[jdonn]

FrancesHinden, on May 10 2006, 11:49 AM, said:

Well obviously it's a culture thing, because here in England 2H is sufficiently non-standard to be alertable if it's forcing.

Yup, must be a culture thing, in the U.S. the reverser promises another bid 100% if his partner rebids his suit. I just learned something new about England old chap.

GEEZ Mike don't have a hernia

[cherdano]

FrancesHinden, on May 10 2006, 06:24 PM, said:

jdonn, on May 10 2006, 05:07 PM, said:

2: HUGE mistake to do anything but pass with a trustworthy partner, absolutely huge gigantic titanic error! If he had a good hand for hearts he would (well, should) have bid 3♠ instead of 4♥ and then gone to 4♥ next round. Partner usually has a stiff heart on this auction, and you thus have no five level safety at all any time you are off an ace. You are also getting a spade lead, exactly the lead you don't want. You have already bid 3♥ when 2♥ would have been forcing, why would you bid the same hand twice? It is an insult to partner to bid on here. He has Jx x KQJx AKQJxx, and if he has more or better heart support then missing slam is his fault not yours.

For one thing, 2H would not have been forcing, we're told we aren't playing any methods after a reverse.

Well Matt's post was a little confusing. On the one hand it suggested British style with 2H non-forcing, on the other hand he said 3H sets the suit. This sounds a little contradictory to me.

Arend

[pclayton]

1. Double - either we'll score a 67% or a 48% this session. Hopefully pard isn't playing me for a real stack here.

2. 4♠; blame transfer. Pard should be able to key card and the spade cue should be music to him.

3. I'll take one more push with 4N, since supposedly I upgraded this to a 17+ - 19.

4. My NV pard's always raise my weak 2's with 3 pieces, so pard has 0-2. I'll try a low heart, which seems to have a lot of ways to win, and not many to lose.

5. Dunno; suppose I'll play on general crossruff lines. I'm a little conflicted on this one; if the heart A is onside, those in 3N rate to make 9 (good) or 10 (bad; if a ♦ lead - not unusual, since they hold 8 between them). 6♣ is touchy, but biddable. I think winning the A♠, A♦ pitching a heart and a heart up looks like the best line to me. If they track a club after the A♥, I'll shoot for getting dummy's 5th spade set up.

[han]

pclayton, on May 10 2006, 02:25 PM, said:

1. Double - either we'll score a 67% or a 48% this session. Hopefully pard isn't playing me for a real stack here.

Dream on Phil. Partner will pass and you know it.

[Echognome]

Thanks for all the replies. Now come the actual hands.

Board 1 - You had a partscore competitive decision. I had actually contemplated bidding 3♠ over 2♥. I certainly would have bid 2♠ had RHO passed. Anyway, I contemplated the three choices offered: pass, double, and 3♠. I chose the worst one: double. Here is the complete deal:

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

As you can see, to defeat 4♠, south has to cash his ♣A and then underlead his hearts.


Board 2 - The hand was actually slightly wrong (not entirely my fault as the hand records didn't match the board), but it was only a minor alteration. I was 2-1 in the minors, not 1-2. I chose 4♠ at the table and then 5♥ over partner's 5♣ cuebid. However, he raised to the slam after that. Here is the full hand (to the best of my recollection).

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

I believe partner undervalued his hand quite a bit, but we got there in the end.


Board 3 - This hand was just a matter of style and what is your "box". As I mentioned above, I rated this hand to be too good for a 15-17 balanced hand. To me it was 18-19. So I bid 4NT. Unfortunately, partner alerted and bid 5♥, so my only choice left was 6NT, which wasn't a success.

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

Board 4 - On Board 18, you were asked for a lead. I thought I made the normal lead of a diamond (since it was MPs) and that proved a success. I can easily see how a heart could work out if partner was singleton or void in ♥s. But against that, I didn't want to give away the whole heart suit without anything backing it up. Here was the full deal.

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

The diamond lead lead to 4 easy tricks and a good MP score. About half the field were in 4♠ or 3NT. When we saw the traveller, there were no plus scores our way.


Board 5 - I took a similar line to many of you. I took the spade, laid down the ♦A pitching a ♥. But I drew 2 rounds of trumps and then cross-ruffed. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I survived to make 12 tricks on the deal. I wasn't surprised to see many 3NTs making exactly 9, but I was surprised to see that only one other person had made 12 tricks in clubs (out of 5).

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

[mike777]

Thanks Matt for posting some interesting hands.

As you said your partner was newish to the game I really think the problem on these 3 hands were your partner's choice of bids. I think he/she had the problem on these hands.

As for hand 4 and the D lead being normal? I see it won for you but I did not see anyone pick that lead, what was your thought process?

[asdfg2k]

Quote

I believe partner undervalued his hand quite a bit

That is the understatement of the century.

Jxx of trumps?
Stiff spade?

For the life of me, I can't understand why your partner didn't bid RKC. Both of his suits have extra trick taking ability and opposite you showing 4 key cards you have to be gin for 7 and 3 key cards you have to be gin for 6. If you have less than 3 key cards, you have a mighty strange 3H bid.

Boy, I'd almost say you fielded a psyche (not really, but it feels that way, in retrospect).

[jdonn]

mike777, on May 10 2006, 03:25 PM, said:

Thanks Matt for posting some interesting hands.

As you said your partner was newish to the game I really think the problem on these 3 hands were your partner's choice of bids. I think he/she had the problem on these hands.

As for hand 4 and the D lead being normal? I see it won for you but I did not see anyone pick that lead, what was your thought process?

Look back, I picked it (and I think someone else did before me) and I thought it was normal too.

[Echognome]

mike777, on May 10 2006, 08:25 PM, said:

As for hand 4 and the D lead being normal? I see it won for you but I did not see anyone pick that lead, what was your thought process?

Well it was MPs, so clubs were out. I thought a spade was rolling over to die. So, it was which red suit. Leading a ♥ gambles on partner having A, K, J, or singleton. All possibilities of course. Leading a diamond is a bit more complicated. I was quite lucky here that partner had AK. But he could also have the ♦A and ♠A (ducking the first round), or he could have KQ or he could have QT, etc. I don't know. I just felt a diamond was a fairly neutral lead that was not likely to blow a trick. Of course it's possible to blow a trick, just thought it was better odds.

[jdonn]

1: I do recall saying I would have bid 3♠ over 2♥. *Doing a victory dance*
2: Move two of your partner's hearts to spades and he bid correctly. Here he was underbidding MASSIVELY.
3: I note 4NT is even higher than you want to be, though this has more to do with partner's overbidding. He is not worth a game force on a 12 count with absolutely no spot cards or redeeming features of any kind.
4: Great minds think alike hehe.
5: Who says five of a minor is wrong at matchpoints?

[pclayton]

1. My pard is sitting for my double with a 4=1=5=3? Bad partner, bad....

2. Pard's 4♥ is a little wimpish, but I haven't shown AK-7th, Ace yet. Oh well, alls well that ends well.

[foo]

Board 1, the T/O Double Hand:
♠AKT8♥6♦KT843♣Q76

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P!?

Overcaller has extras on this auction w/ 15 Support Points opposite what is likely to be 10 playing points (after all, Advancer made a Free Bid) and should compete with 3S (or bid 4D or possibly cue bid 4H if a die hard LTC fan). Passing put impossible pressure on Advancer. Who, not surprisingly, got it wrong.

[sceptic]

1/. xrather than 3 spades
2/. 4 spades
3/. pass
4/. Q hearts
5/. ruff a low D and lose a heart on k spades back to hand with club ruff another low D back with club (hope it is 2/2 split) and play aD see what happens as to play from there if qD is any good

[winkle]

Echognome, on May 10 2006, 03:07 PM, said:

Board 3 - This hand was just a matter of style and what is your "box".  As I mentioned above, I rated this hand to be too good for a 15-17 balanced hand.  To me it was 18-19.  So I bid 4NT.  Unfortunately, partner alerted and bid 5♥, so my only choice left was 6NT, which wasn't a success.

Scoring: MP

1♠ - 2♣
2NT - 3NT
4NT - 5♥
6NT - All Pass

---

Did they lead a diamond? If not maybe this should be a play problem.

[Echognome]

winkle, on May 10 2006, 09:19 PM, said:

Did they lead a diamond? If not maybe this should be a play problem.

Actually they did lead a diamond. (I had to look it up.) But I'd be interested in your line for 12 on a non-diamond lead.

[suokko]

DD solution is simple but how to see that single dummy?

Spoiler

♣+♦ sqz, lead first ♣ to Q and if that holds then can duck a ♥ for count. Not a great slam

[winkle]

Echognome, on May 10 2006, 04:26 PM, said:

winkle, on May 10 2006, 09:19 PM, said:

Did they lead a diamond?  If not maybe this should be a play problem.

Actually they did lead a diamond. (I had to look it up.) But I'd be interested in your line for 12 on a non-diamond lead.

Never mind. It doesn't work. At the table you can hope lefty wins his CK early and set up a double squeeze. Double dummy he can duck the club.

[jdonn]

suokko, on May 10 2006, 04:39 PM, said:

DD solution is simple but how to see that single dummy?

Spoiler

♣+♦ sqz, lead first ♣ to Q and if that holds then can duck a ♥ for count. Not a great slam

I don't believe this works. I welcome someone to prove me wrong, but I can't figure out a way to make after this that gets around the minor suit blockage and misplaced heart threat. Show me the end position?

I was also considering some sort of squeeze without the count, but again I don't see anything that works. A lot of neat positions can be reached though.

Of course if they win the first club then you have your double squeeze.

[han]

Thanks for sharing these hands Matt. Partner proved to be more a beginner than I thought (bidding 4H on the reverse hand, and taking the 4NT bid as blackwood seem the worst). I disagree with Phil though. Partner descirbed her hand with the take-out double, and when we double she should pass. We can easily have ♥J109x on this auction.

[lowerline]

Echognome, on May 10 2006, 03:07 PM, said:

Thanks for all the replies.  Now come the actual hands.

Board 1 - You had a partscore competitive decision.  I had actually contemplated bidding 3♠ over 2♥.  I certainly would have bid 2♠ had RHO passed.  Anyway, I contemplated the three choices offered: pass, double, and 3♠.  I chose the worst one: double.  Here is the complete deal:

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1♥) - X
(2♥) - 2♠ - (3♥) - P
(P) - X - All pass

---

As you can see, to defeat 4♠, south has to cash his ♣A and then underlead his hearts.

I chose pass because with the actual hand partner should have bid 3♠ IMHO. I'm not sure if I would have bid 4♠ if he did though...

There was probably a big score difference between +170 and -140? A lot more, I guess, than between -140 and -530...