Interestingly, there’s an Alphonse-Gaston game declarer can play with defenders. If East does find the heart shift, he ducks the first heart, covers the second, and wins the third. Unless West tries the 8. Then declarer wins. The net result is the defenders can take only two diamonds and two hearts.
In order to defeat the hand, West must figure it out, win the firt diamond, and start the Hearts himself.
Bob Lipton
A V Ramana RaoOctober 27th, 2023 at 11:16 am
Hi Robert Lipton
Why is east obligated to win second heart? He ducks irrespective of whether dummy covers . Now, when west wins diamond and returns his remaining heart, curtain comes down for declarer
Hope our host approves
Regards
A V Ramana RaoOctober 27th, 2023 at 11:17 am
Covers or not
jim2October 27th, 2023 at 11:49 am
On BWTA, too bad North did not have an opening bid that showed a major 2-suiter with shorter spades.
bobbywolffOctober 27th, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Hi Bob, AVR & Jim2,
This hand, both offensively and defensively, requires deft handling by both the declarer and the defense. And since the opening lead, unless the opening lead of the spade eight is giving false impressions of his original holding, East, rather than West is better placed to take advantage of that critical knowledge in order to immediately (if not sooner) be switching to hearts, playing South for the AKQ of spades and the king of clubs but no honor in hearts. By fortune, East is first in and must do it right away after winning the
king of diamonds. Possibly a long shot, but still one which probably stands out as the most likely way to defeat this game.
Brilliant indeed, but a good way to gain a positive feeling within the bridge community. And to Jim 2 with his political comment about flattering Flannery, since, if playing it and then making a second round forward going bid in spades, partner will know that you, his partner, is likely not 4-5, with more or less a minimum hand, otherwise you would have opened 2 diamonds (the bid that is usually used to denote that distribution but an upper limit on strength).
The question now still remains, would Jim2 trade his undying love for Flannery in order to erase his TOCM? He may need to ponder long and hard
for that answer, since no one person ever has loved a specific convention more that he does, but the agony TOCM has caused him, makes that decision, perhaps more than only one great bridge player can handle.
jim2October 27th, 2023 at 3:31 pm
Nothing I have tried has ever affected my nemesis, TOCM ™.
Some have even suggested sacrifices on altars, but I deny all suggestions that I might be implicated in various missing goats. I dismiss as mere coincidence that some of my jackets appear to have black soot stains.
Iain ClimieOctober 27th, 2023 at 7:43 pm
Hi Bobby, Jim2 (especially), Folks,
A situation last night which may amuse you. Partner opens 1NT (12-14), RHO (a relative beginner) bids 2H and you Lebensohl into 3D by bidding 2N first with QJ10 to 7D and a few bits. You play there. LHO is also not a strong player but leads the H9 finding dummy with xxx. RHO takes the HA and plays the H7 back through your original K108. So who is pulling your strings here? Has RHO played 4th highest back from AQJ7xx when playing the K sees it ruffed or has LHO done something strange like pulling the wrong card from HJ9?
At the table I thought of what would happen to Jim2 here…
Regards,
Iain
bobbywolffOctober 27th, 2023 at 8:48 pm
Hi Iain,
While looking up TOCM and finding out the complete definition of it, yes, not only do bad combinations of cards, poorly chosen, but instead always working to the advantage of the opponent, in spite of the odds against it, due to the migration after the return. Possibly a form of hypnosis is released
causing the player affected to play an always wrong card.
Sad though it may be, this horror is said to be a positive step in teaching our game as to always point out what NOT to do.
Live, learn and then, just appreciate!
jim2October 28th, 2023 at 1:45 pm
Another explanation that has been offered is the “Schrodinger’s Cards” analogy to explain TOCM ™.
That is, both potential card holdings exist at the same time. The position only resolves when I make the play that commits me to a line.
Thus, my playing that card is like opening the cat’s box. In my case, unlike that of Schrodinger’s Cat, the contract is always dead.
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related
Interestingly, there’s an Alphonse-Gaston game declarer can play with defenders. If East does find the heart shift, he ducks the first heart, covers the second, and wins the third. Unless West tries the 8. Then declarer wins. The net result is the defenders can take only two diamonds and two hearts.
In order to defeat the hand, West must figure it out, win the firt diamond, and start the Hearts himself.
Bob Lipton
Hi Robert Lipton
Why is east obligated to win second heart? He ducks irrespective of whether dummy covers . Now, when west wins diamond and returns his remaining heart, curtain comes down for declarer
Hope our host approves
Regards
Covers or not
On BWTA, too bad North did not have an opening bid that showed a major 2-suiter with shorter spades.
Hi Bob, AVR & Jim2,
This hand, both offensively and defensively, requires deft handling by both the declarer and the defense. And since the opening lead, unless the opening lead of the spade eight is giving false impressions of his original holding, East, rather than West is better placed to take advantage of that critical knowledge in order to immediately (if not sooner) be switching to hearts, playing South for the AKQ of spades and the king of clubs but no honor in hearts. By fortune, East is first in and must do it right away after winning the
king of diamonds. Possibly a long shot, but still one which probably stands out as the most likely way to defeat this game.
Brilliant indeed, but a good way to gain a positive feeling within the bridge community. And to Jim 2 with his political comment about flattering Flannery, since, if playing it and then making a second round forward going bid in spades, partner will know that you, his partner, is likely not 4-5, with more or less a minimum hand, otherwise you would have opened 2 diamonds (the bid that is usually used to denote that distribution but an upper limit on strength).
The question now still remains, would Jim2 trade his undying love for Flannery in order to erase his TOCM? He may need to ponder long and hard
for that answer, since no one person ever has loved a specific convention more that he does, but the agony TOCM has caused him, makes that decision, perhaps more than only one great bridge player can handle.
Nothing I have tried has ever affected my nemesis, TOCM ™.
Some have even suggested sacrifices on altars, but I deny all suggestions that I might be implicated in various missing goats. I dismiss as mere coincidence that some of my jackets appear to have black soot stains.
Hi Bobby, Jim2 (especially), Folks,
A situation last night which may amuse you. Partner opens 1NT (12-14), RHO (a relative beginner) bids 2H and you Lebensohl into 3D by bidding 2N first with QJ10 to 7D and a few bits. You play there. LHO is also not a strong player but leads the H9 finding dummy with xxx. RHO takes the HA and plays the H7 back through your original K108. So who is pulling your strings here? Has RHO played 4th highest back from AQJ7xx when playing the K sees it ruffed or has LHO done something strange like pulling the wrong card from HJ9?
At the table I thought of what would happen to Jim2 here…
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
While looking up TOCM and finding out the complete definition of it, yes, not only do bad combinations of cards, poorly chosen, but instead always working to the advantage of the opponent, in spite of the odds against it, due to the migration after the return. Possibly a form of hypnosis is released
causing the player affected to play an always wrong card.
Sad though it may be, this horror is said to be a positive step in teaching our game as to always point out what NOT to do.
Live, learn and then, just appreciate!
Another explanation that has been offered is the “Schrodinger’s Cards” analogy to explain TOCM ™.
That is, both potential card holdings exist at the same time. The position only resolves when I make the play that commits me to a line.
Thus, my playing that card is like opening the cat’s box. In my case, unlike that of Schrodinger’s Cat, the contract is always dead.