittedly the opener was at the top of his range, which is why his partner didn’t bother bidding on….but that’s the whole point isn’t it? If you open 1S on this hand and rebid 2C, you are STILL approximately at the top of your range, aren’t you? We certainly are, though it is true we play more sound responses to opening bids than most people do.

Both Ben and Khokan in comments yesterday complained about the opening bid and yet the fact is, on the auction as given, everybody reached the correct contract because they had the relevant information to do so…information you are never getting after a 1S opening.

Could it really be true? That I’ve won an argument on my blog? I’m feeling pretty comfy about it right now….

On Monday a dramatic example of a rule we all know….but do we always believe in it? You will now….

3NT vs 5 of a minor

Another deal from a match last weekend against the Cayne team.

As usual, comments will be temporarily suppressed.

A9854
K
KQ8
K1084

1NT…..3H

where 3H shows 0/1 spade, 3 hearts exactly and the minors, about 8-12 HCP, ie only game interest unless opener has something highly appropriate. Over this 3S would show such a hand. 3NT is to play. 4C is forcing and 4 plus.

So what should you do? Is this a 3NT hand or a 5C hand?

To save or not to save, continued.

Note: in posts where problems are presented comments are suppressed temporarily so, you know, there’s no cribbing answers…For the thoughts on this problem, go to yesterday’s post where comments are now posted.

NS vul
Dealer East

	NORTH KQJ1043 J4 102 J83
WEST — Q987632 J K10754		EAST 762 K105 Q9843 Q6
	SOUTH A985 A AK765 A92

The question was, whether or not to save on these auctions:

West…North…East…South
………………..P……..1D
3H……3S……4H……..6S
?

and in the other room:

West…North…East…South
………………..P…….1C
4H…….Dble…..5H…..6S
?

It seems to easy to bid on. It’s what happened in both rooms, so a flat board. I guess the bottom line is that if the save looks cheap enough, then even if they are going down it isn’t the end of the world…and yet, looking at all four hands, frankly it feels like the wrong choice, doesn’t it?

Please come back tomorrow for a problem I thought was quite interesting.

To save or not to save?

This deal came up against Cayne today.

NS vul
Dealer East

—
Q987632
J
K10754

RHO opponent opens 1D and I guess you have a choice of heart bids, or perhaps, even, 2NT, Michaels? I chose 3H, partly because I thought it would make it more likely, if I were to bid 5C next, that I had five of those. This is the auction to your next bid:

West…North…East…South
…………………Pass….1D
3H……3S……4H……..6S
?

What now, to save or not to save? How likely is their slam to be making and how likely is it, over your presumably cheap save, that they can bid and make 7S?

In the other room you are making the decision after this auction:

West…North…East…South
………………..Pass…1C
4H …..Dble…..5H……6S
?

Play problem answer

BBO Practice Match
Australia (PABF) vs Victorian Open Team
Board 13
All Vul
Dealer North

	NORTH Q842 K62 3 K9765
WEST KJ107 10875 Q87 J4		EAST A93 QJ AK42 A1032
	SOUTH 65 A943 J10965 Q8

At both tables North begins with pass and NS then pass throughout.

In one room the auction is:

1C….1H
2NT..3C
3D…3S
3NT

In the other:

1D….1H
2NT…3D
3NT

Contract: 3NT
Opening Lead: DJ

I have no information as to the meaning of the auctions.

The play begins the same at both tables and as both declarers have played for Australia we’ll follow their judgment: the jack of diamonds is led and run to the king. Your queen of hearts is won by RHO’s king and he shifts to clubs. LHO wins the queen. Neither declarer unblocked the club, though I supposed it could be considered. LHO shifts back to diamonds.

North discards the H6 as you win – where? And to do what?

In one room Simon Hinge was declarer. He won the diamond shift in hand (North pitched a heart) and played the HQ which South took. He won the next diamond in dummy, North discarding a club. Spade to the ace and a spade finesse saw North in. He exited a spade…it was this position that prompted Simon to wonder about that first round of clubs since, if he had unblocked the jack, he would now be making instead of down one.

In the other room Tony Nunn was declarer. He won the diamond in dummy, played the jack of clubs, covered and won. Next the queen of hearts was ducked. He finessed a spade to North and claimed nine tricks.

In effect Tony did unblock the clubs, but I guess he did it in a rather safer manner than did Simon, by keeping it when it was still, after all, a trick by weight and then sorting the suit out pronto.

Any sympathy for Simon? When he gave me the hand I think he was hoping for some….