Walddk Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 We have seen it many times on BBO. "Why not ...????" at length, often by self-proclaimed experts. Here is yet another example, from yesterday. In an IMP game, our pair arrived in 6♥ after a fine auction. With plenty of entries to both hands, declarer's only concern was the trump suit with ... ♥ J5 ♥ AK97642 "Why not 7???", said our expert when he saw dummy. He went down in 6. It was not a concern to our man, apparently. It went very fast. How did he play? A rhetorical question: can you make 6♥ regardless of the distribution of the four outstanding trumps? How should he have played? Allow me to point out that this is a forum for Beginners and Intermediates, so if your skill level is higher, please don't ruin the thread too early. Thanks :P Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherdanno Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 Why not 7? Because some go down in 6! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 "Why not 7???", said our expert when he saw dummy. He went down in 6. Awesome, did his partner say something about 5♥ afterwards? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuroth Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 Is the question how to avoid 2 losers in ♥s? If so, low to the Jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilkaz Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 LOL at some of these "eggspurts" like this one thinking that he should be in a Grand needing to pick up trumps with a 9 card fit missing the Queen. A BIG ROFLMAO at him losing two trump tricks here :) hopefully a humbling experience, but most likely he didn't even know he'd missplayed. Nice hand here for B/I,Roland, as most can get this if they stop and think, but many will fail to recognize the danger when playing at the table. I hope to see more stuff like this here in B/I since I think many of the play problems are too hard for B/I. Just my opinion .. neilkaz .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walddk Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Most players won't know that they have erred when they cash a top heart first, because it does not matter 90% of the time. A 2-2 break is 40% and a 3-1 is 50%. As you are only in 6♥, you can afford to lose a trick (3-1 with the queen among the three). However, when everything looks rosy it is time to take stock and ask yourself: "is there anything that can go wrong?" Well, yes and no. A 4-0 break (10%) is most annoying. "Is there anything I can do if they break badly?" In this case the answer is "yes". [hv=n=sj5&w=sq1083&e=s&s=sak97642]399|300|[/hv]If you cash a top heart first, you must lose two tricks, one to the queen and one to the 10. Similarly ... [hv=n=sj5&w=sq1083&e=s&s=sak97642]399|300|[/hv]East must come to two tricks if you cash the ace or king first. Now, try the effect of leading a low card towards dummy's J5. If West has them all, he can score his queen now or later but he won't get more than one trick. You still have A, K andf J left to draw his 1083. If East has all four, West will show out when you lead low from your hand, and you play dummy's jack. East can win his queen, but he won't get another trick because you now have AK9 over his 1083 and still the 5 left in the dummy. Next time you play the 5 and cover East's card as cheaply as possible. This is called a safety play, this time a play that guarantees your contract even if trumps break 4-0. Many times safety plays are line of plays that are not 100% but that improve your chances in case suits break badly. Our "expert" should definitely have read a book on safety play. Maybe he will now after he went down in a slam he could and should have made. At any rate, he may not yell "Why not 7???" if this comes up again. Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuroth Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Last night I played a hand where I thought exactly along these lines. With a 5-4 spade fit in 6 spades, I tried to think if there was any way I could handle the 5-0 spade split. Somehow, I got 0% of the matchpoints. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
655321 Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 0% of the matchpoints.Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuroth Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 LOL there was a bigger clue than that, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillybean Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Last night I played a hand where I thought exactly along these lines. With a 5-4 spade fit in 6 spades, I tried to think if there was any way I could handle the 5-0 spade split. Somehow, I got 0% of the matchpoints. :blink: Why were you playing with 14 spades? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuroth Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Last night I played a hand where I thought exactly along these lines. With a 5-4 spade fit in 6 spades, I tried to think if there was any way I could handle the 5-0 spade split. Somehow, I got 0% of the matchpoints. :blink: Why were you playing with 14 spades? I wish I knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jillybean Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Tilting at windmills. The other night I unnecessarily played a K from my hand, under the A from dummy, putting my contract in danger. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 We were playing a lot of Hearts at the European Junior Teams. The result? One of the Romanian girls played a 3NT contract and they lead a spade, her RHO played the K and she played the Q in tempo from AQx (dummy had a small doubleton) :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricK Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 I wonder if his comment about being in 7 caused him to try to prove to his partner that he could make 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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