jahol

Make 4 spades with the following dummy:...J10x---xxxx---Kxx---Kxx you:.........AKxxxx--Ax---QJ----Axx when the opps passed during the auction and small club was the first lead.

All boards - IMPs (teams), expert opponents. 1) You are the first and you have AKQJ5---108764---KQ---9. You are vulnerable and the bidding proceeds the following way: You---------LHO------CHO------------RHO 1 spade-----pass-----2clubs (GF)----pass 2 hearts----pass------3diams (4th)--pass 3 BT--------pass------4 clubs---------pass ??? a) Do you agree with the 3BT bid? B) What do you bid now? (1 spade---pass---3 clubs is GF with six very good clubs like KQJxxx, AK109xx, AQJ9xxx at minimum in your system.) 2) You have K---KQ107---Q7---K109652 and the auction was a bit surprising - nobody vulnerable, LHO opened with 4H and that was it. Your partner starts with CQ and the dummy is ....................................AJ43 .........................................2 .............................K1098654 .........................................A K---KQ107---Q7---K109652 After cashing CA, the opponent plays small diamond from the dummy immediately. Do you intervene with your DQ? 3) Your are vulnerable, the opponents not, your RHO just started the bidding with 1H and you have K74-----732-----A1097-----AQ4. Do you pass or double?

What do you bid with the following hand (both vulnerable, IMPs) J---J10---AK86---AJ10952 after 4S-pass-pass-??? ?

Three hands from recent MP tournament: 1)[hv=d=s&v=e&n=skj87h3daqj932ca10&s=sq54hkj92dkcqj653]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv] You bid this (starting south, opponents passing): 1C-1D-1H-1S-1NT-3NT. West leads six of spades, you play low to the ten and Qeen. After the second round of spades (small, small, jack, ace), east plays six of hearts back. Do you play jack, king, or there is no indication, what is better? 2) Your partner opened (as first) 2H - common weak two, double from the right, and you have 9642---842---5---Q8432. Do you pass, bid 3H (non-forcing semiblock) or bid 4H (pure block)? Nobody vulnerable. 3) During the auction, your partner showed 15-18 points with good club suit, but the opponents finally ended in 4 hearts. What do you lead from this hand: 10xxxx---void---J1098xx---Jx?

First deal: [hv=d=w&v=e&n=skqj106hdakq965caj&w=s852hak983d104ck107&e=s974hj1065d72cq982&s=sa3hq742dj83c6543]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] I was North and the final contract was 6D (although my partner was thinking very long about what I had). With diamonds 2-2, 7D can be made. In my opinion, 4S (instead of 5S) would not have shown the real power of my hand (what should I bid with just 5-4 distribution, 22-24 points, but not that many tricks in my hand?). During our discussion, we agreed that 4D bid from his side was probably better than 3NT bid. Second deal: [hv=d=w&v=e&n=skqj106hdakq965caj&w=s852hak983d104ck107&e=s974hj1065d72cq982&s=sa3hq742dj83c6543]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] I agree that my 1NT bid was controversial, but it seems to me, that simple 2H raising does not interprete strength of the hand (clubs may start very attractive in many auctions). Finally, I decided to bid 5H (as some of you have proposed) and that was the contract made (after singleton club lead). 6C is the best contract due to HK in the right hand (what can be expected with not bad probability on the base of the auction). Still, I can hardly blame my partner.... Looks like 4H would have been final contract after my 2H bid.... Third deal: [hv=d=w&v=e&n=skqj106hdakq965caj&w=s852hak983d104ck107&e=s974hj1065d72cq982&s=sa3hq742dj83c6543]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] In the situation described, south doubled, north (me) bid 3S and south 4C. Should north have passed? I was thinking for a long time (4H is some alternative, I think) and but finally bid 5C contract, which was doubled by E. Fourth deal: [hv=d=w&v=e&n=skqj106hdakq965caj&w=s852hak983d104ck107&e=s974hj1065d72cq982&s=sa3hq742dj83c6543]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] As you can see, 6D is laydown. I would prefer immediate 2D-4D bid from the south.

Two more comments: 1) West is excellent player, one of the best in our country, very experienced. That was NOT mistake, I am sure. 2) I do like west bid, but I am not quite sure about EAST. There was double from the left. I would expect that partner looking for my suit will simply pass and wait for my bid. With regular opening from the right and points from the left (shown with double), it is clear that partner is weak. Seems to me that having doubleton spade, believing in natural character of my partner bid (I did not alert!) I do not have any reason to look for some other suit ... at least as long as I am not doubled.

1) Sitting south, non-vulnerable against vulnerable, IMPs, you have this not very motivating hand A3---Q742---J83---6543 and the bidding up to now was: North--------East--------South-------West ...................................................pass 2C(1)--------pass-------2D(2)--------pass 3D(3)--------pass--------3H----------dbl 3S------------pass-------3NT----------pass 5S------------pass-------??? (1)...strong (2)...waiting (3)...natural, GF What does your partner have? 2) Sitting north, vulnerable against non-vulnerable, IMPs, you have this not very motivating hand J4---943---A8---KJ8754 and the bidding up to now was: North--------East--------South-------West ..................................1H---------- pass 1NT(1)-------2D---------3C-----------5D ???? (1)...invitational hand, if H fit is shown later What do you bid? 3) Sitting south, vulnerable against nonvulnerable, IMPs, you have this not very motivating hand 84---KQ763---J86---AQ3 and the bidding up to now was: North--------East--------South-------West 1C-----------pass---------1H----------2D pass(1)------3D----------???? (1)...less than 3 hearts What do you bid? 4) Sitting north, vulnerable against non-vulnerable, you have this motivating hand Q982---Q8632---void---AK84 and the bidding up to now was: North--------East--------South-------West 1H-----------pass--------2D(1)------ pass 2S(2)--------pass--------3D----------pass 3NT----------pass--------4D----------pass ??? (1)...GF (2)...just spades, not promising any extra points What do you bid? Does it make any difference, if the bidding is North--------East--------South-------West 1H-----------pass--------2D(1)------ pass 2S(2)--------pass--------4D? What is the difference? What does your partner hold in the first and second case? Thank you in advance for any advice...

The deal is: [hv=d=w&v=b&n=saq6hj1098dq8ckj74&w=s984h732dj974cq82&e=sj3haq654dak632c9&s=sk10752hkd105ca10653]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] the auction was North-------East-------South-------West .................................................pass ..1C--------2C(1)-----DBL(2)-------2S(3) ..pass------3D---------pass.... (1) - 5-5, diamonds+major (2) - points (3) - not alerted, psycho (??) Yes, I think that south bid is not good, I would prefer 2 spades (non-forcing). But is the E-W bidding OK?

Ah, you are right, I visualized the hands wrong.... you will make it this way, when H are 3-3. But you can make it even if H are 4-2 (it was the case). From the bidding, the declarer expected clubs 5-5 with CA in RHO hand. From the first lead, he expected that diamonds are probably 3-3 with KQJ in RHO hand (looks like the first lead is from three cards in diamonds and the lead from Kxx would not be probably preferred to the club lead). If the trumphs are 2-2, H are probably 3-3 and there is no problem with making the slam. If the trumphs are 3-1, there are still chances to make the contract. The declarer ducked first diamond and took the second round of diamonds with Ace. He tried trumph suit and LHO discarded club in the second round. Now the most probable distribution is 3-2-3-5 for RHO hand and 1-4-3-5 for LHO hand. The declarer cashed HK and played H10 overtooked with HJ (HQ is more probable to be in LHO hand and it was!) The rest was simple. Small H was ruffed, trumph played back to dummy (removing last opponents trumph), small club and diamond discarded on two cold hearts. Small diamond was ruffed with last trumph in hand and CQ was ruffed with last trumph in dummy. The last trick was made with the cold diamond in the dummy....

Ducking diamond, I can not give up one club trick as proposed...

Seems to me that even if oponents hearts are 3-3, you may have problem....if you ruff third heart high and trumph three times (provided that oponents trumphs are 3-1) finishing in dummy, you are able to discard both diamonds, but then you have to use the last trumph to get into hand and you will finish with hand:......0---0---0---KQx dummy:..x---0---xx--0 loosing club and diamond....or two diamonds....

You play good opponents (as you will see). You need some IMPs so that you bid small slam with the following cards:[hv=d=n&v=n&n=saj652hk10da74ckq5&s=skq84haj864d8632c]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] The bidding was NORTH------EAST------SOUTH------WEST 1C (1)------ pass-------1H(2)-------2C(3) 2S-----------4C(4)------5C(5)-------dbl(6) 5D(7)-------pass-------5H(7)--------pass 5S(8)--------pass-------6S(9)--------pass where (1).....strong, 16+ (2).....natural, positive (3).....natural (4).....weak (5).....club void probably (6).....club values (7).....cue bid, first round (8).....do not like club values (9).....want to play slam. Actually, the slam is not bad at all after club lead and there are some chances also after other first leads. However, the merciless opponent leads D5 (natural leads, highest from doubleton, third from three or four, lowest from five) and your RHO plays DJ. How would you try to make the slam?

See the deal... [hv=d=e&v=n&n=sk8hkq943dj742c62&w=sj732haj105d9caj74&e=sa965h8762daq83c10&s=sq104hdk1065ckq9853]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] The bidding was North-------East-------South-------West ..---...........pass........2C(1).........pass 2H(2).........pass........3C(3)........pass(4) pass........double........pass (1) - Precision, 10-14PC, 6+cl or 5+cl + exactly 4 in some major suit (2) - non forsing, may be raised with 5+cl + 4H (3) - after some small hesitation (4) - after approximately 10 seconds of waiting All other bids were made a tempo. The result: down two, -500, -8I MPs from point of view of N-S. The director was called immediately after the double bid. The decision: everything was OK, the result stands. Your opinion? Let us mark the whole story and the bid description (4) as alternative "A". let us have two more alternatives: Alternative B: (4) - four minutes of waiting, looking into cards, eating sandwich, then "I am sorry, it is my turn, is not it...!?", then 10 more seconds of thinking, passing finally Alternative C: (4) - detailed asking about the meaning of 2C and 3C bid, then three minutes of waiting, looking into cards, eating sandwich... the rest the same as in alternative B. Would the difference between the alternative A and the other alternatives influcence your estimation of the situation?

It was explained at the beginning of the discussion, but may be, I did not pointed out enough. The double call showed exactly four or five hearts, 7+ PC (not limited)...and vice versa... any distribution with 4-5 H would have been bid this way... the 2H call would mean completely different distribution. The bid was alerted and explained.

Top class IMP competition in your country, expert players, the following hand.... [hv=d=n&v=n&n=sq832hkq3d973cak6&w=s1075h109dqj652cj105&e=sakj964ha42dc9872&s=shj8765dak1084cq43]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] The bidding: North......East......South......West 1C.1).....1S..........Dbl.2).....2S pass.......3S.........4D 3)......pass 4H.........pass 1) Two over one, better minor 2) 7+ PC, exactly four or five hearts guatanteed 3) Loooong thinking Made just. Director called after the board, a protest made by E-W line that the long thinking from the south side significantly helped north to find correct contract. The director´s decision: result adjusted, new result 4 diamond played by south, one down. Would be your decision the same?

Vulnerable against not, you have: KQ1073--xxx--KQx--Kx and open the bidding with one spade expecting some nice uncontested bidding exercise. But your leftie is not on the same wave length. Still... his bid of 4 hearts does not cause any kind of headache to your partner. 4NT is bid immediately, you respond 5 clubs (1 keycard from five for spade contract), then your leftie bid once more hearts on the fifth level and your partner six spades in a tempo. You LHO first lead is, not surprisingly, H Ace and the dummy is, not surprisingly, A842--x--Axx--AQJ109 Now, YOU are going to have some headache. After playing small, Jack falls down from the right and H King is led to the next trick. How do you play? For better convenience... Dummy: A842--x--Axx--AQJ109 You: KQ1073--xxx--KQx--Kx.

This is a continuation of the topic, I presented two weeks ago. That time, you were given with the "gift", playing well, you could get some IMP points, plaing bad, you could loose even more. Today, the opponents are particurally generous.... as you will see.... [hv=d=s&v=n&n=sj62h9854d6cq10432&s=sk105hkqj62dj72ck5]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] You open with 1H, double from the left, your partner 2H (usually 4-6PC, just 3 cards in H), double from the right, pass, pass, pass! The opponents are old fashioned players, old ways of bidding hands, but very skillful in card play and defence. You ask about the doubles, the answer is that the first is takeout, the second penalty (!?). The first lead is H ace, then, after short thinking, leftie continues with C7, you play low, and C9 is dropped on table from the right side. It looks like 3NT may be cold on the opposite line (five diamonds, two spades, two aces). You can make at least seven tricks without any problem collecting something like 3-5 IMPs, but on the first sight, it looks like you are going to made the contract, collecting much more. What is your plan and how would you proceed?

OK, I erased the name (one was overlooked with the editor) .....but I still think that the problem is not in naming....

Small bridgebase individual, the following board[hv=d=w&v=b&n=saj83h10984d4cj1065&w=sq107haj2dkq108ckq4&e=sk62h53da96532c73&s=s954hkq76dj7ca982]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] I know, I should not name, but I have to do.... The bidding: West---North---East---South 1BT-----P--------3D-----6BT DBL-----P--------P-------RDBL pass.... Down 12, -6400, completely destroyed results (average) for this board, completely destroyed results of the tournament. Both opponents got 24 IMPs here and won the first two positions in tournament results. This is nothing else than pure bridge EVIL. Should not be such monsters prohibited from playing in bridgebase tournaments FOREVER? [Edited by Rain]

I do not know. Probably, it will take yet some time for me to become a beginner.... ;)

Exactly! Full board: [hv=d=w&v=b&n=s643hkqj98d1074cq6&w=skh10652daqj96cj94&e=sj975ha743dk32c32&s=saq1082hd85cak10875]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] The layout is different, but you are completely right. At the table, I was defending and making the first lead. In the situation described, unlucky declarer played small trumph to the qeen! I took the trick with bare king and played diamonds. The declarer ruffed, played trumph Ace and started looking a bit dizzy. Finally, he cashed CA and played CK ruffed by my partner. Trumph jack removed the last trumph and we could cash all diamond tricks then. Down three! Jahol

[hv=d=w&v=b&n=s643hkqj98d1074cq6&s=saq1082hd85cak10875]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Although not being too experienced, you know something about the bidding and you land finally in a nice four spades contract played from south side. This could be a problem of guessing trumph suit, but the first lead is not a diamond, but H2 (declared as fourth highest by the opponents). You play HK covered with HA and ruffed. Things are going well, you go back to dummy with CQ and discard two diamonds on cold hearts. What now?

Your country best teams competition, very good opponents at both tables, IMPs, you vulnerable, opponents not, you have this nice hand: AKxx---Axx---J---AKxxx. Your partner bids 3 diam, what should be seven cards suit and two down contract against completely useless partner's hand (i.e. seven tricks). You bid 4NT immediately, asking about the number of key values (from five) and the answer is 5 spades, showing 2 key values + diamong queen. Do you bid small or grand slam?

No, před pěti minutama jsem tuhle partii uvedl do diskusního fóra na bridgebasi ve skupině "zajímavá rozdání". Hráli jsme to proti páru Illa-Volhejn, hrajeme trochu jiné zásahy (klasický Michaels), takže po zahájení 1 tref řekl Štěpán 2BT (5-5 na drahých), RHO neměl žádný důvod dražit srdce a dal bodový flek a já skočil na 4 piky. Zleva přišlo 4BT na levných, Štěpán pass a zprava 6 trefů!! Dáte výnosové kontra? Jinak mi za uvedeného stavu her přijde hláška 4 piky zcela OK, vytváří na soupeře enormní tlak.

Opps vulnerable, IMPs, you have: 8743---void---K8764---J983 and the bidding was LHO----CHO----RHO----YOU -1C-----2NT----DBL-----4S 4NT----PASS---6C------??? 2NT bid is Michaels (at least 5-5 H+S, destructive), DBL points, 4NT minors, 6C contract proposal. Do you (Lightner's) double for H lead?