it took me several minutes to realize that you hadn’t made a mistake describing what happened on the opening lead. I finally realized that W led a heart, not a spade. Why he didn’t lead a spade, I have, like you, no idea. But surely, if he had honor doubleton, even this W would have led a spade. So, I think S should have played the SJ at trick 3. This wins on the actual layout and doesn’t cost if W has any singleton. Of course, I am looking at all 4 hands, so maybe I’m full of it.

Hi David,

I was about to post something similar, especially as West has led from K108xx – if he’d led from KJ10 or KQ10 then maybe he could have Qx in spades, but not otherwise. Your last concern is thus N/A although my wife wouldn’t let me off the hook most of the time.

Regards,

Iain

Hello Mr Wolff

North has clearly upgraded his hand and hasnt opened 1 NT. If 1 NT is opened and East competes with 2 Spades and South manages a penalty double its 800 if he doesnt double its 300. Both are better than 3 NT being -1. Also if East doesnt come in with 2 Spades 1NT would make. So should North’s hand be upgraded holding 17 HCPs , a five card suit but with no check in Spades ?

best regards

Shantanu Rastogi

Hello Mr Wolff

A follow up- if South doesnt bid 1 NT on 1 C – 1 S and the bid gets passed to North a take out double would surely happen. Now should South pass for penalty or bid 1 NT. The young USA 1 (Kranyak) when they took part in the trials for Bermuda Bowl at Bali were taking such chances (of passing for penalty). In reality should one ?

best regards

Shantanu Rastogi

Hi David,

While I usually agree with you and some others about tactics (including choice of opening leads and sometimes some types of legal deceptions) I do not think anywhere close to all opening leads are as clear cut as some do.

Sometimes, particularly when a relatively young innocent looking player bids 1NT over my partner’s overcall, I, as an opening leader (and particularly so with my partnership’s light overcalling requirements) sometimes hope to catch lightening in a bottle and run to other suits which I hope happen to be more effective.

I’m not claiming any 6th sense or anything like that, but sometimes blind flying gets the job done, not that I wouldn’t lead a spade this time. Might not partner have KJ10xx, AQx, xx, xxx sometimes?

Would Damon Runyon’s famous quote always work, “The battle is not always to the strong, nor the race to the swift, but that is the way to bet”, no, I do not think so, since bridge judgment, unlike sports betting is based on both science and the cast of characters present, and sometimes grizzled veteran bridge players are better judges of that than are younger very talented whippersnappers.

Folks,

A stray thought on a 2S overcall here. If spades run, east still needs 3 more tricks to make 2S. What is happening to 1N in that case? Very simplistic, of course, but east should pass 1N here especially as south could be bidding 3N with a different hand and east can potentially cash out.

Iain

That’s after an opening 1N of course.

Hi Iain,

Your point is well taken except the person to be determined (opening leader) could be a relative stranger who, having played with his wild partner before, has learned not to respect his overcalls.

All I am intending to say is that humanity enters into this decision and to deny that it, at least, has some influence, is to think of bridge as much more a safe harbor than sometimes we would like it to be, when we, like here, are faced, as declarer, with rising with the jack or not.

An issue here is simply, whether East is a good enough player to dare lead the 10 from AKQ10x? Obviously he is, but some may not be.

Hi Shantanu,

I do think that North is just too strong a hand to venture a 15-17 pt. NT. His good 5 card club suit clinches that fact to me, but if he does, I totally agree with you that East would be better off passing and let the chips fall where they may with defending 3NT to be looked forward to, since we are on lead.

In answer to your second question, yes, I, too, noticed that in the last series of important bridge events that, more than my previous many years there were penalty passes often converted leaving the defense to perform well in order to get the maximum out of the cards and basically go for the throat on defense.

While I am not qualified more than many for determining whether that is winning bridge or not, my inclination is that since defense, particularly the opening lead, is usually such guesswork then adding that later defense is usually much more difficult (with educated guesses to be made) the end result, particularly with bridge scoring, as it has been ever since its inception in 1927 has not favored defense (sets not costing as much as they might) I will leave those tactics to the youth who seem to favor them.

Yes, I have been judged as optimistic at the bridge table as anyone else, but defending with these hands and at low levels, when extreme distribution may be favoring the declarer, is not my cup of tea.

Hi Bobby,

A fair point but leading partner’s suit in the absence of a good alternative can avoid moaning from some partners I could (but won’t) name!

Iain

Hi Iain,

You present what sometimes can be a difficult (Hobson’s) choice. The lady or the tiger?

Perhaps more often than others realize, the tiger is safer since, upon occasion, the tiger can be trained to be gentle and respectful.

If my advice did not arrive in time, please send me your hospital room number.

Hi everyone,

Judy and I are leaving this morning for a trip to the strip (Ballys) in Las Vegas for the annual Regional bridge tournament.

Judy, as always, is taking her computer so I’ll try and stay in touch. Wish us happy finesses.

Warmth,

Bobby

Hi Bobby,

All the best to you both and let’s hope the opponents lead into your tenaces, avoiding the need.

Iain

Bobby, I think your 50% finesses win as often as Hideous Hog’s finesses. He did say “When I take a 50% chance I expect it to win 90% of the tie.” This also explains why you write the columns and I read them.

Good luck!

Iain: thank you for the kind words, both to me and Bobby. You seem to have forgotten that he is going to LAS VEGAS. Don’t wish such a person “All the best”; wish him “All the bets”. All the bets, Bobby.

Hi Bill,

Yes, I, too, expect my 50% finesses win as much as 90%, but not because of my judgment or skill in taking the right ones, but rather my eternal optimism.

Hi David,

Judy’s and my trip to the strip is only from a suburb of LV, namely Summerlin. and the bridge tournament we attend helps us not spend our leisure times bucking the odds at a special kind of blackjack, called fun, 21 (sometimes a misleading name) where Judy plays the special odds (very small in favor of the house) better than I do.

May you bid so well that you don’t need any stinkin’ finesses!

Hi Jim2,

Good advice, except we believe the old bridge saw, “if down 1 is good bridge, down 2, must be even better”.

Re Bobby’s confession about my blackjack style, it’s about time I played some card game better than The Lone Wolff! Seriously, Superfun 21 Double Deck Blackjack is an exciting game and being a resident of Sin City for over eight years, it is great to just hold one’s own.

We just arrived here at Bally’s and am looking forward to a hectic week of bridge adventures and seeing so many old friends.

20 Comments!
Is that a new indoor record?

Hi Clarksburg,

No, you just broke it with the 21st and then I……… When will we ever learn?