Month: August 2012

Hi all

Here’s me closing the Philadelphia Series, Roth Open Swiss, round 1, deal 1. Barely awake, and Michael pushes me in a skinny 3NT. Hmmm, in a testosterone infused day dream, if all those skinny & skimpy contracts I play were actually scantily clad babes… Boy!, would my bridge life be the coolest ever. Cardboard reality, such an anticlimax.

West

North

East

South

1

11

pass

2NT

pass

3NT

a.p.

 

1. Is this a vulnerable 1 overcall?

There’s a glimmer of hope when my LHO decides to lead a fourth best . My Ace captures the Queen. An early inventory shows I have three solid tricks, so I need to set up six more. Two in and two in are easy, the rest should come from the minors, or something favourable in . I can count my LHO for almost everything outstanding. Now what?

I started by playing the King from hand and a low one via the Queen for … Wait a minute. Can I duck this? Should I take that Queen at face value? I start a small movie in my head. If I duck and West switches back to . I can’t really be hurt with whatever he switches to. But … the timing just feels wrong.

I decide to win it with dummy’s Ace, and switch back to . West wins his King and finds a switch necessary too: to a low . I ask for the King and slowly I creep towards my nine.

From here on it’s easy. I play a to my Queen and West wins his Ace. Back comes another and I let it run to my Jack. West follows to both my high and then a to dummy reveals the 4-2 split. I place West with a fourth round of and my Queen of is number 9.

Number 9! Cloud number 9. Number 9 dream. Perfume number 9. My mind is rattling with 9s in all forms and shapes. If there had been a crowd, it would have gone wild.

Now I’m wondering. Was my play actually correct? Did stripping West from safe exits give me a return on investment?

Hi all

I’m back after a short break. But before the Santa Clara Regional begins, I have to finish up some Philadelphia stories. Here we go:

Not too shabby! I love it when I pick up my cards and the stream of face cards just doesn’t end.

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

11

pass

12

pass

2NT3

pass

34

pass

3

pass

45

pass

… 7NT6

a.p.

 

 

 

1. Beowulf: 15-17 balanced, or stronger any shape
2. 6+ hcp any shape
3. 18-19 bal, GF
4. Transfer
5. Splinter
6. That should be about right

I took some artistic liberty with 2NT, as it technically shows 18-19 balanced, but all I wanted to do was to establish a game force. I could always raise to slam myself if Geoff had no more than a simple raise to game.

Geoff did surprise me a couple of times during the bidding. First his positive response made my day a bit brighter (27-counts usually make me grin like a monkey in pairing season). And then his self-splinter over 3. At that point I figured Geoff had to hold very good trumps for a slam try opposite 18-19, because I’m holding everything else. Anyway, with my significant extras I had no problem emptying my bidding box.

16 tricks from top. And a fistful of IMPs when the other table closed out in small slam.

Hi all

The picture below is courtesy Antony Lee (Bo Xiao on the left). I’m actually holding a coffee, but he sure did have a knack for eternalizing me holding my phone. Really! On all the pictures he took I was either checking BBO for the latest Spingold updates, texting my lovely wife, or giving in to my WordFeud addiction. Of course only outside the playing arena.

Here’s a story on BridgeWinners that just left me awestruck, an enlightening and inspiring insight in the mind of Peter Fredin. The inferences and help I usually get from my opponents is more of caliber “sledgehammer”, not quite as subtle as Fredin’s analysis and projections. Take this one for example (Regional Pairs, July 18th):

West

North

East

South

1

2

double

31

3

5

pass

62

a.p.

 

 

 

1. Fit showing
2. “Choo-Choo”

When my LHO helped me out by bidding 3 it was quite obvious Michael was holding a stiff . All aboard the slam train! This was the full deal:

The opponents started with two rounds of , Michael ruffed, cashed both top and entered a crossruff for twelve tricks, and almost all the matchpoints. Probably some other West was less … disciplined holding two Aces.

Hi all

So here’s a small … kink from Philadelphia. Setting: Second day of the Spingold. Let’s call my RHO “Mad Bross”. I ask his partner for their convention cards and he hands me one. I politely ask if they have a second one for my partner, where “Mad Bross” responds: “You can share, we play very vanilla.” I say that the rules require you to hand over two cc’s. At this point he spits out: “Are you f*cking kidding me?”.

Fortunately his partner smoothly defuses the situation and offers to fill out a second one if desired. I let it pass, but the dark cloud at the table does not leave.

In retrospect I didn’t handle it correctly. I should have called for the director, nobody should be subjected to profanities. One of the directors confirmed with me that “Mad Bross” would have been given a Zero Tolerance penalty just for that. After that it’s three strikes and you’re out. Even famous players have to obey the rules. My bad for missing out on an opportunity.

It wasn’t all one way traffic against team Diamond. We had some pickups and system successes too. Not enough to make the match in any way exciting, but still. Here’s one:

West

North

East

South

 

21

pass

2NT2

pass

3NT3

a.p.

 

1. Exactly four card in an unbalanced hand, 8-12 hcp
2. Natural and invitational+
3. Accepting, bidding my minor would have been a sign off

On a passive lead Geoff set up the suit and wrapped up 11 tricks for +660. Now at the other table things were less … sophisticated. Four passes in succession and that’s 12 IMP, thank you!