Bridge

Hi all

I played with Geoff and Michael & Michael in the GNT Open qualifiers. Our total number of masterpoints matched us to the second seed, a 6-bagger with Lew & Joanna Stansby. The first 3 rounds we had some problems of getting scores in the right side of the scoring column. We kept bleeding little drops of imps, but then in the last quarter things turned around. Unfortunately the 40something IMP we clawed back was not enough to offset a win.

I picked up:

Not too shabby! I hear Geoff pass in first hand and RHO opens 1NT (14-16). Our defensive agreements say Astro, so I have a penalty double to my avail. A prime, Class A weapon grade penalty double, so to speak.

LHO passes, and Geoff runs to 2, showing a very poor hand.

I waste little time and jump to 3NT. Thinking I have nine tops, and if they lead a then either Geoff can put down a very slow stopper, or perhaps the suit will split friendly. When West leads a I claim 9 and we’re off to the next board.

This was the full deal:

At the other table East opened 1NT, South passed (?!?) and West transferred to . In the rebound South jumped to 4, and found a very lucky doubleton King to score his tenth trick. So I lose a gut wrenching IMP.

Hi all

Currently in The Netherlands there’s the buzz of a possible “Elf Steden Tocht” (a 200 km ice skating tour thru eleven cities). Well, here in Berkeley, CA that feels like an event on another planet. It did stir the old viking in me, though. My appetite for snow and cold was in slumber for a long time, perhaps it’s time to check out Tahoe for my cold cravings.

Here are two deals from Quicktricks, I was playing with Jo Ginsberg.

West

North

East

South

1NT1

pass

2

pass

2

pass

32

pass

43

pass

4

pass

4NT4

pass

55

pass

6

a.p.

 

 

1. 12-14
2. 5-5 GF
3. Cuebid agreeing
4. RKC
5. 3 Key cards

I let the auction sink in and finger my cards. Of course I’m going to lead a minor, but which one? I’m holding six myself, so the odds declarer (Geoff) has shortness there seems … plausible. I lead a .

Geoff competently wrapped things up. He won my lead with the Ace and ran the Queen to me. I continued but he ruffed and drew trumps. He crossed to dummy in and rode the Ten. Then after ruffing a his other two high provided parking spots for both losers in dummy.

Big kudos for my teammates who replicated the auction, play and result.

Here the ground we stood upon fell apart.

West

North

East

South

 

pass

3

41

5

pass

pass

DBL2

pass

5

pass

63

a.p.

 

 

 

1. 5-5 + Major
2. Extra values
3. I totally & utterly zoned out

Why did I zone out? Because I haven’t disclosed what my Major is, thus 5 is pass or correct. Jo ended up playing in a silly 4-3 fit while we had a massive 5-5 fit between us.

She collected 11 tricks on the devious lead of a small by East. Our opponents got to the small slam in , on a 6 board match that’s almost impossible to recover from.

Hi all

Here’s a deal from the San Francisco Sectional. Geoff and I reach heights where the air gets very, very thin. I pick up a decent hand, but the auction that follows doesn’t give me warm feelings.

West

North

East

South

 

11

pass

2

pass

22

dbl

2

pass

3

pass

3NT

pass

…5

a.p.

 

1. 8-17 hcp systematically
2. Any minimum

Perhaps I should have smelled a rat and pass out 3 but I still visualized game to be reasonable. I’m surprised by the jump to 5, curious I wait for dummy.

Of course West starts with a trump so ruffing all my losers is going to get difficult. I’m in a terrible spot. And I make a mental note to tell Geoff his hand doesn’t qualify for opening in my standards, or our standards for that matter. Add a couple of spots to the suit, then maybe if not vulnerable.

Anyway, I’d better make a plan. My best chance is to find QJ-third onside. Perhaps I can set up a to pitch a from dummy so I can tackle 3-3. Not that it brings my odds for bringing this baby home anywhere close to 50%.

I win in dummy with the Ace and request the 5. East rises with the Ace and returns her trump, fortunately they break 2-2. Now let’s see if I can work something in the suit.

But wait… if I play a top from hand then it doesn’t matter what West does. Covering and forcing me to ruff will leave me an entry short to finesse twice in later (East will split) if my experiment is fruitless. While if West ducks then it doesn’t gain me anything, with the miniscule exception of finding East with exactly AK9 or AQ9.

A cunning plan fosters in my mind… I check whether West is awake. I put down the 8 intending to let it ride, playing West for any Honor-9 combination. Later I can take a ruffing finesse against his honor, and I have one trump left in dummy to establish my (just depending on a 3-3 split).

But no, West covers the 8 with the 9 and I’m forced to ruff. So far my experiment in the suit… The hook against QJ is all I have left.

It works… for +600. Not happy with the bidding, but the result is nice to surprise your team mates with.

Hi all

So it’s Saturday evening now. After a wealthy dinner at Montrio we get to sit down against two lovely ladies. I had my guard up a bit, because it’s still the finals of a two day KO. I’d better not be lulled into a false sense of comfort.

We start good by extracting +800 from a phantom sacrifice. And then Geoff and I Beowulf to slam on the cards below.

West

North

East

South

 

pass

pass

11

pass

12

pass

13

pass

34

pass

4

pass

4

pass

4NT

pass

55

pass

6

a.p.

 

 

 

1. 15-17 bal, or stronger any shape
2. 6+ hcp
3. Natural, 18+
4. Maximum/slammish raise
5. Two keys with trump Queen or extra length

When West led a trump, I needed either the to break or the double finesse in . I’m glad they didn’t lead a ! A tentative estimate puts us now at +20, I think. But the ladies proved to be a lot more resilient than expected.

West

North

East

South

1

pass

1

2NT1

4

4

dbl

pass

5

a.p.

 

 

1. Unusual

5 went down one silently, but at the other table they maneuvered a contract of 5 in the South hand. So East gets his two tricks, but West not the ruff he was looking for: 13 imp down the drain.

In addition they brought home a sharp 3NT and outbid us on a couple of part scores, so after the first 12 boards a boatload of imps has crossed the table: 42-42.

The second half starts of poorly for us when I find the single lead that lets them make their game. Then the ladies hopscotched into 6 with two top missing. But on a non- lead all losers went away… Geoff and I now both sit at the table like hawks, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. And the opportunity gets there…

Sitting in 3rd seat, all red I decide to open a Beowulf 2 (showing 8-12 hcp, exactly 4 crd suit, unbalanced).

My LHO overcalls 3, passed to me… I know we’re good. She misplayed a bit and went down four, for +400, no game for anyone in sight. A funny side note: Because in the US we’re not allowed to play any conventions over an opening like this, all bids after that have to be natural. So without a blush or embarrassment I could have doubled 3 for penalties. Now how’s that if you have opened weakly in 3rd chair?

We have a lock. We win the finals by 89 to 77. That’s quite rich over a 24 board match.

Hi all

Back from Belize safe & sound. In a nutshell: snorkeling, sea turtles, eagle rays, I kissed a shark, Maya ruins (Caracol), roasted pig on the beach, termites taste minty – carrotty (really!), ATM cave, slightly tanned, donated a lot of blood to local mosquito population and I had the most amazing smoked pork chops ever at Erva’s in San Ignacio.

Barely back from Belize and I’m headed for Monterey again, attending the Clambake Regional. Geoff and I teamed up with Grant and Jessica (picture probably in the next issue of the Bridge magazine). We entered the Friday – Saturday KO, and after a pretty flat round robin we picked up steam. Here’s me drawing nine out of the fire with bare hands.

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

11

3

3

pass

3NT

a.p.

 

 

 

1. Could be light (8-17)

Geoff took a flyer when he bid 3, hoping to find me with some kind of fit. Well, this is what I saw after West leads the Jack:

Ugh! 3NT needs a lot of work with only 3 tricks from top. Fortunately I’m not vulnerable, so damage control is not a top priority.

I request the Queen from dummy and it wins the trick. A to my Jack survives as well, and prospects look a little bit less bleak. A second back to dummy and East wins his Queen (West has followed suit with the 8 and 9). A surprising Ten of hits the table that gets covered around to dummy.

A back to the 8 and it wins, 7 tricks in the pocket now. I check whether the break, but they don’t. One last resort, if the break 7-1, I can endplay East. I cash my Ace and exit with another one.

East grumpily cashes his trick and the Ace, but then surrenders a to dummy’s King. The Ace is the entry to my free , and that’s trick number nine.

Thank you!

Hi all

Sanne and I are mere hours away from our trip to Belize. Snorkeling gear packed, sun screen & glasses, and no phones or digital communication equipment at all. Just us, the beach, Maya temples and a couple of malaria mosquitoes. Life’s good.

Here’s a cute deal from a home knock out. After the busy auction below I found myself defending.

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

1NT1

pass

2

Double

2

Double

pass

2NT

pass

3

a.p.

 

 

1. 11-14

Geoff (North) leads the 3 (3rd and low) and I zone out to figure out a defence. I win the Ace and declarer drops the Jack. If I switch to now, it’ll be too late. My king is very poorly placed, and if declarer has a problem, the in dummy will provide a parking spot. No, I need Geoff to hold the King, accompanied by three little ones.

Play proceeds, Ace (Geoff encourages), Queen, and a third for Geoff. In full grasp of the position he puts down the poisonous 13th . Declarer has an unsolvable problem. Ruff low in dummy and my 9 forces out the Ace. Ruff high and I will refuse to overruff. Promoting a trick for my 9. Down one, left and right.

Happy holidays all!

Hi all

I don’t often put brands, recommendations or advertisements here, but for Tap House in downtown Seattle I make an exception. With 160 beers on draft it was a pleasure to cool off after a day of bridge. The picture below shows their Honor Society selection. I’ve experienced most of them from bottle, but some of them I didn’t even know existed on draft. The Gulden Draak was out of this world!

This deal is from the Open Swiss. I wasn’t full awake yet (no beer cause!). Geoff leads a high-ish after the opponents bid 1NT – 4NT – 6NT.

Declarer wins the in dummy and asks for the King. Sleepily I win my Ace and return a . Subsequently I see declarer hooking the Ten and then squeezing Geoff out of his red suits so the suit comes in for 4 tricks and the contract.

The solution is easy: duck the Ace twice. The count not rectified, declarer is unable to get to more than 11 tricks. I’m glad the opponent in my seat was just as awake as I was.

6 is on ice, though. And in my mind a Baron-esque sequence should get an IMPs player to the safest contract. Here’s what I suggest:

West

North

East

South

1NT

pass

4NT1

pass

5NT2

pass

6

a.p.

1. Quantitative
2. Accepting the quantitative raise, requesting to bid four card suits up the line

Cheers!

Hi all

So Geoff and I teamed up with Bill & Drew to stretch our muscles in a compact knockout a week ago on Thursday. Our teammates have the slam engine on and we easily make it to the semis. This is what happened when we’re two boards into the match.

West

North

East

South

 

 

 

11

???

 

 

 

1. 15-17 bal, or stronger any shape

Geoff opens 1, showing a 15-17NT or a stronger hand of any shape. West now decides to consult his partner about their defence against such a opening. All of us are baffled at the question, but East is awake enough to respond that discussing this during the auction is not appropriate. West continues with the words: “So we have no agreements whatsoever?!?”. By now the director is present at the table and after hearing what happened, strongly reprimands West with the words:”You have single handedly made sure this board is almost unplayable. If you make any more noise, I’ll cancel the board and hand you a procedural penalty.”

The board was a flat 3NT, so nothing happened. But consider this, we’re playing in the 17,000 to 30,000 masterpoints bracket. Unreal!

That we didn’t win the event is mostly on my account. I failed to compete to a vulnerable 3 of a minor on a sub-minimal hand and I paid the price with a double part score swing. That was the difference and we settle for a 3rd place overall.

Here’s me having a full grasp of what’s happening at the table. I had all my antennas out.

West

North

East

South

 

1NT1

pass

pass

DBL

pass

pass

22

DBL

23

2

pass

3

pass

4

a.p.

1. 11-14
2. + higher suit (running scared)
3. Genuine suit, redouble would have asked for my 2nd suit

I knew that Geoff was short in , and dummy would put down reasonable power. So I decide to underlead my Ace, to give declarer an immediate guess. I knew I hit the jackpot when dummy came down. Full deal:

Declarer tried the Jack but Geoff won the Queen and we quickly cashed out. Later in the play declarer would have gathered some more information, and he might as well have taken the right guess. On the lead that is so much more difficult.

Hi all

Thanksgiving was turkey-free and I’ve stayed clear from any black Friday (or Cyber Monday) madness. I will leave for Seattle on Wednesday. For Thursday I’m still a bit on the fence, either go check out Seattle or getting warmed up at some small side event. I’ll let the rain decide. Then Geoff and I will join forces with our team mates and enter the Keohane North American Swiss Teams.

The deal below is from the home knock out series I talked about earlier:

West

North

East

South

 

21

3

4

5

pass

pass

Double

a.p.

 

 

 

1. Exactly 4 card suit, 8-12 hcp, unbalanced

I had an easy raise to game after Geoff opened 2, but when the opponents competed to 5 I decided to draw my axe. Two quick tricks, a clear lead, 8-12 hcp sitting across and vulnerable opponents seemed enough for a decently bloody reward. I lead my stiff and dummy puts down:

Urgh! That’s quite a good dummy. The travels via partner’s Queen to declarer’s Ace. A hits the table and I’m pretty sure it’s a singleton. So I rise and now I’m at crossroads. Where is Geoff’s entry? At this point I’m pretty confident Geoff is holding a 4-1-3-5 (maybe a 4-2-2-5) with King – Queen of , Jack and a mystery card.

Partner has followed with just small cards so far, nothing to encourage me to underlead my Ace. But if Geoff doesn’t hold an entry in then we’re not going to defeat it, I decide. I whisper a small prayer and lead a low . Low … Low … And slightly higher. Something inside me shatters in uncountable little painful fragments.

I write down -850. Full deal:

Declarer was ready for -500, but after I had won the Ace and considering my enormous pause, he understood the predicament I was in. That declarer afterwards confirmed the magnitude of my defensive problem and agreed with my play provided a little solace after all.

In retrospect I probably should have taken all the small cards at face value. Unusual cards at unusual moments reveal a specific holding or signal and I guess it works the other way as well. It is too much to ask for at the table, but if North (with exceptional & high speed visualization skills) does not cover the in trick one, it will lead to a successful defeat of the contract, stuck in dummy declarer has no plan, play or prospects.

Hi all

There have been some very local earthquakes (USGS). Raleigh’s and Café Intermezzo on Telegraph have been condemned and will probably have to be demolished after a big fire last Friday. And again I’m surprised how cold it can get in California during the rain season. It’s unreal.

Here’s a nice deal from a home knock-out series. Sitting South Geoff and I had a fast auction to the NT game.

West leads the 2 (4th best).

So looks like the suit to tackle. I win the in dummy and play a to my Jack, West winning the Ace. Another and I find myself in a bind. If I win in hand to play the Queen I’m basically depending on the Ten dropping or East having the Ten and the Ace (so that West never gets to collect the 13th ). Prospects are bleak at best.

I decide to go for a little swindle. See if my RHO is awake.

I win the in dummy and smoothly request another from dummy, playing towards my stiff Queen. East doesn’t look too concerned and my Queen wins the trick. When the break evenly I’m home.

As it turns out there’s no legal way to 9 tricks. Sometimes I really feel like the Hideous Hog, taking the tricks I’m entitled to and a few that belong to the opponents, too.