[pclayton]

Here's an interesting one against Sartaj Hans / Tony Nunn of Australia (very nice pair):

Scoring: MP

---

You decide to downgrade this to a 1♦ opening because of the ♣QT and you have both majors (would you?).

Brian bids 2♦ (inverted, game forcing) and Sartaj butts in with 4♣. You make a forcing pass, and Brian comes back with 4♠.

Your call?

[jdonn]

I really don't like the decision to downgrade this at all with three 10s and good controls. Having both majors is not a good reason to me, when partner bids one you will just be forced to underbid next round. I would bid 4NT keycard here, it's hard to imagine him making a slam try without a club control when I can see all the cards in the other suits he is missing.

[joshs]

I like those guys. Sartaj and I were teammates in one event when I visited australia and have played from time to time on okb. It was exciting to see them make Australia's open team last year....

Anyway, I
a: wouldn't have downgraded since despite the 4-4 in the majors, I do like my spot cards and opening a 3 card suit is never that exciting
b. I would bid 5D, unless 4N is something other than rkc, but its really close. I now have a 13 count and a 3 card suit, and having made a forcing pass I really don't want to do any more... I really have no idea if partner has clubs controled.

Do you have an immediate spinter available? It appears that partner has 6D's and 3361 is a moderately likely shape.

[mike777]

pclayton, on Apr 3 2006, 05:25 PM, said:

Here's an interesting one against Sartaj Hans / Tony Nunn of Australia (very nice pair):

<!-- ONEHAND begin --><table border='1'> <tr> <td> <table> <tr> <td> Dealer: </td> <td> South </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Vul: </td> <td> E/W </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Scoring: </td> <td> MP </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td> <table> <tr> <th> <span class='spades'> ♠ </span> </th> <td> K965 </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='hearts'> ♥ </span> </th> <td> AKT5 </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='diamonds'> ♦ </span> </th> <td> KT2 </td> </tr> <tr> <th> <span class='clubs'> ♣ </span> </th> <td> QT </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td>  </td> </tr> </table><!-- ONEHAND end -->

You decide to downgrade this to a 1♦ opening because of the ♣QT and you have both majors (would you?).

Brian bids 2♦ (inverted, game forcing) and Sartaj butts in with 4♣. You make a forcing pass, and Brian comes back with 4♠.

Your call?

Another great hand, I did not play inverted minors but I am going to make some assumptions. btw I would also open 1nt. Btw I would x over 4c since this hand is only 13 hcp and flat.

2d=denies 4 card major
4c over 1d would be a splinter but limited game force only weak interest in slam.
4h over opp 4c bid would be rkc for D.
4S denies xx in clubs. I think my forcing pass denies the ace of clubs(I would rkc) or a void in clubs, I would cuebid an outside control with a void in clubs or cue clubs.
4nt by responder over 4c would be natural and to play.

My guess is p has a huge D hand(no splinter), a void in Clubs(no rkc) I am going to bid 5nt over 4s grand slam force I hope.

My guess is it is responder who had a real problem with this hand.

[kenrexford]

I do not understand the thinking here.

You opened 1D, which usually features a four-card suit. Unfortunately, you have three, but this makes sense when you have 4432 and even a 15-count (at Matchpoints). This is a fine opening.

Partner makes a GF raise. Great.

Next is 4C. That sucks. Your 15-count now drops to a 13-count with poor and short diamonds from expectation. So, you make a forcing pass, implying great offense to defense ratio, having precisely the opposite.

Partner, plausibly concerned that you might have something resembling slam interest, cooperates with a 4S call. His diamonds must be lousy also, because he did not cuebid 4D (good trumps, we would assume). So, what kind of trash does he have? Perhaps AQJ-Qxx-KJxxx-xx? Add in four more points anywhere, and slam seems remote.

I sign off.

[hatchett]

I don't like the downgrade. 1NT is clear for me.
I think you should double over 4C, which should be a weak NT.
Over partner's 4S, 4NT for me would be a good 5♦ call without a club control, this seems a debatable move having already made a forcing pass, so 5♦ for me.

[whereagles]

It's always easier to say afterwards that "1NT would have been better", but that was not the question.

Since this is matchpoints, I'm going to pass 4♠ and hope pard has x/xx in clubs.

[Codo]

PD has a game force opps. my 15 and is making another move after my forcing pass. So I will cooperate with 5 ♣ showing the HEART Control, but doubts about the Clubs.
I would believe, that 4 NT is RCKB, showing a Club and a Heart Control, so he should get the message for this bid.

If I would believe, that 5 Club can be understood as showing a club control, I would just blast to 6 ♦.

But which sane player will understand 5 ♣ it this way?
(Besides you and you and all others?)

[Fluffy]

Does 2♦ deny 4♠?

[pclayton]

Yes, IMs for us deny 4 of a major.

[mikeh]

In my partnerships, we have an agreement that in a minor suit forcing auction, 4N is NEVER keycard. If we had that agreement, then 4N for me.... as a stronger bid than 5♦ but denying any ♣ control. My concern is that partner has, for example, AQx Qxx AQxxxx x: or would he splinter with that?

I guess I am really saying that I cannot answer this post without knowing more about our methods

If 4N is unavailable as 'keep going'... then I bid 5♦, expecting/hoping partner will work out that I have some useful major cards due to my use of the forcing pass.

BTW, for what it is worth, I join the chorus of 1N opening bids: I strongly suspect that my agreements over 1N are even better than my agreements over a 1♦ opener

[luis]

Downgrade a 1NT opening? how crazy is that in modern bridge?
Everybody opens 1NT with anything remotely similar to 1NT so the winning bet is to open 1NT often.

[Al_U_Card]

luis, on Apr 4 2006, 11:37 AM, said:

Downgrade a 1NT opening? how crazy is that in modern bridge?
Everybody opens 1NT with anything remotely similar to 1NT so the winning bet is to open 1NT often.

Come to think of it, downgrade and you might get reported for a psych.....

[pclayton]

In events where you are out of the running, you sometimes do crazy (i.e. stupid) things.

I would open 1N on every day of the week, except here I needed some kind of swing to get things going. The 2nd day of the open pairs was an absolute nightmare, and I put together the worst games I've had in a national back-to-back.

We were in decent spot after the 1st day (44th), but ran into trouble early Day 2. This hand came late in the 2nd session, but our game was already history.

What I'm curious is to see what type of high level agreeements others have in place in situations like this.

Brian held: Ax, xx, AQJxxx, Jxx. We get 800 out of 4♣ (the 4♣ bidder had QJTx, x, x, AKxxxxx). Some thought this hand should have doubled, since we have no guarantee of making 5♦. Brian intended 4♠ as a slam try.

So the genius holding my cards passes 4♠, hoping for a 4-3 with clubs 7-2-2-2 around the table, or his hand taking the tap. Lets just say 4♠ wasn't a rousing success.

Another ridiculous result in a very unmemorable day of bridge.

[joshs]

pclayton, on Apr 4 2006, 01:12 PM, said:

In events where you are out of the running, you sometimes do crazy (i.e. stupid) things.

I would open 1N on every day of the week, except here I needed some kind of swing to get things going. The 2nd day of the open pairs was an absolute nightmare, and I put together the worst games I've had in a national back-to-back.

We were in decent spot after the 1st day (44th), but ran into trouble early Day 2. This hand came late in the 2nd session, but our game was already history.

What I'm curious is to see what type of high level agreeements others have in place in situations like this.

Brian held: Ax, xx, AQJxxx, Jxx. We get 800 out of 4♣ (the 4♣ bidder had QJTx, x, x, AKxxxxx). Some thought this hand should have doubled, since we have no guarantee of making 5♦. Brian intended 4♠ as a slam try.

So the genius holding my cards passes 4♠, hoping for a 4-3 with clubs 7-2-2-2 around the table, or his hand taking the tap. Lets just say 4♠ wasn't a rousing success.

Another ridiculous result in a very unmemorable day of bridge.

LOL. If Tony had bid the 4C I would have xed with your hand in a heartbeat (he didn't used to have anything for his pre-empts). Sartaj is a bit sounder - I think since he started playing bridge in india and not in australia...

Yeah passing 4S was not a bid I thought of, but I am glad you are able to take in in stride and laugh at yourself!

Anyway, nice showing in the NAOPs!

[pclayton]

Sartaj bid 4♣.

He also opened 2♠ white on red as dealer the hand before with K8xxx, xxx, Qx, xxx.

If I guess to double with AJ, KQJTx, Axx, xxx, we get a great board, but I overcalled 3♥. Brian had: QT9xx, A, xxx, Jxxx.

[joshs]

I guess sartaj is now taking after tony...

The 2S pre-empt is a lot sicker than the 4C bid. Maybe its the time change?

[mike777]

Again Phil Congrats on a great showing in the NAOP. Thanks for these hand posts.

"The 2nd day of the open pairs was an absolute nightmare, and I put together the worst games I've had in a national back-to-back."

If you would can you perhaps elaborate on your 2nd day experiences for us please?
Did you just get tired? Did the opp make genius plays? Did you feel your system was good enough to win? Was there one or too lessons learned that you care to share?

Thank you in advance.

[pclayton]

I can definitely expand on the last session of the NAOP.

I am defending a 4♠ contract against Peter Boyd during the first round of the final. He took 10 minutes to play to one trick. I got sominexed in the endgame and he made 10 tricks. It wasn't an easy position, but I could have usually figured it out in my sleep. We spent the next 4 rounds trying to get up; and we played through the break. When you play rushed, especially without breaks, you make mistakes. I don't like the ACBL's 'no fault' policy on slow play at all. It punishes non-offenders.

Someday the league will install something like chess clocks. That would seem to end this problem.

But I specifically remember getting unbeliveably agitated during the final session of the NAOP. In about the 6th round, I played some jerk that had "modified rusinow" on his cc. His pard leads the Q and I ask what the 'modified' means. He replies, "it would take too long to explain and it would be a waste of time". So this got me hot as well. There are 3 players on my all-time list of people I hate playing against and he is at the top. If you see me in person, I'll tell you who it is. Most of you might know him.

My biggest error was botching a key card auction against Chris and Joe. That was the culmination of the evening. We had some good boards certainly, but the 1st 3 sessions we were an absolute steam train in Heat 1. I thought I played the best bridge of my life; if Brian plays his normal game - we are 65%+ for all of these sessions.

In retrospect this was our event to win. If I take care of my attitude and my emotions during the last session, I think we would have won. All we needed was about a 54%.
______________________________

In the Open Pairs we went into with a very relaxed attitude, since we accomplished what we came for in the NAOP. As a result, we had two strong sessions in the qualifying.

For the 1st session in the Open final, we got stuck at a N/S in the corner where the light was a poor as I've ever seen. Our opponents were uncanny in both sessions; bidding slams that the field wasn't getting to and the like. Barry Rigal pulls a sting cue on me that worked, stuff like that. Plus we made more errors in the 1st session than we did in the entire 3 days combined. At the end, we justed wanted to get home I guess, and didn't care.