A hand which might amuse you from last night. You hold AKQ10x AKQxx None AQx. You’re considering how the auction might go after you open 2C but RHO starts with 1S! If you double, LHO passes and partner bids 2H. We sat this one out but my partner even toyed with bashing 7H when we looked at it. Thoughts, though?
Regards,
Iain
Robert LiptonAugust 11th, 2023 at 11:16 am
52% chance of the ST dropping doubleton or tripleton, the loss of control when it doesn’t and the CK is offside, and the likelihood of the DA being in the west hand all point to playing the SA on the second round.
Plus, why doesn’t South raise clubs?
Bob Lipton
jim2August 11th, 2023 at 12:22 pm
In last year’s Slush Cup, my partner ruffed the opening AH lead, pitched his diamonds on the top spades, cross-ruffed red cards, and conceded a trick to the KC.
+ 1370
Late in the session, a roof leak shorted out the PC scoring system, so the official results had to throw out several hands because not all tables had played them. This, of course, was one of them.
bobbywolffAugust 11th, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Hi Iain,
With RHO opening 1 spade and partner responding 2 hearts, methinks anything less than the full amount of hearts is timid (to stay civil and act politely). Yes it may result in partner having to both hold the jack of hearts (odds on) and to finesse the spade. If LHO doubles (void in spades) I may, almost certainly would not, run to 7NT tempting East to not leading a diamond, but might think better percentage to have RHO guess wrong on lead.
Have you checked the backs of your card stash and see if they are meant for a magician instead of you having to apply your own magic.
bobbywolffAugust 11th, 2023 at 4:37 pm
Hi Robert,
A proper thought, but South’s spades are just good enough to head to a cheaper game contract, with the potential club fit a huge asset and just hope partner has a couple of spades (or the king) as
any good partner would surely have.
Will not debate the final contract, but the choosing of one’s bids is always one of the consistent difficult problems at all levels of bridge expertise.
bobbywolffAugust 11th, 2023 at 5:01 pm
Hi Jim2,
Since Lena was the tournament chairman she exercised her right to allow the one table who made 6 clubs doubled a top board and gave all others 5 1/2 on a 12 top. Seems only fair since the one genius who scored up 6 clubs doubled was inevitably her lover, so no one could deny that he deserved at least that much of an advantage.
Iain ClimieAugust 11th, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Hi Bobby,
The full hand is a little disappointing:
Partner 9 109xx xxxx 10xxx
RHO J87xx x AKQx KJx
LHO xx Jxx J109xx xxx
Deep finesse assures us that, double dummy, you can make 12 tricks. I’m not 100% convinced (especially as the 2H responder is playing the hand and the opening bidder won’t look past the DAKQ at T1). We sat this hand out playing pairs but partner said he’d have been very tempted to bid 7H over 2H. Is 2C a better shot here, reducing the likelihood of such a charge?
Regards,
Iain
bobbywolffAugust 11th, 2023 at 9:08 pm
Hi Iain,
Yes Iain
I would certainly think about a grand slam in hearts, but if not settling for just barely a heart game I’ll be crediting my troublesome opponents a positive score. Game is the limit and possibly justifiably since I will love to meet the person from Deep Finesse who suggests any slam is a make.
The only one that is possible is one in which one of us gets slammed to the ground.
Iain ClimieAugust 12th, 2023 at 12:18 pm
Hi Bobby,
I ran this past Andrew Robson and I think the play goes as follows (played by the 4441 rubbish hand). DA led ruffed on table (in the 24 count!) and 2 top trumps cashed. SAK next ditching a club and then a small spade is led. It doesn’t help the hand with 3 hearts to trump in as declarer ditches a club, so he sheds a club (say). Club finesse and another small spade of table. If the next hand dumps another club, ruff in hand, ruff a diamond, draw the last trump and concede trick 13 to the CK. If instead the hand with HJxx ruffs in then simply ditching a club allows the club x rom table to be ruffed with the H10 in the end.
Not exactly easy! It took much discussion and back of the envelope scribblings before we were willing to admit the wretched computer had got it right – and that is still double dummy of course.
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Hi Bobby,
A hand which might amuse you from last night. You hold AKQ10x AKQxx None AQx. You’re considering how the auction might go after you open 2C but RHO starts with 1S! If you double, LHO passes and partner bids 2H. We sat this one out but my partner even toyed with bashing 7H when we looked at it. Thoughts, though?
Regards,
Iain
52% chance of the ST dropping doubleton or tripleton, the loss of control when it doesn’t and the CK is offside, and the likelihood of the DA being in the west hand all point to playing the SA on the second round.
Plus, why doesn’t South raise clubs?
Bob Lipton
In last year’s Slush Cup, my partner ruffed the opening AH lead, pitched his diamonds on the top spades, cross-ruffed red cards, and conceded a trick to the KC.
+ 1370
Late in the session, a roof leak shorted out the PC scoring system, so the official results had to throw out several hands because not all tables had played them. This, of course, was one of them.
Hi Iain,
With RHO opening 1 spade and partner responding 2 hearts, methinks anything less than the full amount of hearts is timid (to stay civil and act politely). Yes it may result in partner having to both hold the jack of hearts (odds on) and to finesse the spade. If LHO doubles (void in spades) I may, almost certainly would not, run to 7NT tempting East to not leading a diamond, but might think better percentage to have RHO guess wrong on lead.
Have you checked the backs of your card stash and see if they are meant for a magician instead of you having to apply your own magic.
Hi Robert,
A proper thought, but South’s spades are just good enough to head to a cheaper game contract, with the potential club fit a huge asset and just hope partner has a couple of spades (or the king) as
any good partner would surely have.
Will not debate the final contract, but the choosing of one’s bids is always one of the consistent difficult problems at all levels of bridge expertise.
Hi Jim2,
Since Lena was the tournament chairman she exercised her right to allow the one table who made 6 clubs doubled a top board and gave all others 5 1/2 on a 12 top. Seems only fair since the one genius who scored up 6 clubs doubled was inevitably her lover, so no one could deny that he deserved at least that much of an advantage.
Hi Bobby,
The full hand is a little disappointing:
Partner 9 109xx xxxx 10xxx
RHO J87xx x AKQx KJx
LHO xx Jxx J109xx xxx
Deep finesse assures us that, double dummy, you can make 12 tricks. I’m not 100% convinced (especially as the 2H responder is playing the hand and the opening bidder won’t look past the DAKQ at T1). We sat this hand out playing pairs but partner said he’d have been very tempted to bid 7H over 2H. Is 2C a better shot here, reducing the likelihood of such a charge?
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
Yes Iain
I would certainly think about a grand slam in hearts, but if not settling for just barely a heart game I’ll be crediting my troublesome opponents a positive score. Game is the limit and possibly justifiably since I will love to meet the person from Deep Finesse who suggests any slam is a make.
The only one that is possible is one in which one of us gets slammed to the ground.
Hi Bobby,
I ran this past Andrew Robson and I think the play goes as follows (played by the 4441 rubbish hand). DA led ruffed on table (in the 24 count!) and 2 top trumps cashed. SAK next ditching a club and then a small spade is led. It doesn’t help the hand with 3 hearts to trump in as declarer ditches a club, so he sheds a club (say). Club finesse and another small spade of table. If the next hand dumps another club, ruff in hand, ruff a diamond, draw the last trump and concede trick 13 to the CK. If instead the hand with HJxx ruffs in then simply ditching a club allows the club x rom table to be ruffed with the H10 in the end.
Not exactly easy! It took much discussion and back of the envelope scribblings before we were willing to admit the wretched computer had got it right – and that is still double dummy of course.
Regards,
Iain