Wackojack

"I will give you the best that a declarer can wish. ♦ A and ♦. That is an absolute 1 trick gift to declarer. Did you make your 3 NT yet?" I didnt expect defence to be so kind. Now my odds are about 8o%. Throw a heart. Finesse spade, if successful claim. If loses and defence does not lead a heart then claim. If defence leads a small heart then hope it is not from the AJ or KJ. If from Jxxx very happy. If Jxx then hope that East will give the game away.

[hv=pc=n&s=saj6hq963d5caqj87&n=sq84ht74dkq83ck64&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1cp1dp1hp1nppp]266|200[/hv] 3NT is a contract that most would want to be in. I cannot see any way that you can reasonably get to 3N whether or not you play any form of check-back, Walsh or Transfer Walsh. Maybe 1♠ 2nd response to show exactly 3 and a modest invite by a passed hand would elicit 2NT and then 3N slightly wrong sided. Posters! Where would you get to with your favorite partner? Be honest.

♠Q84, ♥1074, ♦KQ83, ♣K64. Playing GIB system. p-p-1♣-p; 1♦-p-1♥-p; ? Questions: 1. Does the rebid of 1♥ preclude a balanced hand or not? 2. If it could be balanced and less than a 1N opener then would you say that 1N is likely to be the best contract? 3. If I next bid 1N and opener is unbalanced would you expect opener to rebid clubs? 4. What would a 4th suit bid of 1♠ show?

Completed first 16 over 24 hours ago and waiting for Dadim to complete his 16.

Now fine with 3x16 but will be unavailable for 2.5 weeks starting 1st Oct. Hopefully we (I) finish before then.

Thanks Richard for being magnanimous in playing another 16. http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:b9a6b49a.6f69.11e6.8e99.0cc47a39aeb4-1472641055&u=wackojack +4 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:a31553c6.7396.11e6.8e99.0cc47a39aeb4-1473100149&u=wackojack +4 After making a bad defensive error on B1 in the 2nd set when I could have defeated 4H I thought I had blown it. I had the rub of the green with 2 part score swings.

OK I have just returned this moment from Ireland. I was playiong in a bridge tourney Fri, Sat and Sunday there and had absolutely no time to get on line let alone play. I made the challenge to Richard (hrothgar) on tuesday last week and was hoping that I would be able to complete the 32 before Friday. Early thursday evening I checked that my challenge was was still waiting but very late I saw that Richard had accpeted and played the first 16. So I immediately played the first 16 having to fly the next morning. I just had time next morning to make a challenge without seeing the expiry. Would it have been any better had I not made the challenge and waited until today? Sorry I did my best but not having played a challenge match before I was not aware that BBO would not allow me to play 3 days later. Would I have done better just not to make the challenge until now? Would that have caused a bigger furore? Anyway I am very sorry for the inconvenience I have caused and have this moment made another challenge. I can now play now at very short notice. I have just logged in to BBO to send a message to Richard about this.

I have just made the 2nd 16 challenge against hrothgar. Now just leaving for Ireland for the weekend and will not be available to complete the 2nd 16 until at best late monday which it says is beyond the expiry stated.

What do you mean by "that way"? What is your point?

It is interesting to speculate the outcome had Csaba thrown his J♥rather than his last club. Then at trick 10, South might have had ♥K, ♦x, ♣6. It would then come down to whether or not South would lead 9♣ from ♣Q1096 and then keep his 6♣ knowing that it was useless.

The lesson from this hand is nothing to do with the 2♥ overcall. It is how a great player finds out where the opponents’ cards lie. Benito ruffed the 2nd heart in hand and then played out his remaining spades to see what he could discover. So at trick 10 he knew that he could squeeze South if he had the Q♦. Csaba kept his J♥ so at trick 11 Benito would know that either: (i) South had successfully been squeezed starting out with ♥AKxxx and ♦ Qxxx or (ii) South was not squeezed having started out with ♥AKJxxx and ♦xxx. Which was more likely? The 2♥ overcall was not a giveaway. It made it more difficult for Benito to read the situation. Suppose South did not overcall. Then Benito has less of a guess. He would surmise that with ♥AKJxxx, and ♣Q109, South would certainly have overcalled and thus the Q♦ was going to drop regardless of which hand it is in.

If you play FSF to game then: 1♦ 1♥ 2♣ 2♠ 3♥? How many hearts does this show? If 3 then is this stronger than bidding 4 ♥ on the principle of fast arrival? Similarly: 1♠ 2♣ 2♦ 2♥ 2NT 3♠ If this shows 3 card support is it stronger than bidding 4♠ There many other sequences where after 4SF you can bid game or raise below game. What general principles are in play here?

The 2nd 16 result was: http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:9d405390.6978.11e6.8e99.0cc47a39aeb4-1471987743&u=wackojack Over the 2 rounds +14. Hoping that Rowland might stay in with the least losers. Here is one hand where the result was identical the bot going down in a making contract. Would a human have taken this decision? http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn|wackojack,Robot,Robot,Robot|st||md|4S92HJT976DAT2CT52,SHAK852DK965CA843,SAKQ876HDQ87CQ976,SJT543HQ43DJ43CKJ|sv|0|ah|Board%2014|mb|P|mb|P|mb|1H|an|Major%20suit%20opening%20--%205+%20!H;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points|mb|1S|an|One-level%20overcall%20--%205+%20!S;%208-17%20HCP;%209-19%20total%20points|mb|2H|an|Free%20major%20raise%20--%203+%20!H;%206-10%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|3C|an|3+%20!C;%205+%20!H;%20Q+%20in%20!C;%2016-18%20total%20points;%20forcing%20to%203H|mb|3S|an|6+%20!S;%2017-%20HCP;%2012-19%20total%20points|mb|4H|an|3+%20!H;%208+%20HCP;%209-10%20total%20points|mb|D|an|11+%20HCP;%2011-%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|C6|pc|CJ|pc|C2|pc|C8|pc|S5|pc|S9|pc|H2|pc|S8|pc|D6|pc|DQ|pc|D3|pc|D2|pc|C9|pc|CK|pc|C5|pc|C3|pc|H4|pc|H9|pc|HA|pc|S7|pc|DK|pc|D8|pc|D4|pc|DA|pc|S2|pc|H5|pc|S6|pc|ST|pc|CA|pc|C7|pc|DJ|pc|CT|pc|C4|pc|CQ|pc|SJ|pc|DT|pc|D7|pc|HQ|pc|H6|pc|D9|pc|S4|pc|HT|pc|D5|pc|SA|pc|HJ|pc|HK|pc|SK|pc|H3|pc|H8|pc|SQ|pc|S3|pc|H7| The bot can make the contract if it viewed that the opening lead was from Q976 and not 976. At trick 9 the situation was identical at both tables and the opponent bot decided that the initial lead had been from 976 and thus went down. Partner bot's lead was the 6 and it later followed suit with the 9♣ and then the 6♣. I am aware that bots can make different decisions in identical situations. Fortunately here the opp bot made the same decision at both tables.

Just played my match agaist Eagles. The Robots had more than their share of the cards making it a bit frustrating. http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:e3343da6.690f.11e6.8e99.0cc47a39aeb4-1471942763&u=wackojack

I am interested but need to be educated. Is the format 2 tables You and 3 robots v opp and 3 robots. Also can one play with the old installed BBO? I much prefer this to the web based BBO. Thanks

I have to say that leading low from any 4 (or even worse 3) gives me the creeps. No doubt that when the auction is more informative then partner of the opening lead might be able to work out the situation. Take this uninformative auction and you get the 3♦ lead. [hv=pc=n&s=sk54h832daq64c932&w=sj86hqt97dk75ckj4&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1np3nppp]266|200[/hv] Declarer plays the Queen and you take with the King. Do you switch or do you continue? Say partner led from ♦J9832, then you must continue with diamonds. Say partner led from ♦ 9832 then it is likely that the killing switch is the ♥10. You just don't have the information to make a sensible decision. OTOH say you play 2nd highest. Then: From 9853 the lead would be the 8 from 9853 and now you know there is no future in playing diamonds and a heart switch could be a winner. (This would also be true for top-of-nothing leads. When you get the lead of 5♦you know it will be from from the Jack. Given that attacking leads from 4 card suits are not usually attractive it becomes very likely that the lead is from Jxx(3)2. If it is from J9832 you know that you are going to break the contract. OK I just plucked this deal out of my head and no doubt someone else can find a deal where after 1N-3N or similar, a low from anything except a doubleton is more informative. I just feel totally outside my comfort zone if my partner gives me such a lead. I have just realised that some "smart ass" will tell me that you can play that the lead of a 9 promises a picture and the 8. So this is not the best example. :rolleyes:

Intresting! A few years ago I played count carding with all my partners. This included "Kitchen Bridgers" who wanted to play "Dodds". I said just throw what you can afford and give me count and I will work it out. I still play primarily count with 2 regular partners before attitude. In reality though the partnership should work out what each other needs to know and signal accordingly.

My link Yes the lead of the 3♦ did me damage in that I thought it would be from an honour and so took a losing finesse to the 9 later. In fact I did think that a lead from Q853 or Qx(3) seemed an unlikely lead and added to the fact that I can get away a losing ♦ on the A♠, I knew that there was 2 tricks difference in my choice of ♦ play. But greed took over, and I went off when the finesse didn’t work. On this occasion defender West didn’t need to know anything about the lead. Holding ♦QJ76 and seeing the 2 in dummy the 3 could not be from a singleton since that would give me 5 and I did not bid 2♦. Thus from West’s POV the lead would be from 10853 and if you know that partner does not play MUD then also 853. West doesn.t care either way. Suppose MrAce happened to be playing MUD leads and 4th only from an honour. Then he would lead the 5. Then from my POV this could be from Q875, Q865, Q765, Q85, Q75, Q65, 853, 753, 653. I would not be any the wiser. West however would know the exact 3 cards i.e. 853. Thus it is not fair to say that MUD leads only reveal when it is too late. My link If you do not think we are playing MUD, then you would think that either I am playing from J97 or from 7x or less likely 7 singleton. Suppose I had led the 3♦ instead of the 7. Not much difference. It just eliminates the doubleton possibility, since the 2 is visible in dummy. Either way the contract can (should) still go off. Let us say declarer plays the Ace just the same and also next plays 6♠. Now when you play the K♠ how much does that influence you not to make the ♣ killing switch? West was fortunate to have a 4 card heart suit on the bidding and if only holding 2 it only makes sense to try and stop declarer getting a spade ruff in hand if leading a trump doesn’t give away a trump trick. Anyway, that is not the point of this post. My point is that playing MUD (or not) does not appear to me to be relevant to the outcomes of either hand. I want to keep an open mind, but as yet I am not convinced that leading lowest from 3 or more small is superior to 2nd highest.

1. 3♠ Don't like it 3. Pass Still don't like it "Pd held. JT9x Qxx Axxx xx" OK This is how it looks to me: ♠J109x is perfect. Give this hand the K♠instead and game becomes possible now with only 9 pointers plus small club doubletons. Very unlikely. So I think the chance of the cards being right for game is less than 30%. Not sure of the chances that 3♠ will go off. Must be significant. The semi-pre-empt is a LAW raise, based on opps having at least an 8 card fit. So if 3♠goes off it is saving against opps very likely making a 3 level contract. Perhaps 3♣in this instance.

Here in UK I believe it is standard to lead 2nd highest from 3 or more small and 4th from an honour. Usually it is possible to work out from the value of the card whether or not it is from an honour. Elsewhere, it seems to be common to lead smallest from 3 (as does GIB). What are the advantages and disadvantages of this. Oh! and where do attitude 1eads fit into this? Of course you can break these rules if the bidding already indicates the number of cards held. e.g. If you raise partner's suit with 3 and find yourself on lead. Then you may lead your highest card in that suit. Please don't just tell me what you play. I want the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches to leads.

Yes all other declares except one cashed K first. Mea culpa. An undeserved top.

http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn|wackojack,~~M51676,~~M51674,~~M51675|st%7C%7Cmd%7C3S9QAH249TKDJQKC59%2CS278JHJD45679C347%2CS46TKH567AD2TACTJ%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%209%7Csv%7Ce%7Cmb%7C1D%7Can%7CMinor%20suit%20opening%20--%203%2B%20%21D%3B%2011-21%20HCP%3B%2012-22%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7C2C%7Can%7CTwo-level%20overcall%20--%205%2B%20%21C%3B%2010%2B%20HCP%3B%2011-18%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7C2H%7Can%7CFree%20bid%20--%205%2B%20%21H%3B%2011%2B%20total%20points%3B%20forcing%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3H%7Can%7CRaise%20responder%5C%27s%20response%20--%203%2B%20%21D%3B%203%2B%20%21H%3B%2011%2B%20HCP%3B%2012-15%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C4H%7Can%7C5%2B%20%21H%3B%2012%2B%20HCP%3B%2013-17%20total%20points%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7CC3%7Cpc%7CCT%7Cpc%7CCQ%7Cpc%7CC5%7Cpc%7CCK%7Cpc%7CC9%7Cpc%7CC7%7Cpc%7CCJ%7Cpc%7CS3%7Cpc%7CSA%7Cpc%7CS8%7Cpc%7CS4%7Cpc%7CH2%7Cpc%7CHJ%7Cpc%7CHA%7Cpc%7CH8%7Cpc%7CH5%7Cpc%7CH3%7Cpc%7CHT%7Cpc%7CD4%7Cpc%7CHK%7Cpc%7CD6%7Cpc%7CH6%7Cpc%7CHQ%7Cpc%7CSQ%7Cpc%7CS7%7Cpc%7CS6%7Cpc%7CS5%7Cpc%7CS9%7Cpc%7CS2%7Cpc%7CSK%7Cpc%7CC2%7Cpc%7CDA%7Cpc%7CD3%7Cpc%7CDJ%7Cpc%7CD7%7Cpc%7CD2%7Cpc%7CD8%7Cpc%7CDQ%7Cpc%7CD9%7Cpc%7CDK%7Cpc%7CD5%7Cpc%7CDT%7Cpc%7CCA%7Cpc%7CH4%7Cpc%7CC4%7Cpc%7CH7%7Cpc%7CC8%7Cpc%7CST%7Cpc%7CC6%7Cpc%7CH9%7Cpc%7CSJ%7C The bidding tells me a little bit about opps hand distribution so the a priori odds of 11/6 (assuming Gib plays randomly with QJ) on west's jack being a singleton no longer holds. It looked like clubs split 6-3. So west's distribution would be either 9-1 or 8-2 in the pointies and hearts. The a priori odds of 8-2 are a lot higher than 9-1. But are these odds greater than 11/6 on, to make the drop a better than evens chance? Not having that in my head I went for the restricted choice rule and successfully finessed the 10. Question to any poster except Spisu. Does my anaysis make any sense? The result was a MP score of 100% in a field of "experts"

I might add that this was "real life" and it was me that bid 4♦. "C'est la vie"

[hv=pc=n&s=st7432h2d3ckqjt74&w=s5hakqt5d9872c652&n=sj6hj763dakqjtca3&e=sakq98h984d654c98&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=ppp1d1sp2hppp]399|300[/hv] I was North. My view: After my subsequent pass over 2♥, I could have either: (i) a strong no trump or (ii) a hand that would rebid 2♦ After (i) a bid of 3♣ is fairly obvious. After (ii) Either 3♣ or pass may be best. Not sure what % you would put on this but think it would be around 50%. If this is the case then 3♣ is the % winner. Partner's view: East's overcall of 1S reduces the probability that you have a strong nt (only 3 spades between W and N). West's 2H bid shows 5= probably so you probably have 4=. Basically the whole hand is a misfit so general principle is to keep out. Also, imo 3C should have some sort of tolerance for diamonds in case you are 2461 shape.

[hv=pc=n&s=sq32hkj9d83caq642&n=sj84h54dakqt972ck&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=3h4dp5dppp]266|200[/hv] This went 2 off when 3NT by either is a comfortable make. C'est la vie