Walddk

It looks like declarer wants us to cash our four winners, hoping to squeeze partner in the process. So it's often right not to do what declarer has in mind. I can afford to cash another club. If partner shows out and pitches a heart now, the layout is an open book. North needs to have spades guarded (four to the jack), else declarer has 9 tricks, since he is marked with ♥A on the auction. We know already that partner has four diamonds, so his shape is 4342, and declarer is 3154. That leaves declarer with the singleton ace of hearts. It's ok to cash one more club (partner discards another heart), but then it's time to exit with a heart! If I cash my last club, partner will get squeezed, and if I exit with a spade instead of a heart, declarer will just set up his 9th trick in diamonds. If it transpires that partner has three clubs, 4243, declarer therefore 3253, I can forget about defeating the contract. I can cash my four winners, but then North must throw both hearts, and ♥A will squeeze him in spades and diamonds later. It won't help not to cash the last club. Then declarer can safely set up his 9th trick in diamonds. Roland

You can delete "maybe" and add Turkey, China, Japan among many other countries in most instances. That's why I think it's rather selfish if some people think that English is all we need. I would rather not hear the same people complaining if for example German was the only language we offered, let alone Polish or Turkish. Roland

Until further notice your partner should assume that you have 4 hearts when you rebid 2♥, so he will support if he has 4. However, your next bid should be 3♠ and not 3NT. If notrump is right, your partner will bid 3NT now, offering you a choice of games. If you have 4 hearts, you will correct to 4♥. With the actual hand, you will pass. By bidding 3NT yourself instead of 3♠ you show an adequate holding in diamonds for NT. The 4 and the 3 are not exactly stoppers :D Roland

French or Spanish perhaps? We do not expect people outside Denmark to speak and/or understand Danish. Accordingly, we take the time to learn a world language. We have no choice actually, since English is compulsory in Danish schools from the 4th grade. As to your statement about being lazy: I couldn't agree more. The reason for it is obvious: You don't have to learn another language because you expect everyone else to speak/understand English. Most of them do as you rightly point out. Roland

Splendid idea. Maybe people from English speaking countries should be denied access to the room with English commentary when we offer French, Italian and Spanish commentary. In fact, people from smaller countries are the lucky ones. We can't travel around the world expecting others to understand Dutch and Danish, so what did we have to do when we were younger? Sit down on our behinds and learn English among other languages. And we did. Since I am supposed to be nice, I would rather not comment on what the situation is in for instance USA, United Kingdom and Australia. Honestly, how many languages, other than English, do people speak there? Roland

I think 2♥ is an excellent bid if you have the partnership agreement that partner can support to no more than 3♥ if he has 4. It looks like he did when the hand was played, and that you now bid 3♠, showing a good 6-card spade suit (with probably just 3 hearts). If partner now bids 3NT, it's his decision. Is this what happened? By the way, the hand is good for the Weak Jump Shift gadget. 1♠ followed by a jump to 3♠ is now game forcing with 6+ goodish spades, whereas 2♠ would be invitational with a 6-card suit, since responder did not jump to 2♠ over 1♣ (WJS). If WJS are not on the cc, a 3♠ rebid by responder is only invitational with 6, and the hand is too strong for that. Roland

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=s865hqj2d106542ckj&w=sak10973h83dj9caq7&e=s42hak107dakq83c63&s=sqjh9654d7c1098542]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] From a tourney on BBO today. At many tables the auction was (NS passing). 1♠ - 2♦ 2♠ - 3♥ 3NT - p On the actual layout the declarers had an easy ride to 13 tricks, but 6♠ and 6NT (West) are both excellent contracts and will make most of the times. Who should have done more, if anyone? Roland

Several times in the past 2 years or so, during vugraph presentations with two table coverage, we have been offering commentary in multiple languages. They are: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Needless to say, this creates a heavier workload on the vugraph coordinator. However, I am happy to do this if the audience thinks it's worth it when possible. Is it, or should we go with English all the time, assuming that everyone understands the comments? What do you think? Roland

Not sure I understand. One of us must have miscounted, and I don't think it's me. Roland

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=s85h65dq764ca10754&w=sk7hkj732dj85ck96&e=saqj632haq984dkc2&s=s1094h10da10932cqj83]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] The following auction appeared in a team game on BBO this morning (West dealer): 1♥ - 1♠ 1N - 4N pass An obvious quantitative 4NT you would all claim. Sure, but evidently East will not agree with you. The good news for the defence: With perfect timing they can cash the first 10 tricks. The bad news for the defence: North had a natural club lead, and moments later declarer wrapped up 12 tricks. Did anyone say that bridge is a fair game? One thing is certain: Next time East will bid 4NT again. Sigh. Roland

Amen.

[hv=n=sk752hak3dakjcq76&w=s83h1076d875ck10982&e=sj1094hq542d10932c3&s=saq6hj98dq64caj54]399|300|[/hv] I don't like to expose my partner to a squeeze by rectifying the count and give declarer 3 club tricks. He has 11 top tricks if I rise with ♣K, and the 12th will come automatically by squeezing East in the majors (Vienna Coup). So I play low at trick 2 and hope that the layout is something like this. Roland

Nice to hear that you had a positive experience as a BBO vugraph operator, Rick. This confirms what we write in our standard vugraph guidelines: "The most critical factor in determining the success of these broadcasts is the quality of the operators. It is vital that these people become familiar with the software before the actual broadcast takes place. The software is easy to learn and it is subsequently easy to use, but operators should spend at least a couple of hours practicing before the actual event". Roland

At IMPs, on the helpful heart lead, you should play as follows: King, ace, ruff low, cash ♠A, enter dummy with a club, discard the losing club on ♥Q and lead a small spade towards your queen. That will limit your spade losers to one every time it's possible. Suit 2-2, singleton K with LHO, and Kxx with RHO. Making 13 tricks is nothing to be proud of. You would have gone down if LHO had the singleton king. Yes, you will miss the overtrick if spades are 2-2 with the king on side, but that doesn't matter at IMPs. A small insurance premium to pay in order to improve your chances. Roland

The double dummy defence against 3NT is: Trick 1: ♥9 or 7 to East's ace. Trick 2: Spade to West's ace. Trick 3: Heart to declarer's king. Now South is endplayed. If East pitches correctly when declarer runs his diamonds, the defence must come to 5 tricks. In the 4-card ending, declarer will have ♣AQ109, East ♥J10 and ♣KJ. If East ducks at trick one, he is the one who will get endplayed after all the diamonds are cashed. In order to keep his heart winners and clubs guarded, he must throw his three spades, and then declarer has no spade loser. He exits with ♥K. East can cash his four heart winners but must then lead away from ♣KJ into South's tenace. I predict that no human will find the correct defence at the table, so one can understand that Blofeld made his contract. Maybe he will reveal which defence he actually got. Heart ducked at trick 1 followed by the endplay of East? Roland

GIB refuses to bid on after an undo (teaching table in the Main Bridge Club). Roland

Yes Roland

Your solution to the double dummy defence is not correct, Jimmy. Just goes to show how difficult it can be even with all 52 cards in view. Virtually impossible to find at the table. Roland

Me too, and you wouldn't defeat it the way you defended. Roland

The doublers don't get to 3NT, because it can't make on best defence (double dummy admittedly). The doublers place themselves in the East chair and defeat the contract after the lead of ♥9. Maybe we could let this be another contest. How do you beat the contract? Hidden text would perhaps be a good idea. It's not easy, not even with all cards in view. Roland

Am I the only one who is fed up with the Buratti-Lanzarotti case by now? You may be able to travel to the end of the world by telling lies, but there is no way you can come back from there! Roland

[hv=d=e&v=e&n=sa1065haj532d103c84&w=sq73hq64da75ckq109&e=s94h7dkj9864cj652&s=skj82hk1098dq2ca73]399|300|Scoring: IMP S: 4H Lead: DA[/hv] Well done Frances and Mike; you would both have made it. The hand was played in the MBC on BBO yesterday. Some did not pay attention to the inferences the auction and play had given them. Well, in fact no one who had that info did. 6 players went down in 4♥ (one of them doubled), 6 played in heart partscores, 1 in 1NTX by West down 4, 1 went 1 down in 4♦, and 2 got doubled in 5♦ down 2. The deal has been rotated for convenience. Roland

OK, so you ask about their pre-empting style. Not unexpectedly this is what you get: "No agreement" :-) Roland

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=sa1065haj532d103c84&s=skj82hk1098dq2ca73]133|200|Scoring: IMP S: 4H Lead: DA[/hv] You are in 4♥ after East opened a weak 2♦. You doubled, LHO raised to 3♦, and your partner bid 4♦ to let you choose a major. The lead is ♦A and East encourages. At trick 2, West switches to ♣K. Say you decide to duck in order to get more information, and East follows with the 6 (standard). West now continues with ♦7 to East's king, and he exits with ♣2 to your ace, West following with the 9. What is your plan? Which defender do you play for the queens in the majors? Roland

Off topic, true, but I would like to take the opportunity to thank Frances Hinden for being one of regular visitors to the Forums. Her posts are always very articulate, and her points well substantiated. As you may have seen in another thread, Frances will also be on our panel of experts (BBO Polls) from now on, and only recently did she join as one of our vugraph commentators. Very skillful is this area too. Great asset in all respects! Roland