Life is not beautiful in Hong Kong

[MinorKid]

Recently spoken by my friend that Hong Kong housing condition are so poor that one cannot literally do anything feasible given such cramped space. He rent in a cramped divided flat that is already small for people of 10. The whole room is fully occupied by his bed. What really meant he cannot do anything is that he cant stretch his arms without hitting the walls nor to make a little noise without causing nuisance to neighbors. That is because he cant afford millions of dollars for a flat in private building nor ten years quitting a high salary job for government housing. He bet on two million dollars to purchase a private flat on a rubber bridge game in a ladies night club.

 

Once we play in the ladies night club against a pair of advanced Psychology graduates and i faced a situation as below (V vs NV & We have had a small minor suit slam ahead of Them). There were no screens.

 

[hv=pc=n&s=shakjt42dat532caq&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1d(10+HCP%204%2Bdiamonds%20unless%204432)7s(Paused%201%20Min)]133|200[/hv]

 

Partner opens 1♦ that normally promises 11+HCP 4+d unless 4432, RHO then paused for about a minutes and then she wind up with 7♠ ! Wow ! I do feel what he meant "one cannot literally do anything feasible given such cramped space" is about! Honestly speaking i was about to announce that i am going to bid 8♦! Just as the people in divided flats used to saying "I am going to live in the street!"

 

Before I was about to say something stupid, I ask LHO whether we agreed that she come up with the 7♠ after some time and she said "Well, don't you have to think in bridge huh? Don't you think Girls think differently than simple minded boys?" I was really upset that the damage can be taken to such extend, like giving up a majority of area of your bed to someone else in that divided flat. :( I then asked LHO on what RHO 7♠ would mean and "Natural and Standard" was the reply. I felt i have to do something, what is that?

[The_Badger]

I felt i have to do something, what is that?

 

Take up chess. Though on a serious note, I have seen in documentaries how bad housing is in Hong Kong, old men living in small cages with just a bed, etc. Truly dreadful.

 

As for this bridge hand, no-one in their right mind is going to bid 7♠ straight off without having 13 tricks. Or are they? As for the hesitation, that's all part of the game. Or is it?

 

Ok. So partner promises 11+ points which means he should have ♦KQJ, ♣KJ and ♥Q not counting opening lighter using rules of 18,19 or 20. So that means 7NT can be made as East is not on lead.

 

It's taken me over a minute to work this out, so I'm going to bid 7NT with at least a minute's hesitation.

 

Probably the wrong decision but I'll go with my gut instinct.

[masse24]

I felt i have to do something, what is that?

Move to the country.

[diana_eva]

I'm doubling. The logic of west on lead with no spade to lead vs 7NT is interesting, but I'd just x and let them be at the table. I don't believe East bid 7S "to make"

[helene_t]

We had a vaguely similar discussion related to the auction 7♥-(7♠)-?, where the consensus was that pass is forcing and encouraging so p will bid 7NT with the ace of spades, and dbl otherwise. Or something like that.

 

Here, I am not sure if it applies since pass might not be forcing, and even if it is there is also the question of what it asks for.

 

So I just take my money and dbl. Partner is obviously not going to take it out even if she has ♠A but that might be ok.

 

Hopefully partner will give count so we don't throw the wrong ace when declarer plays her twelve trumps. Otherwise I'll just hope that she isn't void in clubs.

 

Btw, what's up with calling the director and/or asking questions about the auction? It's not like they are likely to have an agreement like 7♠ asking for a heart lead or whatever.

[manudude03]

Are the opps advanced at bridge or advanced in psychology? I have seen auctions like this where the opps literally don't know 7S means they are contracted to make all 13 tricks. Anyway, if the former, I bid 7NT and make the papers one way or another. I'll double clueless opps though.

[smerriman]

Have to double. If East has 13 top tricks in spades, then this is surely one of the rare cases of the hesitation itself being illegal.

[maartenxq]

7 NT. Are you sure this was not goulash?

 

Remember this occurred in Amsterdam bridge society Hoenselaar decades ago. 7 ♠bidder was however not able to hide his emotions because of his 13 suit, which provoked the save into 7 nt! -2.

 

Maarten Baltussen

[Joe_Old]

Double.

 

I'm not bidding 7NT. The odds of a 13 card ♠ suit are over 635 billion to one; if East has 13♠, then I'm wrong and plan to marvel at the deal. East probably has a long ♠ suit: the question is whether West has any ♠, and that is hard to calculate because you have to guess how long East's suit is. But, the odds are short enough that I'd genuinely fear bidding 7NT here.

 

I'm also not certain about East's hesitation. Even with a 13 card suit, she might have been wondering about how best to draw a double.

 

Note that a double would backfire only East has 13♠, or if East is two suited, and West has the rest of the ♠ and a void in East's second suit. That is very long odds.

 

Finally, there's always the chance that East made a very bad decision with a weak 8 - 5 hand (or some such), is going down 5 or 6, and West has enough to beat your slam.

[mrt2000]

Many years ago, when I was a mad keen learner of our beautiful game my mentor told me that, when pre-empted, you must aim for the best possible score rather than the possible best score. On that basis I X 7♠. All the erudite posturing from my fellow contributors about bidding 7NT because W won't have a ♠ to lead is all well and good, but what if s/he does! In all my years playing bridge I managed to achieve some pretty bizarre results but 7NTX -12 is not one of them, and never will be!

[gszes]

If they have 13 spades ah well I gave them some more points but over time x will help even out the times when they manage to make 7.

[Geldmacher]

Usually I would double. But there is a strong reason not to do it. If double would be good, the problem would not be here.

 

Why did East not bid 4♠?

Or even 6♠?

 

Would he bid 7 with 12♠ and any single? The most would bid 6 I think. 4NT - if it is as blackwood agreed - would not help, because she would not know which ace her P holds. So East seems to have 13♠.

Then North holds every point outside ♠ and grand slam is made against every remaining distribution by West.

Yes, I would bid 7NT after an hour.

[nekthen]

I see two possible hands for East. One 13 spades, two 12 spades (maybe even 11 to the AK)

Double will not earn much and once in a blue moon will be costly 7N could also be really expensive

 

Probability says East has not got hand 1. However, I am not betting the house that 7N makes. If I pass we are still in the rubber even if it makes. The object is to win the rubber not every hand

[mikestar13]

Assuming the director will rule correctly, double, then call the director if East has 13 spades. East should have known at the time she hesitated that an opponent could have been misled by the hesitation. So the score would be adjusted to 7♠ undoubted making. So double won't cost and will gain substantially if East doesn't have 13 spades. Even if you can't count on this director for a correct ruling, the probability of "I made a mistake" is greater than "I actually have thirteen spades" for Jeff Meckstroth, never mind the actual East.

[Joe_Old]

Assuming the director will rule correctly, double, then call the director if East has 13 spades. East should have known at the time she hesitated that an opponent could have been misled by the hesitation. So the score would be adjusted to 7♠ undoubted making. So double won't cost and will gain substantially if East doesn't have 13 spades. Even if you can't count on this director for a correct ruling, the probability of "I made a mistake" is greater than "I actually have thirteen spades" for Jeff Meckstroth, never mind the actual East.

 

Good luck with that. No Director will ever let you unethically game the system like that.

[Joe_Old]

duplicate

[Joe_Old]

duplicate

[mikestar13]

Good luck with that. No Director will ever let you unethically game the system like that.

 

Maybe. But East is clearly gaming the system if hesitating with 13 spades. Are you saying director should allow this?

[Stephen Tu]

It's reasonable to think about whether 7s will elicit a 7nt sac or some other tactic may lead to say 6s doubled better than defending 7n, or if you can convince opps you are sacrificing in 7s.