oryctolagi

The number of times I have failed to make game with 31 points or more, doesn't bear thinking about... :( I think that almost all so-called game-forcing conventions have a non-game 'escape valve' somewhere. After all, the opponents may enter into a sacrifice which is worth more than the game would have been. And in my bridge-learning days, I learnt that after the sequence 2♣-2♦-2NT, the responder may pass if they have next to nothing.

This looks like a textbook case for a Grand Slam force. Assuming that 4♥ is a cuebid agreeing diamonds, North bids 5NT. Then South with 2 top honours bids 7. Am I right?

Very sorry to read about this. You're right it really spoils one's experience of BBO! I would suggest you put the person in question on your 'Ignore' list: then their name will appear with a black background on any table list and you can easily steer clear. Hope you get a better experience from your next BBO session! Pete.

3NT with spades blocked and possibly no side entry? Braver than me!

My feeling is, if playing simple suit preference, the play of the ♣8 on the second round is wrong. The entry obviously can only lie in one of the majors: signal with a low club. But your point about the contract being unmakeable without ♠A is a good one.

Sitting South, I count myself extraordinarily lucky on this deal! But what's strange is, three other tables also made 3NT (plus one that made 1NT +2). Maybe the killer defence is hard to find? [hv=pc=n&s=saj7ha95dqjt42cj9&w=sthk8d853cqt87654&n=skq43hqj64da96c32&e=s98652ht732dk7cak&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1np2cp2dp3nppp]399|300[/hv] I can't deny that my heart missed a few beats when I saw dummy's clubs! At our table, West led ♣7; East took the K and A (to which W followed with ♣8), then continued with a low ♥. I saw at once what the ♣ situation was, and tried to be as prompt as I could in going up with ♥A. I still needed four diamond tricks, so I had no choice but to run ♦Q, West followed with ♦3, captured by the K. Now East had a dilemma - where was West's entry? East made the wrong guess and led a ♠. My sigh of relief must have reverberated across the internet! How should this contract be best defended?

And another UNDO issue. My partner, as declarer, made what I would regard as a mis-click. Leading from dummy towards AQ10, evidently intending to take deep finesse, RHO came up with J and declarer followed with 10. Evidently played too fast, had mouse hovering over 10 and didn't notice J until too late! But declarer's UNDO request was rejected. I think that cost us a trick. Ah well, these things happen...

Clearly my knowledge of the Laws (taken from a rather superannuated textbook) are a bit out of date! Sorry. Not that it matters with the level of Bridge I'm used to... ;)

Only a guess I'm afraid: this level of bridge is way beyond my experience (and ability :( ). If it comes down to the TD to arbitrate, would they not have the power to exercise a bit of discretion?

Incidentally, this looks very like one of Victor Mollo's Menagerie hands. And the bidding sequence is very characteristic of the Menagerie, especially if the Rueful Rabbit* was sitting North... *No, that is not the reason for my username...

I believe the laws give the offender three options: 1. Substitute the lowest possible sufficient bid in the same denomination (5♠ in this case) 2. Substitute any other sufficient bid (e.g. 5♥, 6♠). Then the offender's partner has to pass the rest of the auction. 3. Substitute a pass. Penalty same as (2) and in addition, if offender becomes defender, declarer may call for a specific lead. I would imagine these laws are often not rigorously enforced!

Thinking a bit more. Play for west with ♣K 10... You lead ♣9 from hand. West has to cover, else you finesse Q for the 12th trick. So West plays 10 and you play Q from dummy. Now can you work a squeeze in clubs and hearts? As I see it, you're in the wrong hand...

If the diamonds are 5-0 I think there's no chance, so we have to assume there are 5 diamond tricks. Added to that there are AK♠, AK♥ and A♣. Two more needed. 3-3 hearts and you're home and dry. Too easy! One extra club is assured, don't need to finesse. 3-3 clubs? Risky to test either clubs or hearts, in any case. I think you need to count opponent's hands, to see what the distribution is. Of course West might have very long spades, which would help. Another thought. You have 31 points. Would west have overcalled with less than nine? Certainly you can place the missing king.

Knowing my clumsiness, I'd probably win it with A♥... :(

I suppose, on the deal, a lead of J♥ is safe. But if I were sitting South, I wouldn't know any better than to lead the bog-standard 6♣ :unsure: .

On this deal I was sitting East: [hv=pc=n&s=s43hjt42dqckj7652&w=sat95ha75dakt3cq4&n=skj876h63dj9875c8&e=sq2hkq98d642cat93&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=1dp1hp1sp2np3nppp]399|300[/hv] South led Q♦. Now, I'm not conversant with every convention, true, but I'd have thought the lead of a singleton queen of suit bid by opponents, must fall very far down the scale. So what was it? Anyway I thought to myself, good, that places South with the J and I have three diamond tricks. I ducked and S continued with the 2♣, won by my 9. I then proceeded to take my 'marked' ♦ finesse. When S threw a ♣ and posted a chatline "Now I'll sit back and wait for the swearing to stop" - well I must confess that a succinct remark or two concerning South's parentage may well have escaped my lips: lucky that BBO doesn't have voice-over! Anyway I wearily played the K and tested the hearts. When they did not break, where was the ninth trick to come from? With a sigh I led ♠Q from hand, thinking that S had the K and might not cover. I didn't even realise at the time, I was neatly end-playing North in spades and diamonds, and he had no choice but to duck. That gave me nine tricks. I don't claim any credit for any show of skill I may or may not have had, but I'm pretty chuffed over this hand.

As it happens, something similar happened today. My partner opened 1♣, then when, after a pause, I passed with my mere 5 points, partner then asked for an UNDO which was granted (not by me!), and amended their bid to 2♣ (presumably Benji since that was on both our cards). Note that my pause had given my partner ample time to ask for the UNDO before my bid - if it was indeed a mis-click. I felt it would be better if another player took over my hand, without the knowledge of my partner's clubs that I'd acquired in an unorthodox way, so I'm afraid I left the table there and then. I know full well that the Acol club is fairly informal and indeed I want to play bridge with a light touch and good humour, but sorry, such things are not in my vocabulary. I don't want to come across as all didactic, but even in friendly bridge there are rules...

I fully agree. Otherwise the whole spirit of Bridge is lost. Will people be allowing UNDOs in chess, next? The problem is, will everyone be honest about this? I suppose there's no answer to that. Sometimes you just have to trust. I notice that there's an option on BBO to require yes/no confirmation of every bid and play. Probably a good idea if you're playing from a smartphone - or have shaky hands!

Is that so? I thought weak 2's were 6-9 points and a 6-card suit. OK this was a 7-card suit, and with distribution points to add on, I might have gone 1♠. Or 3♠. Looking at the other tables, I note that three Wests opened 1♠, six opened 2♠, and seven opened 3♠. So the odds between the options are fairly even. Another curiosity about this hand, is that not one contract was made - every single one went down, whether by N-S or E-W. How often does that happen? :lol:

Amusing hand, maybe this happens quite a lot: [hv=pc=n&w=sakqt532ht75d4c74&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=2spp3hp3nppp]133|200[/hv] Of course, as soon as I realised partner was void in spades, I bemoaned my ill-luck in not having South as declarer in no trumps! Nonetheless it worked out quite well, seeing as partner had a stack of clubs to run. Two down gave us almost a 'top' :) . And no-one who was left in spades made their contract...

As it happens, I fell victim myself yesterday, but it wasn't my fault! I'd doubled my RHO's 1♥ opener for takeout, and my partner passed it out - ostensibly for penalties. I was already a bit suspicious before my lead, since I held ♥K6 myself, and I could only watch ruefully as declarer made +2 when there was a good game for us - and a complete 'bottom' in IMPs.... :( Experience again! My partner was very apologetic after I (tactfully) explained the problem afterwards. And I would have really LOVED a redouble from RHO, but it wasn't to be... I suppose I could have asked for an UNDO, but I don't like UNDO's. I think I learnt my bridge under the firm principle, what's bid is bid; what's played is played: no going back. And I recognise the immense value of BBO, a (mostly) friendly environment where you can stay on good terms with both partner and opponents and enjoy bridge in the best way it can be enjoyed. I don't like stepping outside the box, so to speak. Also yesterday, I felt a bit embarrassed when my partner (a different one) asked for an UNDO after opening 1♥, which was given, and then amended their bid to 1NT. I felt I might have been shown my partner's hearts in a way which I wasn't entitled to (assuming it wasn't a mis-click). I told the opponents this, but they laughed it off.... Very decent of them.

Thanks for the advice, I'll put this all down to experience. Of course my opponents didn't help me out by doubling, not even the one who held six clubs to QJ10! And my partner quit the table, without a word, as soon as the hand was played out, so I had no chance to talk it over. Ah well! Talking of doubling (or rather, not doubling) reminds me of another deal I sat at, in one of my first sorties into BBO. Sitting South, with a few spades but no points, I heard: [hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1spp2spp]133|100[/hv] Clearly East - a beginner - had not heard of forcing cue-bids. This put me in a dilemma. Clearly the ethical thing was to double, to give the unfortunate West an escape route. But would this be misunderstood by my partner? Whilst I was thinking it over, West saved me the problem by asking for an UNDO, which of course my partner and I were happy to accept. He then changed his bid to 2♥ and made 3♥ comfortably. I think justice was done - even though I lost out!

On this deal, sitting East: [hv=pc=n&w=sqj32ha8dj8754c95&e=skthk65daqt6cak87&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=p1cp1dp3dp3np4cp]266|200[/hv] I had that annoying hand, just one point light for 2nt, and we weren't playing benji else I think I could have bid 2♣ on values. I know now I should have passed 3nt, but I felt I had understated my hand with 3♦, and I could see a chance of slam if partner had two aces, so I ventured gerber 4♣, assuming partner would recognise that no trumps were agreed (partners card did have gerber on it). No joy. My 4♣ was passed out and I went 3 down. Partner seemed (understandably) annoyed.... Advice?

Good point. I was kibitzing, in the Acol club, the other day and saw an example. Partner and opponents were not best pleased, one of them got up and left. I think, if it happened on a table I was at, my gut reaction would be to post in the chat, "please, do not psyche". Is that too direct?

Are there guidelines on this practice, or is there a BBO policy? Pete.