Al least to me, ducking the spade at trick one since, at least at first glance, it is so unusual
to do so (with the apparent, general course of play) that, in the absence of taking time at trick one, it would be unlikely, even to a hyper concerned player, to take the time for vital
thought.
Starting with the likely hood of South possessing only 4 hearts and not checking back for a three card raise instead of immediately naming the eventual trump suit. That fact might be
finalized by asking the declarer if the raise always shows 4 trump and, BTW, to ask such a question might even be construed by either a tournament director or a committee later to
not be ethical and giving partner possible illegal information about one’s own thoughts.
All the above becomes similar to carelessly playing openly with a loaded gun for a defender, but, not to do so, might easily keep East (with this example) from making the wrong defensive play and thus winning the first trick.
While the above could be of no interest to most readers, methinks it is a practical guide for TDs and later tournament committees, to discuss, as fodder for consideration, legal, but touchy circumstances, surrounding table talk and its legality.
Finally, I would certainly allow East to casually ask South, if the heart raise promised at least four hearts? However don’t anyone be surprised for NS to challenge that question later as
possibly helping his partner defend this hand.
Such would be bridge life in the trenches among players who eschew both good bridge and proper manners for giving their partnership every possible advantage, both at the table and in the committee room.
manners
Iain ClimieJanuary 9th, 2024 at 4:38 pm
Hi Bobby,
To what extent can asking such questions be addressed by getting partner to step away from the table momentarily (sending them to the bar is always a useful distraction if time permits). Of course games / mind sports don’t really mix with booze or do they? Informed of a Soviet government initiative “State vs Vodka” to cut down on booze, the brilliant Soviet (Latvian) player Mikhail Tal piped up that he’d play for Vodka. Reuben Fine, a very strong US GM from the 1930s to 1950s once played a load of quick games against a much older American player (Frank Marshall). Fine was sober but got trounced by Marshall who was the better for drink, as the Irish say.
My own contribution here was disgraceful though (I don’t drink during play now) when I had a hangover from a very good party the night before. I held None None AKQ10xxx AK108xx and decided to overcall 2H (old fashioned, this was 1983) over 1H. Fair enough except partner alerts and, when asked, says “He should have spades and clubs” – quite true. A bemused West should have doubled holding something like AQJ9xxx Q xxx xx but passed, partner bid 3C so I bid 7C as I’m not entitled to the UI and just have to assumed partner likes clubs (he had QJxx as it turned out). Inexplicably LHO then hit this – what spade holding did he think I had or had I got a green suit in there with the spade void. A very undeserved good score rolled in (IMPs Teams of 12).
regards (still somewhat embarrassed after 30 and a half years),
Iain
Iain ClimieJanuary 9th, 2024 at 4:54 pm
Sorry, the first two refs were to chess players. Mind you, an old friend of mine reckoned he played much better chess (not necessarily bridge) when he’d had a few beers – bang go the inhibitions about unsound attacks for a start.
bobbywolffJanuary 9th, 2024 at 5:15 pm
Hi Iain,
When I hear these soft luck stories (definition: opposite of “hard” so “lucky”) I think of our pal, Jim2 who, if instead of you, it was against him, no doubt, while defending 7CX, his opponent led a diamond allowing his partner to ruff it. However if Jim2 would ever make a lead directing double while defending a grand slam, his partner would also have been void in the same suit he was supposed to lead.
bobbywolffJanuary 9th, 2024 at 7:34 pm
Hi again Iain,
And, as a fitting end to my latest story on Jim2, the other player at the table, the partner of the 7 club doubled player then piped up and cried out, while awaiting the opening leader to valley forth with his lead, I, too, am void in my partner’s trump suit causing a momentary pause, until simultaneously the other three, sans the declarer, became stunned and immediately all three looked directly at him and saw him smiling, just like a chihuahua.
jim2January 9th, 2024 at 8:22 pm
Heehee!
The only time I held a hand like that was at the Nationals in DC in July 1984 (I remember that date because of the kidnapping). I have related it here before, IIRC.
Anyway, I held:
AKQxxx
–
–
QJ9xxxx
Playing Precision, I opened 1C. After all, the little “Red Book” (CC Wei’s version) said the 16 point requirement could be lower with a two-suiter and 7-6 was as two-suiter as one could get!
LHO overcalls 1H, pard puts in 1S (5 – 8 HCPs and 5+ spades), and RHO jumps to 4H. So, here is the first round of bidding:
1C – 1H – 1S – 4H
What to bid? I settle on 6S.
LHO hits this quickly, pard passes in quiet anguish, RHO passes, and I … pause.
Pard begins to pale at the prospect of playing 6S Redoubled in the Nationals on five to the 10, but I finally pass.
What settled it for me was how little defense I had against a red grand slam.
Opening lead is AC from AK. The doubler blanches at the two red voids (he holds both those aces), but his face relaxes when he realizes his pard has two club tricks.
Pard ruffs.
He was 5-3-5-0 and his only points were the KQJ of hearts.
Iain ClimieJanuary 9th, 2024 at 9:54 pm
Hi Bobby, Jim2,
Lovely stuff but there is a final sting in the tale (remember the hand was played 6 times). At one table my hand got doubled in 7D and greedily redoubled but was allowed to play there opposite 10 10xxxxx xx QJxx so was not troubled in the play. Anther player sandbagged, bidding “only” 6D, getting doubled and running to 7D (!) which LHO had the brains not to double. Best of the lot was where the other 2 hands took the push to 6S which the huge 2 suiter strangely doubled instead of taking the nudge (hardly a push) to 7D. Look at the hand with 6H above and you’ll realise that pard’s double is shortly Lightner and he hasn’t got any hearts. sadly no spades either so, with dummy being 5-6-1-1 most of his partner’s minor suit cards vanished on the HAKJ and drawing the one trump wasn’t too much trouble. So 6S X rolled home cheerfully. Happy days but I did apologise to our oppo for the misbid.
Iain
Iain ClimieJanuary 9th, 2024 at 10:08 pm
OK surely, not shortly. As Leslie Nielsen said in “Airplane” though, don’t call me Shirley.
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Bridge-related
Hi Everyone,
Al least to me, ducking the spade at trick one since, at least at first glance, it is so unusual
to do so (with the apparent, general course of play) that, in the absence of taking time at trick one, it would be unlikely, even to a hyper concerned player, to take the time for vital
thought.
Starting with the likely hood of South possessing only 4 hearts and not checking back for a three card raise instead of immediately naming the eventual trump suit. That fact might be
finalized by asking the declarer if the raise always shows 4 trump and, BTW, to ask such a question might even be construed by either a tournament director or a committee later to
not be ethical and giving partner possible illegal information about one’s own thoughts.
All the above becomes similar to carelessly playing openly with a loaded gun for a defender, but, not to do so, might easily keep East (with this example) from making the wrong defensive play and thus winning the first trick.
While the above could be of no interest to most readers, methinks it is a practical guide for TDs and later tournament committees, to discuss, as fodder for consideration, legal, but touchy circumstances, surrounding table talk and its legality.
Finally, I would certainly allow East to casually ask South, if the heart raise promised at least four hearts? However don’t anyone be surprised for NS to challenge that question later as
possibly helping his partner defend this hand.
Such would be bridge life in the trenches among players who eschew both good bridge and proper manners for giving their partnership every possible advantage, both at the table and in the committee room.
manners
Hi Bobby,
To what extent can asking such questions be addressed by getting partner to step away from the table momentarily (sending them to the bar is always a useful distraction if time permits). Of course games / mind sports don’t really mix with booze or do they? Informed of a Soviet government initiative “State vs Vodka” to cut down on booze, the brilliant Soviet (Latvian) player Mikhail Tal piped up that he’d play for Vodka. Reuben Fine, a very strong US GM from the 1930s to 1950s once played a load of quick games against a much older American player (Frank Marshall). Fine was sober but got trounced by Marshall who was the better for drink, as the Irish say.
My own contribution here was disgraceful though (I don’t drink during play now) when I had a hangover from a very good party the night before. I held None None AKQ10xxx AK108xx and decided to overcall 2H (old fashioned, this was 1983) over 1H. Fair enough except partner alerts and, when asked, says “He should have spades and clubs” – quite true. A bemused West should have doubled holding something like AQJ9xxx Q xxx xx but passed, partner bid 3C so I bid 7C as I’m not entitled to the UI and just have to assumed partner likes clubs (he had QJxx as it turned out). Inexplicably LHO then hit this – what spade holding did he think I had or had I got a green suit in there with the spade void. A very undeserved good score rolled in (IMPs Teams of 12).
regards (still somewhat embarrassed after 30 and a half years),
Iain
Sorry, the first two refs were to chess players. Mind you, an old friend of mine reckoned he played much better chess (not necessarily bridge) when he’d had a few beers – bang go the inhibitions about unsound attacks for a start.
Hi Iain,
When I hear these soft luck stories (definition: opposite of “hard” so “lucky”) I think of our pal, Jim2 who, if instead of you, it was against him, no doubt, while defending 7CX, his opponent led a diamond allowing his partner to ruff it. However if Jim2 would ever make a lead directing double while defending a grand slam, his partner would also have been void in the same suit he was supposed to lead.
Hi again Iain,
And, as a fitting end to my latest story on Jim2, the other player at the table, the partner of the 7 club doubled player then piped up and cried out, while awaiting the opening leader to valley forth with his lead, I, too, am void in my partner’s trump suit causing a momentary pause, until simultaneously the other three, sans the declarer, became stunned and immediately all three looked directly at him and saw him smiling, just like a chihuahua.
Heehee!
The only time I held a hand like that was at the Nationals in DC in July 1984 (I remember that date because of the kidnapping). I have related it here before, IIRC.
Anyway, I held:
AKQxxx
–
–
QJ9xxxx
Playing Precision, I opened 1C. After all, the little “Red Book” (CC Wei’s version) said the 16 point requirement could be lower with a two-suiter and 7-6 was as two-suiter as one could get!
LHO overcalls 1H, pard puts in 1S (5 – 8 HCPs and 5+ spades), and RHO jumps to 4H. So, here is the first round of bidding:
1C – 1H – 1S – 4H
What to bid? I settle on 6S.
LHO hits this quickly, pard passes in quiet anguish, RHO passes, and I … pause.
Pard begins to pale at the prospect of playing 6S Redoubled in the Nationals on five to the 10, but I finally pass.
What settled it for me was how little defense I had against a red grand slam.
Opening lead is AC from AK. The doubler blanches at the two red voids (he holds both those aces), but his face relaxes when he realizes his pard has two club tricks.
Pard ruffs.
He was 5-3-5-0 and his only points were the KQJ of hearts.
Hi Bobby, Jim2,
Lovely stuff but there is a final sting in the tale (remember the hand was played 6 times). At one table my hand got doubled in 7D and greedily redoubled but was allowed to play there opposite 10 10xxxxx xx QJxx so was not troubled in the play. Anther player sandbagged, bidding “only” 6D, getting doubled and running to 7D (!) which LHO had the brains not to double. Best of the lot was where the other 2 hands took the push to 6S which the huge 2 suiter strangely doubled instead of taking the nudge (hardly a push) to 7D. Look at the hand with 6H above and you’ll realise that pard’s double is shortly Lightner and he hasn’t got any hearts. sadly no spades either so, with dummy being 5-6-1-1 most of his partner’s minor suit cards vanished on the HAKJ and drawing the one trump wasn’t too much trouble. So 6S X rolled home cheerfully. Happy days but I did apologise to our oppo for the misbid.
Iain
OK surely, not shortly. As Leslie Nielsen said in “Airplane” though, don’t call me Shirley.
Iain