It’s a shame North did not have an opening bid to describe a 4-5 major suit minimum.
(And the dead horse gets another whack!)
Jeff SerandosJuly 27th, 2023 at 5:16 am
Funny – I looked at the main hand before BWTA and wondered briefly how the bidding would have gone if South opened, reluctantly deciding that after 1C-1H, 2S would be too much, but that surely North would respond 2S and they would end up in the same contract played from the same side – and then BWTA confirmed that opinion.
It didn’t answer my other question though. After 2S, would South bid 3NT offering a choice of games or go straight to 4S even though it might be a 4-3 fit? Given the singleton heart, I would probably go straight to 4S. I’m sure that is where they would end up anyway, but I am still curious.
To jim2’s dead horse, I guess Flannery just wasn’t on their dance card. Too bad as 2D-3S-4S is quick and painless.
Iain ClimieJuly 27th, 2023 at 8:35 am
Hi Bobby,
Single dummy, how do you think declarer should play the contract. DK and CJ seem reasonable enough but after the HA simply ruffing out the CA works nicely as the cards lie, followed by the S finesse, drawing one more round of trumps, setting up the clubs and feeding East minor suit winners. Mrs. Guggenheim would probably have run the SQ at T2 and that does OK too!
Regards,
Iain
A V Ramana RaoJuly 27th, 2023 at 11:12 am
Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Perhaps declarer did not plan the play properly. Assuming spades break , he has three spades, two hearts, three diamonds and if club Q is placed to his right, he can get one club and a club ruff a total of ten ( with spade finesse on and ten doubleton in either hand, he has ten tricks irrespective of club honors placement). What he cannot afford is ruffs. Say after winning the lead in dummy, he leads spade Q , east covers, south wins, unblocks hear A, leads spade to J. As ten doesn’t appear, he leaves spades and leads J of clubs. West can win and provide diamond ruff to east but south prevails as if east returns heart dummy gets third trick in heart and south can crossruff for ten tricks and if east returns club, ten from south compels cover of A which is ruffed and again declarer has ten tricks.
Regards
bobbywolffJuly 27th, 2023 at 9:22 pm
Hi Jim2,
How about next time merely stating that playing Flannery will get you flattery?
Bob Hamman and I played Flannery, but Eric Rodwell was extremely critical of us for so doing, since we utilized an opening 2 hearts (instead of 2 diamonds) for it, and he claimed that losing a weak 2 heart bid had hurt our team badly, because of losing its preemptive value. Bob & I played an Italian 2 diamonds to show a random special 4-4-4-1 distribution
(I forget the mechanics of it).
bobbywolffJuly 27th, 2023 at 9:27 pm
Hi Jeff,
If South would have dealt, my guess as to the bidding sequence would be 1C 1H, 1S, 3S, 4S, P. A little extra was held by both, but IMO not clear enough to vary.
bobbywolffJuly 27th, 2023 at 9:41 pm
Hi Iain,
It seems to me that anything close to the column way, basically like you explained, will
work out both sensible to do and likely to succeed. And, of course, if playing the bastardly matchpoint game, an overtrick becomes so important, but I, for one, cannot decide the exact order of plays, but anything close to what is suggested will be OKed by me.
Finally, it is amazing how I can move away by being pinned down and eventually agree with whatever, in order to avoid discussing this intangible but only too real enigma.
bobbywolffJuly 27th, 2023 at 9:56 pm
Hi AVRR,
Yes, again the chickens have come home to roost, but this time so fast.
No doubt your play seems safer for contract, but is it IMPs or matchpoints (money bridge denotes IMPs).
Getting the kiddies off the street (long for drawing trump) usually (but not always) makes it
safer for scoring up contract, but with this hand, it is much better for anyone but yours truly
to answer. “Why”? Simply because I am just too lazy to try and get involved with an ending so close to other lines. Better someone else left to tear his hair out, not for me who only has a lonely strand left, at least last time I looked in the mirror. Thanks everyone, for not responding! BTW, that last sentence, after all these years, is, I think, the first time ever.
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Bridge-related
It’s a shame North did not have an opening bid to describe a 4-5 major suit minimum.
(And the dead horse gets another whack!)
Funny – I looked at the main hand before BWTA and wondered briefly how the bidding would have gone if South opened, reluctantly deciding that after 1C-1H, 2S would be too much, but that surely North would respond 2S and they would end up in the same contract played from the same side – and then BWTA confirmed that opinion.
It didn’t answer my other question though. After 2S, would South bid 3NT offering a choice of games or go straight to 4S even though it might be a 4-3 fit? Given the singleton heart, I would probably go straight to 4S. I’m sure that is where they would end up anyway, but I am still curious.
To jim2’s dead horse, I guess Flannery just wasn’t on their dance card. Too bad as 2D-3S-4S is quick and painless.
Hi Bobby,
Single dummy, how do you think declarer should play the contract. DK and CJ seem reasonable enough but after the HA simply ruffing out the CA works nicely as the cards lie, followed by the S finesse, drawing one more round of trumps, setting up the clubs and feeding East minor suit winners. Mrs. Guggenheim would probably have run the SQ at T2 and that does OK too!
Regards,
Iain
Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Perhaps declarer did not plan the play properly. Assuming spades break , he has three spades, two hearts, three diamonds and if club Q is placed to his right, he can get one club and a club ruff a total of ten ( with spade finesse on and ten doubleton in either hand, he has ten tricks irrespective of club honors placement). What he cannot afford is ruffs. Say after winning the lead in dummy, he leads spade Q , east covers, south wins, unblocks hear A, leads spade to J. As ten doesn’t appear, he leaves spades and leads J of clubs. West can win and provide diamond ruff to east but south prevails as if east returns heart dummy gets third trick in heart and south can crossruff for ten tricks and if east returns club, ten from south compels cover of A which is ruffed and again declarer has ten tricks.
Regards
Hi Jim2,
How about next time merely stating that playing Flannery will get you flattery?
Bob Hamman and I played Flannery, but Eric Rodwell was extremely critical of us for so doing, since we utilized an opening 2 hearts (instead of 2 diamonds) for it, and he claimed that losing a weak 2 heart bid had hurt our team badly, because of losing its preemptive value. Bob & I played an Italian 2 diamonds to show a random special 4-4-4-1 distribution
(I forget the mechanics of it).
Hi Jeff,
If South would have dealt, my guess as to the bidding sequence would be 1C 1H, 1S, 3S, 4S, P. A little extra was held by both, but IMO not clear enough to vary.
Hi Iain,
It seems to me that anything close to the column way, basically like you explained, will
work out both sensible to do and likely to succeed. And, of course, if playing the bastardly matchpoint game, an overtrick becomes so important, but I, for one, cannot decide the exact order of plays, but anything close to what is suggested will be OKed by me.
Finally, it is amazing how I can move away by being pinned down and eventually agree with whatever, in order to avoid discussing this intangible but only too real enigma.
Hi AVRR,
Yes, again the chickens have come home to roost, but this time so fast.
No doubt your play seems safer for contract, but is it IMPs or matchpoints (money bridge denotes IMPs).
Getting the kiddies off the street (long for drawing trump) usually (but not always) makes it
safer for scoring up contract, but with this hand, it is much better for anyone but yours truly
to answer. “Why”? Simply because I am just too lazy to try and get involved with an ending so close to other lines. Better someone else left to tear his hair out, not for me who only has a lonely strand left, at least last time I looked in the mirror. Thanks everyone, for not responding! BTW, that last sentence, after all these years, is, I think, the first time ever.