Bridge

Hi all

I’m getting my feet wet not just playing online. Sessions at BC Star and BCO, interacting with my bridge buddies (close by & far away) and tournaments all over the Netherlands in various degrees of success. I feel like I’m getting back into shape. 

This deal is from Bridge Big. Afterwards I felt scrubbed, not only from losing a few pennies, but because I was on the receiving end of competent declarer play.

1. Invitational+ with fit

I watch the auction unfold and though I’m afraid they’ll end up in slam (never good for your wallet unless they go down) the opponents screech to a halt in 4. Now what to lead?

I decided to lead a , but I don’t claim it’s clear-cut or obvious.

My lead doesn’t work out as my partner is only able to contribute a measly little pebble, declarer’s Jack winning the trick. Next I have to surrender my King when declarer leads a small . In rapid succession declarer plays four more rounds of trumps (me discarding a bunch of unimportant ), the King of , Ace of and a low . I throw my Queen hoping to seduce declarer into thinking dummy’s 9 is good. On the Ace of declarer pitches a and finding a discard becomes a little sweaty.

My sweaty discard turns into a full blown nightmare when declarer asks for dummy’s and ruffs it with his last trump. I’m dead.

I lost €0.52 but that’s really just pennies compared to the pain of being subjected to what seems a very conscious and well executed squeeze.

Noteworthy metamorphosis: Unemployed ⇒ Employed.

Hi all

Here’s another cute deal from Bridge Big. No Cash Game but a deal from a daily Round-the-clock tournament. My performance was less than stellar, so after 20 deals I had collected some 53%. Not enough to win me any money. This deal I was firing on all cylinders, though. 

1. I didn’t dare to show my void (with 5NT) in a pick up partnership

3 is not very scientific, but it does show extras and will probably lead to the most likely game. My partner grabbed the bull by the horns and suddenly I was at the helm in 6. West leads a and this is what I see:

Easy. I win the in dummy, draw two rounds of trumps (leaving trump Jack in dummy). I cash the other high in dummy, cross to my hand with a ruff and ruff a with the Jack. Again I cross with a ruff, extract the last outstanding trump and rattle off my winners. This is the position and I know it:

On my last trump I know West is in pain with King doubleton in and the Ace. So I take 13.

It was just an inch away from a top. I quickly scan the result whether I recognise my partner or opponents, but the Brit, Norse and Turk have inconspicuous nicknames. To my random Norwegian partner: thank you for putting me in a nice slam and giving me the opportunity to shine.

Hi all

Here is a deal from my first session on Bridge Big. As I wrote in my previous article Bridge Big is an online platform to play duplicate bridge for money. It’s low-threshold to start playing, but let me warn you, it’s not a casual game or for the faint of heart. The founders intend it to be a platform for serious & competitive bridge. Just like the game deserves. Go check it out.

Anyway, sitting South (White against Red) I pick up a wild hand:

Oh boy! How am I going to sell this baby in an individual tournament setting? I decide to open 1 and this is what happens next:

1. Extraordinary

Partner raises? Partner raises? What? Come again? I end the auction with an uncivilized leap to 5.

LHO leads a trump and this is what I see:

I gasp as I see partner’s beautiful raise. I hold high respect for players and partners who support with support. I am slightly annoyed by the lead, though. If the opponents can play two rounds of trumps my contract depends on a 3-3 break in , or KQ tumbling. On a side note, the bidding is a little weird, NS hold a combined 16-count while East only bid 2. Who’s hogging all those digital face cards?

I duck in dummy and East wins his Queen. Just as I’m about to resign to my fate of down one East finds a shift to a . From there it’s easy, I ruff three in dummy and East gets to score trump Ace one day or another. Making.

This was the full deal:

Kudos to West, a Dutch player by the way, for finding the killing trump lead. (When reviewing your results you can see the names of your partner and opponents.) Too bad his partner didn’t reward him for it. I imagine making a virtual high-five with my Bulgarian partner when the EUR 1.14 gets added to our individual accounts. Suddenly I wish I were playing for 5 EUR per IMP, perhaps when I find that money tree in my backyard.

… while I kiss the sky.

Here’s a final deal from Purmerend, Kees (South) in action. Phantom Club home brew gives us this:

1. Takeout of a 1 opening, 15-17 NT, or any stronger hand
2. 4+ , 8+ hcp
3. 15+ NT, GF
4. Repeated transfer, showing 5+

Interesting inference here is that Kees knows I have a poor suit, with 8+ hcp and a good suit I probably would have opened. West starts with a small and this is what he sees:

With his usual eye for detail Kees wins the lead in hand, plops down trump Ace (safety play), crosses to dummy with a and then plays a trump to his Queen (West surrendering the Jack). He exits with his final trump to East who flicks a on the table.

The runs via the 5, West’s Jack to dummy’s Queen. With silky smoothness Kees takes a finesse against East’s presumed Ten and all depart on the train. Taking 12.

Immediately burly East yells at his partner (a subdued looking female) for inserting the Jack. If she had played low then there wouldn’t have been a finessing position etc etc … I intervene and tell him in strict words:

1. not to castigate partner
2. he would have a hard time finding an expert partner who would recognize the situation and ignore the hardwired “3rd man high” law
3. if he had wanted to prevent the 2nd uptrick he could/should have cashed the Ace of

I’ve been playing quite a few Cash Games at Bridge Big. It is big, big fun and currently I’m €31.97 in the plus. Supple interface, support for multiple devices, cheat-impossible and extremely addictive. Disclaimer: I do know both founders personally. 

Hi all

Welcome back. Here’s another deal from the “Koemarkttoernooi” in Purmerend. Kees and I sit down against two middle-aged ladies and we inform them of our ghostly agreements. Our mention of 12-14 NT openings gets greeted with: “How illogical!”. I snicker inside, that is what you find intriguing about Phantom Club? Oh boy! Sitting South I pick up:

A lot of action during the bidding.

1. Good hand, weak hands go through Lebensohl 2NT
2. Slightly insane, but white in pairs I am Iron Man
3. Emotional

I lead my singleton and a scary dummy comes down.

I admire the raise on West’s beautiful 3-piece. I wait until Kees wins his Ace of to give me my ruff, but all he offers is a measly Ten and declarer wins it with the Queen. Yikes! How are we going to beat this? Declarer unperturbed starts on trumps and I win the second one. I can cross in to get my ruff but that’s equivalent to throwing the towel.

I take stock and visualize the play. If I cash my Ace and continue declarer will have to ruff with dummy’s final trump. In order to extract my last trump she will have to cross to her hand. Of course a ruff is the way to go, but maybe she’ll take the easy route by trying a . Then if I get my ruff we can cash another for down one.

Full deal:

It works out as I visualized. East apologizes and though I can tell West shows some signs of disappointment she doesn’t berate her partner. That’s how I like to see it. Of course I myself don’t hide my anguish & distress over Kees’ takeout double of 2, I even document it here: Garbage Royale!

On a serious side note, I’m still hunting for a job. If you happen to be in need of an Oracle Developer/DBA with affinity for wireless tech spiced up with a tad of Java, or if you give me a little time to acquire whatever skills necessary (I learn fast!), take a look at my LinkedIn profile, or shoot me a message through the contact form in About Me. Thanks.

Hi all

Kees and I played in Purmerend last Saturday. Not too high profile, elderly opponents abundant, hopping from one bar to another on the “Koemarkt”, enjoying the sun, drinking Estaminet Premium Pils, and generally having a blast.

Did I mention we agreed to play Phantom Club? It’s a system that revolves around assuming your RHO has opened 1. So you can open aggressively having just overcall values and then practice all your partnership bidding agreements. Adam Meyerson wrote about it here. Spooky!

This was one of my grande moments:

That’s a fairly pure 17-count. RHO opens in 3rd hand 1 and I have an easy overcall.

I decide we won’t get rich by defending 2, so I rebid my . LHO starts with a and dummy comes down.

It seems defending 2 would have been the right choice after all… RHO plays her top 3, and on the last one I have a decision to make. LHO has echoed a doubleton so I pitch a instead of ruffing, LHO discarding a . The lady on my right ponders for a while and puts down a 4th , looking for a promotion but giving me a sluff & ruff. LHO’s 7 forces dummy’s King while I pitch my last small .

By now I’m fairly confident LHO is holding both missing honors for her 2 call and probably some cards, too. I wave to the waiter to order two beers and a strip squeeze with split fork. Come again? On my 5th trump this is the position:

I pay close attention to LHO’s final discard, here’s the little “if-then-else” I visualized:

If ( discard)
  then cash Ace and exit , use Ace as entry for free ;
If ( discard)
  then cash Ace to strip West from , exit Queen to place West;
Else
  Fatal Exception("Revoke bridge license");

I take 9.

Without the sluff & ruff I can work towards the same position for 8 tricks, East doesn’t have a to fire through me to prevent the placing.

After 32 boards Kees and I end up with 63.73% and a 5th place, good for some “Jonge Jenever” and Italian delicacies. We didn’t encounter any Ghost Busters… fortunately.

Hi all

This was an interesting deal from last Friday. Erik volunteered to help me transition into competitive bridge again, whip me back into shape. I crack my knuckles, stretch my spine and focus on my breathing. Alpha waves are lapping against the shores of my consciousness. I sit down, the viking in me stirs. Sitting in 4th position I pick up:

Interesting. I find out everybody has something to say.

1. Invitational+ with
2. No riddles for partner, this looks about where I want to be
3. The opponents are red, they’re not insane, right? Do I have enough defence? I decide not…

Erik pretty much walked the same mental path whether to riddle 5 with a fistful of bullets: sane because vulnerable. Yeah, right! He kicks off with Ace & King (dropping my Queen) and cashes the Jack, too. Then a switch to the Jack of and immediately I embarrass myself by dropping a trick in the defence. Still down 2, though.

This was the full deal:

Why South decided to bid invitational+ with little values and gigantic distribution is a mystery to me. If he had leapt to 5 instead I would have been in a lot of pain. It’s not unlikely I would have bid 5, for down one. Did you notice 12 tricks in by East, the poorest fit, are icy cold?

Hi all

Over the years I’ve shared good, funny, absurd, warm, sad and mostly true stories. But… I don’t have them anymore. My life as I knew it is in tatters. Sad but true. So please understand I don’t have the energy or room anymore to share. Maybe things in a future far, far away will change, but certainly not before this.

Anyway…

Here’s one last deal from the All Western Pairs, I was playing with Michael Bodell (with whom I had an awesome time at the SF Nationals).

1. 12-14
2. Exactly 4-card suit GF

I agree the North hand is a tad too strong for a weak NT. The alternative of opening 1 to initiate a “15-17 balanced”-sequence, didn’t feel right either. But in pairs upgrading or downgrading is less of an issue. I still have sympathy for my own call.

The next problem arises when Michael reveals we have a 9-card fit. Suddenly the value of my hand goes through the roof. On the other hand, I know Michael’s 3 call is just GF, nothing more than that. I try to visualize a couple of hands to see if slam is on, but it just seems too far away.

Is there something else? I look at my hand again, and I feel I have an opportunity for some mischief. I really don’t like to get a lead towards my hand, I have no forks. If Michael declares, his holding is protected too. Before I know it a 4 call lies on the table. Michael stares at it for a second, shrugs and bids 4.

Yay! We have a 9-card fit, and I’ve made the shorter hand declarer. This was the full deal:

Michael got a lead, and he had just enough tempo to set up a in his hand for ten tricks. At all the other tables 4 was declared from the North, and just a very select few got a defensive error to bring home the contract.

I guess I got lucky.

So, my dear reader, I bid you well. Live long and prosper.

Hi all

The All Western Pairs went only so-so for Michael and me. The field was pretty strong, but that’s no excuse for all the ridiculous mistakes I made. I was just not on top of my game. This weekend we’ll probably start a new brew, the White House Honey Ale, to time it exactly right for election night (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Honey_Ale). And… Richard Dawkins is coming to Berkeley for a talk: The Magic of Reality. I got my ticket already.

Here’s a deal from Quick Tricks a couple weeks ago. Nobody was able to defeat the common 4 contract, but the defence has a very nice opportunity. You hear the following auction.

Partner (East) leads the 2 (3rd and low). So you have one trick, hopefully two tricks, and trump King must become the setting one. But how do you prevent declarer from finessing twice against your King?

The solution is so clean and clear in it’s simplicity. Duck the first round! That King cannot be allowed to serve as an entry. You smoothly duck (and encourage) and declarer wins with the Ten. Declarer will look for entries to dummy, say he tries a towards dummy. Partner showing an odd number and you know it’s safe to cash both your tricks and the Ace of . A third round of declarer ruffs in his hand. In the double void? Yes sir!

Let’s move to the North seat.

You, sitting North, are annoyed by the solid defense so far. But you have another trick up your sleeve. You do have two entries to finesse against trump King if East is holding the Queen. You play the 4 to dummy and finesse against the Queen: entry # 1. Later you can overtake the King for entry # 2. Or can your cunning plan be foiled?

Let’s move to the East seat.

You’ve led your 2 and it ran around to declarer’s Jack. Then things turned a bit strange… Declarer played a towards dummy, partner cashed out three of his red suit winners and then played a in the double void. But declarer ruffed in his own hand instead of pitching a loser… Nobody has played a trump yet. And then the solution hits you. Declarer tries to get to dummy to take a hook against partner’s presumed honor.

Can East assist somehow?

Yes, by inserting the Queen at first opportunity (second hand high!). That denies declarer a second entry to dummy, and the defence gets the fourth trick they’re entitled to.

Declarer on top of his game, and the defence prevailing in the end.
I love this game!

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.

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?