2/21 Burlingame GNT-C Qualifier

We managed to win, but it was too close for comfort. Here's one that I really botched.



I'm off 1 in 5C here, but they're going to go down 2 on proper defense. I think if I decide to bid again, I should double. If partner has fitting cards, he can pull it, and if not, he can sit for it. What I think is clearly wrong is 5C. Of course, partner might pull a double to 4S... I have 3 quick tricks, but I don't know. Maybe I should just sell out to 4H.



First of all, we're lucky we didn't get a 4D preempt. So after 4D (showing a good spade raise, doesn't promise a control), I tried to signoff with my balanced minimum.

From partner's point of view, SA HA CK is a slam. He cuebid 5C, and I cuebid 5D, which may actually be discouraging to partner. Should I even cuebid 5D, or just bid 5H?

If partner tried to get out in 5S, I was planning to bid 6S anyway because I had the HA and a maximum. Help, what do we do here?

2/20 Burlingame GNT-C Qualifier

Here's another one from the GNT-C qualifiers. What contract would you reach? South deals and opens 1N. You have the gadgetry to show a long club suit with a stiff spade, but would you use it?

2/20 Burlingame GNT-C Qualifier

I read Kantar's Take All Your Chances at Bridge book just a few days before the GNT, and this hand felt something that could have come from it.



So we have to deal with a club loser and a diamond loser. The first idea is that you should play a low club to the queen. If the CK is onside, the hand is already over.

Assuming that loses, you can try to ruff out the CJ. If it comes down, you have a club to pitch a diamond.

If NONE of that works, you're down to the diamond finesse. You tried everything!

At the table, when I finessed the club, RHO actually won the CK and led back the DJ. I felt that LHO had the CJ (LHO hitched when I played a club up), and the DJ looked so weird that I figured LHO had the DK as well, so I ran a squeeze instead. Both cards are onside though.

If RHO comes back a small diamond, then you have to abandon trying to drop the CJ and just go for the 50-50 diamond finesse.

San Jose 2/17

14.
Matchpoints. You sit north.



Opponents play 12-14 NT, so opener should not have 12-14 balanced on this auction. 2S is perhaps pushy, but here you are.

Partner leads the SK and continues with the 9. You overtake with the T. Wanting to score your trump queen before leading a third round of spades, you exit with a club.

Declarer cashes the HK, realizes that something fishy is going on, plays a heart to the ace, and makes 5.

Meanwhile, in reality, I just played the SA at trick 3, giving partner his ruff, and declarer dropped my HQ to make 4. Should I have tried the imagined line?

Update: I was staring at this hand and realized that if I wanted to try this, I should NOT overtake the spade and let declarer think that I'm an idiot. I can't say that she'd be wrong to think that...

Burlingame Regional 2/15

I remembered another hand from the Burlingame Regional. I don't remember the entire hand, but partner opened 1S in third r/w, RHO made this ugly 2H overcall on AKxxx of hearts, and I trapped with KQ QJxx Qxxx xx. Unfortunately, partner was offshape for a reopening double (5224), so we beat them 2 undoubled.

I would've done the same in his seat, but I know people who reopen with any shortness, and I guess hands like this are why.

Show your work

Back in a college statistics class, I got the following problem on an exam:

You are playing a card game, and there are 5 cards in a suit remaining to be divided between the person on your left and the person on your right. What are the odds that the person on your right has 3?

I showed no work and wrote down the (correct) answer. I got no credit. Maybe I was supposed to ask for the auction.

Burlingame 2/15

Our GNT-C team played in the A/X Swiss teams today at the Burlingame regional. We ended up 7 VPs below average, but it was a LOT of fun. We were planning to play the BCD, but they only play 49 boards as opposed to the A/X 56. As Helen put it, "More value for our money!"

We won our first two matches by a tiny bit, and then we played against our third team. There were three big swings in this match.

Round 3
---------------------



We got to 6D and made it after the defense started two rounds of hearts. I ruffed in dummy, drew two rounds of trumps, and finessed the spade through the opener. The other table was in 5D, making 6, after a murkier auction where our teammates bid a lot.

On another one, there was a nonvul game swing where we were in 3H making 4, whereas the opponents bid it. Unfortunately, I was dummy, so I can't quite remember the hand. I don't think it was a very good contract though... it needed a helpful lead and a suit to break 3-3.



Both teams got to 4S, but we defeated it at our table after I led a heart. Partner got in with the DA, put a club through, and the contract goes off 1. At the other table, a passive spade was led, giving declarer time to establish the 13th diamond.

After we compared scores, Eric came up to me, and we had this conversation.

Eric: You guys must be doing good or something.
Me: I dunno, we're doing okay.
Eric: You just played the Burke team.
Me: Who?
Eric: Burke, Mohan, Bates, Hampson. They're national champions.
Me: ...Oh.
Eric: So how did it go?
Me: Win by 13.

As Eric later said, "It's a short match... anything could happen!" I'll take it!

Round 4
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There were three big swings in this round, but I'll post the more interesting one.



At our table, the auction went, west dealing:

p - p - 1H - 1S
2H - 2S - all pass

I made four on the heart lead, it takes a trump lead and continuation to hold me to three. Unfortunately, the other table was in game and also did not get a killing lead.

It was only after the match that I realized that our opponents at the other table were the Stansbys! We eked over them by 1 imp!

So after the first four miracle rounds, we crashed and burned. We lost our final three matches by ~15 VPs each, which our earlier small victories weren't good enough to cover. There was a hand I got to 3N with 12 opposite 6, but never mind that.

I really hope we make it through the GNT-C qualifiers this Saturday!

Burlingame Regional 2/13

IMP pairs. This hand doesn't have too much instructional value, but I enjoy it too much not to share it.



After stripping the reds, I should play CA and a club, hoping for a misdefence. RHO either needs to unblock Kx, or LHO needs to hop K from KJxxx to chomp partner's Q (crocodile coup.) Instead, I played a small club, which caters to RHO having 5521 with stiff CK.

Well, you can see what happened. RHO got on lead with his stiff J, had to give me the SK, and then I threw him in again!

I have to admit, I prefer to be off 1 and have taken a stupid line than to be off 2 and have taken the correct line.

Great score, right? We managed to sac against a vul making game, and I got out two tricks better than I should have. Well, someone in our direction was +420. WTF!?

Palo Alto 2/5

I'm sitting east.

13.



This is unbeatable; it just seems like one of those things.

Palo Alto 2/3

I sat east, they had some auction to 3N, I don't remember it exactly.

I got strip squeezed, but declarer couldn't read it. He should though, especially since I opened.