[diana_eva]

Two brain-dead boards that cost us dearly. Not much to discuss, we already lost some sleep over these but do feel free to insult us

Board 21 was a clear grand slam that I still don't know why I haven't bid. No explanation, I knew there was a grand, I did not have any doubts or whatever. Notice that it cost us exactly 13 IMPs (we lost by 13 in the end) So there, I'm still bleeding inside for not bidding it:

---

And this one is Richard's nightmare:

---

[nige1]

diana_eva, on 2014-May-25, 18:53, said:

I knew there was a grand ... It cost us exactly 13 IMPs (we lost by 13 in the end) So there, I'm still bleeding inside for not bidding it:

---

And this one is Richard's nightmare:

---

You might classify errors according to context

• Auction
• Play
• Defence
• Law Revokes, LOOTS, BOOTs, IBs, Criticising partner, Rowing with directors...

And severity

• Methods Not your fault at the table but your system needs repair
• Judgement Overbidding, Underbidding, Opening leads.
• Error Masterminding, Choosing an inferior play/defence
• Serious error Failure to draw trumps when you can afford to do so, Failure to take the obvious setting trick, Blocking suits, Revokes, Loots and so on.

Diana made a mild Bidding judgement error.

Richard's error might be quickly forgotten as just a careless play error but it was of the most serious type because so easily avoidable. It is natural to be ashamed of subtle errors but we should most condemn ourselves for the easily avoidable gross errors. And we should keep rubbing our noses in them, in a desperate attempt to reduce their frequency. I revoked twice yesterday

[inquiry]

Richard's careless blocking of the diamond suit happens, I;ve done that more times than I care to remember, but he is easily more than good enough not to misplay like that. I suspect he was distracted. I would not have shown his hand (he could post it if he would like to have). But let's talk about the missed grand slam at your table.

The opening 1NT bid is a little heavy (great 17 hcp and a 5 card suit). I am certain I would upgrade and open 1♠. On your auction, the splinter bid is certainly ok, but I might have bid 3♥ (spade fit, slam interest) to continue the auction. However, Eddie Kantar's book on roman keycard blackwood makes a great point. A hand that opens 1NT, 2NT, 2C-then rebids 2NT, should never be the hand asking for keycards.

So the auction should be... (if using the splinter)
1NT - 2♣
2♠   - 4♣
4♦   - 4NT
5♣   - 5♦
6♣   - ?

At this point you know about the ♠Q, ♥A, ♦A and ♣AK and you know partner has no more HCP at all. You can count 3♦, 3♣,5♠ and 2♥ for 12 tricks. Where is the 13th coming from?

If partner is 4=3=2=4 you can ruff two clubs in your hand and win 4♠ (in partner's), 2♣, 2♣ ruff, and five red card winners.
If partner is 5=(32)=3 with 3 clubs, you can win 5♠ (in partners hand), 2♣, 1♣, 2♥ and 3♦
If partner has a doubleton heart, you can ruff a heart in his hand for 13 tricks

As you think about the distributions the only ones that are problematic is if partner had 3♣ (or 2), 3 ♥ (she will not have 4), and 3♦ (or 4). So lets look at 4=3=4=2 first. If diamonds are 3-3 you will make with the 13th diamond being the 13th trick. IF diamonds don't break, you have a potential show up squeeze or straight forward finesse (guessing which way).

If partner is 4=3=3=3 you have to guess which way to finesse hearts

With your short clubs, the odds are partner has longer clubs and you know partner has at most 3♥. And if partner has four diamonds you have better than 50% (3-3 diamonds or hook). So the grand slam has to be strong odds on considering the distributions partner could hold. So you will bid the grand slam.

On your auction with north trying for grand slam opposite you splinter, I would imagine partner with ♠Q, ♥AQ, ♦A and [cl[A and bid the grand slam right over 5NT. Imagine partner trying for a grand slam when all I did was show potential mild slam interest, What else could she hold? I might have had a club void so that [cl]AK would be totally wasted.

Try to imagine the hands something like this and then how the play will go during the bidding and you often will find the right solution to what to do. This is a good example of that.

[the hog]

Richard is good enough to easily avoid this. As Ben says, I suspect "a cow flew by".

The grand should be easily bid. I do not understand the 4NT bid. Why take such brutal control of the hand? If you must bid like this, bid 4NT gsf. This should have a decent play opposite any hand that splinters.
I would bid 4D instead, now after 4H bid 5C and pd will bid 5D. You know have a far better basis on which to bid 5NT gsf to ask for the trump Q.

[hrothgar]

the hog, on 2014-May-25, 23:19, said:

Richard is good enough to easily avoid this. As Ben says, I suspect "a cow flew by".

A cat actually. Even so, I thik the main issue is that I don't play many three hour bridge matches these days and the mind started to wander...
I started focusing on overtricks rather than the main issue (ensuring the contract)

[helene_t]

I could have had ♦ J instead of one of the trumps and a small club instead of the king so it is not 100% from Diana's pow that grand is cold.(Edit: Ben said this better). I thought of bidding 3 ♠ instead of 2 but wanted to give Diana room for asking for a club stopper if that was what she needed.
Opening 1sp might have worked better. I didn't want to upgrade with a lousy suit and no tens but rebidding the club suit is ok.

[diana_eva]

I guess what I was trying to say with this post is that lack of experience in long matches vs good opps who constantly keep us under pressure matters more than we realize.

[Phil]

hrothgar, on 2014-May-26, 03:20, said:

I thik the main issue is that I don't play many three hour bridge matches these days and the mind started to wander...

Note this error took place after many boards. I doubt you'd make an error like this at the beginning or the middle of a KO. I suggest eating something small and keep drinking water during a long match especially if stamina or focus is a concern.

Even if you didn't unblock the diamond spots, you could have caught yourself before playing the 4th diamond and jettisoned the ♦10 on the high spade.

[gordontd]

inquiry, on 2014-May-25, 20:33, said:

Richard's careless blocking of the diamond suit happens, I;ve done that more times than I care to remember,

Me too, but what's more surprising is that he didn't unblock by discarding ♦10 on a spade.

[Mbodell]

gordontd, on 2014-May-26, 11:06, said:

Me too, but what's more surprising is that he didn't unblock by discarding ♦10 on a spade.

Yeah, this, it wasn't until the second round of diamonds that I saw what was going to happen. But then the spades did call out to me too. I'm usually good enough to not block the diamonds on instinct, but when tired/distracted/sloppy that is just the sort of mistake I'm guilty of too, so I can empathize.

[quiddity]

inquiry, on 2014-May-25, 20:33, said:

On your auction with north trying for grand slam opposite you splinter, I would imagine partner with ♠Q, ♥AQ, ♦A and [cl[A and bid the grand slam right over 5NT. Imagine partner trying for a grand slam when all I did was show potential mild slam interest, What else could she hold? I might have had a club void so that [cl]AK would be totally wasted.

Not sure it's logical for a limited hand to "try for a grand slam" opposite a hand which only invited a small slam. She asked for keycards on the way to accepting the small-slam invite, and since her partner is unlimited she has to bid 5NT if they have all the keycards. But maybe it shouldn't force partner to show specific kings, and maybe by bidding 6♦ Diana is the one trying for a grand.

[helene_t]

Yes agree with quiddity. 5nt should still leave the initiative with Diana. I thought that maybe I should try 6h as a sort of last train. Does that make sense?

[diana_eva]

helene_t, on 2014-June-03, 01:07, said:

Yes agree with quiddity. 5nt should still leave the initiative with Diana. I thought that maybe I should try 6h as a sort of last train. Does that make sense?

I think you have zero blame here (well perhaps 1% for taking over and confusing me LOL). After 5NT I have a clear raise to 7, no need to show anything else once you told me we have all keys.