San Jose 9/18

One of many that I got wrong on Sunday's NAP qualifier

MPs r/w 7642 Q AJ53 ATxx

(2S) - p - (p) - x
(p) - ?

I didn't want to guess which minor to bid, and I felt like my singleton HQ was very defensive.  I elected to pass.  Zia's advice of "avoid zeroes" crossed my mind, but when else but matchpoints do you make speculative doubles of partials?

Declarer ended up making exactly 2.  I think I did the wrong thing by passing with such bad trumps (we make 4C), but it felt a bit unlucky.  Declarer had a max, dummy had a good hand (10 count, Kx of trumps, a side ace), and we still nearly beat it.  I just needed a bigger diamond SPOT to have nicked it one.  Besides, why shouldn't partner's minors be reversed, and 3C is down a couple while 3D is the one that makes 4?

BBO 9/10

Here's a hand I really really butchered
 
We are w/r in 4th, holding x Jx T87x AKQ8xx

(1H) - p - (1S) - 3C
(3S) - 5C - (x)

The lead is the HK, we see

A987
xx
Kxx
JT9x

x
Jx
T87x
AKQ8xx

The HK holds, then LHO shifts to the SK. We win the spade, ruff a spade big, cross to dummy in trumps, ruff a spade big, cross to dummy in trumps, ruff a spade big. LHO showed up with 3 spades and 2 clubs.

---
x
Kxx
9x

---
J
T87x
8

I exited the HJ at this point. LHO wins and tables the DQ.

If LHO is 3532, we have to guess the suit properly. If he led from QJ, we have to duck this trick and freeze the suit. If he led from Q9x, then we have to cover and put in the T on the way back. These were my thoughts anyway... what honors has he shown up with...?  Wait a minute, this is stupid!

The opponents have 9 hearts... there's no way hearts are 5-4. Hearts must be 6-3 for this auction to make any sense. Therefore, LHO must be 3622, and now we just cover the DQ. When RHO wins the A and tables another diamond, we put in the T, not caring at all if it loses. LHO will be endplayed and be forced to give us a ruff sluff. What's more, finding the DQ lead from a non honor sequence is difficult. I would not and should not give someone this much credit.

I ended up losing 3 diamonds and 2 hearts for -500... a good save against 620, but not as good as 300 (Duh).

I hate that I don't pay any attention on BBO, butcher a hand, and then get upset about it. I should strive to play my best, always.  What a poor excuse.

Santa Clara Regional 9/5

Played in the Open Swiss today.

We got STEAMROLLED by Balicki and Zmudzinski in round 2. I didn't play against them... I sat in Balicki's seat. That is some frightening stuff. I came back to the table and felt like I got my entry fee's worth when I asked my teammates how he declared.

Balicki declares this contract in 4S... I don't know the auction, but RHO has overcalled diamonds probably at the 2 level and LHO raised.

Axx AQx Jxx xxxx
KQTxx JT9x --- KJ9x

1. diamond led, ruffed
2. heart to the Q and K
3. diamond led, ruffed
4. small club out of hand, dropping the stiff ace (!!!)
5. diamond led, ruffed
Now dummy is reversed and Balicki can play 2 top spades, cross to the HA, draw the final trump (pitching a club), and cash 10 tricks. Godlike.

Here's a defensive problem I had. Opponents bid 1N 3N, we're on lead. I have Qxx Axx xxx JTxx. I elect to lead a 4th best club.

-------Axx
-------xxx
-------AQx
-------9xxx
Qxx
Axx
xxx
JTxx
-------
-------
-------(closed
------- hand)

First trick goes x x K A. Declarer now plays SA and a spade to the J, losing to our Q. Partner played lo-hi in spades (upside down count). What now?

It looks like declarer started with KJxxx of spades, so 4 spade tricks. He's marked with CAQ, so he's up to 6 tricks. DA is 7. I decided to play declarer to have the CAQ tight and to have to set up two heart tricks, so I led a second low club, dropping declarer's CQ to my delight! Declarer then showed up with the DK and had 9 tricks already.

Can I get this right? If I'm truly playing declarer to have a doubleton club, then partner will always have a third club to reach me. Can I afford to cash the HA to get partner's signal? But if I'm playing for the hand above, cashing the HA loses the tempo to beat this hand. What's more, partner will encourage with any holding with the K... but it's not enough. He has to have KQxx if declarer has the DK. That's what actually happened on this hand. We have 4 heart cashers we never got.

Update: I spoke with a friend... a small heart is interesting. If declarer has nothing in hearts, it will beat it outright. If declarer has HHx in hearts, when partner wins his presumed DK, he can push a heart through. Declarer will go down unless he reads the heart position and blocks it. Or declarer could have even two hearts! Then a heart is an easy beat.

I'm not liking my defense now, but at least it wasn't a zero defense. If declarer is KJTxx HHT/HH9 Jxx AQ my defense is necessary, just wildly antipercentage. Oh well.

We actually did pretty well, enough to win 2nd in X, 4th/6th overall.

I also Lightner doubled again. Got my ruff, then declarer wrapped it up. 0/3 so far. It only cost one imp (teammates did not reach it.) Oh well, it's a price I'm willing to continue paying.

Edit: I gave the 3N defense hand to Steph. She led a heart at T1. Easy game.

Santa Clara Regional 9/4

Matchpoints

You relay your way into 6S, partner showing 3523

xxx
AKJ9x
Qx
Qxx

AKQJxxx
Tx
x
AKxx

diamond is led to the A, diamond returned

Amazingly, on a 12 top, reaching and making this 29 point slam is a 6.5 in a side pairs game.