[Ant590]

A good couple of interesting boards from this evening's duplicate. I'd really appreciate everyone's thoughts on them, I'm not sure if any have *right* answers, but if they do I sure don't know them!

4 card majors (open major if 4M4m) and a weak NT.

1)

Scoring: MP

---

1♦ - (4♥) - ?

2)

Scoring: MP

---

I was north and opened 1♦. I don't like our auction (1♦ - 1♥ - 2♠ - 3♠ - 4♣ - 4♠), but I still had to declare it.
Queen of hearts lead, K, A, 8
Heart back - what's your plan?

3)

Scoring: MP

---

Partner opens 12-14 NT and RHO doubles. You have two systemic options, show ♣&M get-out or play rewound. Which do you choose?

[Hanoi5]

5♥ on the first one, intending to play 6♠. Or 6♦...

I'm gonna try to cash three top diamonds (after ruffing the heart continuation) on the second one and assume the trump Queen to be offside so I'll sort of cross-ruff.

I'll use the option to show the ♣&M two suiter on the third one.

[Codo]

1. What is 4 NT? KC, RCK for Diamonds? two places to play? Natural? Not discussed?

When I have no great tools, I try 4 NT followed by 5 Spade. I guess for Frances this is strongly invitational with spades. Seems to be a nice describtion of my hand.

2. I ruff play 2 round of diamonds, discarding the hearts and ruff a diamond.
If all had followed so far, I play the ten of spades and let it run.
If the finesse wins, I do not repeat it, but draw two more rounds of trump, hoping to get a 3/3 break of the spades.
Idoubt that a cross ruff can win, because someone can ruff a diamond with the queen and return a trump In this case I may be quite short of trumps quite quickly.

As a side note: I had played a low heart in round one and two. This cannot lose a trick but it can gain in more then one way.

[Ant590]

1) Yes, the 4NT point is interesting. With the partner in question it is undiscussed but I'd put my house on it being interpreted as keycard. With another partner we discussed what Frances wrote a while back and decided on 1m - (4M) - 4NT as natural, so more problems for us there.

2) I'll decline to say how diamonds and trumps split for a while if that's ok, as I'm interested in how many people go for the crossruff vs drawing trumps.

[nige1]

Ant590, on Dec 2 2008, 04:51 AM, said:

Scoring: MP

1. A good couple of interesting boards from this evening's duplicate. I'd really appreciate everyone's thoughts on them, I'm not sure if any have *right* answers, but if they do I sure don't know them!
4 card majors (open major if 4M4m) and a weak NT
1♦ - (4♥) - ?.

---

Dealer: East Vul: N/S Scoring: MP

♠ AKJ7 ♥ 8 ♦ AKQ8754 ♣ 9 ♠ T92 ♥ K543 ♦   ♣ AJ8632

2. I was north and opened 1♦. I don't like our auction (1♦ - 1♥ - 2♠ - 3♠ - 4♣ - 4♠), but I still had to declare it. Queen of hearts lead, K, A, 8 Heart back - what's your plan?

Scoring: MP

1. A good couple of interesting boards from this evening's duplicate. I'd really appreciate everyone's thoughts on them, I'm not sure if any have *right* answers, but if they do I sure don't know them!
4 card majors (open major if 4M4m) and a weak NT
1♦ - (4♥) - ?.

---

IMO ...

• 6♦ = 10, 4N (RKCB) = 9, 5♥ = 8, 5♠ = 7, _X = 6
  
• Maybe better not to cover ♥Q. Anyway, now
  • ♥ ruff, ♦ AKQ, ♣A, ♣ ruff. Lead a ♦
    • If East shows out, ruff low and claim (6 ♠, 3♦, and 1♣)
      
    • Otherwise ruff with ♠ 9. hoping that East has ♠Q.
    
    
  • If ♦ are 5-2 or worse. play depends a bit on who has the ♦ length.
  
  
• Show ♣ & M = 10, Show 5♠ = 8, Play XX = 4.

[effervesce]

Codo, on Dec 2 2008, 06:12 AM, said:

1. What is 4 NT? KC, RCK for Diamonds? two places to play? Natural? Not discussed?

When I have no great tools, I try 4 NT followed by 5 Spade. I guess for Frances this is strongly invitational with spades. Seems to be a nice describtion of my hand.

Are you seriously considering stopping short of slam on the first hand? I'm not willing to play below slam on the first hand-its simply too good, and got even better after the intervention.

For the 2nd hand, you require all of the remaining tricks, as it appears that at least 11 tricks will be made in NT. I like Codo's line for this hand.

On the third hand, I pass. With 4-4 shape opposite a balanced hand, you will have an 8 card fit in one of the two suits about half the time. However, one of these suits is a minor; although 1NT and 2m both exactly making are scored equally, 1NT making 2 will outscore 2m making three; this tilts the balance in favor of staying in 1NT.

Hopefully RHO does not have a running suit-if RHO simply as a balanced hand with points, I think 1NTXX will make more often than not, given declarer advantage and also the more even division of points between you and partner.

[maggieb]

5H is really clear on the first one. I will play in spades unless partner bids 6D immediately. Prospects for slam are so good that anything that risks playing below slam (double, 4NT , 5S) should be disregarded. 6S seems too unilateral but it must be better than 6D which is what my friend Peggy might bid, she doesn't like to declare slams.

[jdonn]

1. 6♠
2. Too tired
3. Run

[nige1]

In problem 2, I miscounted ♦. Sorry. I would still start with ♦AKQ discarding ♥.

[kfay]

Seeing as it's MPs I definitely want to play in ♠s on the first one. Grand's definitely in the picture but ♦s might not split well if we need long ones to pitch clubs etc. etc. and investigating is all kinda guesswork anyway I think.

6♠

Crossruff needs ♦3-3 with the ♠Q offside and drawing trump needs 3-3 with Q onside and we get overtricks? I'll ruff a ♦ and draw trump.

On the 3rd one I'm definitely running. It's not even close to being close. RHO may just have AKQxxxx or something, how am I supposed to know?

[FrancesHinden]

Yes, sorry, I play 4NT as natural on the first one. This hand is not a good advertisement for that method.

[Ant590]

Here are the full hands:

1)

Scoring: MP

---

2)

Scoring: MP

---

3)

Scoring: MP

---

[FrancesHinden]

If partner had opened with a more normal diamond pre-empt (4D looks about right) on the first one, we'd have had an easy ride to 6D

[nige1]

Ant590, on Dec 3 2008, 08:05 AM, said:

Dealer: East Vul: N/S Scoring: MP

♠ AKJ7 ♥ 8 ♦ AKQ8754 ♣ 9 ♠ Q654 ♥ A62 ♦ 93 ♣ Q754 ♠ 83 ♥ QJT97 ♦ JT62 ♣ KT ♠ T92 ♥ K543 ♦   ♣ AJ8632

2.

According to Bridgefy, with this layout, North can't make 4♠, against best defence, unless he ducks ♥ leads, and discards a mnor spot card on the second ♥.

[rogerclee]

1) I think this problem is interesting, and I am a 5♥ bidder. Maggie I think you have this backwards, we should be more inclined to bid 6♠ over 6♦, since this is partner's weakest bid which he will make with all kinds of nondescript hands. It is only when partner makes a strong move over 5♥ that I am comfortable playing this in diamonds.

I am surprised that there are so many 6♠ bidders, what do we lose by bidding slowly? I think this deserves to catch partner with a singleton spade that he would have told us about over 5♥.

2) Abstain, there was no reason to play the ♥K at T1.
3) Obvious run, two very bad things can happen by forcing xx. In general I am critical of runout structures that don't allow playing 1NTx.

Edit: Just saw the hands, on hand 1, north had a 4♦ opener.

[Hanoi5]

Yeah, on the first hand Opener would have to bid 6♣ over 5♥ in order to get to 6♦.

[nige1]

Scoring: MP

A fascinating variant of Deal Two
... Simplified ...

• With South declarer,
  
• ♠Q on declarer's left, and
  
• Allowing declarer no opportunity to make a mistake in ♥.

Now South can make 4♠, against any defence, with careful play:
Suppose West leads ♥AK
Ruff the 2nd ♥.
Cash ♦AK discarding a ♣ (not a ♥).
LHO ruffs ♦T low and dummy over-ruffs with ♠9.
Now, ruff a ♥ to reach...

---

Scoring: MP

A fascinating variant of Deal Two
... Simplified ...

• With South declarer,
  
• ♠Q on declarer's left, and
  
• Allowing declarer no opportunity to make a mistake in ♥.

Now South can make 4♠, against any defence, with careful play:
Suppose West leads ♥AK
Ruff the 2nd ♥.
Cash ♦AK discarding a ♣ (not a ♥).
LHO ruffs ♦T low and dummy over-ruffs with ♠9.
Now, ruff a ♥ to reach...

---