[inquiry]

We have all seen and kibitzed Jimmy Cayne matches, some of us have played in them (in my case with not a good result for me). All these hands will be from Feb 2, 2009 match. Here is the third hand from that match on the BBO, see how you would do. Note: these actual hands and not problem hands, per se. Most will not be a major challenge BBO forum regulars, and this one in particular is not any kind of problem.

Eventually we will assign imps for different actions.

Scoring: IMP

(P)-Pass-(1♣)-1♦
(P)- 1♠ - (2♣)- 2♥
(P) - 3♦ - all pass

T1. W ♣T-3-A-2
T2. E ♣K-9-7-6
T3. E ♣Q-♦9-♦J-♣8
T4. W ♠5-6-T-A
T5. S ♦A-5-2-T
T6. S ♦K-Q-6-4

---

Scoring: IMP

(P)-Pass-(1♣)-1♦
(P)- 1♠ - (2♣)- 2♥
(P) - 3♦ - all pass

T1. W ♣T-3-A-2
T2. E ♣K-9-7-6
T3. E ♣Q-♦9-♦J-♣8
T4. W ♠5-6-T-A
T5. S ♦A-5-2-T
T6. S ♦K-Q-6-4

---

[se12sam]

Play ♥Q and claim? I don't think the overtrick matters or will materialize.

[ArtK78]

Unless I am missing something I am playing for a 20 point overtrick.

I lost the first three tricks and have all but one of the remaining tricks. Doesn't seem too exciting.

RHO is 2-6 in the minors with the AKQJxx of clubs. He also seems to have the QTx(x) of spades from his signals (the order in which he played his clubs) and the subsequent play of the spade suit.

So, RHO has at most 2 hearts, perhaps one.

LHO, with a heart suit of at least 4 cards, did not bid over my 1♦ overcall. Also, LHO has the QJx of diamonds. It seems extremely unlikely that LHO has Kxxx(x) of hearts.

Therefore, I play a heart to the A.

[xcurt]

To make 11 tricks other than by trying to drop the HK, we need one of the SQ falling or the successful heart finesse, plus some kind of endposition that makes another spade trick or heart trick, either the third or fourth round of spades depending on whether or not we dropped the SQ, or the second or third round of hearts, depending or not on whether or not we took a successful heart finesse.

RHO probably would have opened 1NT with QT(x), Kx(x), xx, AKQJxx, and we can't make the overtrick against that hand anwyay since LHO guards the fourth round of spades and RHO guards the second round of hearts. RHO has to have at least one of the missing major suit honors, else LHO has an 8 count and would have bid something since he holds 44 in the majors or one major with at least 5 cards.

So we need to consider the following positions where RHO does not have the stiff HK.

RHO has both -- see above
RHO has the HK -- he just clings to the HK
RHO has the SQ -- we can play for RHO to have SQT tight or for RHO to have Ten-doubleton of hearts.

If RHO has QT, xxx, xx, AKQJxx we can run the trumps and LHO is squeezed. Doing so almost always costs the contract, so it's out. Note that I could squeeze LHO the same way when he has the SQ also, but he can't have that hand on the bidding, and the same risk of going down is attached to cashing off the trumps.

However RHO has QTx, Tx, xx, AKQJxx, we can smack the HT to make 3 heart tricks to go with 2 spade tricks. So which is more likely:

RHO: QTx, Tx, xx, AKQJxx LHO: xxxx, Kxxx, QJx, xx

or

RHO: QTxx, K, xx, AKQJxx LHO: xxx, xxxxx, QJx, xx

I wouldn't bid over 1D with either LHO hand, so not much there.

I would bid 1C ... 2C with either RHO hand in this auction, so not much there either.

The former case is about twice as likely, however, since there are 5 ways to deal the spade spots x 4 ways to deal the heart spots, vs 10 ways to deal the spade spots and one way to deal the heart spots. I'll cash one trump throwing a spade, then if I haven't learned anything I'll run the HJ, and if it's covered I'll play to drop the HT. If it's ducked, I'll cash all but one trump throwing spades before deciding what to do.

Note that I get a little vigorish if LHO passed with xxx, Kxxxx, QJx, xx since the HT falls on the first round of the suit.

I certainly wouldn't take the time to work this out at the table in an online friendly match, though.

By the way, your mid-hand diagram has an extra spade in the north hand.

Edit/Edit -- hopefully fixed all the minor errors -- the main point being I'll cash one trump not two throwing a spade. Can't bring the hearts down to A9 tight since I'm trying to win a 3rd round trick with the H9.

This is a lot of work for one IMP.

[inquiry]

Feb 2, Board 4I agree with what must the majority opinion, this little hand is not much of a problem (since few gave it a shot). Congradulations to Art78 for the first correct answer on the actual layout. I was very impressed with the indepth analysis of xcurt, although it reached the "wrong" conclusion on the actual layout.

I had wondered if anyone would just play low ♥ to ACE, take the discard on the spade king, and claim either making or an overtrick if the heart king was singleton. There were two reasons I considered playing the ACE. First, East rebid 2♣ and I am not sure he would have a 2♣ rebid without the heart king, and after West shows up with the ♦QJx and two only clubs, I thought some would have bid (negative double if 4-4 in majors with the heart king, or 1♥ if five hearts to the king).

At the table, Jimmy simply lead teh heart queen and let it run. Still his team picked up 5 imps as his teammates EW at the other table made 1NT (after 1♣-1♦-P-1♠-1N-all pass). However, making an extra trick here, would change +200 to +220 and if memory serves me correctly pick up an extra imp for +6.

To those who think 1 imp is NOT important in team games, you are not playing close enough attention.

[xcurt]

Ben, you're supposed to arrange the cards to punish vice and reward virtue. This "bridge verite" thing has no place in the forums!!!

Anyway, I think if you're going to take a heart finesse it's much better to track the ♥J since you really don't want the first heart to be covered -- unless you're playing against an opponent who will assume that he-doesn't-wan't-a-cover-so-I-will-cover, in which case I will .... ad infinitum.

[inquiry]

xcurt, on Jul 3 2009, 01:59 PM, said:

Ben, you're supposed to arrange the cards to punish vice and reward virtue. This "bridge verite" thing has no place in the forums!!!

Anyway, I think if you're going to take a heart finesse it's much better to track the ♥J since you really don't want the first heart to be covered -- unless you're playing against an opponent who will assume that he-doesn't-wan't-a-cover-so-I-will-cover, in which case I will .... ad infinitum.

These are problems only in the sense to see what happened at that real table with eight gold stars playing (well, not always gold stars, as once I got in, but I did have a gold star partner).