Quicktricks 4/27

I defended this one, but it's kind of an instructive basic hand.

You have AK954 J AK QJ862, righty deals. It goes p - 1S - 3D - 4S, and you get to play it. LHO leads the DQ.

J62
AQT975
T
K53

AK954
J
AK
QJ862

Without the preempt, you might try SAK, hoping to drop a doubleton spade queen and take 12 tricks, but with the preempt, spades are probably not breaking nicely. Best play is to play the spade ace, then a spade up to the jack. This proves to be necessary, RHO has QT87 of trumps, and you can pick him up this way.

4/26 BBO

Saw a basic defensive theme in a hand today. But first, the bidding problem.

imps r/w you have xx KTx A987 xxxx, partner deals. It goes

1D - 3H - p - p
x - p - ?

I just bid 4D here, it's probably sane but I never know. Anyway it continues

1D - 3H - p - p
x - p - 4D - 4H
x

So my LHO has decided to be crazy and we're going to hit 4H. I lead a big spade and we see

-----------QJT98x
-----------8x
-----------Tx
-----------JTx
xx
KTx
A987
xxxx

Partner cashes the first two spades, and they both hold. There is a trump promotion in the works, but the important defensive theme here is that we need to cash our side winners before going for the promo. If partner leads a third spade now, declarer can pitch a side suit instead of weakening his trump holding.

Partner leads the DQ, K, A, small. You return a small diamond to partner's jack. Now partner cashes the top two clubs (declarer following with Qx) and leads a spade. So declarer turned out to be 2722.

Declarer ruffs with the HJ and you should pitch. This is the other defensive theme, if you refuse this overruff you come to two trump tricks instead of one.

So I pitched a club, and declarer leads a small heart out of hand. I put in the ten, which crashed partner's ace. After all that hard work, sigh...

I wasn't counting declarer's hand. He'd shown up with the DK, CQ, and some heart holding with the jack. If he had AJxxxxx then my play doesn't matter. I was afraid of AQJ9xxx, in which case he would sneak a heart by me if I ducked this trick. But that would give declarer a 12 count, which most people would probably overcall 1H.

I compressed 1400 into 1100. Oh well, I'll take it.

4/22 BBO

Oops.

You get to the inferior 3N, you see

xx
JT9xx
Jx
AQTx

AKQJ
AQx
Kx
xxxx

The lead is a small diamond.

I played small from dummy at trick 1, but if I put in the jack, then it holds, which leaves me a club entry to run the hearts after picking up Kxx onside.

I'll come back and try to calculate some of these odds. I'm no good at this stuff, but I should start learning. I played small from dummy so I had to win the K in my hand, so the only options I see are trying to pick up Kx of hearts onside, or Kxx onside with the CK on.

St. Mary's Cathedral 4/16

Haha 42% game today.

I haven't gone through the matchpoints, but there were a lot of hands where the opponents played 2M making. I'm curious to see how this scored.

1.
One hand (which I've posted on the BBF), it went 1S - x - 2S to you, you have Kxx xx xxx QT9xx. I just passed here, it got passed out, 2S= was a bad score for us when the traveler came around. Would you bid 3C?

2.
I made a terrible call on this hand. You get dealt Jxx --- AKQJxx T9xx. Partner opens 1S, you bid 2D, partner bids 3C. I bid 3S because it saves room, but that's pretty dumb, since I want to be in clubs. It is matchpoints and all that, but clubs is a far superior contract. We get to 6S, off the AK. The funny thing is that we're off two cashing spades, but 6C is unbeatable because they're blocked. We got there because partner keycarded, I showed one. Turns out he had a diamond void, heh. Partner had Q9xxx AKJ --- AKQJx.

3.
Another bad score here. Unfavorable, you have AKJxxx A Jx Txxx. RHO opens 3H, you bid 3S, LHO bids 4H, partner doubles, all pass. The layout is something like

---------Qx
---------K9xx
---------xxx
---------AQ9x
xx------------------Txx
x-------------------QJTxxxx
AKQxxxx-------------x
Jxx-----------------Kx
---------AKJxxx
---------A
---------Jx
---------T8xx

So we get the obvious 6 tricks to take it for 500, but 4S is making for us. Dunno. By the way, feel free to praise my very fancy hand diagram.

4.
Here's another one. Favorable, you get KJ98 QJ9xx x Jxx. RHO deals.
1D - 1H - 2D - 4H
5D - p - p - x

I led a heart and RHO quickly wrapped it up. It takes a spade lead to beat it 1. I thought about leading a spade at trick 1 but just wimped out... like I said, I'm trying to get better at aggressive leads. We can only ever pick up 1 heart trick at most if partner has the ace, so I should probably start the spade. For a heart to be right, I guess declarer has to have AQ of spades and partner has to have the heart ace. Again, dunno.

5.
I guess I'll end on a high note. Favorable, you open 1N with QJ AJTx Axxx Axx. It goes

1N - p - 2H - x
xx

and at this point you've got a top. We roll 6N, but 2Hxx making 4 is a better score (I had to check.) RHO doubled on KQxxxx, but their side only gets three trump tricks defending 2H. What happened at the table here though, lefty freaked out at the blue card I guess and bid 3C on like Qxxxx and out. We held her to three tricks for 1700.

Trying to play hands, but...

Playing with randoms on BBO is really frustrating. We can't get a steady table going, people disappear and the table gets abandoned, random players are bad/annoying, etc.

Oh well, just gonna keep at it.

BBO 4/11

You arrive in 4H via 1C - 1H - 2H - 3N - 4H

xx
AKJx
x
Axxxxx

AJx
Qxxx
QTxx
Kx

The lead is the DA, shift to the CJ.

I didn't play this one right. I drew two rounds of trumps and got the bad news: hearts are 4-1, LHO having 4. I played a club up, lefty pitched, I won the ace, but I eventually wind up -1.

I tanked at trick 2 after winning the club in my hand. I need to go after clubs while I still have flexibility (entries) in trumps, I think. If I play a club up immediately and lefty pitches a spade, I win the ace, lead one back and ruff it. If lefty overruffs and leads a big diamond, I can pitch a spade, and then whatever he does, I can play a heart up, ruff another club big, draw trumps and claim. At least I think this line is unbeatable.

If lefty refuses to overruff the third club, I think I can play a heart up and ruff another one small, which leads to the same position. Anyway, I instinctively felt like playing a club up at trick three and I don't know why I didn't...

I guess this is a basic lesson: delay drawing trumps if you need to set up a side suit and use trumps as entries. Sometimes suits don't always break the way you want.


----
AQTxxx
Axx
K9xx

AT98xx
x
K98x
Ax

This one was more of a bidding fiasco than anything. The auction went, south dealing:

1S - 2H
2S - 3C
3D - 3H
3S - 4D
4S

I think the auction was okay up to 3S. When 4D came around, I wasn't sure what was going on so I just tried to quit as quickly as possible in 4S. Not sure how this auction should have gone.

San Jose sectional 4/4

Oh I totally forgot to mention this one defensive hand.

LHO opens 3D, RHO bids 3N. You're on lead with J75 J65 xxxx KJx.

Anyway I chose to lead the CK lol. Dummy was xx x KQJxxxx Axx or something like that. A merrimac coup at trick 1 if declarer has Qx of clubs and not the DA! Anyway we got 1 trick here for -690 and 0 matchpoints.

I can't remember the complete layout, but it takes a heart lead to hold them to 9, and a spade lead may give them 10 or 11.

I'm Feeling Lucky

My friend informs me that if you google "blidge brog," my page is the first hit.

You know they call me the Count

I dreamt that I was playing bridge, defending some contract. I woke up this morning and was upset that I didn't count the hand.

San Jose sectional 4/5

Played 108 boards this weekend; two session pairs on Saturday, teams on Sunday. Did about average in the pairs game, but unfortunately my hand records are somewhere not here.

I screwed up two games in the Swiss, but it doesn't seem to have mattered. We played in the BCD, and we just came up against weak opponents throughout.

Here's one I screwed up the auction and the play, a double whammy.

Partner opens 1N unfavorable
1N - (2S) - 2N* - 3S
p - (p) - 5C - (x)

I had K QTx Q9x KJTxxx. I wasn't thinking when I bid lebensohl, I just wanted to show a spade stopper and play 3NT. Of course 3C is a better bid.

I get a small spade lead, and I see

Ax
xxx
AJ8x
AQxx

K
QTx
Q9x
KJTxxx

I won the K, played CK and CA, SA pitching a heart. Then I just exited a heart. Turns out righty had HAK all along, oh well. Third heart ruffed in my hand, and at this point, I should make it. I can't remember how trumps were divided anymore, but lefty is most likely to have the diamond length, so I should play her for KTxx. Anyway I did, but I played off two more rounds of trumps, killing entry to hand before doing this. Not so great.

I underled an ace in some auction and partner had doubleton. There were some glances when I won the second round and delivered a ruff for down 1...

Against the last pair, we had a system win. Righty opened 1NT and I had AKxxx of hearts and QTxx of clubs (don't remember my other two suits, sorry). I doubled, showing a major and a minor, and they did Stayman/3NT. I led a fourth best heart, partner had QTxx. At the other table, opponents showed their hearts, and teammates scrambled to the 4-3 spade game, making 6.

Another hand, I opened J AJT8x KQ9xx xx and partner gave a 3 card limit raise. I felt aggressive the whole day, and I just accepted the invite. They led a trump, saving me from guessing the heart position. Partner had Q98 K9x Jxx Axxx, diamonds are 3-2. Teammates played 3S-1.

So the day went (in VPs): 9, 12, 20, 37, 57, 76, 96.

We won the whole thing, but screwing up two cold games is pretty annoying.

So this concludes my first week of bridge since a 4 month hiatus. It's exhausting!

St. Mary's Cathedral 4/2

Mildly drunk, no hand records.

I blew one defensive hand very badly.

After the auction (we are sitting in second)
1C - p - 1H - 4S
p - p - 5C - p
5H - ap

Partner leads a small diamond and you see

KJxx
KJTx
Jx
Axx
------x
------xx
------Axxxx
------xxxxx

I won the DA, declarer dropping the DK. At this point I looked at the hand and didn't think I was getting a spade ruff so just returned something stupid like a diamond. Partner bid 4S on his 6-5, and of course, I get the ruff to beat 5H. This was very poor by me.

Now onto the good stuff...

Opponents bid unopposed
1S - 2C
2H - 3H
4H

I'm sitting over the 1S opener with AKJ9 xx AJxxx xx, so a trump lead looks obvious. I make it, and we get

---------x
---------Jxx
---------KTx
---------AKxxxx
AKJ9
xx
AJxxx
xx

Declarer pops the jack from dummy, partner signaling even. Looks like they walked into the 4-3. Declarer plays a spade to the ten, I win the jack, and continue trumps. Declarer wins in his hand with the Q and ruffs a spade.

Now he crosses to hand with the CQ and leads a diamond. I pause here and give some thought (probably shoulda done that earlier, but if I'm gonna hitch with the DA, then I'm gonna hitch long enough to think.)

If declarer had 2 clubs (I didn't watch the club count from partner) then he would just draw trumps and run the clubs. I give declarer the stiff CQ, so partner is 2425. Why didn't declarer just draw trumps anyway? I guess he might be missing the K and is trying to trump coup the hand.

Oh well. I hop the DA, cash two spades, partner pitching to a void in diamonds, and deliver the ruff. Three spades, one heart, diamond ace, +200. Declarer had AKQx of hearts all along.

Another hand, we're in second with AJxxxx Kx xx KTx
1H - 1S - 1N - p
2D - p - 5D - ap

I attack with a club. This proves to be necessary.

---------KQx
---------Qx
---------KJTxx
---------xxx
AJxxxx
Kx
xx
KTx

Partner puts in the CQ, and the hand is over. Declarer draws trumps in two rounds, runs the HQ. I cash out for -1. I know it's not a very exciting hand, but I'm a very passive leader. I'm working on improving my leads, picking my times to attack, and I'm really glad I got this one right, as simple as it is.

Amusing side note: You get KJx xx AKxx Axxx unfavorable in second
2S - 2N* - p** - 3D
p - 3H - 3S - 4H
ap

*Would you?
**LONG tank. I thought I was going to get murdered.

LHO leads a spade, you've got

x
KQTxx
xxxxx
xx

KJx
xx
AKxx
Axxx

Spade to the ace, shift to the club king.

Diamonds are 2-2 and hearts are AJx onside, making 5. Partner was on tilt from getting 4 terrible boards in a row, and decided he was going to get to 4H on this hand no matter what. We really fixed Steve and Kim here, and I have great respect for them (they're both great bridge players as well as really nice people, which seems rare), so I felt sort of bad. They ended up winning the whole thing anyway, so I'm happy there's justice in the world.

Afterward, we hit up a random sushi place on the way home, and partner picked up a 50 dollar bill. Thanks for the food and cards, partner!

Palo Alto Bridge Center 4/1

Another one from Neil.

You deal, J43 QT K53 AKT86

1C - 1N - p - 2D
p - 2H - ap

985
A97532
2
943
-------------------J43
-------------------QT
-------------------K53
-------------------AKT86

Partner leads the 5 of clubs. You win the club king, ace, partner following with the deuce. Lead a low club signaling a diamond return, partner ruffs with the 8. Partner returns a diamond to your king, and it holds. You lead another club, partner ruffs with the HJ, and you hold them to two. They missed this defense at the table; -110 wins all the matchpoints.

I came back and thought about it later. Is it right to go for the trump promo? I couldn't picture declarer with a spade loser (AKQ of spades, HK, CQ, DQ). I also felt certain that partner's hearts were J8 from the play. I guess it's possible that declarer started with KJxx, but I'm just not going to play for that. Maybe partner's diamond signals something?

I can't really think of any declarer hands where going for the trump promotion is bad though. Even if we have a spade trick coming, we simply lose our trump trick. And it's possible declarer can take a ruffing finesse in diamonds and pitch away dummy's third spade (AKx Kxx QJxx Qxx). All in all, it seems like the promotion is the way to go.

Palo Alto Bridge Center 4/1

Thanks to Neil for this one.

AJT87 Qx x AKJxx

MP unfavorable, you're in second seat

p - 1S - 3D - 3S
p - 4S - ap

The lead is the DA and you get

Q96 KTxxx xx xxx
AJT87 Qx x AKJxx

I don't like the 3S bid but that's neither here nor there. DA, followed by a low diamond to the Q, ruffed in your hand. I need to get to dummy, so I try a low heart to dummy's K and it holds. I don't know if this is best, it may be better to play a low heart to dummy's ten. Regardless, once it holds, LHO has AK of diamonds and the HA, you can be pretty sure that all the black cards are working.

I run the S9 from dummy and west shows out. Oops. This is the last time I'm going to be in dummy, so I hook the club and it holds, as expected. Two more rounds of clubs and east admits to Qxx. At this point the position is:

Q6
Txxx
---
---

AJT
Q
---
xx

I fell asleep and just decided to run clubs, pitching hearts from dummy. RHO can ruff with a baby trump, and you can't avoid losing a 4th trick to the SK.

The hand is actually made from here. What you have to do is ruff a club winner. If RHO ruffs and leads a trump, you simply draw trumps and concede the last heart: losing a heart, a diamond, and a spade. If RHO ruffs and plays a heart to LHO and a heart to force you, you have a high crossruff. If RHO refuses to ruff completely, you can just exit a heart, and they can't do anything to you.

Quicktricks 3/30

Matchpoints unfavorable you deal

AJ ATxx Jxxxx Ax

1D - 2C - 2S - 3C
p - p - 3D - p
?

I mulled over this for a while before deciding to pass. 5D and 4S are cold, but +150 was enough for 6.5/8 matchpoints anyway.

What I was thinking: I didn't like 3N with Ax in clubs, I can't even hold up 2 rounds. And just because partner made a 2 level bid doesn't mean he has the values... I know I make that bid with really horrible hands sometimes when I have a fit for partner and don't want my long suit to get buried.

I figured it was matchpoints, so missing game wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Partner had Qxxxx Kx AQT9x x.

It looks like the stronger players on BBF are passing, or if forced to play a game, would choose 4S.

-----------------------

Another hand the opponents had a misunderstanding and missed a transfer, and I stupidly didn't draw the final trump and gave declarer a free trick. Trust me, it was dumb. It didn't matter though.

--------------------
Declaring 3N after 1N - 2C - 2D - 2N - 3N
You get the HQ lead

KTxx
xx
xx
AJTxx

A9x
Axx
KQJT
Kxx

RHO plays a middle spot and LHO... shifts to a spade! You play small and win the Q in hand with the A.

Obviously we have dodged a bullet with the shift, and what's more, we have possibilities to pick up the spade suit. At this point, I stupidly played king and a club. Because LHO shifted, I can drive out the DA and make the avoidance play in clubs later. It's not clear to me what happens if LHO continues hearts, because even if I pick up 5 club tricks, that still only brings my total to 8. I may have to guess the spades and eventually go after diamonds anyway, but the point is, the opponents gave me an opportunity here, and I didn't take it.

Anyway it didn't cost, RHO has the crucial entries, and I only ever have 9 tricks. Still, these are the kinds of things you can't afford to miss.

On a humorous side note: partner opened QJ QJxxx Axxx xx in first

First

I want to get better at bridge, but I don't play nearly enough to improve.

If I start this blog and feel obligated to update it with content, then I will be forced to play hands.

That's the plan, anyway.