Interesting notrump play

[FrankerZ]

Hand

 

Lost for words. Any explanation as to why the robot thinks its play at trick 5 could ever be a good idea?

[1eyedjack]

Just curious, but were you playing with a basic robot or advanced robot here?

[FrankerZ]

Just curious, but were you playing with a basic robot or advanced robot here?

 

I'd assume it was basic. Whichever one they use to replace people dropping out of the automated tournaments.

[1eyedjack]

Yup that is the basic. Their play is dramatically poorer.

 

I speculate that it ran some random simulations, in all of which it happened to place South with Spade King and no more Diamonds.

 

 

 

[Bbradley62]

Yup that is the basic. Their play is dramatically poorer.

I don't think this is right; I don't think there is ever a basic bot in a tournament. Hopefully Barmar can clarify. Note: this was an Express Free Automated Fun tournament.

[1eyedjack]

Sorry you right. Painful

[Bbradley62]

I speculate that it ran some random simulations, in all of which it happened to place South with Spade King and no more Diamonds.

If you place ♠K and no more diamonds in South, you'd also need to correctly guess the location of ♠J in order for this play to lead to a 10th trick. In GIB's defense, it's hard to read the opening lead as fourth best, although GIB could have waited and taken the third diamond instead of the second to help clarify the situation and cut off communication between defenders. I submit this as a classic example of why I've repeatedly suggested that these events should use IMP scoring, so that GIB will just cash his 9 tricks and not cause tops/bottoms with bizarreness.

[1eyedjack]

GIB might not have been looking for a 10th trick. Having concluded, erroneously, that South had the Spade King, based on sims, this might have just been one route that it chose to collect 9.

[Bbradley62]

GIB might not have been looking for a 10th trick. Having concluded, erroneously, that South had the Spade King, based on sims, this might have just been one route that it chose to collect 9.

I think even GIB can count 5♣ + 1♦ + 2♥ + 1♠ = 9 tricks without needing a finesse.

[1eyedjack]

I think even GIB can count 5♣ + 1♦ + 2♥ + 1♠ = 9 tricks without needing a finesse.

 

It still has those tricks if a Spade loses to South.

[Bbradley62]

It still has those tricks if a Spade loses to South.

But it is still the case that the only reason for playing spades before cashing is in an attempt to gain a 10th trick, which GIB might not do at IMPs.

[1eyedjack]

But it is still the case that the only reason for playing spades before cashing is in an attempt to gain a 10th trick, which GIB might not do at IMPs.

I don't agree. If two routes appear to GIB both to result in netting 9 tricks, it has no reason to prefer either route over the alternative. And yet it must choose one of them, else its perpetual dithering would result in its being fined for slow play. The fact that it chose a delayed route could be nothing other than chance.

 

Incidentally, as regards locating the Jack, were I declarer who, say, mis-clicked a low Spade lead away from the Ace, I would finesse the 10 on the grounds that RHO is marked with the King by 2nd hand following low.

 

 

 

[Bbradley62]

Incidentally, as regards locating the Jack, were I declarer who, say, mis-clicked a low Spade lead away from the Ace, I would finesse the 10 on the grounds that RHO is marked with the King by 2nd hand following low.

Definitely!