Month: September 2008

Hi all

I’m counting down to October 3. Two more weeks and I’ll be living in Berkeley, together with Sanne. I’m both excited and anxious. But I can put a checkmark where I had my biggest fears: getting my visa at the US embassy. It took less than an hour, 90 Euros and my fingerprints, but I got it. Jannes happy.

Now it’s just me and my stuff, I have to decide what I want to put in storage, what to bring along and what to dispose of.

But you’re here for bridge. How are your card-reading skills?

pass

1

21

2

pass

3

pass

4

1. Weak

West starts with the Jack of and East takes his Ace and King before exiting in . Trumps split and you see there are nine tricks already, you just have to prevent losing two .

How to tackle them?

Cash the suit ending in dummy and you have a near complete count on East. Presumably a six card suit, so far he has shown two and three so that leaves room for just two . The rest is easy if you follow the technical correct play (split honours): a small towards your Jack. If East inserts a honour you can finesse the other one thru West, else you’re able to drop East’s honour-doubleton.

Piece of cake, eh?

Hi all

This deal is from a Dombo-session where I partnered Dennis. Boy, was it plain sailing that night! People where handing out gifts like it was Crazy Christmas, and we were fully embraced by Lady Luck in all our adventures.

I’ll show you the problem from a defensive point of view.

pass

11

pass

1

pass

2NT

pass

32

pass

43

pass

… 6

1. Unbalanced 4+ or a 15-19 NT
2. Asking for Major
3. Inspired

East looked at his own cards and estimated his partner would be of no help in the defence. He put a small trump on the table, leaving declarer (Dennis) to do his own dirty work.

This was the complete deal:

Dennis had no problem wrapping up twelve tricks.

So a lead would have developed the setting trick. I guess it’s a stab in the dark, possibly against the odds. I have full sympathy for the safe trump lead. Too bad, but hey, such is life.

About the 4 bid, it’s nice and inspired. It was the right bid on the right moment for me, opening the door to slam. But I suspect Dennis was trying to get me out of book as well, something like “What does this button do?”. He succeeded once after a rare post-Muiderberg auction, if I remember correctly. He has been trying ever since.