[inquiry]

I have a large collection of slams bid and played on BBO that went down. Some are very easy to make, and i will post those in the beginner/intermediate section. Those of use who consider ourselves advanced or better will not have trouble with those, so let's let them figure those out. The others ranging from just a matter or normal technique to really challenging ones will be posted here, in interesting hands.

Scoring: IMP

1♦-(P)-1♠-1NT
2♦-(P)-3♣-(P)
3♦-(P)-3♥-(P)
3♠-(P)-6♦-(P)
Ps-(DBL)-all pass

---

You have been studying ZAR points so south's 1♦ is well within the limits. East 1NT was "raptor" showing five clubs and in this case 4 hearts.

West began the club 3 and EAST drops the club king under the ACE.

Ben

[paulhar]

Knowing nothing about ZAR, I open 1D also.

Win ace, ruff a C, 3 rounds of S, discarding H, ruff C, H to A, ruff S, H to K, ruff H.
Lead a low trump and hope that LHO is endplayed. Congratulate him on a fine (?) double on Kxx to set you in a cold contract

[hrothgar]

Point regarding terminology:

Raptor/Lindqvist refers to a direct NT overcall.
This term should not be used to describe a sandwhich bid

[inquiry]

hrothgar, on Sep 15 2004, 09:59 PM, said:

Point regarding terminology:

Raptor/Lindqvist refers to a direct NT overcall.
This term should not be used to describe a sandwhich bid

I report the bid and alert made. They announced it as raptor, 4H+5C.... try playing it.

[OSH]

paulhar, on Sep 16 2004, 02:29 AM, said:

Congratulate him on a fine (?) double on Kxx to set you in a cold contract 

Do you mean KQx?
I think that if RHO has a stiff ♦Q you are not happy with your line of play...

[helium]

paulhar, on Sep 15 2004, 08:29 PM, said:

Knowing nothing about ZAR, I open 1D also.

Win ace, ruff a C, 3 rounds of S, discarding H, ruff C, H to A, ruff S, H to K, ruff H.
Lead a low trump and hope that LHO is endplayed. Congratulate him on a fine (?) double on Kxx to set you in a cold contract

yes this is a strange line if u play rho for singelton Q

[helium]

I whould play lho for KQx ♦ and try to short my ♦on the hand and endplay him.
so: ♣ace,ruff a♣,ace of♠,♥to ace,ruff a♣,♥to king,KQ in♠trow last ♥,røff♥ and play small ♦.......lho is endplayed.


kenneth

[helium]

helium, on Sep 16 2004, 03:49 AM, said:

paulhar, on Sep 15 2004, 08:29 PM, said:

Knowing nothing about ZAR, I open 1D also.

Win ace, ruff a C, 3 rounds of S, discarding H, ruff C, H to A, ruff S, H to K, ruff H.
Lead a low trump and hope that LHO is endplayed.  Congratulate him on a fine (?) double on Kxx to set you in a cold contract 

yes this is a strange line if u play rho for singelton Q

LOLOLOL im sleepy today sry, your line is same as mine, dint see the ironi in the last remark first sry. yes if lho have doubled on kxx you are right i would cngratulate him too:)

[Flame]

OSH, on Sep 16 2004, 03:10 AM, said:

paulhar, on Sep 16 2004, 02:29 AM, said:

Congratulate him on a fine (?) double on Kxx to set you in a cold contract 

Do you mean KQx?
I think that if RHO has a stiff ♦Q you are not happy with your line of play...

He ment Kxx.
His line works for KQx but doesnt with Kxx.
I think he is right here.

[OSH]

Flame, on Sep 16 2004, 10:08 AM, said:

He ment Kxx.
His line works for KQx but doesnt with Kxx.
I think he is right here.

Sorry, I didn't understand the irony, too.

[pclayton]

We can't make the hand with KQxx offside, period. LHO can overruff and exit a small trump.

On the surface, KQx can be dealt with. But we need RHO to have a 2-4-2-5 shape and hold xx of diamonds, so he can't follow to 3 spades, unless he has a club mixed in with his spade for the 1N overcall (If RHO did have 5 cards in pointed suits, then I could overtake the J♠, take my pitch, and ruff a card in my hand at Trick 10, endplaying LHO - duh). RHO will ruff both of dummy's high spades, so you can never take a heart pitch, and you won't be able to endplay LHO by leading a low heart out your hand.

Regrettably, I think we have to play for Kxx / Qx or Kxxx / Q, so I'm not going to mess around and shorten my trump.

If I'm wrong, I'll be curious to see the correct answer.

[inquiry]

pclayton, on Sep 16 2004, 03:24 PM, said:

If I'm wrong, I'll be curious to see the correct answer.

You have given them a 14th trump. Declerer has 7 and dummy 2. So they can not be split 3-2... they can be 4-0, 3-1, 2-2.... So I think, your logic has a slight flaw in there somewhere.

Ben

[pclayton]

inquiry, on Sep 16 2004, 11:29 AM, said:

pclayton, on Sep 16 2004, 03:24 PM, said:

If I'm wrong, I'll be curious to see the correct answer.

You have given them a 14th trump. Declerer has 7 and dummy 2. So they can not be split 3-2... they can be 4-0, 3-1, 2-2.... So I think, your logic has a slight flaw in there somewhere.

Ben

Oh - hey - thats good news. Two possible lines then:

A. Play RHO for 3415 and overtake the J♠ ending up in dummy at T11 - not caring if LHO has Kxx or KQx.

B. Play RHO for more extreme shape, like 2515 and unblock the AJ of spades, and end up leading diamonds from hand at T10.

A seems more likely to me, since RHO might not make a raptor overcall with 5-5.

[paulhar]

pclayton, on Sep 16 2004, 02:50 PM, said:

B. Play RHO for more extreme shape, like 2515 and unblock the AJ of spades, and end up leading diamonds from hand at T10.

How can this work? You lead a diamond at trick 10. LHO wins, and gets out with a non-diamond at trick 11. Then it is you and not LHO that is endplayed.

[hrothgar]

pclayton, on Sep 16 2004, 10:50 PM, said:

A seems more likely to me, since RHO might not make a raptor overcall with 5-5.

Please, I hate to sound like a broken record.

A sandwhich NT overcall shouldn't be referred to as "raptor". The fact that the folks playing this don't understand the nomenclature is no reason to propagate their mistakes.

Equally significantly, definitionally Raptor specifically means 4 cards in an unbid major and 5+ cards in a minor. A hand that could systemically show 5+ cards in the major shouldn't be referred to as Raptor. I'm sorry to act like such a prig, but its hard enough to get people to describe their methods without all of you misapplying these terms.

[inquiry]

Seems like conventions are living breathing things, just like threads. If my opponent wants to call this raptor in sandwich position, he is fully entitiled, particularily if he promise 4 in other a major and 5+ in the other minor.

Misho and I follow a similar agreement. 1NT overcall shows major/minor two suiter sandwich or not (but not balance). For memory purposes we call this raptor, even t hough we can have a fifith major card (I know the way it was initially designed).

We do allert 4+M. 5+m.

[luke warm]

inquiry, on Sep 16 2004, 03:22 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

1♦-(P)-1♠-1NT
2♦-(P)-3♣-(P)
3♦-(P)-3♥-(P)
3♠-(P)-6♦-(P)
Ps-(DBL)-all pass

---

i'm playing east for 3 spades and 1 diamond... i'd win the ace, trump a club, heart to the ace, trump a club, spade A, overtake J, throw a heart on the ♠Q, trump a club, heart to the K, leaving (i think):

Scoring: IMP

1♦-(P)-1♠-1NT
2♦-(P)-3♣-(P)
3♦-(P)-3♥-(P)
3♠-(P)-6♦-(P)
Ps-(DBL)-all pass

---

now i lead the spade, trump, and play low trump.. east needs to be 3514, if 5 clubs i don't think i can make it... could be wrong tho

edit: oops, just read richard's post... he can't be 3514 and bid raptor, so 3415... that means i can't ruff the 4th club... this also seems to leave west with an exit card...

[pclayton]

Sigh; I know the difference too. Its not germane to the discussion anyway.

[paulhar]

Misnaming a convention can have effects ranging from no harm/no foul to dramatic. I have seen the following from various students:

Jacoby 2NT transfers (!)

2D over 2C as 'call waiting'

1C double as a 'negative double' (by golly, they did have a 7-count)

A pair could unintentionally cause severe damage by misnaming a convention when the thing they named could really be played, such as calling Landy 'Brozel'.

On the other hand, if they say 1NT P 2C is 'Blackwood', I would presume that they are playing Stayman and just got the names messed up (a further query might clear that up.)

[pclayton]

paulhar, on Sep 16 2004, 12:12 PM, said:

Misnaming a convention can have effects ranging from no harm/no foul to dramatic.  I have seen the following from various students:

Jacoby 2NT transfers (!)

2D over 2C as 'call waiting'

1C double as a 'negative double' (by golly, they did have a 7-count)

A pair could unintentionally cause severe damage by misnaming a convention when the thing they named could really be played, such as calling Landy 'Brozel'.

On the other hand, if they say 1NT P 2C is 'Blackwood', I would presume that they are playing Stayman and just got the names messed up (a further query might clear that up.)

Seems to me a better solution is not refer to the convention's name when giving an explanation:

Instead of "Jacoby 2N" - say "forcing raise with 4+ trump"
Instead of "Puppet Stayman", say "he's asking me if I have a 4 or 5 card major".
Instead of "Cappaletti (blecccchhhh)", say "hearts and a minor".